With the Writers Guild strike showing no sign of slowing down, ABC has revealed more about its plans for the 2023-24 season.
The network on Friday confirmed comedies Public Defenders and Keeping it Together and dramas The Hurt Unit and Judgement would not be moving on at the network.
All four had landed pilot orders, but ABC initially delayed decisions on pickups.
Deadline reports that ABC Signature plans to shop the Ben McKenzie vehicle The Hurt Unit, while 20th Television is looking to find new homes for both Public Defenders and Judgement.
The decision is likely in response to the writers’ strike, with ABC already making the controversial decision to hold off bringing back its scripted slate until 2024.
The Disney-owned network went public in May with an all-reality schedule because production on scripted shows is not expected to get underway for quite a while.
The sole ABC pilot still in contention is The Good Lawyer, a spinoff of the network’s hit Good Doctor series.
Starring Kennedy McMann and Felicity Huffman, it premiered in March as an episode of the parent series.
The numbers and critical response were decent, which likely urged ABC to pick up the show.
Unfortunately, the series’ chances will come down to when the strike ends and how much room is on the network’s schedule because many scripted shows are on tap for midseason.
Remember, ABC picked up 9-1-1 from FOX, and the network’s schedule will never be all-scripted because its roster of reality and gameshows are strong performers, too.
The fate of The Good Lawyer hinges on strike resolution, so we’ll need to stay tuned to find out what happens.
The four pilots getting the boot also brightens the prospects for The Rookie: Feds and Home Economics.
Feds was considered a lock earlier in the season, despite noticeable slippage from the mothership series.
However, ABC is high on programming strands, so there is a chance the Niecy Nash-fronted drama could get another shot.
Home Economics was also a decent performer as part of the comedy block on the network.
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
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