ABC revealed their schedule for the upcoming TV season yesterday, and it features 13 new shows . . . eight dramas, three comedies, and two unscripted shows. Here are the highlights:
The biggest addition is the "American Idol" revival, which won't premiere until sometime next spring. ABC confirmed that Katy Perry will be the first judge . . . but somewhat surprisingly, they didn't have anything else to make official.
They did defend their decision to bring "Idol" back after just one year, and they also said that there'd be some format changes . . . but they didn't lay out any specifics.
They also announced the "Bachelor Winter Games", which will air in February, opposite the actual Winter Olympics on NBC.
It'll have former contestants from "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" . . . hanging out at a winter resort . . . where they, quote, "go head-to-head in winter-themed athletic challenges, including the toughest sport of all . . . love." (???
Speaking of spin-offs, ABC passed on a couple pilots. A spin-off of "The Goldbergs" that's set in the '90s . . . and a "Black-ish" spin-off following Zoey as she goes to college. But they did move ahead with a couple others.
There's a "Dancing with the Stars" spin-off called "Dancing with the Stars Junior", which will star celebrity kids and the un-famous kids of D-list celebrities. In other words, their 'star'-status was just inherited.
ABC is also doing a "Grey's Anatomy" spin-off about Seattle firefighters. No characters have been announced yet . . . but we're thinking they'll probably be hot guys with melodramatic lives, and nicknames like McSmokey and McStopDropNRoll.
There's no title or cast yet, and there's no word how it'll be connected to "Grey's".
There's also yet another Shonda Rhimes show called "For the People" on the way, which is like "Grey's Anatomy" only in a courtroom instead of a hospital.
Not all the casting has been finalized yet . . . but we're thinking they'll probably be hot guys with melodramatic lives, and nicknames like McObjectionYourHonor and McYouCan'tHandleTheTruth.
Most of those shows won't be around until after the New Year. The ones that premiere this fall include: A comedy called "The Mayor" about a rapper who runs for mayor of a small California town to get publicity . . . but he ends up WINNING. It stars Lea Michele, but not as the rapper, unfortunately.
There's a drama called "The Gospel of Kevin" . . . about a guy who takes advice from a celestial being named Yvette, who gives him a mission to save the world. And a "House"-like show called "The Good Doctor" starring Freddie Highmore.
ABC will launch their latest superhero show "Marvel's Inhumans" by premiering the first two episodes in IMAX theaters on September 1st.
And they're maybe trying to score another "Lost" with a new show called "The Crossing". ABC describes it as, quote, "Refugees from a war-torn country seek asylum in a small American fishing town . . . only the country these people are from IS America . . . and the war they are fleeing hasn't happened yet."(For more, check out this ABC press release.)