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ABC is overhauling its schedule for midseason with changes on four nights. New comedies Family Tools and How To Live With Your Parents (For The Rest Of Your Life) will join the network’s Wednesday comedy block, with ABC’s Tuesday comedy block going away. New drama Red Widow will succeed 666 Park Ave on Sunday. ABC is replacing now-defunct freshman Last Resort with another male-skewing new drama in the challenging Thursday 8 PM slot, Zero Hour. And, following the end of Private Practice, the revamped Body of Proof will return to its Tuesday 10 PM slot.
For a second consecutive year, ABC is scrapping a plan announced at the upfronts to expand its Tuesday comedy block from one to two hours in midseason. Last fall, the network started with a 8-9 PM block anchored by Last Man Standing, which was supposed to stretch to 10 PM in midseason with the addition of Cougar Town and Don’t Trust The B—- In Apt. 23. But in light of the breakout performance of Fox’s newbie New Girl, the network abandoned the idea. This year, ABC opened a 9-10 PM comedy block in the fall with Happy Endings and Don’t Trust The B—-, which were to be joined in January by How To Live and Family Tools airing in the 8 PM hour. Given how poorly Happy Endings and Don’t Trust The B— have done in the comedy-heavy Tuesday 9 PM hour, the network is nixing the idea of putting newbies How To Live and Family Tools on the night, instead cramming them into the established Wednesday comedy block. Since all four series in the block have full-season orders, the addition of the two midseason half-hours will result in time-slot sharing and maneuvering. When it returns to originals in early January, The Neighbors, which occupies the Wednesday 8:30 PM, will air only originals until it completes its freshman run at the end of March. On April 3, Suburgatory, which now airs Wednesdays 9:30 PM, will return to its original 8:30 PM berth. The same night, How To Live will launch in the plum post-Modern Family slot. Family Tools, whose midseason order was recently reduced from 13 to 10 episodes, will succeed Suburgatory at 8:30 PM on May 1 and likely bleed into summer.
As for ABC’s Tuesday comedy block, it will be completely gone by mid-March, with the Dancing With The Stars results re-taking the Tuesday 9 PM hour on March 19 (the fate of the unaired episodes of Happy Endings and Don’t Trust The B— is unclear). It will be preceded by the network’s diving reality series Celebrity Diving. (Fox’s rival celebrity diving special will likely air in early January). Another ABC unscripted series, cooking competition The Taste starring Anthony Bourdain, will air in the Wednesday 8 PM slot from January 22 until March 12.
The rest of ABC’s moves are largely plugging holes opened by the cancellations of 666 Park Ave, which will be succeeded by mob drama Red Widow; Last Resort, which will be replaced by Zero Hour; and Private Practice, replaced by Body Of Proof. Zero Hour‘s task is particularly daunting as the Thursday 8 PM slot has seen the demise of a string of high-profile dramas over the last few years, including FlashForward, My Generation, Charlie’s Angels, Missing and Last Resort. However, Zero Hour has more of a fighting chance as it at least doesn’t have to face NFL football the way fellow testosterone-heavy Last Resort had to. Here is ABC’s midseason schedule:
Tuesday, January 22
8-10 PM: “The Taste” (Two-hour Series Premiere)
Tuesday, January 29
8-9 PM: “The Taste” (Regular Time Period Premiere)
Tuesday, February 5
10-11 PM: “Body of Proof”
Thursday, February 14
8-9 PM: “Zero Hour”
Sunday, March 3
9-11 PM: “Red Widow” (Two-hour Series Premiere)
Sunday, March 10
10-11 PM: “Red Widow” (Regular Time Period Premiere)
Monday, March 18
8-10 PM: “Dancing with the Stars”
Tuesday, March 19
8-9 PM: “Celebrity Diving”
Tuesday, March 26
9-10 PM: “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show”
Wednesday, April 3
8:30-9 PM: “Suburgatory” (New Time Period Premiere)
9:30-10 PM: “How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life)”
Wednesday, May 1
8:30-9 PM: “Family Tools”
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ABC should have burned off Zero Hour in the Fall and left Last Resort as the midseason.
So unfair.
What an awful schedule. This is why you’re never going to get far, ABC.
Keeping Nashville on Wednesdays? Keeping the Tuesday comedy block? Giving a non-Friday timeslot to the creatives failures of Family Tools and How to Live?
Really?
Personally, I think Nashville has not lived up to its promise. Family Tools will be a disaster but I’ve heard How To Live With Your Parents is great, mostly due to Elizabeth Perkins and Brad Garrett.
CELEBRITY DIVING? Really? Ugh. THE TASTE, more reality. Seriously? … Odd how ABC is going into May sweeps with comedy FAMILY TOOLS it seemingly has no faith in, evidenced by the episode cutback. … Wonder why audience did not travel with HAPPY ENDINGS to Tuesday. Buzz was good. APT 23 is too snarky and silly for long-term success though I do like the two women leads and “the Beek.” … RED WIDOW looks to be a match for REVENGE on Sundays but I thoguht 666 PARK AVENUE would do well. I still think 666 could have had a chance with a new night and more modest expectations. … It may be difficult for ZERO HOUR to work as ABC isnot a male-dominated audience web. Really has not been since loss of MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL.
Because HAPPY ENDINGS went against NEW GIRL and had the worst lead in on the network that was completely incompatible.
Comedy sigalert was stupid. Having it continue is even worse.
Three-way single-camera comedy log-jam on Tuesday totally killed them. ABC looked at the Live+7 and thought nobody watched them, rather than thinking that not many people own DVRs that can record two shows at once.
ABC’s recent reality development suggests Celebrity Diving and The Taste will bomb. Remember Duets and The Glass House?
Head scratching moves here…
-Zero Hour will go away as fast as it will premiere. It skews the same way Last Resort did. But Last Resort was something you can understand, Zero Hour is conspiracy driven and will be hard to breakthrough.
-Wednesday comedies, yes its nice for the fans that Neighbors & Suburgatory will be pretty much new from here on out, but Family Tools was royally screwed. How will this show just launch on May 1? How will ABC renew it based on two performances?
Last Resort was a male skewing military series in a timeslot where males are watching other shows, on a network filled with female skewing shows, making reaching the audience with ads difficlult. Zero Hour is fantasy-adventure, a more female friendly genre, so maybe it will do better.
Females love Nazi occult conspiracies! I think you’re onto something.
As soon as you said this I was like WHAT?! I HAVE TO WATCH THIS! lol
I hate that the future of “Happy Endings” is such an unknown. (It really IS a smart, fun ride every week.) But so long as “Malibu Country” isn’t off the schedule (yet), I’m happy.
Happy Endings is the second best show on ABC.
I can’t believe How I Met Your Mother – a unbelievably tired program – is in its 20th season (or whatever), and Happy Endings isn’t even going to make it to 60-episodes.
it’s pretty simple: half the cast of HIMYM are talented comedic actors. whereas the whole cast of Happy Endings are cartoon characters. it’s not a smart show and the real problem is it’s not funny enough to compensate for how stupid it is. stupid works when it’s funny. when it doesn’t you get Happy Endings which shouldn’t have made it out of its second season.
The cast of Happy Endings, Elisha and Knighton excepted, are established comedians who have done improv work for decades. HIMYM is a tired, boring show that lost all humor and interest after its fourth season, whereas Happy Endings is fresh, funny, quick-witted, and a helluva lot more intelligent than you think it is.
Agreed.
Happy Endings’ trial run was so-so, although it improved each week. But they really pulled it together this season. Mind you, I’ve only seen the first 4 episodes this season, watching them on ABC’s own website one bored night b/c I’ve no idea when the show airs anymore, and the fact that it was teamed w/Don’t Trust the B– had me completely disinterested.
As HIMYM, the concept, and forced need to do flashbacks w/in flashbacks, never worked for me, and the scripts are hackneyed and awful, trying SO very hard to be hip & cool (admittedly, Happy Endings had this problem at first and smartly became a bit more self-aware w/more than a hint of self-parody, and it works). If not for a very talented cast, HIMYM would be completely unwatchable. Not that I watch it anyway, but there you have it.
On a similar note, since adding the god-awful The Neighbors to Wednesday, I’ve completely forgotten about ABC’s Wednesday lineup. I’m actually offended that such a dumb show — better teamed with ABC’s old TGIF lineup — was stuck between clever sitcoms like The Middle and the over-the-top Modern Family. Returning Suburgatory to its 8:30 spot is much better idea.
Happy Endings is fun when watching it, but I never get excited about seeing the next episode. I also don’t like the direction they’re taking Max. He’s starting to become kind of campy.
I’m kinda hoping that “Happy Endings” moves to Friday as a filler instead of airing repeats of “Last Man Standing” and “Malibu Country”… It’s just sad that such an amazing show is essentially probably fade into the darkness. I wonder if its episode order is going to be cut…
Is Bobby Bowman still on Family Tools?
I don’t think so. They replaced him with the guys who ran That ’70s Show and Kitchen Confidential. Not bad.
I really hope we get to see the remaining 3 episodes of Family Tools. Whether they are on Hulu, DVD, or if it actually gets renewed. Whatever way, I want to see them.
Red Widow fits on Sunday (like 666 Park Avenue should have been a success on) because the whole lineup is female star driven. Zero Hour should not be on Thursdays at 7 central time. Castle fans will hate me for this but they should move to Thursdays while Zero Hour gets a chance to succeed on Mondays at 9 central. An established show fits there better than a new one on that slot.
Friday nights?
What’s the total shock here? Comedy comes from character guys, not quips best reserved for twitter and ironic Hollywood dinner parties…maybe this will mean we can bring back storytellers and not sketch – youtube guys for the future. Apt 23 and H. Endings are horrific……and I imagine the new midseasons are as well. Unfortunately, all the executives are the same, so I doubt next year will be any better. Best bet for ABC — get rid of the comedy team over the spring, and let a new regime have a chance at the 2014 schedule…
They’re the two best comedies on ABC, easily. Apt23 is having a boon year and Happy Endings is incredible. It’s unfortunate, but the teams behind both shows can take solace that they made a truly incredible product that caused bitter failed writers and producers to go to Deadline comments to blast them!
Meh. They’re chuckles on their best days. Problem is they’re being billed as comedies. They might be great credits to have (all that really matters) — but they’re not great shows.
And I think both shows are hilarious and some of the funniest on TV, probably funnier than your favorite show. Comedy is subjective.
Huh, for starters I don’t work in entertainment nor do I want to. I do however, consume entertainment…and have the right to my opinion. And if you ask anyone in the city I live in (hint, top 5 market, not LA or flyover states as you surely will point to next), if Modern Family is the best sitcom on ABC, they will undoubtedly say yes. If you take a walk, and listen to what people are saying about the shows we mentioned, you will see I’m not the anomaly here…is the general public always right? No, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have an opinion. Clearly your response came from an emotional place bc you have friends or personally work on the show…that or you got your boss the wrong milk in his or her Gingerbread Latte.
Modern Family is fine. That’s it. Fine. Safe. Saccharine. If that’s your thing, more power to you. Some shows do sweet well — Parks & Recreation definitely does lovable character and humor better than Modern does.
I love Apt. 23 but I don’t think broadcast is the place for it. I hope some cable network will save it and do 10-13 cool episodes a season.
I think we’ve found the guy who cancelled Family Guy.
From what I hear “Zero Hour” is actually looking really good so ABC had better market it well. If they go all out for it (it is the first new drama of theirs to premiere in 2013) publicity-wise and try to push the “Lost” elements, it could hit.
Red Widow looks like it will be a very solid fit out of Revenge, but launching a drama in March on a broadcast network rarely works (although the last successful one I remember is Grey’s Anatomy in the same timeslot)
There is no one who told you that ZERO HOUR is actually good from anyone who knows anything about it because it’s not.
“Dancing with the Stars” is past its prime (and I’m huge fan of this show!) and if they want to keep it they have to move it either Thursday-Friday or Friday-Saturday (yup, I wrote Saturday). It’s a cheap to make show and older-skewing so the move is very needed. As for my beloved Happy Endings it was treated like crap. You do not put younger-skewing show after the oldest-skewing one and on a night that other networks air sitcoms too. They should make Wednesday all-comedy night, swap HE and Apt. 23 with Nashville. Tuesday night after DwtS is a perfect night for Nashville.
I am glad to see Suburgatory is heading back to 8:30 where it belongs, but disappointed to see that Nashville is remaining on Wednesdays, where it will continue to get incompatible comedy lead-in, and soon from shows that are even less established than Suburgatory. I would have liked to see it tried out on a different night, like Sundays leading out of Revenge. None of the new shows seem that exciting to me, and slotting Zero Hour where Last Resort crashed and burned while going for the same audience makes no sense.
I hate that Happy Endings and The B are doing so poorly. They are my two favorite sitcoms and make me laugh out loud repeatedly. Krysten Ritter is really giving a star performance on The B and I love the ensemble in Happy Endings. These shows are both so fresh and funny. Again with the sadness. Ugh.
IDK my wife and I love 666 park ave. I love Last Resort. I just don’t understand why all the shows I like get canned.
People need to give Apartment 23 a chance, it’s sooooo fun. Maybe it’s the new 30 Rock — fun and silly with not great ratings. I just hope it’s not the next Arrested Development….
If any network needed overhauling, it was ABC. They really did some serious surgery on their schedule. Unfortunately, the head idiot in charge only brought in more filth and garbage that will fail to attract viewers. But, someone must have lit a fire under his butt because this looks better than what they currently have and there will be some payoff down the line. Body of Proof should get back to bringing in 10 million viewers and a decent demo behind Dancing With the Stars in the 9pm slot. That combo worked really well together last year and who knows what that silly Diving with Celebrities show will do in the 8pm timelsot, although Id rather see Shark Tank there. I don’t know anything about Zero Hour other than it at least sounds interesting. Red Widow looks like a great companion series to Revenge. Overall, there should be much improvement in ABC’s fortunes by the end of the 2nd half of the season, but seriously, Paul Lee needs to find someone who can help him bring in hit programming, something watchable for more than 15 minutes. And for God’s sake every single show does not have to be about homosexuals and bitches. What is up with that logic? He seems absolutely clueless as to why ABC is failing so miserably.
Oh and I have to say I love the sentence in the article about the “breakout performance of New Girl.” It’s as if that’s some big hit. LOL. New Girl is just another failure on a night of failing FOX comedies. The fact that it’s the highest rated of the four failures with approximately a 2.3 demo and less than 5 million viewers does not make it a breakout anything. It is a hit in the minds of the delusional. If a 2.something demo and 5 million viewers is a hit then ABC is loaded with hits. LOL. Whew! LOL.
I love Paul Lee but seriously whoever makes these schedules wants ABC to fail. Nashville should be on Thursday at 8pm on ABC female soap night or on Tuesday were it can go to die. Zero Hour is pretty much screwed at this point. Oh well, at least Red Widow has a chance on Sunday’s at 10pm. I just hope if SHIELD is picked up Paul Lee makes sure that show gets something other then the Thursday ABC death slot.
I challenge ABC to make successful comedies that don’t have homosexuals in it, don’t make political statements, and targets a wide variety of age groups.
How To Live With Your Parents For The Rest Of Your Life is their attempt at that. Should be good, it has a hell of a good cast.
Why the hell would they specifically want to avoid having gay characters?
Modern Family, Glee, New Normal, Happy Endings, all have prominent gay characters that straight people enjoy. In fact the only new show that I know of with a prominent gay character that failed was Partners, and that’s because CBS’s writers are terrible.
Sorry to say, but after high expectations for Last Resort I was very disappointed. I will not be missing that show. From the trailers for Zero Hour, it looks like it could be a fun show and easier to follow/enjoy compared to Last Resort. Plus, Anthony Edwards is in it!
I’m really sorry to see 666 go. It did grow on me and WOM seemed to support it after a while.
Body of Proof, really? I hope the actors didn’t get any more plastic surgeries as that was just painful to see after last break, especially in merciless CUs. It would help to have directors with good eyesight who make an effort and support their special needs actors… That reminds me on one (of the very few) funny episode of EPISODES season 2 where they did just that..
Who are you idiots? ABC actually believes in Family Tools which is why they’re premiering it during May sweeps. stop guessing and get some real information.
Really disappointed to see 666 Park Ave go.