ABC’s Fall 2025 primetime schedule has landed. And it’s giving “unbothered” in bold letters. With just one new scripted series and a whole lot of returning hits, the network’s strategy is crystal clear: stability over surprise.
According to Deadline, the network is leaning into its proven performers like 9-1-1, Abbott Elementary, Grey’s Anatomy, and breakout hit High Potential. The Rookie and Will Trent are once again being benched for midseason. But in a post-strike, streaming-saturated world, is playing it safe still a winning hand?
Craig Erwich, President of Disney Television Group, said the goal was “about maintaining stability,” but one might wonder where the innovation went!
Sure, High Potential is back with an expanded second season, which is a rare boost for any freshman show in 2025. So, ABC is riding on its performance both on-air and via Hulu reruns.
Yet, beyond that? The boldest move is shifting Shark Tank to Wednesdays and sliding in 9-1-1: Nashville, a spinoff with crossover potential but familiar ingredients.
ABC’s safe bet was to expand the 9-1-1 franchise
The biggest “new” story in ABC’s fall lineup is 9-1-1: Nashville, a glitzy addition to the Ryan Murphy first-responder universe.
With Chris O’Donnell (yes, that Chris O’Donnell) leading a cast that includes Jessica Capshaw and LeAnn Rimes, the show promises high-stakes emergencies and Southern family drama. Positioned between 9-1-1 and Grey’s Anatomy, it’s set up to thrive, but also to echo a format we’ve seen before.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Franchises have worked before, and crossovers between the flagship and its Nashville offshoot are already being teased. Still, it’s hard not to see this as a calculated move rather than a creative gamble. The last back-to-back first responder nights were during 9-1-1’s Fox run in 2022.
Familiarity may breed comfort. But does it inspire appointment TV?
The Rookie and Will Trent are on pause again
Erwich’s decision to hold The Rookie and Will Trent, two of ABC’s most consistent performers. That is, until midseason follows a playbook from last year that worked. “When we start in January, we’re able to run all of the episodes straight through, and it creates this kind of momentum,” he told Deadline.
But fans may feel the sting of waiting…again.
The real puzzle lies in ABC’s long game. Tuesdays are already stacked with Dancing with the Stars and High Potential, creating a reliable but risk-free night. The Rookie, currently the #3 broadcast series in 18-49s, deserves prime fall real estate.
But perhaps ABC is saving its best for midseason sweeps.
Still, with RJ Decker and American Idol also in the midseason wings, the network’s future hinges on whether audiences will stay loyal or drift toward bolder programming elsewhere.
