ABC: The Top Ten List

ABC ended the 2014-15 season in third place, up from the bottom of the heap the season before. And to celebrate, it's ordering ten new series for 2015-16, five of which debut in the fall. And of course, one of these ten shows is being produced by Shinda Rhimes (whose older shows are all coming back). That series, "The Catch," is a planned mid-season replacement starring Mireille Enos as a fraud investigator who's about to be defrauded by her own fiancé and looks for him between cases before he ruins her career.

Other new shows include: "OIL" (the capital letters are not mine), a drama starring Don Johnson about a family that moves to North Dakota to take part in the Bakken oil boom; "The Real O'Neals," about an Irish Catholic family that seems perfect but has to come to grips with the messy realities in their lives (it's a comedy, which, as someone from a big Irish Catholic family, I don't think makes sense); a second attempt at turning the John Candy movie Uncle Buck into a sitcom, only this time with a black cast and with Mike Epps in the title role;' Quantico," an FBI drama, and - this is so weird - an adult Muppets series.  The Muppets - which, like ABC, are owned by Disney - are to be featured in a documentary-style show in the vein of "Modern Family."  One article I consulted for this blog post explains it like this: "For the first time ever, a series will explore the Muppets’ personal lives and relationships, both at home and at work, as well as romances, breakups, achievements, disappointments, wants and desires. This is a more adult Muppet show, for "kids of all ages."

Where are Statler and Waldorf when you need them?

As far as I'm concerned, the biggest news from ABC's upfront announcement is what's changing, but what isn't - not the all-Shonda, all-the-time Thursday night lineup, but its Wednesday night lineup.  It's the same as it was this past season - "The Middle" at 8 PM Eastern, followed by "The Goldbergs" at 8:30, "Modern Family" at 9 PM, and "black-ish" at 9:30, with "white-ish" - er, the country music drama "Nashville" - at 10 PM.  That's right, ABC finally has a solid Wednesday night lineup, with successful sitcoms following "The Middle" and "Modern Family" at last and a hit drama in the 10 PM slot, where so many dramas flopped and flopped badly.  But with "The Middle" and "Modern Family" both going into their seventh season and with both shows aging noticeably, that lineup may not last beyond next season.           

Anyway, here's the alphabet network's 2015-16 lineup, with all start times Eastern and all new shows in boldface:

Fall 2015

Mondays

8:00 PM - "Dancing With the Stars"
10:00 PM - "Castle"

Tuesdays

8:00 PM - "The Muppets"
8:30 PM -  "Fresh Off the Boat"
9:00 PM - "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."
10:00 PM - "Quantico"

Wednesdays

8:00 PM - "The Middle"
8:30 PM - "The Goldbergs"
9:00 PM - "Modern Family"
9:30 PM - "black-ish"
10:00 PM" - "Nashville"

Thursdays

8:00 PM - "Grey's Anatomy"
9:00 PM - "Scandal"
10:00PM - "How to Get Away with Murder"

Fridays

8:00PM - "Last Man Standing"
8:30PM - "Dr. Ken"
9:00PM - "Shark Tank"
10:00PM - "20/20"

Saturdays

8:00PM - "Saturday Night College Football"

Sundays

7:00PM - "America's Funniest Home Videos"
8:00PM - "Once Upon a Time"
9:00PM - "OIL"
10:00PM - "Of Kings and Prophets"

Unscheduled, Mid-Season 2016:

COMEDY: "The Real O'Neals," "Uncle Buck," "Galavant"

DRAMA: "The Catch," The Family," "Wicked City," "American Crime," "Marvel's Agent Carter," "Secrets and Lies"

REALITY: "The Bachelor," "Beyond the Tank"