ABC has set the exact premiere dates for its fall 2026 lineup, and the network is starting big, with a two-night, four-hour launch of DANCING WITH THE STARS Season 35 on Sept. 15 and 16, according to a report from Variety.
“We enter this fall season from a position of undeniable strength,” Craig Erwich, president of Disney Television Group, said in a statement, adding that ABC’s “content engine is firing on all cylinders.”
The rollout actually starts weeks earlier, on Aug. 29, with college football, followed by the season’s first MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL matchup, Denver Broncos versus Kansas City Chiefs, on Sept. 14. DANCING WITH THE STARS then takes over Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 8 p.m., leading into Season 2 of the private-eye drama R.J. DECKER at 10, according to TVLine. A special Wednesday episode of DWTS follows on Sept. 16, giving the ballroom competition an unusually long coming-out party.
The rest of the schedule fills in through mid-October. SCRUBS returns for Season 2 with a two-episode premiere on Sept. 30, paired with a two-episode kickoff for Season 18 of SHARK TANK. ABBOTT ELEMENTARY starts its sixth season the following Wednesday, Oct. 7, sliding into the 8:30 p.m. slot.
That same night brings a scheduling surprise: WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, takes the 9 p.m. hour once earmarked for CELEBRITY JEOPARDY!, which the Hollywood Reporter said has been pushed back to a 2027 premiere.
Related: DANCING WITH THE STARS Season 35: Here’s Who’s Confirmed So Far
Thursdays close out the fall launch on Oct. 15, when ABC’s three-hour emergency-services block returns in full: 9-1-1 at 8 p.m., 9-1-1: NASHVILLE at 9 and GREY’S ANATOMY at 10.
Notably absent from the fall slate are several of ABC’s most-watched dramas. HIGH POTENTIAL, THE ROOKIE, its new spinoff THE ROOKIE: NORTH and WILL TRENT are all being held for midseason, a decision ABC’s senior vice president of content strategy and scheduling, Ari Goldman, explained back in May.
“We’re thinking about the behavior of our linear audience, but also the streaming viewers, who really have shown the importance of week-over-week steadiness in planning and rolling out these shows,” Goldman told Variety, describing the network’s goal of running HIGH POTENTIAL’s next season without a break.
It’s a strategy built on stability rather than reinvention. For the first time in ABC’s history, the network renewed every one of its scripted series, and this fall’s schedule looks nearly identical to last year’s, just with the dates finally locked in.
That stability makes it easier for Christian families to plan their viewing calendars, but a familiar schedule doesn’t guarantee suitable content. GREY’S ANATOMY, 9-1-1 and SHARK TANK each carry their own content concerns worth weighing before the whole family settles in on Thursday nights, and Movieguide® has already broken down the full fall slate across all four networks. As always, our advice stands: check Movieguide®’s reviews before handing over the remote, whether the show is brand new or twenty seasons deep.
Read Next: THE ROOKIE Showrunner Reveals Season 9 Will Pick Up Weeks After That Cliffhanger
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