Wednesday, October 29, 2025
ABC Midseason 2026 Schedule; Hulu Renews Only Murders in the Building for Season 6, Now in London
Following a phenomenal fall season of unprecedented success across the schedule, ABC announced its 2026 midseason premiere dates featuring a slate of hilarious comedies, thrilling dramas, and high-stakes unscripted series. America's Funniest Home Videos kicks off the week Sunday, January 4 at 7pm. Star and executive producer Ramón Rodríguez directs the Season 4 premiere of Will Trent Tuesday, January 6, followed by the midseason return of High Potential which continues to be a powerhouse, ranking as the No. 1 original broadcast series across platforms for the second season in a row among Adults 18-49, and the Season 8 premiere of The Rookie. Both Will Trent and The Rookie enjoyed tremendous ratings success last season, surging year over year and posting several new streaming highs. Both series consistently delivered over 10 million Total Viewers in multiplatform viewing.
Wednesday night comedies Shifting Gears and Emmy(R) Award-winning Abbott Elementary return for a night of laughs Wednesday, January 7, followed by the return of Shark Tank. The following day, ratings juggernaut dramas 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Nashville and Grey's Anatomy return to the Thursday night lineup on January 8. Rounding out the week, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and Friday's most-watched newsmagazine, ABC News' "20/20," return to the schedule Friday, January 9. NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC returns for select Saturdays beginning January 24 (Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks).
American Idol premieres its ninth season on ABC and 24th season overall with a new schedule, airing Mondays beginning January 26. Music superstars Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Carrie Underwood return as judges alongside Emmy Award-winning host Ryan Seacrest. For the first time ever, American Idol will bring the iconic Hollywood Week round to Nashville. Hollywood Week: Music City Takeover will feature one round only as the hopefuls from all musical genres take the stage for a make-or-break performance, facing the biggest Hollywood Week cut in "Idol" history.
Premiering Wednesday, February 25, ABC is scrubbing back in for Sacred Heart Hospital with back-to-back episodes of comedy Scrubs starring Zach Braff, Donald Faison and Sarah Chalke. Ken Jennings-hosted Celebrity Jeopardy! returns for Season 4 with a brand-new All-Stars Tournament Friday, February 27, while the drama-filled season premiere of The Bachelorette starring The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Taylor Frankie Paul and hosted by Jesse Palmer kicks off on its new night, Sunday, March 22. As previously announced, new drama series RJ Decker (working title) starring Scott Speedman will debut in 2026. The premiere date will be announced at a later time. With this newest addition to the schedule, ABC ups its drama count to seven series, and 10 scripted series overall.
Hulu Original comedy series Only Murders in the Building, which hails from 20th Television, has been renewed for a sixth season consisting of 10 episodes. The series will film overseas for the first time, with the beloved crime-solving trio leaving New York City to investigate London's newest mystery.
Season five features a star-studded cast, including the return of multi-Oscar(R)/Emmy(R) winner Meryl Streep and Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Richard Kind, Nathan Lane, Bobby Cannavale, Renée Zellweger, Logan Lerman, Christoph Waltz, Téa Leoni, Keegan-Michael Key, Beanie Feldstein, Dianne Wiest, and Jermaine Fowler. They joined stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez and Michael Cyril Creighton. Season five is now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the US and on Disney+ internationally. Season five finale became available yesterday, October 28.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, October 30
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A Will and a Dead Man’s Wife" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie’s not ready for his mother to start dating again. Meanwhile, Jim and Audrey struggle to make their wills.
Ghosts - "Halloween 5: The Mummy" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Sam and Jay’s Halloween takes a spooky turn when they accidentally unleash a mummy ghost.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 27)
Thursday, October 30
- Emma Stone (The Curse) - Catch Emma on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Justine Lupe (Nobody Wants This/Cristela) - Justine talks about Nobody Wants This on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Harland Williams (The Geena Davis Show/Simon) - Harland is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
- Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building) - Steve chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Patti LaBelle (Out All Night) - Patti is whipping up something tasty in the kitchen, plus a special announcement just for the Tam Fam on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Ariana Greenblatt (Stuck in the Middle) - Ariana talks about Now You See Me: Now You Don't on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
- Leanne Morgan (Leanne) - Leanne co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Niecy Nash-Betts (Reno 911!/Getting On/The Soul Man/Do Not Disturb) - Niecy talks about her upcoming Hulu series All's Fair on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Wendie Malick (Hot in Cleveland/Big Day/Jake in Progress/Just Shoot Me!), Jane Leeves (Hot in Cleveland/Frasier/Throb) and Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Hot in Cleveland co-stars Wendie Malick and Jane Leeves are surprising Valerie Bertinelli for a cast reunion and to dish on their time working on the hit show on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Joel Kim Booster (Loot/Shrill) - Joel talks about Apple TV's Loot on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season
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