ABC unveiled a fall schedule with three new dramas, including “Notorious,” inspired by the stories of attorney Mark Geragos and cable news producer Wendy Walker, and two new comedies, while canceling the drama “Nashville,” which ran for four seasons.
Other series not returning include the mystery “Castle,” which ran for eight seasons; the comedies “The Muppets,” which premiered last fall, and “Galavant,” and the period superhero drama “Marvel’s Agent Carter,” which both ran for two seasons.
Two of the five series that premiered last fall will return for second seasons — the comedy “Dr. Ken” and the drama “Quantico,” along with two series that premiered at midseason, the mystery drama “The Catch” and the family comedy “The Real O’Neals.”
“Notorious” is described by ABC as “a provocative look at the unique, sexy and dangerous interplay of criminal law and the media” and stars Piper Perabo and Daniel Sunjata.
The pilot was written by Josh Berman and Allie Hagan. Berman had been a producer of the pioneering CBS forensics series, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” and co-created the 2012-13 Fox drama “The Mob Doctor.” Hagan wrote “Suri’s Burn Book,”
“Notorious” will air Thursdays at 9 p.m. in the time slot “Scandal” has aired in since the 2014-15 season. “Scandal” will begin its season at midseason because of the pregnancy of star Kerry Washington.
ABC’s other new fall dramas are:
— “Designated Survivor” stars Kiefer Sutherland as a lower-level cabinet member who unexpectedly becomes president after a devastating attack on Washington. It was created by David Guggenheim, who wrote the screenplay for the 2012 spy action thriller “Safe House” and the 2012 action thriller “Stolen.”
The cast includes Kal Penn, best known for his roles in the “Harold & Kumar” movies, but was also an associate director in the White House Office of Public Engagement during President Barack Obama’s first term.
— “Conviction” stars Hayley Atwell, who played the title role in “Marvel’s Agent Carter,” as a lawyer and former first daughter who joins a district attorney’s (Eddie Cahill) Conviction Integrity Unit, investigating cases where there is a credible suspicion of wrongful conviction.
The cast also includes Merrin Dungey, the sister of ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey.
“Conviction” was co-created by Liz Friedman, who had been a producer of such series as “House,” “Elementary” and “Jessica Jones,” and Liz Friedlander, who was a producer of 2014-15 CBS crime drama “Stalker.”
The new fall ABC comedies are:
— “American Housewife,” stars Katy Mixon, who played Molly’s (Melissa McCarthy) sister Victoria on the 2010-16 CBS comedy “Mike and Molly,” as “a confident, unapologetic wife and mother and three” who “raises her flawed family” in Westport, Connecticut, “filled with ‘perfect’ mommies and their ‘perfect’ offspring, according to ABC.
“American Housewife,” was created by Sarah Dunn, who had written for the 1996-2002 ABC comedy “Spin City.”
— “Speechless” stars Oscar- and Emmy-nominee Minnie Driver as a mother of three children, the oldest (Micah Fowler) with special needs. It was created by Scott Silveri, who had been a producer of the 1994-2004 NBC comedy “Friends.”
Series ordered by ABC to debut at midseason are the dramas “Still Star- Crossed,” a period drama produced by Shonda Rhimes (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal”) that continues the story of “Romeo and Juliet” after their deaths; and “Time After Time,” based on the time-travel novel and 1979 film; and the comedies “Downward Dog,” about a struggling millennial (Allison Tolman) from the point of view of her dog; and “Imaginary Mary,” which stars Jenna Elfman about an independent career woman who meets the love of her life and the imaginary friend she created as a child suddenly reappears.
Here is the fall ABC schedule:
— Sunday: “America’s Funniest Home Videos”; “Once Upon a Time”; “Secrets and Lies”; “Quantico”;
— Monday: “Dancing with the Stars”; “Conviction”;
— Tuesday: “The Middle”; “American Housewife”; “Fresh Off the Boat”; “The Real O’Neals”; “Marvel’s Agents
of S.H.I.E.L.D.”;
— Wednesday: “The Goldbergs”; “Speechless”; “Modern Family”; “black-ish”; “Designated Survivor”;
— Thursday: “Grey’s Anatomy”; “Notorious”; “How to Get Away with Murder”;
— Friday: “Last Man Standing”; “Dr. Ken”; “Shark Tank”; “20/20”;
— Saturday: “Saturday Night College Football.”
—City News Service