TELEVISION: ABC is making some moves with fall schedule

Sometimes I think ABC is the bane of my existence when it comes to television.


The alphabet network is home to some of my favorite shows of all time -- like Lost. On the flip side, though, they do make some kooky decisions (the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire debacle springs to mind).

This past year wasn’t a great one for ABC – and the network said goodbye to a lot of shows, so they have a decent amount of space to fill. The big surprise for ABC is that Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – which was supposed to be a slam dunk – struggled to be picked up for a second season.

New shows premiering in the fall include a whole clump of comedies, including Selfie, Black-ish, Manhattan Love Story and Cristela - -none of which sound even remotely interesting, at least not at this time.

Then there’s prime time soap opera Forever, which follows a bunch of people doing a bunch of weird things (none of which piques my interest).

Finally, Shonda Rhimes is busy again with How to Get Away With Murder, a drama that boasts Viola

Davis and a premise that no one seems all too clear on yet. Given Rhimes pedigree, though, it’s bound to be a hit (especially since it’s being paired with her other creations).

ABC’s midseason is also confusing. Marvel’s Agent Carter will serve as a bridge for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., while the musical fairy tale Galavant will due the same thing for the creatively struggling Once Upon a Time.

Slated for midseason is a bevy of new shows. American Crime stars Felicity Huffman and Timothy Hutton in what looks to be a high concept look at race, crime and motivation.

Fresh Off The Boat looks to be a racially insensitive comedy that has failure written all over it.

Secrets & Lies features Ryan Philippe, Juliette Lewis, and Kadee Strickland in the story of a man who finds a boy’s body and then goes on a quest to prove his innocents. It’s easily the most interesting casting of the upcoming television season.

The Whispers is about aliens using kids to take over the Earth. It sounds contrived, but the cast (Lily Rabe, Milo Ventimiglia, etc.) is fairly interesting.

Here is ABC's updated fall schedule:

Monday

8 p.m. – Dancing with the Stars
10 p.m. – Castle

Tuesday

8 p.m. – Selfie
8:30 p.m. – Manhattan Love Story
9 p.m. – Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
10 p.m. – Forever

Wednesday

8 p.m. – The Middle
8:30 p.m. – The Goldbergs
9 p.m. – Modern Familiy
9:30 p.m. – Black-ish
10 p.m. – Nashville

Thursday

8 p.m. – Grey’s Anatomy
9 p.m. -- Scandal
10 p.m. – How to Get Away with Murder

Friday

8 p.m. – Last Man Standing
8:30 p.m. -- Cristela
9 p.m. -- Shark Tank
10 p.m. – 20/20

Sunday

7 p.m. – America’s Funniest Home Videos
8 p.m. – Once Upon a Time
9 p.m. – Resurrection
10 p.m. – Revenge

What do you think of ABC’s fall schedule?