With the traditional broadcast TV season coming to a premature end for many shows due to pandemic-forced production shutdowns, viewers might be thinking that Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC and The CW will be completely out of fresh programming by the end of May. While you may be right to assume these networks will air more reruns this summer that usual, they will also bring you some new content in June, July and August.
Before productions were halted and delayed across the country, filming wrapped on several TV series — both scripted and unscripted — that will be filling broadcast’s primetime slots between encores this summer. There’s also a few shows that networks had in the can before shutdowns that will be held until the fall, which we’ve noted below.
NBC
Production was completed on Season 4 of Jennifer Lopez’s “World of Dance” (premiering May 26 at 10 p.m.), the second season of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s “Titan Games” (May 25 at 8 p.m.), the final season of “Blindspot” (premiered April 30 at 10 p.m.), and freshman drama “Council of Dads” (time-slot premiere May 7 at 8 p.m.) before the shutdowns. Half of Season 15 of “America’s Got Talent,” which features the return of judge Heidi Klum and debut of new panelist Sofia Vergara, was shot before NBC had to put things on pause. The network plans to begin airing the new episodes on May 26 at 8 p.m.
The broadcaster also has completed production on four episodes of its new Tina Fey-created comedy starring Ted Danson, but the plan was always — and remains — to debut that series at some point during the 2020-2021 season.
Fox
“Labor of Love,” a new reality series featuring “Bachelor” alum Kristy Katzmann auditioning potential fathers to her children, and the first season of competition show “Ultimate Tag” were both filmed before the shutdowns and will premiere May 21 at 9 p.m. and May 20 at 9 p.m., respectively. Production on the recently announced “Celebrity Watch Party” (debuting May 7 at 8 p.m.) is ongoing, as it is shot remotely from stars’ homes.
Meanwhile, the already completed first seasons of Kim Cattrall-led Southern Gothic drama “Filthy Rich” and the John Slattery thriller “neXt” — which did not yet have premiere dates — will be getting a place on Fox’s fall schedule.
ABC
The Disney-owned broadcaster had a good chunk of both scripted series and reality content completed before production shutdowns and finished a few more shows and specials remotely. These include “The Story of Soaps” (May 19 at 8 p.m.), “The Genetic Detective” (May 19 at 10 p.m.), “Holey Moley II: The Sequel” (May 21 at 9 p.m.), “To Tell the Truth” (May 21 at 10 p.m.), “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (May 27 at 10 p.m.), “Celebrity Family Feud” (May 31 at 8 p.m.), “Press Your Luck” (May 31 at 9 p.m.), “Match Game” (May 31 at 10 p.m.), “The Bachelor: The Most Unforgettable – Ever!” (June 8 at 8 p.m.) and “Don’t” (June 11 at 9 p.m.).
ABC has also completed production on the eight-episode first season of its new multi-cam “United We Fall,” but word on a premiere date for that series yet.
CBS
New game show “Game On!” (May 27 at 8 p.m.) and competition “Tough as Nails” (July 8 at 9 p.m.) were both completed pre-shutdown. The next season of “The Amazing Race,” which was previously slated to air over the summer, will now be held until later in the year, with a premiere date TBD.
The CW
The younger-skewing broadcast network already had new seasons of “The 100,” “In the Dark” (which premiered in April and will run into July), “Penn & Teller Fool Us” (June 22 at 9 p.m.), “Masters of Illusion” (May 15 at 8 p.m.) and “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” (premiered in March) in the can before COVID-19 reached pandemic level.
In addition to those, The CW will be airing new episodes of its acquisitions “Burden of Truth” (May 21 at 8 p.n.) and “Bulletproof” (June 17 at 9 p.m.), as well as “DC’s Stargirl,” which makes its broadcast debut on the network on May 19 (at 8/7c) after premiering the day before on streaming service DC Universe.