ABC: Reducing Repeats with Limited Series

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Coverage: Upfronts 2013

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Reducing Repeats With Limited Series

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here to view the fall primetime schedule grid.

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here to view pilot clips and trailers from the networks new shows.

STRATEGY: Cut down on repeats for serialized

dramas by scheduling them in batches of 12 episodes in fall and spring, with

limited series filling the gaps; use new Avengers spinoff action drama

to relaunch Tuesdays.

Gone are the days when 22-episode seasons could last 52 weeks. So starting this

fall, ABC will begin running some of its serialized dramas in two batches of 12

original episodes, with fall and spring premieres, and using limited series to

fill the gap in midseason.

The idea is to create quality launches throughout the season, away from the

clutter of fall, ABC Entertainment Group president Paul Lee said last week.

Though Lee noted that a limited eight-to-12-episode run is not right for every

show, where deployed it can make for better storytelling in a series first year.

One such show is new drama Betrayal, about an unhappily married female

photographer who begins an affair with an attorney who is arguing a case

against her husband. The show is designed for a 13-episode run on Sundays at 10

p.m. On tap to replace it in midseason is new drama Resurrection, about

people coming back to life. ABC has also ordered the fantasy competition

reality series The Quest, which will air between runs of Once Upon a

Time on Sundays.

While during his upfront presentation roast ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel

joked that limited series are something weve been doing for years, citing

quickly axed ABC series such as 666 Park Avenue and Red Widow,

Lee said in seriousness its not impossible that limited series can run on to

a second season of limited episodes.

To keep stability amid its ambitious new scheduling plan, ABC will leave key

series anchoring each night in place: Dancing With the Stars and Castle

on Monday; The Middle, Modern Family and Nashville on

Wednesday; Greys Anatomy and Scandal on Thursday; Last Man

Standing and Shark Tank on Friday; and Once and Revenge on

Sunday.

To jolt the fading Dancing With the Stars, ABC will fold its performance

and results into one show on Monday in an effort to really build a sense of

occasion to that night, Lee said. That also frees up the network to

aggressively revamp Tuesday, starting with Joss Whedons much-anticipated Avengers

spinoff, Marvels Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The big action drama will

lead into a new two-comedy block of the nostalgic family sitcom The

Goldbergs -- which ABC showed a lengthy five-minute clip of at its upfront

-- and Trophy Wife, starring Malin Ackerman. Lucky 7, which Lee

billed as a drama for the 99 percent, about seven gas station employees who

win the lottery, will end the night.

On Wednesday, ABC will launch two more comedies in fall -- Back in the Game,

about an estranged father-daughter relationship; and Super Fun Night starring

Rebel Wilson, which earned the prime slot after Modern Family. Despite

the cancellation of young adult ensemble comedy Happy Endings this

season, Lee said midseason comedy Mixology, which follows 10 singles at

a Manhattan bar over the course of one night, and the female friendship-themed Super

Fun Night are much broader shows that can bring in a wider audience.

Thursday at 8 p.m. has been a black hole for ABCs new series in recent seasons

(R.I.P. Zero Hour, Last Resort, Charlies Angels), but the

network will again attempt to launch a freshman there in the fall, this time

the franchise spinoff Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. Billing Thursday

as a night of powerful women, Lee expressed confidence that Wonderland will

have a better flow with Greys and Scandal than past pairings, and

the show offers the built-in audience of a franchise.

Friday continues to be a family destination with Last Man Standing and The

Neighbors, the latter relocated to the night for its sophomore season. A

new season of comedy Suburgatory remains unscheduled for midseason, as

do new procedurals Mind Games, about two brothers solving clients

problems with psychological manipulation, and Killer Women, about the

lone female ranger on a squad patrolling the Texas frontier.

E-mail comments to amorabito@nbmedia.com

and follow her on Twitter: @andreamorabito

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