ABC is shifting its fall strategy in light of the writers strike. Knowing that its marquee scripted series including “The Rookie” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “The Conners” will likely be in production in time for Septmber, the network announced a fall 2023 primetime schedule on Tuesday heavy on unscrpited fare.
With all of its scripted offerings left off the fall slate — except for repeats of “Abbott Elementary” — the network focuses on reality programming, including the previously announced return of “Dancing With the Stars” to the network. New to this fall is the long-expected addition of “The Golden Bachelor” — a new older-skewing iteration in “The Bachelor” franchise.
Produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon, “The Golden Bachelor” follows one contestant, a described hopeless romantic, who is given a second chance at love in the search for a partner with whom to share the sunset years of life. The group of women chosen to compete in the mansion will come with a more mature perspective, having lived through love, loss, and earning experience along the way. In the end, the golden bachelor will choose one woman to embark on a new journey with.
“We are proud to be home to beloved series and meaningful narratives that audiences continue to embrace, and we’re fortunate that our solid, stable roster continues to leverage the enormous success of our established hits, with originals airing every night of the week,” said Craig Erwich, president, Disney Television Group.
Premieres of “9-1-1″ (moving from Fox), “Abbott Elementary,” “American Idol,” “The Bachelor,” “The Conners,” “The Good Doctor,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “High Potential,” “Not Dead Yet,” “The Rookie,” “Station 19,” and “Will Trent” will be announced at a later date. Renewal announcements for “The Rookie: Feds” and “Home Economics” are also still up in the air.
Sources at ABC tell PvNew the decision to hold off on scripted fare indeed comes as the writers strike continues. The network hopes that unscripted hits like “What Would You Do?” and “Bachelor in Paradise” will keep the lights on in the meantime as production is halted on shows like “Abbott Elementary” Season 3.
According to insiders, ABC had looked at other contingency strategies, including acquiring titles from the Disney+ originals library. However, executives were hesitant because of ratings performance and formatting issues. They ultimately decided to lean on “shows that are proven and are winning in their time periods and fairly dominant in the landscape” to build a “credible strike-proof” schedule for the fall.
View the full schedule below.
Monday
8 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars”
10 p.m. “The Golden Bachelor” (NEW UNscriptED SERIES)
Tuesday
8 p.m. “Celebrity Jeopardy!”
9 p.m. “Bachelor in Paradise”
Wednesday
8 p.m. “Judge Steve Harvey”
9 p.m. “Abbott Elementary” (Encore)
9:30 p.m. “Abbott Elementary” (Encore)
10 p.m. “What Would You Do?”
Thursday
8 p.m. “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune”
9 p.m. “Press Your Luck”
10 p.m. “The $100,000 Pyramid”
Friday
8 p.m. “Shark Tank”
9 p.m. “20/20”
Saturday
7:30 p.m. College Football
Sunday
7 p.m. “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
8 p.m. “The Wonderful World of Disney”
