A midseason replacement is exactly what it sounds like: a show that comes on at the mid-point of the television season to replace another series.
Back in the day, this could have been because a series was on the verge of cancellation, and they were looking to slot something in its place. But nowadays, series have long-planned breaks in their seasons where another show can slide on in since repeats aren’t really a thing anymore.
This 2024-2025 television season has been filled with some impressive midseason fare like Doc on Fox and The Hunting Party on NBC, which have become favorites here at TV Fanatic. But will these shows turn out to be long-running, established hits?
A midseason show has the odds stacked against it because even though shows have been premiering midseason for years, many people still don’t realize that a new show is premiering in the dead of winter.
Don’t believe me? Ask my mother, who is always shocked that a new show is replacing her beloved favorites in the 8/7c time slot on any given day of the week in February.
There have been plenty of big hits that debuted midseason (or even in the summer), though, and we’re looking at some of the biggest.
Join us for this trip down memory lane, TV fanatics!
Scandal
Scandal scratched an itch that television viewers didn’t even know they had.
The Shonda Rhimes classic premiered in April 2012 with a seven-episode first season that introduced us to the political players in DC who would worm their way into our hearts for seven seasons.
It’s crazy to think that the series, which is still wildly popular thanks to its presence on streaming services, began as a seven-month spring affair before launching itself as one of the most popular series of the 2010s.
ABC struck midseason gold with that one.
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Does anyone remember the good old days of The WB?
Michigan J. Frog popped up during every commercial break, and those fantastic vignettes with various stars from the primetime roster gave their best gaze at the camera, imploring you to watch the channel.
One of the most famous shows from that era was Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which premiered in March 1997 with a quick twelve-episode affair.
The series became a cultural juggernaut, which became ingrained in our minds as it taught us valuable life lessons with a supernatural twist.
There’s even a reboot currently in the works. Buffy launched Sarah Michelle Gellar’s career, and she went on to have an illustrious and lengthy Hollywood resume.
Those first 12 episodes were a hit and a major success story for the now-defunct network (that gave way to The CW).
Watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer Online
Grey’s Anatomy
We already have one Shonda Rhimes series on the list.
Still, considering we are currently in the midst of Grey’s Anatomy Season 21, you can’t have a list of broadcast’s biggest hits without including one of the most popular medical dramas ever produced.
The series produced up to 27 episodes per season in its heyday, but it’s hard to imagine that the first season, which aired in March 2005, only consisted of nine episodes.
Those hours were spent with the interns, residents, and attendings at Seattle Grace Hospital, as they (sometimes) worked hard while on the clock and played just as hard when off of it.
The series may not be what it once was a decade ago, but it’s still a reliable performer for ABC and one of the most well-known series ever.
Watch Grey’s Anatomy Online
Castle
You still see Nathan Fillion every week on The Rookie, but before he played the “old” police rookie, he spent eight seasons on Castle, where he played the famous mystery novelist Richard Castle.
The crime mystery dramedy began its run with just ten episodes in March 2009.
It became a quick hit among fans who adored the flirty banter between Castle and homicide detective Kate Beckett.
The series was a smash hit for ABC, and its cancellation at the end of Castle Season 8 was controversial because of its continued success for the network.
It did exactly what all networks hope their midseason replacements will do: earn a spot on the following television year’s fall roster.
Watch Castle Online
9-1-1
To know TV Fanatic is to know that we love and adore 9-1-1, and have loved and adored it since it burst onto the scene in January 2018, sporting a cast with Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, and Connie Britton at the top of the call sheet.
The procedural drama was FOX’s biggest show before jettisoning over to ABC for 9-1-1 Season 7, where it continues to be one of the most-watched series on broadcast television.
With the star power attached, 9-1-1 was always a safe bet to be a hit, but there are no guarantees in television.
The series may have had big names, but the heartfelt stories and amazing cast chemistry kept it relevant and hot all these years later.
When we’re ranking all-time midseason replacement series 20 years from now, 9-1-1 will be near the top of the list.
Watch 9-1-1 Online
The Office
Can you believe that when The Office premiered on NBC in March 2005, it was met with mixed reviews?
Adapted from the British sitcom of the same name, the midseason replacement took some time to get cooking, but once it did, the series became one of the most beloved comedies ever.
And that is no exaggeration. Just go to your local Walmart, and you’ll find an Office version of Clue or Monopoly ready to be purchased.
NBC could never have imagined the hit they had on their hands when they handed out that six-episode order in the spring of 2005.
Watch The Office Online
Chicago PD
The Chicago series still reigns supreme to this day on NBC, but it was never a sure thing that the first Chicago Fire spinoff, Chicago PD, would be a bonafide hit.
The series hit the screens in January 2014, two years after Chicago Fire premiered, and like most spinoffs, it was a gamble.
What if audiences weren’t as interested in the Chicago police department?
Well, audiences didn’t take long to fall for the series, and Chicago PD Season 12 is currently airing one of its best seasons yet.
Watch Chicago PD Online
The Practice
When it premiered in March 1997, The Practice may have seemed like a typical legal drama, but it was so much more than that.
It only took those six episodes for audiences to become enraptured with the stories and characters of that universe.
The Dylan McDermott-led series was so popular that it crossed over to one of creator David E. Kelly’s hit legal dramas, Ally McBeal, which at that time was maybe the most talked-about show on television.
The series wrapped its run with 168 episodes, a staggering number these days, cementing it as a midseason replacement show success, and leading into another TV juggernaut, Boston Legal.
Watch The Practice Online
Dawson’s Creek
When you think of some of the greatest teen dramas in history, you must include Dawson’s Creek.
The drama was another hit for The WB, premiering in January 1998 with a 12-episode order and a prayer.
The cast of relative unknowns would turn the series into one of the most popular series of that time, and the quartet of main characters would all go on to have expansive Hollywood careers.
When it ended its run, the series had amassed 128 episodes over six seasons, which is nothing to scoff at.
Watch Dawson’s Creek Online
Married…with Children
One of the most famous comedies of the ’80s and ’90s began as a midseason show with a truncated episode order, and it wasn’t exactly the biggest hit.
FOX stuck with the Bundy family, and it paid off in the end with 259 (!) episodes under its belt and a cult classic reputation that has endured over 30 years.
Audiences came to love the brash Bundy family, and to this day, the show is regarded as one of the first “raunchy” comedies, which was in contrast to the more family-friendly sitcoms that populated television at that time.
FOX struck gold with this one.
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Quantum Leap
When Quantum Leap premiered in March 1989, it was unlike any other show on television.
A science fiction series about a physicist “leaping” into the bodies of various people (and animals!) throughout different periods of time was met with much curiosity amongst audiences.
The nine episodes in the first season garnered enough attention that NBC greenlit the series from there, and the rest is history.
With 97 episodes under its belt and a recent two-season revival, the series will go down in history as one of the best midseason replacements ever!
Watch Quantum Leap Online
Alright, fellow fanatics, now it’s your turn to weigh in!
Which midseason replacement was your favorite? And which ones did we miss? Leave all your comments below!
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