“We lost our way, we made mistakes — it was a mess,” admitted Braun. “Our goal this season was to plant seedlings that would develop into a new comedy foundation. And the operative theme for our schedule next year is comedy, comedy, comedy, comedy and more comedy. We won’t have branding like this year’s ‘Happy Hour’ drive the schedule. We’ll set up the schedule first, then see if there is a smart way to brand it.”
“We looked into our past to learn about the future, and what we saw were family comedies and relationship-driven dramas,” added Lyne. “Since we went into scheduling this season with very few shows to work with — My Wife and Kids, According to Jim, NYPD Blue, The Practice, Alias, that was it — we limited our focus to Tuesday and Wednesday, and the 8 p.m. hour. Next year we’ll make a concerted effort to introduce new dramas from 9 to 11 p.m.”
Marc Berman of MediaWeek takes a detailed look at ABC and its plans for the upcoming season.
