After Filling the Roseanne-Sized Hole in Its Schedule, ABC Sets Its Fall Premiere Dates

After filling the Roseanne-sized hole in its fall schedule that opened up when ABC canceled its top-rated series, the network has settled on its premiere dates for Roseanne’s replacement—spinoff The Conners—and the rest of next season’s fall shows. Roseanne had been expected to be ABC’s most-watched show this fall, until star Roseanne Barr's racist tweet about President Barack Obama’s White House adviser Valerie Jarrett led the network to pull the plug on the show, just two weeks after celebrating her and the sitcom (TV’s most-watched comedy last season in the 18-49 demo) at its upfront. The network took three weeks to find Roseanne’s substitute this fall: the Barr-free spinoff The Conners, which will premiere on Oct. 16. That same night, ABC will roll out out the rest of its Tuesday lineup: new comedy The Kids Are Alright, the returning Black-ish and Splitting Up Together, and freshman drama The Rookie. That's three weeks after the network's fall premieres will begin. On Monday, Sept. 24 (the first day of the 2018-19 TV season), ABC will debut Dancing With the Stars and The Good Doctor, last year’s No. 1 new drama. Its new Wednesday lineup—comedies The Goldbergs, American Housewife, Modern Family and newbie Single Parents, leading into freshman drama A Million Little Things—is set for Sept. 26. TGIT, now Scandal-free, returns Sept. 27, with a two-hour Grey’s Anatomy premiere, followed by How to Get Away With Murder. Grey’s spinoff Station 19 debuts one week later, on Oct. 4. ABC is dusting off its TGIF moniker for the network's new Friday family lineup—Fresh Off the Boat, Speechless and game show Child Support—which will premiere Oct. 5. The night concludes with 20/20, which returns Sept. 7. Following college football on Saturdays, ABC will stagger its Sunday lineup premiers. America's Funniest Home Videos is first out of the gate on Sept. 30. One week later, on Oct. 7, Dancing With the Stars: Juniors debuts with a two-hour premiere, followed by Shark Tank. New weekly talk show The Alec Baldwin Show follows on Oct. 14. ABC was the last broadcaster to set its fall premiere plans, as The CW, NBC and Fox began announcing their own dates in mid-June, with CBS following in early July. Last week, ABC said it had finished upfront negotiations, along with the rest of the Disney portfolio. Here is the entire fall premiere schedule for ABC’s fall shows (new programs are in all caps): MONDAY 8-10 p.m. — Dancing With the Stars (Sept. 24) 10-11 p.m. — The Good Doctor (Sept. 24) TUESDAY 8-8:30 p.m. — THE CONNERS (Oct. 16) 8:30-9 p.m. — THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT (Oct. 16) 9-9:30 p.m. — Black-ish (Oct. 16) 9:30-10 p.m. — Splitting Up Together (Oct. 16) 10-11 p.m. — THE ROOKIE (Oct. 16) WEDNESDAY 8-8:30 p.m. — The Goldbergs (Sept. 26) 8:30-9 p.m. — American Housewife (Sept. 26) 9-9:30 p.m. — Modern Family (Sept. 26) 9:30-10 p.m. — SINGLE PARENTS (Sept. 26) 10-11 p.m. — A MILLION LITTLE THINGS (Sept. 26) THURSDAY 8-9 p.m. — Grey’s Anatomy (two-hour premiere Sept. 27) 9-10 p.m. — Station 19 (Oct. 4) 10-11 p.m. — How to Get Away With Murder (Sept. 27) FRIDAY 8-8:30 p.m. — Fresh Off the Boat (Oct. 5) 8:30-9 p.m. — Speechless (Oct. 5) 9-10 p.m. — Child Support (Oct. 5) 10-11 p.m. — 20/20 (Sept. 7) SUNDAY 7-8 p.m. — America’s Funniest Home Videos (Sept. 30) 8-9 p.m. — DANCING WITH THE STARS: JUNIORS (two-hour premiere Oct. 7) 9-10 p.m. — Shark Tank (Oct. 7) 10-11 p.m. — THE ALEC BALDWIN SHOW (Oct. 14)

TV Upfronts

After Filling the Roseanne-Sized Hole in Its Schedule, ABC Sets Its Fall Premiere Dates

Last year’s No. 1 new drama, The Good Doctor, returns Sept. 24

Jason Lynch

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