See ABC's Fall 2026 TV Schedule

Key Points:

• ABC will delay the third season premiere of its top scripted series, High Potential, to early 2027 to accommodate a first quarter filled with major live events including the College Football Playoff championship, the Super Bowl, the Grammys, and the Oscars.
• The network aims to leverage this "formidable block" of live broadcasts to attract large audiences and provide strong lead-in opportunities for its scripted shows, despite the challenge of converting sports viewers to entertainment content.
• Moving High Potential to midseason allows for a more consistent airing schedule, avoiding the frequent breaks it experienced in previous seasons due to scheduling conflicts and holiday programming.
• New series R.J. Decker and Scrubs will take prominent fall time slots, with R.J. Decker following Dancing With the Stars on Tuesdays and Scrubs leading Wednesdays alongside Abbott Elementary.
• Additional midseason premieres include The Rookie, Will Trent, Shifting Gears starring Tim Allen, and The Rookie spinoff The Rookie: North; new seasons of The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise are also slated for early 2027.