The newest iteration of “The Bachelor” franchise, “The Golden Bachelorette,” will be leading Wednesdays this upcoming fall. The time slot announcement was part of ABC’s fall TV schedule update, which was released ahead of Disney’s upfront presentation on Tuesday.
“We had an incredible opportunity to expand the ‘Golden Bachelorette’ franchise on Wednesday,” Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich told TheWrap, pointing to the expanded 90-minute block compared to the hour slot for “Golden Bachelor” this fall. “Having the 90 minutes felt like a great opportunity for the huge fans of that show, which was truly the television event of the year last year, as well as provide a very powerful lead-in to our beloved ‘Abbott Elementary,’ which continues to garner massive audiences as well as critical acclaim. It’s just a show we’re incredibly proud of.”
New seasons of “The Rookie” and “Will Trent” will debut midseason, as well as the final season of “The Conners.” Other midseason premieres will include “American Idol,” “The Bachelor,” “Celebrity Jeopardy!,” “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” and “What Would You Do?”
A installment of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” from executive producer Reese Witherspoon and hosted by world-renowned organizing duo Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin of The Home Edit will also premiere midseason.
Looking ahead to the fall, Mondays will be reserved for Monday Night Football. ABC has opted not to put any new original programming on this day as the network cements its football schedule. As 2024 is an election year, presidential debates and news are also expected to interrupt Monday nights.
Tuesdays will be reserved for the return of the dancing competition series “Dancing With the Stars,” as well as Kaitlin Olson’s new drama, “High Potential.” From Oscar-nominated writer Drew Goddard and based on the popular French series, the crime procedural stars Olson as a single mom with an exceptional mind and a knack for solving crimes who partners with a hardened detective.
Premiering “High Potential” following “Dancing With the Stars” leans on what Erwich identifies as a “huge broad audience that tunes in very loyally week to week,” which aims to provide a launchpad for what he expects to be a “signature drama” for the network, as he notes “High Potential” has a “unique blend of both [a] procedural as well as humor.”
ABC’s biggest nights this fall will likely be Wednesdays. After “The Golden Bachelor” secured more than 43 million viewers during its debut, “The Golden Bachelorette” is officially joining the network’s Wednesday night lineup. It will then be followed by a new season of the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning “Abbott Elementary” and the new docuseries “Scamanda.” Based on the widely listened to podcast of the same name, the series tells the story of wife, mother and blogger Amanda Riley, whose cancer story captivated thousands. But not everything Riley claimed is what it seems.
Erwich noted that closing Wednesday nights with the ABC News documentary provides a “news into news flow” from 10 p.m. to local news at 11 p.m. which he said is “something that audiences really enjoy.” “The ratings have been very strong and they certainly provides a strong lead-in for our affiliates at 11, which is always a big priority for us,” Erwich said.
Thursdays will then be reserved for dramas from Ryan Murphy and Shonda Rhimes. The 8 p.m. slot will be occupied by “9-1-1” and will be followed by Murphy’s new drama, “Doctor Odyssey.” Described as a “high-octane procedural,” the series stars Joshua Jackson and Don Johnson and follows the new on-board doctor for a luxury cruise. It will then be followed by the longest-running primetime medical drama in television history, “Grey’s Anatomy,” shifting from its longtime 9 p.m. slot into 10 p.m.
Erwich said the network is confident that launching “Dr. Odyssey” in between “9-1-1” and “Grey’s Anatomy” was “the right thing to do,” and expressed confidence that “Grey’s” would maintain its position as a staple for the network.
“‘Grey’s’ … is as strong as ever,” the network executive said, noting that new generations of audiences are flocking to the show. “We know that a lot of that audience watches it on multiple platforms on a on a delayed basis, so we’re confident that that audience will show up at 10.” Pushing the Rhimes medical drama to 10 p.m. also has the incentive of providing a “very strong lead-in” to the local news kicking off at 11 p.m.
The week will closeout with episodes of the business reality series “Shank Tank” on Fridays followed by a two-hour showing of “20/20.” Saturdays will be reserved for college football. Finally, “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and popular films under “The Wonderful World of Disney” umbrella will close out Sunday.
Here’s ABC full fall schedule. All times are in ET/PT:
Monday
- 8:00 p.m.: Monday Night Football on select Mondays this fall
- TBA programming
Tuesday
- 8:00 p.m.: “Dancing With the Stars”
- 10:00 p.m.: “High Potential”
Wednesday
- 8:00 p.m.: “The Golden Bachelorette”
- 9:30 p.m.: “Abbott Elementary”
- 10:00 p.m.: “Scamanda”
Thursday
- 8:00 p.m.: “9-1-1”
- 9:00 p.m.: “Doctor Odyssey”
- 10:00 p.m.: “Grey’s Anatomy”
Friday
- 8:00 p.m.: “Shark Tank”
- 9:00 p.m.: “20/20”
Saturday
- 7:30 p.m.: College Football
Sunday
- 7:00 p.m.: “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
- 8:00 p.m.: “The Wonderful World of Disney”
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