For two hit comedies, a sophomore slump is no laughing matter.
Both ABC’s Abbott Elementary and CBS’ Ghosts were major successes in their first seasons for their respective networks.
The CBS comedy averaged 8.4 million viewers in live-plus-7, helping the network capture its 14th consecutive win in total audience. Meanwhile, Abbott Elementary was an awards darling, earning three Emmys in total, including creator and star Quinta Brunson taking home the trophy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series at the 74th annual event.
The shows are set to debut their second seasons in the coming days, with Abbott Elementary premiering on Sept. 21 and Ghosts on Sept. 29. However, second seasons often bring even more challenges as shows attempt to keep up with the acclaim.
Brunson got candid about the difficulties of Abbott Elementary Season 2 during a recent Television Critics Association virtual panel. The series creator said the new season was more challenging because the writing, filming and editing have to take place while the season is airing. The series is also upping the episode load from 13 to 22.
“With 13, I knew I could put something in there that would make people show up in this ever-changing but binge-worthy climate. This is not something people will be able to binge immediately, so I just want to make sure that they’ll be back with us every week that we’re on the air,” Brunson said.
To learn more about how the shows would keep their momentum going into their second seasons, Adweek spoke to the broadcast chiefs from both ABC and CBS, getting insight into the strategies for continued success.
It’s all Abbott support
For Abbott Elementary, Craig Erwich, president, ABC Entertainment, Hulu and Disney Branded Television streaming originals, told Adweek it’s all about continuing strategic support.
“If you remember last year, we were dedicated to bringing the show out of the gate. We put the show on in December, which allowed it to live on Hulu for a month,” Erwich said. “It’s a unique part of our promotional capability here that there’s an interchange between ABC and Hulu.”
Abbott Elementary premiered its pilot in early December 2021, and its second episode didn’t air until Jan. 4th.
Erwich said the timing allowed for sampling and word of mouth to spread among fans. When the show finally debuted its second episode, it earned 9 million total viewers and a 2.93 rating in adults ages 18-49 after 35 days of viewing on linear and digital. It was ABC’s highest ratings for a comedy in the demo since the Modern Family finale in April 2020.
Beyond adding support, Erwish says it’s about believing in show creator Quinta Brunson.
“I can just tell you from beyond speculation, I’ve seen the first two episodes. They’re as good as any episodes they’ve ever done. The characters, quite frankly, in their sophomore season, are only deeper and only more interesting,” Erwich said. “She’s taken the storylines and the world and the people and developed them in a more interesting and complex way. So the show is really in its prime.”
CBS’ marketing department won’t be ghosting its hit comedy
Ghosts is getting additional support of its own at CBS.
In between its first and second seasons, the network rolled out an extensive marketing campaign to keep the spirit of the show alive. Dubbed the Summer of Ghosts, the campaign had multicity in-person events and metaverse experiences, including allowing fans to access the haunted grounds of a virtual Woodstone Mansion.
Kelly Kahl, president, CBS Entertainment, said the network was almost treating the series like a new show.
“We still think there’s a lot of room for growth and discovery. In this marketplace, there’s still people who aren’t necessarily aware of the show yet, so part of the goal over the summer and as we enter the fall is to let more people know the show is there and try to introduce them and expose them to it because we know when people see it, they really like it,” Kahl said.
The CBS broadcast chief also noted the creators behind the show wouldn’t let fans down with the new episodes.
“Our executive producers, [Joe Port and Joe Wiseman], the last thing they want to do is come out and be less than great in Season 2. So they’ve accepted that challenge. They are pros and, they’re dedicated to coming out as strong as can be,” Kahl said. “We’ve only scratched the surface of the stories we can tell. The conceit is very much that we have an endless array of stories. We’ve barely dived into the lives of both our livings and our ghosts.”
Both Abbott Elementary and Ghosts have lofty expectations heading into their upcoming seasons, but the broadcast chiefs made it clear their respective networks are fully behind them.
“We had seven Emmy nominations this year… and I’m very confident we will be having the same conversation next year at this time,” Erwich said.
