ABC released its 2023 fall programming schedule on Tuesday, revealing a slate of game shows, sports, and unscripted content as an obvious response to the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, which has brought traditional Hollywood productions to a standstill.
Deemed “strike proof” by The Hollywood Reporter, the fall schedule from ABC will feature largely unscripted competition and game shows as well as some sports programming. Abbott Elementary will be a one-hour block of reruns on Wednesday nights while the Wonderful World of Disney movie night will air on Sundays – a sign that studios may be leaning into past content to stave off the strike.
Per THR:
The return to the network of Dancing With the Stars, which was exclusive to Disney+ last fall, will kick off the week, leading into The Golden Bachelor — a spinoff of the franchise that will feature a bachelor and group of women who are looking for second chances at love in their retirement years.
The younger Bachelor set will also be represented with Bachelor in Paradise on Tuesdays, which pairs with Celebrity Jeopardy!Press Your Luck will move from summer to fall and be part of an all-game show Thursday lineup with Celebrity Wheel of Fortune and The $100,000 Pyramid. Shark Tank (Friday) and America’s Funniest Home Videos (Sunday) will hold down their usual spots, and ABC News’ hidden-camera show What Would You Do? will return after a three-year absence.
ABC will also broadcast six Monday Night Football games — three simulcasts with ESPN and three exclusive matchups as part of doubleheader nights — during the NFL season and has its usual Saturday college football showcase, as well.
NBC and CBS released their fall lineup schedules with a mixture of scripted and unscripted. Those may be subject to change depending on how long the strike continues; the 2007 WGA strike lasted 100 days while the 1988 strike lasted a whopping five months. Fox has not yet announced a fall lineup.
Monday
8 p.m.: Dancing With the Stars
10 p.m.: The Golden BachelorTuesday
8 p.m.: Celebrity Jeopardy!
9 p.m.: Bachelor in ParadiseWednesday
8 p.m.: Judge Steve Harvey
9 p.m.: Abbott Elementary repeats
10 p.m.: What Would You Do?Thursday
8 p.m.: Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
9 p.m.: Press Your Luck
10 p.m.: The $100,000 PyramidFriday
8 p.m.: Shark Tank
9 p.m.: 20/20Saturday
7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT: Saturday Night College FootballSunday
7 p.m.: America’s Funniest Home Videos
8 p.m.: The Wonderful World of Disney
As Breitbart News reported, Hollywood writers went on strike in early May after the major studios and failed to renew a contract with the Writers Guild of America (WGA), putting a halt to late-night television and other streaming shows that have not yet entered production.
Breitbart News reported:
Among the hardest hit will be the late-night comedy shows, including those hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert, who rely on teams of writers to think up their nightly monologues in which they frequently rail against conservatives and all things Trump.
The Writers Guild of America authorized the strike Monday night after negotiations with the studios and networks failed to produce an agreement. It will mark the first time Hollywood writers have walked off the job since the 2007-2008 strike, which lasted three months and brought the industry to a virtual standstill.
The writers primarily demand better compensation in terms of residuals in the midst of the streaming revolution, arguing that shorter television seasons have harmed their bottom line.
Some striking writers have further claimed that streaming services have hollowed out the work to such a degree that they now feel like Uber drivers in a gig economy rather than creatives with a career that supports them.
“The streamers don’t care about anything, they think we’re Uber drivers: ‘Come in, do your job, go home, that’s great. You’re free,’” Marjorie David, the vice president of the Writers Guild of America, West, told The Daily Beast.
“Not good. We don’t want to be free from health and pension. We don’t want to be free from paying our rent. We don’t want to be free from buying a house or sending our kids to school or anything like that,” she added.
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed on Tubi, Google Play, YouTube Movies, or VIMEO On Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.