ABC is switching up its schedule in a big way come fall 2024, and it’s bad news for some of our favorite series.
The Rookie, which has been bounced around the schedule in recent years, won’t return for Season 7 until 2025.
An exact timeline for the show’s return has not been determined, but it will have an 18-episode order, which is pretty good when considering the delayed start.
ABC plans to air those 18 episodes uninterrupted. Will Trent, which has been renewed for Season 3, is also getting the same treatment.
The biggest shocker on the fall schedule is the decision to bump Grey’s Anatomy to the 10/9c slot after spinoff Station 19 ends its run.
The news comes following a budget cut for the long-running medical drama, which will reduce the number of series regulars per episode.
Grey’s Anatomy will be replaced by a new medical drama
While the numbers for Grey’s Anatomy are notably softer than they once were, the series has always been a strong performer in delayed viewing, meaning that the network expects people to find the show one way or another.
Doctor Odyssey, a new medical drama starring Joshua Jackson, will inherit the Thursday timeslot once held by Grey’s Anatomy in the fall. It will lead out of 9-1-1.
9-1-1 returns to ABC for its second season on the network, and we’re already thinking about the next big disaster. After a tsunami and a cruise ship disaster, what could happen next?
The Conners, which was on ABC’s fall schedule for its first six seasons, has been banished to midseason.
As Monsters and Critics previously reported, the Roseanne spinoff is returning for just six episodes to wrap up its storyline.
Reality TV is now ABC’s focus
ABC is keeping reality TV at the forefront in the fall with The Golden Bachelorette and Dancing With the Stars.
At one point, ABC had dozens of scripted series on its fall schedule, but the reality is that unscripted offerings can pull in similar ratings to the high-costing scripted offerings.
We expect this to become the norm on the broadcast networks. It’s a sign of the times.
Plus, more Bachelor Nation and DWTS is never a bad thing. It will be interesting to see Joan Vassos’s frontline of The Golden Bachelorette.
Gerry Turner’s love story with Theresa Nist may have ended in tears, but aging up the franchise brought viewers back to Bachelor Nation.
As for DWTS, we should learn about the upcoming season’s cast later in the summer.