ABC will be looking to make a splash in midseason with the American Idol and Roseanne revivals. In the fall, the network will be introducing one new comedy series, The Mayor, and four new dramas, The Good Doctor, The Gospel of Kevin and the straight-to-series Marvel’s Inhumans and Ten Days In the Valley. Veteran Once Upon a Time‘s reset, in addition to a creative revamp will include a new time slot for Season 7 with a move from Sunday to Friday where it will be joined by Inhumans.

ABC

Held for midseason are new series Splitting Up Together, Zach Braff’s Alex, Inc. (fka Start Up), The Crossing, and For the People, along with veteran Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which will relieve Inhumans on Friday in late fall somewhat in the way Agent Carter bridged the two sub-seasons of S.H.I.E.L.D, and just-renewed Quantico. S.H.I.E.L.D‘s order is for 22 episodes.

Here is ABC’s fall schedule, followed by a brief analysis and new series descriptions.

ABC FALL 2017-18 SCHEDULE

(New programs in UPPER CASE)

MONDAY

8 PM — Dancing with the Stars

10 PM — THE GOOD DOCTOR

TUESDAY

8 PM — The Middle

8:30 PM — Fresh Off the Boat (new time period)

9 PM — black-ish (new day and time period)

9:30 PM — THE MAYOR

10 PM — THE GOSPEL OF KEVIN

WEDNESDAY

8 PM — The Goldbergs

8:30 PM — Speechless”

9 PM — Modern Family”

9:30 PM — American Housewife” (new day and time period)

10 PM — Designated Survivor”

THURSDAY

8 PM — Grey’s Anatomy

9 PM — Scandal

10 PM – How to Get Away with Murder

FRIDAY

8 PM — Once Upon a Time (new day and time period)

9 PM — MARVEL’S INHUMANS

10 PM — 20/20

SATURDAY

8 PM — Saturday Night Football

SUNDAY

7 PM — America’s Funniest Home Videos

8 PM — To Tell the Truth (new day and time period)

9 PM — Shark Tank (new day and time period)

10 PM — TEN DAYS IN THE VALLEY

With the move of longtime Sunday 8 PM anchor Once Upon a Time to Friday, ABC is likely clearing the shelves on Sunday in anticipation of the arrival in midseason of American Idol, rumored to be launching after the Oscars and airing on Sunday and Monday. The network will be airing a two-hour unscripted block from 8 PM – 10 PM, anchored by Shark Tank at 9 PM, which could easily make way for Idol in midseason.

With Once and Inhumans, “we are turning Friday into destination for fantasy and sci-fi fans,” ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said.

UPDATE: ABC said that it has given a two-season pickup to veteran Dancing With the Stars in addition to ordering offshoot Dancing with the Stars Junior for the spring. Dungey would not confirm wether the mothership Dancing would rest in the spring or air simultaneously with Junior, only saying that “we wanted to broaden and deepen the Dancing brand the way we have done with The Bachelor, and I think this is the first step in that direction.”

ABC also is tweaking its Tuesday and Wednesday comedy blocks. Promising newcomer American Housewife, which held its own on Tuesday, is getting a boost with a slot behind Modern Family on Wednesday. It will replace Black-ish, which, after three seasons in the plum slot, is assigned a 9 PM tentpole position on Tuesday.

“After three years behind Modern Family, we felt it was ready to anchor its own night on Tuesday,” Dungey said.

The expected comedy sigalert in the Tuesday 9 PM hour is a reality, with ABC’s Black-ish and The Mayor facing Fox’s The Mick and Brooklyn Nine-Nine and NBC’s Superstore and The Good Place.

NEW FALL AND MIDSEASON SERIES

COMEDIES:

ABC

ALEX, INC. — Based on the podcast StartUp, Alex Schuman (Zach Braff, “Scrubs”) is a brilliant radio journalist, husband and father of two who is about to do something crazy – quit his job and start his own company. He quickly discovers it’s going to be a lot harder than he thought. Zach Braff stars, directs and is executive producer with Matt Tarses (“Scrubs”) and Davis Entertainment (“Dr. Ken,” “Blacklist”). Matt Tarses is writer and executive producer. Zach Braff is director and executive producer. John Davis and John Fox are executive producers of the series, from Davis Entertainment, as are Alex Blumberg, Chris Gilberti and Matt Lieber (Gimlet Media) in association with Sony Pictures Television and ABC Studios.

ABC

THE MAYOR — Young rapper Courtney Rose (Brandon Micheal Hall) needs his big break. For years he’s toiled away in a small inner-city apartment, making music in his junk-filled bedroom closet. Tired of waiting for opportunity, Courtney cooks up the publicity stunt of the century – running for mayor of his hometown in California to generate buzz for his music career. Unfortunately for Courtney, his master plan goes wildly awry, ending in the most terrifying of outcomes: an election victory. With the help of his mother (Yvette Nicole Brown, “Community”) and friends, including Valentina (“Glee’s” Lea Michele), Courtney will have to overcome his hubris if he wants to transform the struggling city he loves. The series stars Brandon Micheal Hall as Courtney Rose, Lea Michele as Valentina, Bernard David Jones as Jermaine Hardaway, Marcel Spears as TK and Yvette Nicole Brown as Dina. From executive producer Daveed Diggs (Tony winner for Broadway’s “Hamilton”), writer/executive producer Jeremy Bronson (“Speechless,” “The Mindy Project,” “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”) and executive producer Jamie Tarses (“Happy Endings”), the series is from ABC Studios. The pilot is directed by executive producer James Griffiths (“black-ish”).

ABC

SPLITTING UP TOGETHER — Based on the Danish series, “Splitting Up Together” is the story of a couple (Jenna Fischer, “The Office,” Oliver Hudson, “Scream Queens”) whose marriage is reignited by their divorce. Emily Kapnek (“Suburgatory”) writes and serves as executive producer of this new comedy, along with Ellen DeGeneres. The series stars Jenna Fischer as Lena, Oliver Hudson as Martin, Bobby Lee as Arthur, Diane Farr as Maya, Lindsay Price as Camille, Olivia Keville as Mae, Van Crosby as Mason and Sander Thomas as Milo. Jeff Kleeman, Mette Heeno, Mie Andreasen and Hella Joof are also executive producers of “Splitting Up Together,” which is based on the original series created by Heeno. It is produced by A Very Good Production and Piece of Pie Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Dean Holland directed the pilot.



DRAMAS

THE CROSSING — Refugees from a war-torn country seek asylum in a small American fishing town, only the country these people are from is America – and the war they are fleeing hasn’t happened yet. As the government tries to uncover the truth behind this mysterious migration only one thing is certain: The lives of the people here — both the townspeople and these newcomers — will never be the same. Writers Dan Dworkin & Jay Beattie executive produce with Jason Reed. “The Crossing” stars Steve Zahn as Jude Miller, Natalie Martinez as Reece, Sandrine Holt as Emma Ren, Rick Gomez as Nestor, Jay Karnes as Craig Lindauer, Marcuis Harris as Caleb, Simone Kessel as Rebecca, Kelly Missal as Hannah, Rob Campbell as Paul, Grant Harvey as Roy, Bailey Skodje as Leah, Jon D’Leo as Will, Luc Roderique as Bryce and Tommy Bastow as Marshall. The pilot is directed by Rob Bowman. The series is from ABC Studios.

ABC

DECEPTION — When his career is ruined by scandal, superstar magician Cameron Black has only one place to turn to practice his art of deception, influence and illusion — the FBI. Using every trick in the book and inventing new ones, he will help the government catch the world’s most elusive criminals while staging the biggest illusions of his career. The series is from writer/executive producer Chris Fedak (“Chuck”) and executive producers Greg Berlanti, Martin Gero and Sarah Schechter. Illusionist David Kwong (“Now You See Me”) will co-produce. “Deception” stars Jack Cutmore-Scott as Cameron Black/Jonathan Black, Ilfenesh Hadera as Kay Daniels, Lenora Crichlow as Dina Clark, Amaury Nolasco as Mike Alvarez, Justin Chon as Jordan Kwon, Laila Robins as Special Agent Deakins and Vinnie Jones as Gunter Gustafsen The series is from Berlanti Productions and Quinn’s House in association with Warner Bros. Television. “Deception” is directed by David Nutter, who is also executive producer.

ABC

FOR THE PEOPLE — Set in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, aka “The Mother Court,” this new Shondaland drama follows brand-new lawyers working for both the defense and the prosecution handling the most high-profile and high-stakes federal cases in the country – all as their lives intersect in and out of the courtroom. The series is created by Shondaland’s Paul William Davies and is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers.

The series, from ABC Studios, stars Ben Rappaport as Seth Oliver, Susannah Flood as Kate Littlejohn, Wesam Keesh as Jay Simmons, Regé-Jean Page as Leonard Knox, Ben Shenkman as Roger Gunn, Hope Davis as Jill Carlan, Vondie Curtis-Hall as Judge Nicholas Byrne and Anna Deavere Smith as Tina Krissman.

THE GOOD DOCTOR — Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore, “Bates Motel”), a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, relocates from a quiet country life to join a prestigious hospital’s surgical unit. Alone in the world and unable to personally connect with those around him, Shaun uses his extraordinary medical gifts to save lives and challenge the skepticism of his colleagues. The series is from David Shore (“House”), and “Lost” and “Hawaii Five-O” star Daniel Dae Kim. The series stars Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy, Antonia Thomas as Dr. Claire Brown, Nicholas Gonzalez as Dr. Neal Melendez, Chuku Modu as Dr. Jared Kalu, Beau Garrett as Jessica Preston, Hill Harper as Dr. Marcus Andrews and Richard Schiff as Dr. Aaron Glassman. The series is from Sony Pictures Television and ABC Studios. David Shore is writer and executive producer. Daniel Dae Kim, David Kim and Sebastian Lee are also executive producers. Seth Gordon directed the pilot and is also an executive producer.

THE GOSPEL OF KEVIN — Kevin Finn (Jason Ritter, “Parenthood”), a cluelessly self-serving person, is on a dangerous path to despair. In a downward spiral, Kevin returns home to stay with his widowed twin sister (JoAnna Garcia Swisher, “Once Upon a Time”) and niece. On his first night there, an unlikely celestial being named Yvette appears to him and presents him with a mission – to save the world. A light drama from executive producers Michele Fazekas & Tara Butters (“Marvel’s Agent Carter,” “Resurrection,” “Reaper”). “The Gospel of Kevin” stars Jason Ritter as Kevin Finn, JoAnna Garcia Swisher as Amy, J. August Richards as Nate, Chloe East as Reese, Dustin Ybarra as Tyler and India de Beaufort as Kristin. The pilot is directed by Paul McGuigan. The series is from ABC Studios.

abc

MARVEL’S INHUMANS — “Marvel’s Inhumans” explores the never-before-told epic adventure of the royal family including Black Bolt, the enigmatic, commanding King of the Inhumans, with a voice so powerful that the slightest whisper can destroy a city. After the Royal Family of Inhumans is splintered by a military coup, they barely escape to Hawaii where their surprising interactions with the lush world and humanity around them may prove to not only save them, but Earth itself. The legendary comic book series will be brought to life in a way that has never been done before, as a version of the first two episodes will be shown globally in IMAX theaters for a two-week period beginning September 1, 2017. ABC will then air the entirety of the series on the network, with additional exclusive content that can only been seen on ABC. “Marvel’s Inhumans” stars Anson Mount as Black Bolt, Iwan Rheon as Maximus, Serinda Swan as Medusa, Eme Ikwuakor as Gorgon, Isabelle Cornish as Crystal, Ken Leung as Karnak, Ellen Woglom as an undisclosed character, Sonya Balmores as Auran and Mike Moh as Triton. The series is executive produced by Scott Buck, along with Marvel’s Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory with Buck serving as showrunner. Roel Reiné will direct the first two episodes. This series is a Marvel and IMAX project and is co-produced by Marvel Television and ABC Studios.

ABC

TEN DAYS IN THE VALLEY –– “Ten Days in the Valley” stars Kyra Sedgwick as Jane Sadler, an overworked television producer and single mother in the middle of a separation whose life is turned upside down when her young daughter goes missing in the middle of the night. Just like her controversial police TV show, everything is a mystery, everyone has a secret and no one can be trusted. “Ten Days in the Valley” stars Kyra Sedgwick as Jane Sadler, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as John Bird, Kick Gurry as Pete Greene, Erika Christensen as Ali Petrovich, Felix Solis as David Gomez, Josh Randall as Tom Petrovich, Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Matt Abigail Pniowsky as Lake and Francois Battiste as Gus. “Ten Days in the Valley” is from Skydance Television. It is created and written by Tassie Cameron. Executive producers are Tassie Cameron, Kyra Sedgwick, Jill Littman, Dana Goldberg, David Ellison and Marcy Ross.

ALTERNATIVE SERIES

AMERICAN IDOL — ABC is bringing back “American Idol.” The network, along with producers FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment, a division of CORE Media Group, will revive television’s most successful and recognized music competition series for the 2017-2018 season, bringing back the fan-favorite and making more dreams come true. A host and judges will be announced at a later time. “American Idol”‘s profound effect on the music industry is far-reaching and continually growing, launching the careers of superstars Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Katharine McPhee, Adam Lambert and Chris Daughtry, among many others. “American Idol” contestants have sold more than 60 million albums, resulting in more than 80 Platinum records and 95 Gold records. Its participants have generated more than 450 Billboard No. 1 hits and sold more than 260 million digital downloads. “American Idol” is produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment, a division of CORE Media Group. Executive producers include FremantleMedia North America’s Trish Kinane and Jennifer Mullin. FremantleMedia International distributes the series worldwide.

THE BACHELOR WINTER GAMES — America’s favorite participants from past seasons of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” from arch rivals to villains, will take competitive dating to a chilling new level. In an ode to the Winter Olympic Games and slated to premiere in February 2018, “The Bachelor Winter Games” will reunite the all-stars at a luxurious winter resort, where they will go head-to-head in winter-themed athletic challenges, including the toughest sport of all – love. “The Bachelor Winter Games” is a production of Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Unscripted Television. Mike Fleiss and Martin Hilton to executive produce.

DANCING WITH THE STARS JUNIOR — A fresh new take on an established favorite, “Dancing with the Stars Junior” will pair celebrity kids and kids of celebrities with professional junior ballroom dancers to perform choreographed routines, which will be judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts, to be announced at a later date. Slated to debut in Spring 2018, “Dancing with the Stars Junior” is produced by BBC Worldwide Productions