Writers strike or not, ABC thinks its fall schedule is “Golden.”
Ahead of parent company Disney’s upfront presentation this afternoon at New York’s North Javits Center, the broadcaster unveiled its new fall lineup. Though the company didn’t specifically mention the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike when revealing its upcoming series, ABC is going heavy on unscripted programming for the fall—with no original episodes of scripted series on the schedule—even adding a new Bachelor spinoff, The Golden Bachelor, to Monday nights.
Additionally, while Fox is poised to win the coveted adults 18-49 demo after losing the crown to NBC last year, the company claimed it was the No. 1 entertainment network among adults 18-49 for the fourth season in a row.
“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,” Craig Erwich, president, Disney Television Group, said in a statement about the schedule.
Per its unscripted-heavy lineup, ABC will get things moving with Dancing With the Stars making its broadcast return to Monday nights at 8 p.m. after airing exclusively on Disney+ last season. The reality competition show will make history as the first series to simulcast across both ABC and Disney+.
The Golden Bachelor will then premiere after Dancing With the Stars at 10 p.m.
Game shows, football and Abbott Elementary repeats
This new Bachelor spinoff focuses on singles in their golden years. According to ABC, in the series, “one hopeless romantic is given a second chance at love in the search for a partner with whom to share the sunset years of life.”
The broadcaster keeps unscripted going on Tuesday, with Celebrity Jeopardy! at 8 p.m. and two hours of Bachelor in Paradise coming after that.
Wednesday brings Season 2 of Judge Steve Harvey at 8 p.m., followed by two encore airings of Abbott Elementary and What Would You Do? making its return to primetime, reintroducing the hidden camera show to new audiences.