Day two of upfronts week is getting underway, and the second-biggest network is set to have their time in the sun today as ABC unveils their schedule for the next year. With a very successful year that resulted in multiple renewals, ABC is hoping another season with similar success will follow as well. However, it seems two returning comedies and one hit drama will be switching nights and timeslots. Did the network just make or break the three series?
In an interesting move, soapy hit drama Revenge will be beginning its second season in Desperate Housewives old slot, creating a drama-filled night that consists of a solid lead-in with Once Upon a Time, and an evening end with supernatural newcomer 666 Park Avenue. The biggest worry: How will Revenge do against hit series in the same timeslot The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, and possibly even CBS’ The Good Wife, once the acclaimed dramas return to their cable networks?
Happy Endings and Don’ Trust the B get booted to Tuesdays, as both comedies who have enjoyed the post-Modern Family slot on Wednesdays now get to fend for themselves. Will they survive, especially against returning hit New Girl?
Here’s the full schedule (New series in bold):
MONDAY
8/7c Dancing With the Stars
10 pm Castle
TUESDAY
8 pm DWTS Results
9 pm Happy Endings
9:30 Don’t Trust the B—– In Apartment 23
10 pm Private Practice
WEDNESDAY
8 pm The Middle
8:30 pm Suburgatory
9 pm Modern Family
9:30 The Neighbors
10 pm Nashville
THURSDAY
8 pm Last Resort
9 pm Grey’s Anatomy
10 pm Scandal
FRIDAY
8 pm Shark Tank
9 pm Primetime: What Would You Do?
10 pm 20/20
SATURDAY
8 pm Saturday Night College Football
SUNDAY
7 America’s Funniest Home Videos
8 pm Once Upon a Time
9 pm Revenge
10 pm 666 Park Avenue
In November, Last Man Standing and Reba McEntire’s new comedy Malibu Country will debut in the Friday 8-9 slot, with Shark Tank and Primetime: What Would You Do? each moving one hour later. In January, Tueday’s 8-9PM hour will be replaced by new comedies How to Live With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life and The Family Tools. Currently unscheduled is Red Widow, Mistresses, and Zero Hour, which will likely aim for March 2013 premieres.
Here are the brief rundowns for each new series that has been scheduled so far by the network. We’ll bring you trailers later today as ABC debuts them at their upfronts presentation:
Nashville
A family soap set against the backdrop of the Nashville music scene revolving around one star at her peak (Connie Britton) and another on the rise (Hayden Panettiere).
Cast: Connie Britton, Hayden Panettiere, Eric Close, Powers Boothe, Sam Palladio, Clare Bowen, Jonathan Jackson, Robert Wisdom, Charles Esten, JD Souther (guest star)
Team: W/EP Callie Khouri; W/EP/D RJ Cutler; EP Steve Buchanan/Grand Ole Opry
Family Tools (previously Red Van Man, White Van Man)
Based on the British format, revolves around a man (Kyle Bornheimer) who is forced to put his dreams on hold in order to take over the family handyman business from his father (J.K. Simmons).Cast: Kyle Bornheimer, J.K. Simmons, Leah Remini, Edi Gathegi, Johnny Pemberton, Danielle Nicolet
Team: W/EP Bobby Bowman; EP Mark Gordon, Andrea Shay, Paul Buccieri; D Michael Fresco
Neighbors (previously Untitled Dan Fogelman project)
Centers on a family (Lenny Venito, Jami Gertz, Isabella Camp, Clara Mamet, Max Charles) that moves into a coveted New Jersey gated community only to discover that the entire neighborhood is comprised of aliens disguised as humans.
Cast: Lenny Venito, Jami Gertz, Simon Templeman, Toks Olagundoye, Tim Jo, Max Charles, Isabella Cramp, Clara Mamet, Ian Patrick
Team: D/EP Chris Koch, W/EP Dan Fogelman; EP Aaron Kaplan
How to Live With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life
Polly (Sarah Chalke), a recently divorced single mom who moves in with her eccentric parents, Elaine (Elizabeth Perkins) and Max (Brad Garrett), a couple who are full of life but know no bounds. Orlando Jones, John Dore, Rachel Eggleston and Rebecca Delgado Smith co-star in the single-camera comedy frm 20th Television and Imagine TV.
Claudia Lonow penned the pilot and will exec produce the single-camera comedy alongsideBrian Grazer, Ron Howard and Francie Calfo.
666 Park Ave.
When a young couple (Dave Annabele, Rachael Taylor) accepts an offer to manage one of the most historic apartment buildings in New York City, they unwittingly begin to experience supernatural occurrences, which complicate and endanger the lives of everyone in the building. Based on the book by Gabriella Pierce.
Cast: Terry O’Quinn, Vanessa Williams, Dave Annable, Rachael Taylor, Mercedes Masohn (second position to Fox’s The Finder), Robert Buckley, Helena Mattsson, Erik Palladino (guest)
Team: W/EP David Wilcox; EP Leslie Morgenstein, Gina Girolamo, Matt Miller; D Alex Graves
Last Resort
A thriller set in the near future when the country is very fractured and revolves around the crew of a U.S. nuclear submarine who become hunted fugitives after ignoring an order to fire nuclear missiles.
Cast includes Andre Braugher, Autumn Reeser, Scott Speedman, Dichen Lachman and Bruce Davison.
