High concept dramas, musical moments and steamy procedurals feature heavily on ABC's 2017-2018 schedule, which boasts two new shows from Shonda Rhimes (including a Grey's Anatomyspinoff), a live musical version of The Little Mermaid, a revival of retro comedy hit Roseanne, and a reboot of American Idolwith Katy Perry as judge.
Check out the new trailers and descriptions for ABC's new series below.
Not to be confused with The Good Wife, ABC's new medical drama sounds like it's taking a page out of House's playbook (which makes sense, since it's created by Houseboss David Shore and Hawaii Five-Ostar Daniel Dae Kim).
The show follows a young surgeon (Bates Motel's Freddie Highmore, because who wouldn't want Norman Bates as their doctor?) with autism and savant syndrome who struggles to connect with his colleagues and patients, but excels at saving lives.
As part of ABC's quest to beat Fox at its musical game, not only has the Alphabet snagged American Idol, the network has also enlisted Gleealum Lea Michele for a new comedy series with a musical twist.
Young rapper Courtney Rose (Brandon Micheal Hall) is looking for his big break, so he 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. An elected official with no experience? What could go wrong? With the help of his mother (Yvette Nicole Brown) and friends, including Valentina (Michele), Courtney will have to overcome his hubris if he wants to transform the struggling city he loves.
The latest in a string of broadcast shows in which a troubled protagonist gets some life coaching from a higher power, Gospelstars the consistently charming Jason Ritter as Kevin Finn, a cluelessly self-serving dude who decides to return home to stay with his widowed twin sister (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) and niece when his life hits the skids. On his first night there, an unlikely celestial being named Yvette appears to him and presents him with a mission – to save the world.
The first two episodes of ABC and Marvel's newest show will premiere in IMAX theaters on September 1, before the series makes its broadcast debut on ABC. (We're praying they'll find a way to fix Medusa's wig before then.) After the Royal Family of Inhumans is splintered by a military coup, they barely escape to Hawaii, where their surprising interactions with the world and humanity around them may prove to not only save them, but Earth itself.
Kyra Sedgwick stars 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. Just like her controversial police TV show, everything is a mystery, everyone has a secret, and no one can be trusted.
ABC is reviving the classic comedy, which debuted in 1988 and aired for nine seasons, for an eight-episode comeback in 2018. Original cast members Roseanne Barr (Roseanne), John Goodman (Dan), Sara Gilbert (Darlene), Laurie Metcalf (Jackie), Michael Fishman (D.J.) and Lecy Goranson (Becky) will return. Sarah Chalke, who played the character Becky in later seasons, will also be back in a new role.
Based on the podcast StartUp, Alex Schuman (Zach Braff) plays a radio journalist, husband and father of two who is about to do something crazy – quit his job and start his own company. Unsurprisingly, it ends up being a lot harder than it looks. Braff stars, directs and is executive producer on the series from Scrubs'Matt Tarses and Davis Entertainment.
Splitting Up Togetheris the story of a couple (Jenna Fischer, Oliver Hudson) whose marriage is reignited by their divorce. Suburgatorycreator Emily Kapnek writes and serves as executive producer of this new comedy, along with Ellen DeGeneres.
Illusionist David Kwong is on board as co-producer to lend his expertise to this story of superstar magician Cameron Black (Jack Cutmore-Scott), who finds himself turning to the FBI when his career is ruined by scandal. 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 life. The series hails from Chuck writer/executive producer Chris Fedak and executive producers Greg Berlanti, Martin Gero and Sarah Schechter.
Broadcast networks haven't had much luck with high-concept dramas since the glory days of Lost, but ABC's latest attempt sounds intriguing: Refugees from a war-torn country seek asylum in a small American fishing town, but we soon discover that 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.
The newest legal drama from Shonda Rhimes' production company, For the Peopleis set in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, aka “The Mother Court." The show 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 – and, in typical Shondaland style, there's at least one shot of hot work rivals making out in the trailer.