ABC has some very good news for fans of a number of its freshman shows. Like another network, ABC isn't holding back on handing out orders for shows to last a little bit longer in the 2018-2019 TV season. Let's start with arguably the highest-profile new series to get some good news: A Million Little Things.
The series that started out looking like another version of This Is Us has found its niche, won an audience, and earned itself a full season order. It's not altogether surprising that A Million Little Things scored a season order, and not just because it has mastered the art of telling stories that are both heartfelt and tear-jerking. The ratings have been impressive.
In Live+7 day ratings, A Million Little Things averages 8.0 million viewers and a 2.0 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. Although it doesn't win those numbers when new episodes air in the show's normal Wednesday night time slot, A Million Little Things is a huge gainer in post-live viewing. After a week, viewership has jumped from 4.18 million to 8.01 million in a bump of 92%. With ratings in the key demo, A Million Little Things jumps 122% after seven days.
The full season order for A Million Things means a bump of four episodes, which brings the total episode count for the first season up to 17. It's still a bit short of the 20+ episode count that other shows get out of season orders, but it's more than fans were previously able to count on. One other series got another episode.
The Conners received an order for one more installment, meaning a total episode count of 11. The spinoff ratings weren't nearly as impressive as the ratings for the Roseanne revival premiere earlier this year, but they were clearly enough for ABC to want a little bit extra out of the series in its first run. The premiere did experience impressive gains in post-live viewing. Variety reports a bump from a 2.4 rating in the 18-49 demo to 3.0, and a viewership bump from 10.6 million to 12.9 million.
Two other freshman shows got good news, although not in the form of episode production. Nathan Fillion's drama The Rookie and new comedy The Kids Are Alright had additional scripts ordered for the 2018-2019 season. There's no guarantee that these scripts will be ordered into production, but the extra scripts are a good sign. Splitting Up Together had additional scripts ordered as well.
If all this isn't enough, there's more! ABC has announced a pickup of its longest-running primetime show: America's Funniest Home Videos. The show, which airs on Sundays at 7 p.m. ET with Alfonso Ribeiro, was renewed for Seasons 30 and 31. Additionally, ABC picked up a new comedy reality series called Videos After Dark, from the producers of America's Funniest Home Videos. The new show will be hosted by Bob Saget, who many remember as the original host of the series.
For your ABC offerings as well all many more from other networks, swing by our fall TV premiere schedule.
