Just one day after announcing its fall schedule, ABC is already making changes to its Wednesday night lineup.
“Black-ish” has been moved back up for a fall premiere, taking the place of the new Kari Lizer comedy “Call Your Mother.” “Black-ish” will now air at 8:30 p.m. following “The Goldbergs,” with “American Housewife” moving to 9:30 p.m. “The Conners” and “Stumptown” remain at 9 and 10 p.m., respectively. See the full schedule below.
In a statement announcing the change, ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke alluded to the renewed Black Lives Matter protests across the country in recent weeks, saying that adding “black-ish” back to the fall lineup is an effort to speak to the current moment.
“‘black-ish’ has a long-standing history of shining a light on current events and honoring Black voices through the lens of the Johnson family,” Burke said. “After speaking with Kenya and our creative partners, we decided it was important to tell these meaningful stories during this moment in time, so we are adjusting our premiere schedule and are committed to doing whatever it takes to bring this series back as soon as we possibly can. Following recent monumental events, it’s imperative that the dialogue continues and empowers viewers to raise their voices, and there is no other show that does that like ‘black-ish.’”
Added Barris, “We are incredibly grateful to Karey, Dana and Peter for recognizing the importance of ‘black-ish’ in this moment and applaud them for making the necessary shifts to bring the show back as soon as possible. While the last few months have felt overwhelming at times, they have also underscored just how important it is that Black voices are not only heard but empowered and amplified as well; and our entire ‘black-ish’ team is humbled to be a small part of telling our stories and are excited to get back to these conversations.”
Here’s the network’s new Wednesday night schedule for Fall 2020:
WEDNESDAY
8-8:30 p.m. — “The Goldbergs”
8:30-9 p.m. — “black-ish”
9-9:30 p.m. — “The Conners”
9:30-10 p.m.– “American Housewife”
10-11 p.m. — “Stumptown”