ION Television Acquires Chicago P.D.; TCA Summer 2018 Press Tour: ABC

Wednesday, August 08, 2018

ION Television Acquires Chicago P.D.; TCA Summer 2018 Press Tour: ABC

ION Media announced a long-term content deal with NBCUniversal Television Distribution to bring the top-rated drama Chicago P.D. to its flagship network, ION Television. From Dick Wolf's highly successful Chicago franchise, the series is a top-10 drama on broadcast television in A25-54 and A18-49 and is the #1 series in its time period (Wed/10p) in all key demos this season. The agreement gives ION seasons 1-5 (106 episodes) of Chicago P.D., which will make its network debut in early 2019, plus the option for future seasons.

ION Television will also add season 17 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit to its programming lineup this fall. The series continues to be a top performer with an average of 1.24 million viewers, making ION the #1 cable network on Saturdays. The agreement extends ION's rights to Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Additionally, ION has acquired the rights to broadcast the Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent series on its D2 properties. Chicago P.D. will join ION Television's acclaimed library of hit series, including NCIS: Los Angeles, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, plus, a robust catalog of scripted original programming, including the series Private Eyes and more than 30 made-for-TV holiday movies.

ABC

ABC was up yesterday at the TCA 2018 Summer Press Tour. ABC has announced green lights for its "Sunday Fun & Games" programming block: Celebrity Family Feud for its fifth season, and The $100,000 Pyramid and To Tell the Truth for their fourth seasons. ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey made the announcement at the network's Television Critics Association press tour. The programming block has fueled many ratings victories for the network, which has ranked as the No. 1 broadcaster on each week the block has aired this summer among Adults 18-49. ABC also announced a two-hour prime-time special celebrating 90 years of Mickey Mouse. From the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, the elegant affair will feature star-studded musical performances, moving tributes and never-before-seen short films. Superstars from music, film and television will join the festivities to celebrate the birthday of the internationally beloved character on Mickey's 90th Spectacular, airing Sunday, November 4, 2018 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. EST, on The ABC Television Network.

And finally, The Goldbergs will once again pay tribute to a hit movie from the 1980s, the iconic John Hughes film Sixteen Candles, when the comedy has its sixth season premiere, Wednesday, September 26 at 8:00pm EDT, on The ABC Television Network, streaming and on demand. In the upcoming "Sixteen Candles" episode, it's Adam's 16th birthday, but his parents are too distracted by Barry and Lainey's engagement and Erica's band ambitions to remember their youngest son's big day. But the situation presents an opportunity for Adam to ask Erica to put him on the high school social map. Meanwhile, Beverly thinks she can scare Barry and Lainey straight with the reality of being adults.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Tuesday, October 16

The Conners - "Keep on Truckin'" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
A sudden turn of events forces the Conners to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before.

The Kids Are Alright - "Pilot" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Lawrence, the prodigal eldest Cleary son, returns home from the seminary and breaks the news to his family that he’s dropping out for good, leaving Mike and Peggy upset and wondering why. Meanwhile, Timmy decides he wants to audition for a children’s theatre production but when Peggy finds out where it’s being held she forbids him from participating. Elsewhere, Eddie tries to keep his girlfriend a secret after Frank finds out and tries to blackmail him.

black-ish - "Gap Year" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
After dropping Junior off at college, Dre and Bow are beside themselves when they find him back at home announcing his decision to take a gap year. Meanwhile, Jack and Diane begin to question whether they should still be sharing a room.

Splitting Up Together - "Sign Language" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
The morning after Lena and Martin sleep together, Lena searches for signs that they are or aren’t meant to be a couple. Their relationship is put to the test after she organizes a romantic beach getaway and it becomes apparent what’s meant to be. Meanwhile, Arthur and Camille trail Lisa Apple, hoping to determine if she is pregnant with Martin’s baby. Elsewhere, Maya struggles to decide if she should tell her new boyfriend, Frank, about her pregnancy.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 15)

Tuesday, October 16

John Krasinski (The Office) - Catch John on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Kevin Hart (The Big House/Undeclared) - Kevin appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) - Eric is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Kathryn Hahn (I Love Dick/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Kathryn stops by The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS. She will also be on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Jameela Jamil (The Good Place) - Jameela appears on a repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly/Samantha Who?) - Melissa drops by Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Trevor Noah at 11pm. She also talks about Can You Ever Forgive Me? on the BUILD Series at 12pm.
Jane Curtin (3rd Rock from the Sun/Kate & Allie) - Jane visits Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
Laurence Fishburne (black-ish) - Laurence chats on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Nathan Fillion (Two Guys and a Girl) - Nathan talks about The Rookie on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
Katy Mixon (American Housewife/Mike & Molly) - Katy is a guest on The Real, so check your local listings.
Sara Gilbert (The Conners/Roseanne/Bad Teacher/The Big Bang Theory and John Goodman (The Connners/Roseanne/The Trouble in Normal, Ohio) - Sara and John are guests on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
John Leguizamo (The Brothers Garcia) - John appears on ABC's GMA Day at 1pm.
Heather Dubrow (Stark Raving Mad) - Heather is a guest on People Now at 12pm.
Candace Cameron Bure (Fuller House/Full House) - Candace visits NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Fran Drescher (Happily Divorced/The Nanny/Living with Fran) - Fran talks about hosting Cancer Scchmancer's Master Class Health Summit on E!'s Daily Pop at 12pm.
Analeigh Tipton (Manhattan Love Story) - Analeigh talks about her movie Better Start Running on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.