Upfronts Week — ABC

Today begins a week where hope springs eternal for all the major networks as they unveil the trailers for new shows and set their schedule for the fall. Each day I'll take a look at the network's presentation and offer some thoughts.

ABC:
ABC started with a flourish. The network's Thursday night lineup — featuring three shows by Shonda Rhimes — was gangbusters in the fall, helping the network pile up wins among the 18-49 demographic. The Spring hasn't been as kind. The vaunted Thursday night lineup has slipped, and ABC has struggled to get new shows going. Still, the network is a close third in the key demographic and doing strong in total viewers. ABC arguably had the most buzzed about shows, which gives them something to build on. And this schedule reflects the fact that ABC has some stability. They have perhaps the most static schedule of the networks to unveil their schedules so far, and they're the only one of the big four that doesn't get a boost from the NFL. ABC is also continuing their year-round scheduling model, stacking up plenty of shows for short runs in the winter or to take over at mid-season. Keeping the order count low on some of these high concept shows could also help keep the stories fresh. It's not coincidence that ABC's Thursday night lineup began to slip in the ratings when "How To Get Away With Murder" wrapped its run in February.

Most Interesting Scheduling Move: ABC kept its Thursday nights in tact, and upped the ante with Rhimes shows. The fall Thursday night lineup will return with "Grey's Anatomy," "Scandal," and "How to Get Away With Murder." Then when "HGAWM" ends its run, the new Rhimes drama "The Catch" will fill the void. That should keep what's been a solid night for ABC going strong all season long. Since Thursdays are a key night, that will be a boon with advertisers.

Riskiest Scheduling Move: Sundays in the fall are a tough landing spot, as series compete against the NFL, "The Walking Dead," and other cable offerings. ABC saw its Sunday night crater somewhat with "Resurrection" and an aging "Revenge." But now ABC is slotting two new soap operas into that Sunday night time slot. The question is whether either will be able to find an audience in the crowded Sunday night landscape, especially going against Prime Time's No.1 show, NBC's Sunday Night Football.

Most Intriguing New Show: ABC is offering five new series in the fall, and most of them look at least a little interesting. But the one I'm most curious about is "Quantico," about young FBI agents, an intricate plot, and a major terrorist attack. Watching the trailer I felt like it had a bit of a "Grey's Anatomy" in the FBI vibe, then it added a season-long mystery. It's a risky concept, but it's getting a good time slot on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. where competition is lighter. But that's been a death slot in recent years for ABC, so it's not without some risk.

Least Intriguing New Show: I mentioned above the risk of trying to launch new shows on Sunday nights in the fall. I would say that goes double for "Of Prophets and Kings," a new Bible-based soap about King Saul. Watching the trailer I couldn't get a feel for the show, and based on the recent track record of Biblical tales adapted for TV, I don't think this is promising. It feels like an odd story and set of characters to focus on, too, and doesn't really seem to fit with its lead-in, the soapy drama "Oil." "Of Prophets and Kings" feels like a weird choice for a series that's being shoe-horned into a tough time slot.