2026-27 schedule: Sports pushes scripted aside (or so it seems)
Look for lots of NFL as streaming labels the broadcast networks almost irrelevant
If anything can be said about the upfronts in recent years, it’s three letters: N.F.L.
The league took over the traditional presentations, especially Disney’s as the company had commissioner Roger Goodell as their special guest, promoting ESPN’s first-ever Super Bowl telecast (which is being simulcast on ABC.) Once a vehicle to announce networks’ fall schedules is now used to promote the NFL and their sports departments, and why not? Sports are the only form of entertainment keeping the lights on, so it makes sense, especially as scripted fare has mostly shifted to streaming (and basically, a few “premium” NFL matchups.)
In fact, it’s the NFL schedule release this past week that is garnering the most attention – not any new entertainment programming..
What little new programming the broadcast nets are offering is expected to debut in midseason – a sharp charge from what it was as late as a decade ago as the NFL and college football now dominates the fall and suck a lot of air out of the room, not to mention the MLB playoffs and World Series (especially if the Cubs make it), the WNBA Finals, and the start of the NBA and NHL seasons.
Despite this, Deadline points out there’s actually an increase in scripted programming among the Big Four broadcast networks next season, so there is some hope. But the days of 22-episode seasons are clearly over, as we’re going to see more eighteen, thirteen, ten, and even eight-episode seasons as broadcasters are cutting back on expenses (so they can give more money to the NFL, which is trying to renegotiate their existing deals – to get more money.)
Here, we’re only taking a look at the 2026-27 schedules of NBC, ABC, and Fox, and believe me – it isn’t much (to see CBS’ schedule, which was released a month ago, click here.)
NBC
As we all know – Sunday night is Football night as Sunday Night Football returns for its 21st season (the Bears have one scheduled game – Nov. 8 at home against Tampa Bay), which will also stream on Peacock. Mondays in September and October have The Voice and new family drama Line of Fire, shifting in November to comedies St. Denis Medical, The Fall of Rise of Reggie Dinkins, a one -hour Voice, and Line of Fire.
Thursdays has a broadcast version of Peacock’s runaway reality hit The Traitors, followed by stalwarts Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order. Fridays have returning comedy Happy’s Place leading into new romantic comedy Newlyweds and two hours of Dateline NBC, with college football (Big Ten or Notre Dame) on Saturdays.
Tuesdays (NBA) and Wednesdays (Chicago shows) remain unchanged.
Midseason has new procedural Sunset P.I. and a reboot of The Rockford Files, a crime drama that ran from 1974-80 on the same network.
Not returning are Stumble and Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Fox
Fox has numerous unscripted series for 2026-27, renewing all of them from the previous season. With that said, Fox’s schedule is made up mostly of that fare: Mondays have Celebrity Name That Tune and Celebrity Weakest Link; Wednesdays have The Floor and 99 To Beat; Thursdays has Hell’s Kitchen and World’s Toughest Test. The only scripted dramas on the schedule are on Tuesday with Best Medicine and Doc; Sundays has its Animation Domination lineup, but with one live-action comedy: Animal Control, surrounded by The Simpsons, Universal Basic Guys, and Grimsburg (Fridays and Saturdays are unchanged with sports.)
Midseason has the much-ballyhooed reboot of Baywatch, new drama The Interrogator, the rest of Animation Domination (Bob’s Burgers, American Dad, Krapopolis), dramas Memory Of A Killer and Murder In A Small Town and the aforementioned unscripted programming.
The only show Fox canceled was Denis Leary’s sitcom vehicle Going Dutch.
ABC
ABC announced it has renewed all of its scripted series for the 2026-27 season – aside from Doctor Odyssey. And of course, the future of The Bachelorette is still up in the air after the network was forced to scrap its entire, filmed season because of an incident involving the star. Let’s hope it’s shelved for good.
With that said, Mondays have football in a simulcast with ESPN, while Tuesdays has Dancing With The Stars paired up with crime drama R.J. Decker, a surprise hit. Wednesdays has another surprise hit, the revival of Scrubs, paired with Abbott Elementary (its sitcom partner from last season, Shifting Gears, has moved to midseason.) Celebrity Jeopardy follows afterward, and the long-running Shark Tank.
Thursdays remain unchanged with 9-1-1, 9-1-1 Nashville, and Grey’s Anatomy (still?), Fridays has Celebrity Wheel and 20/20, Saturdays has college football, and Sundays has AFHV and Disney movies.
The lone scripted entry is The Rookie: North, a spinoff of The Rookie which is set in Washington State, and not Minneapolis or Toronto, as the title would probably indicate. Other scripted series that were renewed will be back midseason, with reduced episode orders.