ABC stunned fans last year when it announced an unscripted-heavy fall schedule.
9-1-1, Abbott Elementary, Doctor Odyssey, Grey’s Anatomy, and High Potential were the only five scripted shows to get premiere dates in the fall.
The Rookie, Shifting Gears, and Will Trent were held until midseason, leaving fans confused and irate.
At the time, the Disney-owned network seemed to be considering scaling back on scripted programming in favor of cheaper, unscripted offerings.
With TV ratings flatlining across the board, the networks must get scrappy to ensure they’re making enough money to succeed.
The good news is that despite some soft ratings in the scripted front in the fall, many of ABC’s shows have picked up considerable steam in 2025.
High Potential and Will Trent are standouts because they’ve shown tremendous growth, showcasing that certain dramas still play well on broadcast TV.
High Potential’s Numbers Are Soaring
The former started with middling numbers in the fall and returned in January with double the demo rating (0.50 vs. 0.25).
ABC has been vocal about the Kaitlin Olson-fronted procedural’s performance on streaming, so the show has a devoted audience that seems to be growing.
The live + same-day ratings growth could probably be attributed to people binging on the show over the holiday break.
The numbers are solid and showcase that people are finding the series. It’s a rarity in today’s TV climate for a show to build post-premiere, especially by such a big amount.
Then there’s Will Trent, which is currently averaging 5.2 million viewers and a 0.4 rating in the demo.
The crime drama is pacing ahead of 9-1-1 (4.5 million/0.39 rating), Doctor Odyssey (3.2 million/0.29 rating), The Rookie (3 million/0.28 rating), and Grey’s Anatomy (2.3 million/0.24 rating).
ABC’s decision in the fall to scale back on scripted dramas seemed like retaliation for the diminished returns of scripted dramas overall.
The Bachelor and its countless spinoffs cost a fraction to produce. There’s no debating that, but the franchise squandered the jolt of life it got with The Golden Bachelor.
ABC’s Dominant The Bachelor Franchise Is Losing Ground
The aged-up version’s performance should have compelled ABC to nix the other shows that had been on the air for years to refresh the format.
As The Bachelorette, The Golden Bachelorette, and The Bachelor can attest, numbers for all of those shows are now in free fall.
In fact, ABC recently announced The Bachelorette had been placed on pause and won’t be on the air in 2025, indicating that the bubble could be about to burst on the long-running franchise.
Less is more for those types of shows because viewers will tire of them if too many are on the air in one year.
If anything, High Potential and Will Trent’s resilience couldn’t have come at a better time because ABC may well have continued doubling down on unscripted.
High Potential is a beacon of hope for new dramas on the broadcast networks because it really is the little show that could.
It lost its showrunner, Rob Thomas, early on and suffered quite a delay from its initially planned premiere.
Those things would typically set a show up for failure, but the comedy-tinged legal drama has beaten all the odds.
Hopefully, it is the shape of things to come and makes ABC zero in on more scripted content as we head into the 2025-2026 TV season.
Shifting Gears has also turned into an admirable performance, which should not be disregarded.
The one-two punch of Tim Allen and Kat Dennings has resulted in one of the season’s most-watched and highest-rated comedies.
With Disney’s upfronts fast approaching, we should know what ABC will do in the fall in the coming months.
Doctor Odyssey Could Be Headed For Cancellation
High Potential is already renewed, but fellow freshman drama Doctor Odyssey may not be so lucky after turning in a lower-than-expected performance on Thursdays.
ABC isn’t finished trying to turn the series into a hit, with a highly promoted shark attack to kick off its midseason premiere next month.
It’s challenging to gain viewers once they’re lost, but maybe ABC’s current upswing in the ratings could boost the Joshua Jackson fever dream drama.
There’s so much that can change on a dime, as evidenced by the sudden success of High Potential and Will Trent for ABC.
What are your thoughts on ABC gravitating away from scripted? Do you believe it’s time for the network to open the doors to more dramas and comedies?
Hit the comments below.