Update (6/2): Due to casting changes, Deadline reports that biblical saga Of Prophets and Kings is being yanked from ABC’s fall schedule and will debut at a later time. Conspiracy thriller Quantico moves into the Sunday 10pm timeslot following Once Upon a Time and fellow freshman Blood & Oil (formally known as Oil). The network has not disclosed what will take over the now-vacant Tuesdays-at-10 slot. This post has been amended to reflect the changes.
Number three is ABC–the third network to present at the Upfronts this week, that is. One look at the Alphabet network’s fall schedule and you’ll notice not much has changed from its 2014-15 grid. In fact, Monday (with Dancing with the Stars and Castle), Wednesday (with comedy lineup The Middle, The Goldbergs, Modern Family, and black-ish, plus country music drama Nashville), and Thursdays dedicated to prolific showrunner Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder), all remain exactly the same. The changes? Sitcom Fresh off the Boat has been bumped to 8:30 to make room for new Tuesday at 8 anchor The Muppets. That’s right–Jim Henson’s famous puppets are coming back to primetime in a half-hour documentary-style show, promising a more adult version of the Muppets that’ll “explore the [their] personal lives and relationships.” Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. sits tight at 9, leading into new conspiracy thriller Quantico. On Friday, Last Man Standing is joined by new multi-cam family sitcom Dr. Ken starring Community‘s Ken Jeong and Trophy Wife scene stealer Albert Tsai; newsmagazine 20/20 follows at 10. With Revenge complete and Resurrection cancelled, ABC’s Sundays nights will now consist of Once Upon a Time leading into new soap Oil Blood & Oil (starring Don Johnson as a ruthless oil tycoon) and biblical saga Of Kings and Prophets and conspiracy thriller Quantico.
New series being held for midseason or later include dramas The Catch (which looks to be yet another instant-classic Shondaland show starring The Killing‘s Mireille Enos; it will join Shonda’s “TGIT” lineup once Murder‘s limited run ends), another intriguing conspiracy thriller The Family (starring Bourne Identity franchise actress Joan Allen; it will replace Of Kings and Prophets on Sunday nights when the biblical drama finishes its limited run), and LA-set Wicked City, a serial killer investigative drama starring Gossip Girl‘s Ed Westwick and Parenthood‘s Erika Christensen (this one’ll air between the fall and spring runs of Quantico on Tuesdays). There are two comedies on tap for midseason: Raising Hope‘s Martha Plimpton is back in a new messy family single-cam sitcom, The Real O’Neals, and Mike Epps stars in Uncle Buck, a single-cam half-hour inspired by John Hughes’ 1989 film that starred John Candy. The former will eventually take over the Tuesdays-at-8:30 timeslot when The Muppets‘ limited run ends and Fresh off the Boat returns to its 8pm anchor; the latter has not been scheduled yet. Elsewhere, returning series Galavant will again bridge the gap between Once Upon a Time‘s fall and spring runs, and Marvel’s Agent Carter will do the same when S.H.I.E.L.D. goes on winter break. (The action is moving from New York City to Los Angeles in Agent Carter season 2.) It’s been confirmed that Juliette Lewis will be the sole actor returning to Secrets & Lies in its sophomore season; she’ll reprise Detective Andrea Cornell when the series steps in to fill the void left by Nashville when the country music soap takes its hiatus. John Ridley’s American Crime will return at some point, taking a page out of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story–it’s officially been labeled an anthology series and season 2 will feature “a completely different scenario and a completely different crime, placed in a different part of America.” Also like AHS, AC will bring back some cast members from season 1 playing different characters.
Jump after the break to preview ABC’s new fall and midseason series with video clips and descriptions.
2015-16 ABC FALL SCHEDULE (new programs are CAPITALIZED)
MONDAY
8-9 P.M. — Dancing with the Stars
10-11 P.M. — Castle
TUESDAY
8-8:30 P.M. — THE MUPPETS
8:30-9 P.M. — Fresh Off the Boat
9-10 P.M. — Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
10-11 P.M. — TBA
WEDNESDAY
8-8:30 P.M. — The Middle
8:30-9 P.M. — The Goldbergs
9-9:30 P.M. — Modern Family
9:30-10 P.M. — black-ish
10-11 P.M. — Nashville
THURSDAY
8-9 P.M. — Grey’s Anatomy
9-10 P.M. — Scandal
10-11 P.M. — How to Get Away with Murder
FRIDAY
8-8:30 P.M. — Last Man Standing
8:30-9 P.M. — DR. KEN
9-10 P.M. — Shark Tank
10-11 P.M. –20/20
SATURDAY
8 P.M. — Saturday Night Football
SUNDAY
7-7:30 P.M. — America’s Funniest Home Videos
8-9 P.M. — Once Upon a Time
9-10 P.M. — BLOOD & OIL
10-11 P.M. — QUANTICO
NEW FALL DRAMA SERIES
QUANTICO: A diverse group of recruits has arrived at the FBI Quantico Base for training. They are the best, the brightest and the most vetted, so it seems impossible that one of them is suspected of masterminding the biggest attack on New York City since 9/11. Starring Priyanka Chopra, Dougray Scott, Jake McLaughlin (Believe), Aunjanue Ellis, Yasmine Al Massri, Johanna Braddy, Tate Ellington, and Graham Rogers. Writer Josh Safran, Mark Gordon, and Nick Pepper executive produce. From ABC Studios.
BLOOD & OIL: Billy and Cody Lefever dream of a new life and move to “The Bakken” in North Dakota, booming after the biggest oil discovery in American history. They’re soon pitted against a ruthless tycoon who forces them to put everything on the line, including their marriage. Starring Don Johnson, Chace Crawford, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Delroy Lindo (Believe), Amber Valletta, Scott Michael Foster (Zero Hour, Once Upon a Time), India de Beaufort, Yani Gellman, and Caitlin Carver. Writer Josh Pate, Tony Krantz, Rodes Fishburne, Drew Comins, and Don Johnson executive produce. From ABC Signature.
NEW FALL COMEDY SERIES
THE MUPPETS: The Muppets return to primetime with a contemporary, documentary-style show. For the first time ever, a series will explore the Muppets’ personal lives and relationships, both at home and at work, as well as romances, breakups, achievements, disappointments, wants and desires. Starring…The Muppets! Co-writers Bill Prady (The Big Bang Theory) and Bob Kushell (Anger Management) executive produce alongside Randall Einhorn (Wilfred), Bill Barretta, Debbie McClellan, and Kyle Laughlin. From ABC Studios and The Muppets Studio.
DR. KEN: Doctor turned actor/comedian Ken Jeong plays Dr. Ken, a brilliant physician with no bedside manner. He is always trying to be a good doctor, as well as a good husband and dad to his two kids. Luckily, his therapist wife Allison is just the right partner to keep things sane. Starring Ken Jeong, Suzy Nakamura, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Dave Foley, Jonathan Slavin, Albert Tsai, and Krista Marie Yu. Writers Jared Stern, Ken Jeong, and Mike O’Connell executive produce alongside John Davis, John Fox, and Mike Sikowitz.
NEW SERIES HELD FOR MIDSEASON OR LATER
THE CATCH: From Shondaland’s Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers, this thriller centers on the strong, successful Alice Martin (Mireille Enos). She’s a fraud investigator who’s about to be the victim of fraud by her fiancé. Between her cases, she is determined to find him before it ruins her career. Starring Mireille Enos, Alimi Ballard, Damon Dayoub, Jay Hayden, Jacky Ido, Bethany Joy Lenz, Rose Rollins, and Elvy Yost. Writer Jennifer Schuur, Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers, and Julie Anne Robinson executive produce. From ABC Studios.
THE FAMILY: This thriller follows the return of a politician’s young son who was presumed dead after disappearing over a decade earlier. As the mysterious young man is welcomed back into his family, suspicions emerge—is he really who he says he is? Starring Joan Allen, Allison Pill (The Newsroom), Margot Bingham, Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights), Liam James, Floriana Lima, Madeleine Arthur, Rarmian Newton, Rupert Graves, and Andrew McCarthy. Writer Jenna Bans, Todd Lieberman, David Hoberman, and Laurie Zaks executive produce. From ABC Studios.
WICKED CITY: “Wicked City” follows a unique case set in a noteworthy era of L.A. history, starting with a murder case from 1982 centered on the rock ’n’ roll, cocaine-infused revelry of the Sunset Strip. Alliances are formed to solve a serial murder case. Starring Ed Westwick, Erika Christensen, Adam Rothenberg, Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story), Gabriel Luna, Karolina Wydra, Holley Fain, Darrell Britt-Gibson, and Anne Winters. Writer Steven Baigelman, Todd Lieberman, David Hoberman, and and Laurie Zaks executive produce. From ABC Studios.
OF KINGS AND PROPHETS: An epic Biblical saga of faith, ambition and betrayal as told through the eyes of a battle-weary king, a powerful and resentful prophet and a resourceful young shepherd on a collision course with destiny. Starring Ray Winstone, Haaz Sleiman, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Oliver Rix, Simone Kessell, James Floyd, Mohammad Bakri, and Tomer Kapon. Writers Adam Cooper and Bill Collage, Jason Reed, Reza Aslan, and Mahyad Tousi executive produce. From ABC Studios.
THE REAL O’NEILS: A fresh take on a seemingly perfect Catholic family whose lives take an unexpected turn when surprising truths are revealed. Instead of ruining their family, the honesty triggers a new, messier chapter where everyone stops pretending to be perfect and actually starts being real. Starring Martha Plimpton, Jay R. Ferguson, Noah Galvin, Matthew Shively, Bebe Wood (The New Normal), and Mary Hollis Inboden. Writers David Windsor and Casey Johnson, Brian Pines, Dan McDermott, Stacy Traub, and Dan Savage executive produce. From ABC Studios.
UNCLE BUCK: Based on the hit movie of the same name, Uncle Buck (Mike Epps) is a fun-loving but irresponsible guy who needs a job and a place to stay. His brother and sister-in-law need some help around the house. And they just might be the answer to each other’s problems. Starring Mike Epps, Nia Long, James Lesure, Iman Benson, Sayeed Shahidi, and Aalyrah Caldwell. Writers Steven Cragg and Brian Bradley, Will Packer, Korin Huggins, and Phil Traill executive produce. From Universal Television and ABC Studios.