ABC’s 2026 Fall TV Slate: ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and ‘Scrubs’ Revival Lead, ‘High Potential’ Moves to Midseason

ABC has unveiled its 2026 fall television slate, with the highly anticipated return of ‘Dancing With the Stars’ and the ‘Scrubs’ revival leading the lineup. The network’s top-rated series, ‘High Potential’, will now premiere in midseason, while a slate of new and returning shows will debut in the fall.

‘High Potential’ Delayed Until Midseason

The third season of ‘High Potential’, starring Kaitlin Olson, has been pushed to midseason. According to Ari Goldman, ABC’s Senior Vice President of Content Strategy and Scheduling, the delay is not creatively driven but rather a strategic move to leverage the post-‘Dancing With the Stars’ timeslot on Tuesdays for the sophomore series ‘RJ Decker’.

Goldman explained to TheWrap,

“We do want to keep using that launch pad of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ to get some new content off the ground.”

“With ‘High Potential’ and the really dominant success that it’s enjoyed, we have no real concern about the audience not making the journey over to midseason to follow the show.”

Midseason Debuts for ‘High Potential’ and New Series

In addition to ‘High Potential’, ABC’s midseason lineup will include:

• ‘The Rookie’ and its spinoff ‘The Rookie: North’, starring Jay Ellis;
• Comedy ‘Shifting Gears’;
• Drama ‘Will Trent’;
• Unscripted staples ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘Bachelor in Paradise’.

‘Dancing With the Stars’ Remains a Ratings Powerhouse

Goldman expressed confidence in ‘Dancing With the Stars’, calling it the “rarest of lead-ins in all television right now”. He noted that the show soared nearly 80% in the demo last season and is expected to continue its growth in the 2026-27 season with the addition of high-profile recruits like Ciara Miller from ‘Summer House’ and Maura Higgins from ‘The Traitors’.

Goldman highlighted the show’s innovation in social media and marketing, stating,

“The team has innovated immensely in the social media space, both from a casting perspective and a lot of the social and marketing tactics involved with the show — I think you’re going to see the same type of approach this season with the amazing work that’s been done on TikTok and across social platforms.”

‘RJ Decker’ and ‘Scrubs’ Return Dates Announced

‘RJ Decker’ will premiere after its midseason release, utilizing the ‘Dancing With the Stars’ timeslot. The series has already outperformed ‘High Potential’ and ‘Will Trent’ in its 10 p.m. hour launch and will continue to be positioned for success during summer hours.

The ‘Scrubs’ revival will return swiftly after its midseason debut, with Goldman noting that the short midseason run

“has held up remarkably well across its weeks.”

Thursday Lineup Remains Unchanged

ABC’s Thursday lineup of ‘9-1-1’, ‘9-1-1: Nashville’, and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ will remain untouched. However, Goldman acknowledged that ‘Grey’s Anatomy’’s loss of two series regulars may impact episode counts due to budget cuts.