Upfronts Week: ABC

 


One of the many things lost last year was an annual event I always enjoy, Upfronts Week, a time when the Networks unveil their Fall schedules. This Upfronts week doesn't look exactly like it has in year's past, but the schedules are still rolling out, and I'll be here to look at them. For each network I'll be looking at the Best Scheduling Move, Most Curious Scheduling Move, Most Promising New Show and Least Promising New Show.

ABC:

Best Scheduling Move:
ABC has found some success and stability with its Monday night, pairing Dancing With the Stars and The Good Doctor. They have kept that in tact for the 2021-2022 season, and that makes some good sense. Otherwise, it's a pretty vanilla schedule, so there's not a lot to nitpick.

Most Curious Scheduling Move:
It's taken ABC some time to find a Tuesday night 10 p.m. drama that sticks. But the network found that in 2020 with Big Sky, the drama from David E. Kelley. So, naturally, they're moving the show. It goes to Thursday nights, A Million Little Things goes to Wednesdays and ABC is again launching a freshman show in the 10 p.m. spot on Tuesday. I don't understand the shuffling, and I'll be curious to see if it works.

Most Promising New Show:
ABC has just two new scripted series on its Fall schedule, so this choice pretty straightforward. The one I'm most excited about is The Wonder Years, a re-imaging of the classic story that looks at an African American family's journey in the South in the late 1960s. It features the voice of Don Cheadle narrating the journey and the cast includes Dule Hill. Fred Savage and Lee Daniels are among the producers. I loved the original and I'm pumped to see this new one in ABC's comedy block on Wednesdays.

Least Promising New Show:
The other new ABC show is the drama Queens, which will land in the Tuesday at 10 p.m. slot behind The Bachelorette. This one is about four aging singers who come back together for a reunion tour. The cast includes Eve and Brandy, and it could work, and could pair nicely for a women-centric evening of television. But it felt a bit too close to the recent Peacock sitcom Girls5eva, and also feels like the kind of idea that works better as a stand alone film.

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