Rearranging the Alphabet: Why ABC Made a Big Change, and Which of Your Favorite Shows Are in Danger
The broadcast networks’ cable envy may be over.
At the start of the decade, a new wave of network presidents stormed the executive ranks with plans to save primetime via bold, buzzy cable-like programming.
NBC tried it with shows like Smash and Hannibal; CBS added limited-run summer series Under the Dome and Extant; and ABC launched edgy, serialized dramas, like Scandal, American Crime and Quantico.
Most of NBC’s big swings didn’t pan out (it was able to rely on NFL Sunday Night Football to mask some of those disappointments), and starting in 2012, the network began shifting to more mainstream fare with procedural drama Chicago Fire (which begat Chicago P.D. and Chicago Med) and The Blacklist, an action-adventure with weekly self-contained stories.
The success of those shows helped convince NBC to stop chasing cable and start appealing to the traditional (and yes, slightly older) primetime crowd. NBC now looks a bit more like CBS, which never forgot that a broadcast network must rely on populist shows like NCIS to keep the ratings strong.
It’s not that easy at ABC. The Alphabet network is the only major broadcaster without NFL games to help boost ratings.
In good times, ABC could tout the fact that its viewership is pure, without the added support of pro football, and that its success extends far beyond ratings, reaching the pop-culture audience. (Hey, it works for cable and streaming TV: Orange Is the New Black is considered a hit based on buzz alone, since no one’s seen actual ratings on Netflix shows.)
And ABC had the most success reinventing itself as the home of shows that took giant leaps. That’s due particularly to uber-producer Shonda Rhimes, whose “TGIT” triumvirate (Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder) helped define ABC as the home to serialized dramas that attracted the same cult-like devotion as some shows on cable and streaming media receive. Critics also applauded ABC’s Rhimes-inspired move to develop even heavier dramatic fare like John Ridley’s American Crime, which would have been considered a hit on cable.
On the comedy side, ABC has the most-defined brand of any network, succeeding by duplicating the success of unconventional family comedy Modern Family with shows like The Middle, The Goldbergs and black-ish, which just earned raves for an episode that touched on police brutality.
But in down times, the collapse stings. And this year was down. Way down. ABC has lost the most audience of any broadcast network this season, averaging 6.6 million viewers—down from 7.9 million last year. The network has also dropped to fourth place (behind CBS, NBC and Fox) in the advertiser-coveted key adults 18-49 and 25-54 demos.
“Who doesn’t have failures?” asks one ABC insider. But by January, ABC’s ratings further dipped as its hit shows went on hiatus, and critically-acclaimed but low-rated replacement series like American Crime and Agent Carter failed to deliver. “The narrative got away,” that insider says.
Behind the scenes, ABC Entertainment Group president Paul Lee–the architect of the network’s strategy to program upscale, prestige shows that generate heavy word of mouth–was waging a battle with his new boss, Disney-ABC Television Group president Ben Sherwood, about the direction of the network.
Sherwood, who is a novelist in his spare time, wanted more plot-driven (rather than serialized or character-driven) mass-appeal shows, while Lee believed in his vision of carving out unique intellectual properties for ABC in a world where ratings matter less.
Dungey
That difference of opinion, ABC’s ratings drops, and a personality clash between the two (Lee bristled at Sherwood’s meddling) eventually led to Lee’s exit in February. Lee was replaced by the network’s drama chief, Channing Dungey, who is now the first African American executive to lead a major broadcast network as entertainment president.
“She has an excellent story sense,” says Betsy Beers, who runs Rhimes’ Shondaland production company. “She speaks her mind, she’s honest and she’s straightforward. She wants the best work with the least drama.”
Dungey will now be in a position to speak her mind quite a bit in the coming months, as she and Sherwood map out ABC’s programming direction. ABC’s future will become more clear this May, when the networks announce their fall lineups. But if some of the speculation is true, that schedule might look a bit more mainstream than in recent years. Says one studio exec: “Broadcast networks will have to act more like broadcast networks to survive.”
In the meantime, here’s what to look out for at ABC:
Scandal
Thank God for TGIT
Dungey is one of Rhimes’ biggest champions, and Shondaland has a deal with ABC Studios through 2018—so the “Thank God It’s Thursday” triumvirate of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder is a sure bet (and have all been renewed for next year), despite some ratings declines this year. The Catch, a new Rhimes-produced drama, premieres March 24, but ABC can only count on so many of her products. “They haven’t been able to clone her,” jokes a rival network executive.
Shondaland pilots on tap for next season at ABC include Still Star-Crossed (a sequel of sorts to Romeo & Juliet) and Toast, a comedy from Greg Grunberg and Scott Foley.
Nashville
Serialized Shows Like Nashville and American Crime Are in Trouble
Buzz and prestige are great–as long as the viewers show up. Nashville stuck around because of ABC’s interest in country music (it airs the CMA Awards) and the fact that the network had other timeslots to worry about. But this year, Nashville was likely on the chopping block, regardless of the executive shuffle. Meanwhile, shows like Agent Carter and American Crime are experiencing great reviews but terrible ratings in their sophomore seasons (leading many to criticize ABC for renewing one too many shows), and it’s unlikely Sherwood will have patience for either. As for Castle, it’s ABC’s one procedural—but ratings are down, and neither star has yet to sign on for another season.
Besides the TGIT shows, ABC has also already renewed dramas Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Once Upon a Time and Quantico.
Muppets Woes
ABC was stuck with a damned-if-they-do/damned-if-they-don’t choice this past fall, when it decided to schedule The Muppets without much prep time for the show’s producers. To be fair, ABC didn’t want to sit on a show that could potentially help its fall ratings; but by rushing it on the air too soon, The Muppets wound up feeling uneven to viewers, who sampled the show and then disappeared. ABC retooled The Muppets with a new showrunner, who gave it a lighter tone.
But audiences so far haven’t checked out the version. The Muppets, like ABC, are owned by Disney and remain an important franchise for the company. But The Muppets don’t quite fit into ABC’s family comedy milieu of Modern Family, Fresh Off the Boat, The Goldbergs, black-ish and The Middle (all of which have been renewed), making a return questionable. (Galavant is also on the bubble.)
20/20
Good News for News
Sherwood ran ABC News before taking on oversight of the entire network, and insiders say he’s keen on giving the division–which continues to narrowly win the morning news race in total viewers with Good Morning America–more exposure in primetime. That could mean more hours for longtime newsmagazine 20/20, as well as reality series produced by ABC News, including What Would You Do?
Shark Tank
Reality Is Back
Staples Shark Tank, The Bachelor and Dancing with the Stars should remain an important part of the schedule, and Steve Harvey’s Celebrity Family Feud has given ABC a strong summer show to further expand its unscripted plate. Up next: $100,000 Pyramid, hosted by Michael Strahan, and To Tell the Truth, with Anthony Anderson. Sherwood’s ideal well-rounded ABC schedule would likely include more unscripted series. Game on!
Conversation30 Comments
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Comments are closed on this story.
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FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE DO NOT CANCEL AGENT CARTER! I DON'T KNOW WHY PEOPLE AREN'T WATCHING IT!! THAT'S THEIR OWN PROBLEM! IT IS AMAZING.
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It has already been renewed
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I believe there's still no official word on that. Not one major news or entertainment site that I know of has reported it.
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I looked at the story that reported it and it was renewed then ABC pulled it back claiming that statement was premature (Likley due to the changing of the guard)
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I agree that you let Forever go too quickly and let Castle and Once Upon a Time stay on when maybe it is time to let them both go. And please renew Agent Carter.
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ABC should have kept Forever and cancelled Castle last spring. Castle has been all but unwatchable with their fake separation and stupid spy shenanigans. You can't have ALL your shows be over the top serials.
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I completely agree. They needed to let Castle go and switch it's viewers to Forever. Huge mistake for ABC. They didn't even give Forever a chance (very little advertising, etc.) Meanwhile they ended last season of Castle with a perfect series finale episode and they should have left it at that. I'm a huge Castle fan, have watched since day 1, but I haven't watched any of this season because I heard about the plot changes and hated them. I'm just going to pretend it ended last season like it should have.
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ABC, PLEASE BRING BACK FOREVER!!! It was in your worst time slot anyway, but it's numbers were growing & it's DVR numbers were very promising, especially in the key demographic. You can't find anything else to put there. FOREVER got 22 episodes and was the best thing in that slot since Private Practice. Bring it back & give it a 2nd chance. Everyone deserves a 2nd chance.
It has even more fans than it did last May when you cancelled it. People have discovered it on Hulu & other streaming services and CAN'T BELIEVE it got cancelled because it's so much better than anything on television today. The quality of FOREVER was incredible from Day 1!!! Get FOREVER to syndication & it would explode like The Big Bang Theory & NCIS. It has fans all over the world.
Redeem yourselves by calling WB today. Lots of staunch FOREVER fans gave up on all ABC shows after the cancellation. You've felt the huge drop. Get those viewers back, get Matt Miller, Ioan Gruffudd, & Judd Hirsch back, get viewers from yrs. 11-101 back watching their favorite character, Dr. Henry Morgan on their favorite show, FOREVER. Revive the best family show that's part fantasy, part procedural, part romance, part period, & part medical all wrapped-up in a multi-layered drama that's funny, touching, educational & in touch with the human experience like no other show ever has been.
Bring back FOREVER & make television worth watching again.
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I watch a lot of ABC shows but they canceled my favorite show, Forever. I really don't understand that move at all. It's a great show that the whole family can watch together. I wish they would bring it back. It has a great fan base and there is still so much more story to tell.
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I still like Castle but admit that if it didn't come back I'd probably nod my head and say it was time. I watch some Shonda shows but could never get into Murder. The stupidest thing by far ABC did was cancel Forever. That show was getting better as the season progressed and was a true family show. The fact that it WASN'T an ABC show was a plus. Between their own productions and the Shonda shows, ABC can feel very homogenized. I can honestly say there is a lot less I watch on ABC now.
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I have loved Castle for a long time but it is too campy and I'm afraid it has "jumped the shark".
I used to watch ALL of Shonda's shows; however, I stopped watching ANYTHING by Shonda the night she killed Derek on Grey's. That was the biggest slap in the face, ever. I won't watch any of her shows, EVER again because of it!
Then we have the biggest mystery since the ridiculous "Where is Castle" cliffhanger... Why ABC didn't renew Forever??? I know, they don't like to co-own shows (WB owns Forever) so why did they sign on in the first place??
Their logic is BEYOND my comprehension!
Forever had a large fan base which spanned ALL of the demographics and was international!
The cancelation was the biggest and most ill thought out one of this decade. Perhaps even this century!
ABC will never get my viewership for ANY new show unless they bring Forever back. Period.
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Bring back Forever! We fans miss it so much!
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I still watch the middle, modern family, jeopardy, and an occasional castle episode (love Nathan Fillian, show not so much anymore) but I ceased watching greys when shonda killed off dr. Mcdreamy. Shonda tends to start out well in a show and then goes quickly off the rails. I no longer watch her shows no matter how much I might like the actors. I no longer start ANY new shows on ABC because they canceled my favorite new show last year after only one season and replaced it with the muppets (gag). FOREVER was probably one of the best new shows on any network and they just pushed it over a cliff leaving its fans devastated. So yes, we really wanted to watch the muppets in our forever time slot. NOT! quite a few shows, like dancing with the stars for example, should go soon. FOREVER should be brought back.
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FOREVER deserves more seasons. There is a joke that Forever after one season was set.
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They should have kept Forever.
Still hoping for renewal... Grey's and Castle should have ended a long time ago.
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I still can't believe they cancelled Forever, yet kept shows that should have already finished (Castle and Grey's anatomy to name two). Now with the new deal the option to team up with Warner one more time will probably be the smartest thing Channing Dungey can do... I hope they'll #SaveForever
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They already cancelled Forever.
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I love Castle. The separation at first in my mind was a bad idea but now I think it added SO MUCH to the story, character development etc. Please keep Castle for another season! The way screenwtiters introduced the new lockset-plot, they proved that they can make show interesting for a long time.
Another thing I LOVED was Forever. I was so happy that I would have a show to watch when Castle end (time will come... eventually) and... they took it off WHY? It was SO GOOD 🙁
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For me, American Crime was "must see TV." I watched all 10 epi and re-watched on Hulu. However, when I see how The Bachelor and Steve Harvey have the biggest draw, then I know how my taste varies from the mainstream.
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I like ABC's programming more than the other traditional networks. I love many of their comedies, and yes, that includes the Muppets which was just fine before retooling. Love Agent Carter and Agents of SHIELD and I'm sure I will enjoy any new Marvel shows that come in the future. If it wasn't for ABC I'd be watching predominantly cable channels and Netflix.
What they are doing NOW works whether ratings support that view or not. With the other networks wallowing in the same, overdone canned-ham shows just illustrates how simple-minded the American viewing audience has become. Those of us who want better, less predictable, quality, character-driven, intelligent television will continue watching ABC unless it succumbs to fads of the mediocre, in which case we'll jump fully into cable where quality is easily found.
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I think there's a real need for family friendly shows like The Muppets on network TV, but unfortunately, the families don't seem to watch them. If I had little kids, they sure wouldn't be watching even fairly tame shows like Big Bang Theory which, in my mind, has too many adult situations and references in it for little kids.
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Hmmm, too bad ABC keeps putting all their eggs in one basket with Shonda Rhimes. Perhaps the adults of the viewers are sick of her CRAZY every single week. Grey's was once a really great show. She created brilliance, and then blew it by keeping shows going WAY past their prime. I for one, will not watch another show on ABC because of her. The network and her treatment of Patrick Dempsey was reprehensible. That man was a very large reason the show was a success. But sadly, they keep spitting out the same recycled stories with new characters that can't hold a candle to the originals. Now it is an unrecognizable show that has a huge following of teenagers. Is that the market the advertisers are going for? I have no use for her other serialized garbage either. They're the same thing over and over. No one has a mature relationship without cheating, divorce, murder, torture, more cheating and more death. The theatrical performances of the leads are laughable and not Emmy deserving. She paints black women of power as horrible people. She isn't doing any favor to women, especially black women with these shows. The only lead that is deserving of an Emmy is Ellen Pompeo, who had been deserving of one for years, but will never see one. I prefer more mature shows like Madam Secretary, that have depth and basis. I will NEVER get involved in another Shondaland show ever again. She lost my faith as a fan. I'd rather watch the news for real world events. They're less depressing.
Castle is another example of a once great show that is past its prime. Stopped watching that last year. Nashville, I've always liked and is the one remaining show I watch.
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I stopped watching Castle after they got married. Without the "will they or won't they" aspect, the show just got boring to me...not to mention the awful way they handled his disappearance on their wedding day. Did they ever definitively answer that mystery?
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Yes, but it was so far out there, I think that is what turned me off altogether. For me though, I hate the will they/won't they. You'd love every Shonda Rhimes show then. That's the premise of every one of her shows.
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I don't care for any of her shows because, in my mind, they are written by a woman for women to watch. They're just overblown soap operas to me.
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That is exactly what they are, over the top soaps.
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Shows like Castle are too predictable. I used to watch until it became evident that we knew they would never catch "the person who did it" until the 45-50 minute mark. I like Nathan Fillion (Firefly-fan here) but I stopped watching the show years ago.
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I think that may be due to the fact that she is like a toddler seeing shiny things....She can come up with idea and get it going but then ....ooh new shiny and goes off to follow that one and leaves the old one in others hands ( I mean with number of shows no way she can provide much focus for them all)
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It wasn't really the will they/won't they aspect that changed things. It was the lack of Castle and Beckett being together doing their general banter over cases and whatever that really brought things down. Season 7 became mostly just about Castle, and Castle without Beckett equals boring.
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That's why probably 75-80% of my "must watch" shows are on cable channels.
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