Jimmy Kimmel made a splash this morning with an opening monologue at ABC’s upfront presentation that may have been closer to a roast. New President Channing Dungey took the stage after Kimmel saying “I’m actually wondering at this moment if we’ve actually closed Jimmy’s deal…” it was a lively moment that jumpstarted a fun event filled with videos from many of hyped shows and their big stars.
On the business side of things, ABC approached advertisers similarly to NBC’s upfront presentation, with a reminder that traditional television always has the strongest viewing numbers. They acknowledged that TV drives advertising business and “primes” viewers over time with the marketed messages. They are still working hard to keep stacking rights and are not forgetting about digital in anyway but clarified, “digital drives results. But TV makes digital work harder” because of the longevity of the messages to viewers.
As for the schedule, the alphabet is expanding its Tuesday comedy block, pushing Marvel actioner Agents Of SHIELD to 10pm, a slot that has struggled in recent years to find a drama that sticks. Wednesdays will also be comedy nights, and the multi-cams Last Man Standing and Dr. Ken remain on Fridays, giving ABC a strong half-hour presence. While it is often joked that Shonda Rhimes runs the network, ABC is breaking up her primetime party on Thursdays. Scandal has been pushed to a midseason replacement for Notorious while The Catch will swap out places with How To Get Away With Murder.
Interested in watching trailers for the new shows? Click here to catch them all!
To see all the pilot orders and renewals for the major networks, click here.
ABC SCHEDULE 2016
Monday
8PM DANCING WITH THE STARS
10PM CONVICTION
Tuesday
8PM THE MIDDLE
830PM AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE
9PM FRESH OFF THE BOAT
930PM THE REAL O’NEALS
10PM MARVEL’S AGENTS OF SHIELD
Wednesday
8PM THE GOLDBERGS
830PM SPEECHLESS
9PM MODERN FAMILY
930PM BLACK-ISH
10PM DESIGNATED SURVIVOR
Thursday
8PM GREY’S ANATOMY
9PM NOTORIOUS / SCANDAL (midseason)
10PM HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER / THE CATCH (midseason)
Friday
8PM LAST MAN STANDING
830PM DR. KEN
9PM SHARK TANK
10PM 20/20
Saturday
Sunday
7PM AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS
8PM ONCE UPON A TIME
9PM SECRETS AND LIES / TIME AFTER TIME (midseason)
10PM QUANTICO
