ABC Announces Renewals And Even More Spin-Offs No One Asked For
ABC is being cautious about which shows to renew and which shows to cancel, renewing "safe" shows like Grey's Anatomy and Abbott Elementary.
ABC recently announced some of the shows the network will be renewing for the upcoming television season. According to Deadline, the network is being cautious in light of parent company Disney‘s recent efforts to curb spending. Breakout sophomore comedy Abbot Elementary received an early pickup for Season 3 in January and the network also recently renewed Grey’s Anatomy for Season 20.
ABC only has so many slots available in its lineup, and some of those spots have been given to new shows debuting this season. Among the new batch of content are two comedy pilots and four dramas, including The Hurt Unit starring Ben McKenzie and a spinoff of The Good Doctor. The cleverly named The Good Lawyer will be Felicity Huffman’s first time doing an episodic TV show since Desperate Housewives.
The Rookie and spinoff The Rookie: Feds are both expected to be renewed based on their ratings. ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy spinoff Station 19 is also expected to be renewed alongside its big sister. Another top-rated series for the network, The Conners, is also waiting to hear if it will be returning for another season.
The mouse-eared conglomerate is cutting back everywhere, including a massive series of layoffs that will see 7,000 jobs wiped out. Amid all the intercompany turmoil, ABC is being very deliberate with which series it has chosen to renew. Both the aforementioned renewed series are as close to a sure bet as ABC can get highlighting just how careful they are being this season.
Unfortunately, ABC is leaving the fate of most of its shows in limbo for the moment. The Goldbergs and A Million Little Things are the notable exceptions, although they barely count as both series are ending this spring. Other than that, what ABC will or won’t renew is anyone’s guess.
The Roseanne revival/spinoff has been performing surprisingly well despite its name change following Roseanne Barr‘s departure from the series. ABC, uncertain of how the series would go over with viewers after Barr was fired for controversial comments on social media, only gave one-year deals to the principal cast members of The Connors. That means John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, and Sara Gilbert all have to renegotiate their contracts before ABC can renew the show.
One show probably not up for renewal is David E. Kelley’s Big Sky. The series’ slipping ratings and rising budget might lead ABC to pull the plug. More promising is Will Trent, a midseason newcomer that has been doing well enough ratings-wise to warrant a Season 2. Also killing it in the ratings is fellow midseason drama The Company You Keep. While the series is only a month old, it shows a lot of promise and is personally liked by execs at ABC.
The comedy Home Economics has performed okay after three seasons but faces stiff competition from newcomers Public Defenders starring Anthony Anderson and Ellie Kemper’s Drop-Off. If the pilots perform well, there’s a chance that Home Economics may not get renewed for a Season 4. Home Economics benefits from having Abbott Elementary as a lead-in, but is it enough to save the struggling sitcom?
One thing’s for sure, between Disney‘s budget cuts and looming writers’ strike, ABC has its work cut out for it when it comes to figuring out just what shows to renew and which ones to axe.
