ABC has finally revealed its midseason plans and surprisingly, its next wave of programming doesn’t really kick off until March.
Once the TGIT lineup gets back from its unexpectedly lengthened hiatus, the next premiere ABC will be having is LGBT rights miniseries When We Rise on Monday, February 27th at 9:00. The eight-episode affair will be aired across the span of one week, with two episodes airing every night from 9:00 – 11:00. Given the proximity of the miniseries, from Milk writer Dustin Lance Black, to the Oscars, expect to see a lot of promotion during that ceremony.
The Sunday following the Oscars (March 5th), ABC Sundays return, as Once Upon a Time will lead into the two-hour premiere of Time After Time. From Kevin Williamson (The Vampire Diaries), Time After Time follows the cat and mouse game between sci-fi writer H.G. Wells (Freddie Stroma) and notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper (Josh Bowman) as the former gets transported to modern day in his pursuit of the latter.
Subsequently, March 12th will see Time After Time settling into its regular 9:00 slot and acclaimed limited series American Crime premiering at 10:00. The upcoming third season is said to focus on labor issues, whereas season one followed a racially charged murder and season two portrayed a sexual assault at a Midwestern high school.
While Shonda Rhimes-produced drama The Catch premieres its second season on Thursday, March 9th at 10:00, the day after Designated Survivor returns from its own hiatus, comedy Imaginary Mary will get an 8:30 sneak peek on Wednesday, March 29th before settling into its time slot on Tuesday, April 4th at 9:30. The series stars Jenna Elfman (Dharma & Greg) as a woman whose childhood imaginary friend rears its ugly head once she gets into a serious relationship.
Finally, ABC will be premiering their three-hour adaptation of Dirty Dancing on Wednesday, May 24th at 8:00. Starring the likes of Abigail Breslin (Scream Queens), Debra Messing (The Mysteries of Laura), and Sarah Hyland (Modern Family), this production is meant to celebrate the 1987 original’s 30th anniversary.
Not included in ABC’s midseason announcements are comedy Downward Dog, set to air this summer, and the show once known as Still Star-Crossed, which doesn’t have an estimated date of air.
