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2020–21 United States network television schedule

Television schedule for the fall of 2020 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The 2020–21 network television schedule for the five major English-language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers the prime time hours from September 2020 to August 2021. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series canceled after the 2019–20 television season.

Fox was the first to announce its fall schedule on May 11, 2020,[1] followed by The CW on May 14,[2] CBS on May 19,[3] NBC on June 16,[4] and ABC on June 17, 2020.[5]

PBS is not included at all, as member television stations have local flexibility over most of their schedules and broadcast times for network shows may vary. The CW Plus and MyNetworkTV are also not included because both networks' schedules comprise syndicated reruns (with limited original programming), nor is Ion Television as it converted to a FAST channel with an OTA feed that does not supply local programming for its stations. This is the last season that The CW did not program primetime on Saturday evenings (however it does offer network programming on Saturdays in the following season).

New series are highlighted in bold.

On January 6, 2021, all of ABC, CBS and NBC's programming was preempted in favor of news coverage of the January 6 United States Capitol attack in Washington D.C.

All times are U.S. Eastern and Pacific Time (except for some live sports or events). Subtract one hour for Central, Mountain, Alaska, and Hawaii–Aleutian times.

Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.[6]

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Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

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See also: COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television in the United States

Each of the major television networks in the United States had initially planned for their upfront presentations to be made to the public in mid-May, a tradition going back to the Golden Age of Television. Due to concerns caused by COVID-19, most major networks and cable network groups canceled their public upfront events due to both public health concerns, and stay-at-home orders which effectively prevented them from going forward. It was expected most of the upfront announcements would be either press releases or virtual video events via videotelephony, and could be delayed due to pilots being unable to be produced, along with an overall decline in advertising.[7] NBC carried traditional upfront content on July 16, 2020, blended in as a part of 30 Rock: A One-Time Special, though a majority of the network's affiliates pre-empted the event (it aired the next day as a special airing across all of NBCUniversal's cable networks at the same time in primetime).

On May 1, the Television Critics Association cancelled its summer 2020 press tour, originally scheduled for July 28 through August 13 (during the now-rescheduled 2020 Summer Olympics), as the organization was unsure it could occur at all due to public gathering restrictions and an anticipated lack of any scripted programming output, even in pilot form, to promote by that time period.[8] The TCA cancellation complicated any plans by the networks to build buzz about their upcoming schedules, while the move of the 2020 Summer Olympics to 2021 nullified any plans NBC had to use the Games to lead into their new television season.

Delays in production as a result of the pandemic resulted in many shows being pushed over from their intended Summer 2020 premieres. CBS was the first network to push the thirty-second season premiere of The Amazing Race as a part of its contingency plan to preserve programming for fall.[9] The same day, ABC announced that it had delayed the sixteenth season of its summer staple series The Bachelorette to a tentative fall launch, while sister-series Bachelor in Paradise had been postponed indefinitely.[10] The following month, Fox and The CW followed suit by announcing that both the networks would be delaying most of their original scripted premieres to a cycle beginning in January 2021, and their fall lineup would consist primarily of acquisitions and delayed summer series.[1][2]

In light of further delays in production, CBS moved up S.W.A.T. to a fall premiere to replace Survivor, while the latter had been postponed its production of the forty-first season to spring 2021 and was replaced by aforementioned The Amazing Race.[11][12] On August 26, 2020, the network further modified its schedule by deciding to push the premieres of all scripted programming to November and air acquired and encore programming in early fall instead.[13] Similarly, NBC altered its schedule on August 12, 2020, by replacing The Voice with American Ninja Warrior on Monday nights.[14]

On September 16, 2020, ABC announced that the network would not be moving forward with the second season of Stumptown, a decision that came in reversal to its May 2020 renewal. COVID-related production delays that would not have allowed the series to be ready for telecast before April 2021 (the end of the broadcast season) were cited as the primary reason behind the cancellation.[15]

Because of the pandemic-related production halts, this is the third time in the history of American television where the start of the television season was delayed due to issues outside of the control of the major television networks; the last two instances occurred in the 1988–89 season (which was delayed due to the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike) and the 2001–02 season (which was affected by news coverage of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001), while the fourth would occur in the 2023–24 season, which was delayed due to the strikes involving the Writers Guild of America and SAG–AFTRA.

In spite of the fact that an effective vaccine for the COVID-19 virus was not available until the first few months of 2021, most scripted shows were able to resume production in the autumn of 2020. This was accomplished by having all cast and crew members take daily COVID-19 tests during production to ensure no transmission of the virus, not having fans in the audience during tapings, and often writing scenes to reduce the total number of people on set at a given time. The 2020–2021 season saw a diffused approach to COVID-19; some series acknowledged the pandemic and had storylines that addressed the issues from it, while others did not reference it at all. Chuck Lorre said publicly that his CBS shows would not take place in a setting where COVID-19 existed, something that he has stuck with going into 2023.

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Legend

  •   Light blue indicates local programming.
  •   Gray indicates encore programming.
  •   Blue-gray indicates news programming.
  •   Light green indicates sporting events.
  •   Light purple indicates movies.
  •   Red indicates series being burned off and other irregularly scheduled programs, including specials.
  •   Yellow indicates the top-10 most watched programs of the season.
  •   Cyan indicates the top-20 most watched programs of the season.
  •   Magenta indicates the top-30 most watched programs of the season.
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Sunday

More information Network, 7:00 p.m. ...

Monday

More information Network, 8:00 p.m. ...
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Tuesday

More information Network, 8:00 p.m. ...
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Wednesday

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More information Network, 8:00 p.m. ...

Note: Season 2 of Stumptown was originally scheduled to premiere in fall 2020, but it was canceled and was replaced by For Life.

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Thursday

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More information Network, 8:00 p.m. ...

Notes:

  • NBC aired Connecting from October 8 to October 29, 2020.
  • The first episode of Connecting aired at 8:00 pm on Thursday, October 8, 2020.
  • The second episode of Connecting aired at 9:00 pm on Thursday, October 15, 2020.
  • The third episode of Connecting aired at 9:30 pm on Thursday, October 15, 2020.
  • The fourth episode of Connecting aired at 8:30 pm on Thursday, October 29, 2020.
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Friday

More information Network, 8:00 p.m. ...
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Saturday

More information Network, 8:00 p.m. ...

By network

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Note: Series that were originally intended to air in 2019–20 but were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic are indicated using †.

ABC

CBS

The CW

Fox

NBC

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Renewals and cancellations

Full season pickups

ABC

  • Big Sky—Picked up for six additional episodes on December 7, 2020, bringing the episode count to 16.[195]
  • Black-ish—Picked up for six additional episodes on October 23, 2020, bringing the episode count to 21.[196]

CBS

  • B Positive—Picked up for five additional episodes on December 21, 2020, bringing the episode count to 18.[197]

The CW

  • The Outpost—Picked up for 13 additional episodes on October 7, 2020, bringing the episode count to 26.[198]
  • Superman & Lois—Picked up for two additional episodes on February 3, 2021, bringing the episode count to 15.[199]
  • Walker—Picked up for five additional episodes on February 3, 2021, bringing the episode count to 18.[199]

Fox

  • Let's Be Real—Picked up for four additional episodes on April 1, 2021, bringing the episode count to 5.[141][200]

NBC

Renewals

ABC

CBS

The CW

Fox

NBC

Cancellations/series endings

ABC

CBS

  • All Rise—Canceled on May 15, 2021, after two seasons.[278] On September 29, 2021, it was announced that Oprah Winfrey Network would pick up the series for another season.[279]
  • Clarice—It was announced on June 10, 2021, that a possible move to Paramount+ became unlikely to happen, rendering it as a de facto cancellation.[280] The series concluded on June 24, 2021.
  • MacGyver—It was announced on April 7, 2021, that season five would be the final season.[281] The series concluded on April 30, 2021.
  • Manhunt: Deadly Games—The anthology series was meant to run for one season only; it concluded on November 7, 2020.[282]
  • Mom—It was announced on February 17, 2021, that season eight would be the final season.[283] The series concluded on May 13, 2021.
  • NCIS: New Orleans—It was announced on February 17, 2021, that season seven would be the final season.[284] The series concluded on May 23, 2021.
  • One Day at a Time—Canceled on November 24, 2020, by creator Pop, after four seasons.[285]
  • Star Trek: Discovery—The broadcast television run was meant for one season only; it concluded on February 4, 2021.[286]
  • The Unicorn—Canceled on May 15, 2021, after two seasons.[287]

The CW

  • Black Lightning—It was announced on November 20, 2020, that season four would be the final season.[288] The series concluded on May 24, 2021.
  • Bulletproof—Originally renewed for a fourth season on January 15, 2021. The decision was later reversed and the series canceled on May 21, 2021, after three seasons by creator Sky One, following sexual misconduct allegations against Noel Clarke.[289]
  • Burden of Truth—It was announced on March 18, 2021, that season four would be the final season.[290] The series concluded on September 17, 2021.
  • Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life—The miniseries was meant to run for one season only by creator Netflix, the miniseries was aired as a four-night event beginning from November 23 through November 26, 2020.[96]
  • The Outpost—Canceled on September 15, 2021, after four seasons.[291] The series concluded on October 7, 2021.
  • Pandora—Canceled on May 17, 2021, after two seasons.[292]
  • The Republic of Sarah—Canceled on September 2, 2021.[293] The series concluded on September 6, 2021.
  • Supergirl—It was announced on September 22, 2020, that season six would be the final season.[294] The series concluded on November 9, 2021.
  • Supernatural—It was announced on March 22, 2019, that season fifteen would be the final season.[295] The series concluded on November 19, 2020.
  • Swamp Thing—Canceled on June 6, 2019, by creator DC Universe.[296] The series concluded on December 22, 2020.
  • Tell Me a Story—Canceled on May 11, 2020, by creator CBS All Access, after two seasons.[297] The series concluded on December 29, 2020.
  • Trickster—Canceled on January 29, 2021, by creator CBC.[298] The series concluded on February 16, 2021.

Fox

  • Bless the Harts—Canceled on April 1, 2021, after two seasons.[299] The series concluded on June 20, 2021.
  • Cosmos: Possible Worlds—The documentary miniseries was meant to run for one season only; it concluded on December 21, 2020.[300]
  • Filthy Rich—Canceled on October 30, 2020, marking the first cancellation of the season.[301] The series concluded on November 30, 2020.
  • Holmes Family Effect—The documentary miniseries was meant to run for one season only; it concluded on March 23, 2021.[302]
  • L.A.'s Finest—Canceled on October 14, 2020, by creator Charter Spectrum, after two seasons.[303]
  • Last Man Standing—It was announced on October 14, 2020, that season nine would be the final season.[304] The series concluded on May 20, 2021.
  • The Moodys—Pulled from the schedule after five episodes in the second season on April 16, 2021; Fox announced that the series would move from Thursdays to a burn off run of three episodes on Sundays.[305][306] The series was later canceled on June 17, 2021, after two seasons.[307] The series concluded on June 20, 2021.
  • Next—Canceled on October 30, 2020, marking the first cancellation of the season.[301] The series concluded on December 22, 2020.
  • Prodigal Son—Canceled on May 10, 2021, after two seasons.[308] The series concluded on May 18, 2021.

NBC

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See also

Notes

  1. Series revival; previously aired on Game Show Network from 2013–15
  2. First primetime weekly version; last aired weekdays on PAX TV and previously aired in that format on ABC.
  3. U.S. broadcast television premiere of season 4; previously aired on Pop and TV Land.
  4. U.S. broadcast television premiere; a Charter Spectrum original series.
  5. U.S. broadcast television premiere; a CBS All Access original series.
  6. The series was scheduled to end in May 2020 but seven episodes remain unaired in its current fifteenth season due to suspensions in production and post-production, pushing the series finale to Fall 2020.
  7. U.S. broadcast television premiere; a Netflix original series.
  8. U.S. broadcast television premiere; full series previously released on DC Universe.
  9. Series revival, previously aired by Lifetime in 2012; originated on Fox where it last aired in 2011.
  10. Series revival; first aired on NBC and CBS in the 1950s, before going into first-run syndication till 1985.
  11. U.S. broadcast television premiere; full series previously aired on National Geographic.
  12. U.S. broadcast television premiere of Season 1; a Charter Spectrum original series.
  13. Series revival; first aired on CBS and NBC from 1959–70.
  14. Second primetime weekly version; previously aired on NBC from 2001–02.

References

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