{"id":481188,"date":"2026-05-12T17:23:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T17:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/481188\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T17:23:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T17:23:13","slug":"abc-fall-2026-high-potential-moves-to-midseason-scrubs-in-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/481188\/","title":{"rendered":"ABC Fall 2026: ‘High Potential’ Moves to Midseason, ‘Scrubs’ in Fall"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tABC<\/a> announced a fall schedule on Tuesday that doesn\u2019t look much different than last year\u2019s, but with one major exception: \u201cHigh Potential<\/a>,\u201d which has turned into ABC\u2019s signature primetime drama hit, isn\u2019t there.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn what may be the most surprising move of the fall, ABC has opted to hold Season 3 of \u201cHigh Potential\u201d for midseason. (Perhaps they should call it \u201cHiatus Potential.\u201d) Instead, \u201cR.J. Decker\u201d \u2014 which as one of the network\u2019s few bubble shows, narrowly avoided cancellation \u2013 will get the primo Tuesday 10 p.m. slot (which had been filled by \u201cHigh Potential\u201d last fall).<\/p>\n

\n\tAri Goldman, ABC\u2019s senior vice president, content strategy and scheduling, said the decision to move \u201cHigh Potential\u201d to midseason came out of wanting to air the show\u2019s entire Season 3 run without a break.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe \u2018High Potential\u2019 move to midseason is one that\u2019s really born out of the success that we\u2019ve proven over the last couple of years with \u2018Will Trent,\u2019 \u2018The Rookie\u2019 and the uninterrupted runs that we\u2019ve enjoyed starting in that January timeframe going through the end of the season,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re thinking about the behavior of our linear audience, but also the streaming viewers, who really have shown the importance of week-over-week steadiness in planning and rolling out these shows. We do not take lightly the move of \u2018High Potential\u2019 to midseason, but I think this is a real opportunity to bridge through to the end of the year, to keep an uninterrupted run of episodes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDoes that mean a smaller episodic count for \u201cHigh Potential\u201d next year? It\u2019s still unclear. \u201cHigh Potential\u201d produced 18 episodes in Season 2, but premiered in the fall. As for next year, \u201cWe haven\u2019t gone deep on the episode count for our shows, and we\u2019re not going to be ready to comment on that,\u201d Goldman said. \u201cBut I think we\u2019re still looking at a really full season for \u2018High Potential.\u2019 That\u2019s all I can say.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tKeeping your No. 1 show off the air in fall is an unusual move, but Goldman said ABC still plans to promote \u201cHigh Potential\u201d enough to keep it in circulation. \u201cRest assured, our audience will be well aware of the return of \u2018High Potential,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cWe will have that that show all over ABC as we get close to the return.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs for the decision to place \u201cR.J. Decker\u201d in that Tuesday 10 p.m. slot, \u201cwe can use a lead in \u2018Dancing with the Stars,\u2019 which is so far and away the biggest live audience opportunity on television today, to invest in something new that can be exposed to some more viewers,\u201d Goldman said.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn renewing \u201cR.J. Decker,\u201d Goldman noted that \u201cat the end of the day, \u2018R.J. Decker\u2019 opened phenomenally well on the network and really held up across its season. If you look at the linear ratings, I don\u2019t think we ever dipped below 3 million viewers on ABC. If you look at streaming, we had the biggest week of streaming for the show to date, the week after the finale.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTo promote \u201cR.J. Decker,\u201d ABC is heavily repeating the show throughout the summer. \u201cI think the signs are there to be able to nurture this one into an even bigger story,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n\tOverall, ABC is framing next season as its most stable schedule ever \u2014 as it brings back every single one of the Alphabet\u2019s scripted shows. \u201cThis is the first time in the history of the network, since 1948, that we have renewed every scripted series at ABC,\u201d Goldman said. \u201cWe\u2019ve also grown the scripted count up from the last in each of the last two years. So for us, it\u2019s, \u2018if it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThat\u2019s why, for the most part, ABC\u2019s schedule doesn\u2019t look too different from last fall. In perhaps its other big move, the network\u2019s hit \u201cScrubs<\/a>\u201d revival will quickly return in fall, leading off Wednesday at 8 p.m., followed by Season 6 of \u201cAbbott Elementary\u201d (which Variety can confirm does continue to have a now-rare 22-episode order) at 8:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe did have the highest-rated comedy telecast on any network all season with that premiere,\u201d Goldman said of \u201cScrubs.\u201d \u201cIt was a big event for us and really brought a lot of attention back to ABC Wednesdays. It also really helps when you have a very-well executed show like this \u2018Scrubs\u2019 revival.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWith \u201cScrubs\u201d on the fall slate, \u201cShifting Gears\u201d also moves to midseason. <\/p>\n

\n\tMeanwhile, there\u2019s no version of \u201cThe Bachelor\u201d in the fall, as both the dating show\u2019s original recipe and \u201cBachelor in Paradise\u201d spinoff will air in 2027. As for \u201cThe Bachelorette,\u201d which was pulled from the spring schedule in light of the ongoing legal saga of star Taylor Frankie Paul, Goldman says there\u2019s no news yet on when \u2014 or if \u2014 it will air.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201c\u2019The Bachelorette\u2019 dynamic right now is one that we were just approaching day by day,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is real life, and we want to make sure we don\u2019t rush into any determination in either direction. So I have nothing to share in terms of a scheduling announcement, for anything involving \u2018The Bachelorette.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAmong other shows, ABC keeps Thursday night intact with \u201c9-1-1,\u201d \u201c9-1-1: Nashville\u201d and \u201cGrey\u2019s Anatomy.\u201d The rest of the week is a mix of reality TV, sports and \u201cWonderful World of Disney\u201d Sunday night movies, which will kick off this season with the TV premiere of \u201cInside Out 2.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tGoldman is also bullish on the fact that ABC will air the Super Bowl (simulcast with ESPN) this coming season \u2014 the first time the Alphabet net will broadcast the big game in 21 years. However, ABC isn\u2019t ready yet to announce its program lead-out plans from the game just yet. (The return of \u201cHigh Potential\u201d would seem like an obvious choice.)<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019re going to be announcing the specific selection at the upfront,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I can tell you, we are very excited for the opportunity, and we are very clearly focused on an ABC Entertainment series that will air after Super Bowl.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBesides \u201cHigh Potential\u201d and \u201cShifting Gears,\u201d other scripted series returning in midseason include \u201cThe Rookie\u201d and \u201cWill Trent.\u201d And then there\u2019s the one new show announced for ABC next year: \u201cThe Rookie: North,\u201d a spinoff of \u201cThe Rookie\u201d starring Jay Ellis.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs it prepared to announce its schedule at the Disney upfront on Tuesday in New York, ABC noted its cross-platform broadcast ratings in adults 18-49 \u2014 with four of the five top programs, including \u00a0\u201cHigh Potential\u201d (No. 1), \u201cDancing with the Stars\u201d (No. 3), \u201cThe Rookie\u201d (No. 4) and \u201cAbbott Elementary\u201d (No. 5).<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe enter this fall season from a position of undeniable strength,\u201d Disney Television Group prexy Craig Erwich said in a statement. \u201cOur focus has always been simple: Make the best shows on television and get them to audiences however they want to watch. That strategy continues to drive the success of ABC and Hulu \u2014 from legacy hits being embraced by new generations to breakout series becoming the next cultural touchstones. With a standout slate of comedies, dramas, unscripted and live programming, alongside marquee events like the Super Bowl, the College Football Playoff, the Grammys and the Oscars in 2027, our content engine is firing on all cylinders.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHere\u2019s ABC\u2019s fall 2026 schedule:<\/p>\n

\n\tMONDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t8 p.m. \u00a0ESPN\u2019s \u201cMonday Night Football\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTUESDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t8 p.m. \u201cDancing with the Stars\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t10 p.m. \u201cR.J. Decker\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWEDNESDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t8 p.m. \u201cScrubs\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t8:30 p.m. \u201cAbbott Elementary\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t9 p.m. \u201cCelebrity Jeopardy!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t10 p.m. \u201cShark Tank\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTHURSDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t8 p.m.\u00a0 \u201c9-1-1\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t9 p.m.\u00a0 \u201c9-1-1: Nashville\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t10 p.m. \u201cGrey\u2019s Anatomy\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFRIDAY<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t8 p.m.\u00a0 \u201cCelebrity Wheel of Fortune\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t9 p.m.\u00a0 \u201c20\/20\u201d (two hours)<\/p>\n

\n\tSATURDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t7:30 p.m. College Football<\/p>\n

\n\tSUNDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t7 p.m. \u201cAmerica\u2019s Funniest Home Videos\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t8 p.m. \u201cThe Wonderful World of Disney\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMIDSEASON<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Bachelor\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBachelor in Paradise\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHigh Potential\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Rookie\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Rookie: North\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cShifting Gears\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWill Trent\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ABC announced a fall schedule on Tuesday that doesn\u2019t look much different than last year\u2019s, but with one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":448432,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[265],"tags":[14350,18,117,61855,19,17,92819,128,203039],"class_list":{"0":"post-481188","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-abc","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-high-potential","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-ireland","14":"tag-scrubs","15":"tag-tv","16":"tag-upfronts"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116562769310055928","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=481188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481188\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/448432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=481188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=481188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=481188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}