ABC renews 4 shows for next season including The Wonder Years & The Conners

Not wanting to repeat The CW bloodbath which saw that network canceling a slew of shows, ABC concluded its upfronts presentation with the renewal of four more shows in addition to the already renewed Big Sky and their previous early renewal announcements. The four returning shows joining the lineup once again next season are The Wonder Years, The Conners, A Million Little Things, and Home Economics.

The Wonder Years will be back for a second season after doing decent numbers and solid reviews throughout the season. After premiering back in September, the show started off steady with a 0.6 demo rating and 2.85 million viewers but has since continued to decline steadily in both measures. After 35 days of multi-platform viewing, The Wonder Years premiere rose to a 2.56 demo rating and 8.0 million total viewers. The latest episode nabbed a 0.3 demo rating and 1.80. million total viewers. Word is the network is behind the show creatively which is why it’s sticking around. They also announced that The Wonder Years will be back on the midseason schedule. ABC Entertainment President Craig Erwich says this is being done to really put their all into the promotional push for season 2. Erwich said, “The Wonder Years is a show we are extraordinarily proud of, reaction from the fans and the critics has been overwhelming. The show premiered extremely strongly, it’s one of the highest rated premieres we have had in the past few years,” he said.  “The midseason order will allow us to develop a plan to relaunch it with a lot of care and attention.”

Inspired by the 1988 series of the same name, The Wonder Years is an original coming-of-age comedy that tells the story of the Williams family during the late 1960s. The series stars Don Cheadle, narrating the series as adult Dean Williams, Elisha “EJ” Williams as Dean Williams, Dulé Hill as Bill Williams, Saycon Sengbloh as Lillian Williams, Laura Kariuki as Kim Williams, Julian Lerner as Brad Hitman, Amari O’Neil as Cory Long and Milan Ray as Keisa Clemmons.

The Conners will be back for season five at the network and that was pretty much a given after the studio reached new pacts last month with Sara Gilbert (who also serves as an executive producer), John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, and Lecy Goranson. The actors didn’t have standard six-year contracts because of the way the spinoff came about in the wake of Roseanne’s demise. They were year-to-year deals instead which is why it always comes down to the wire for a renewal. The Roseanne spinoff kicked off its fourth season with a live premiere that drew a 0.6 rating in the 18-49 demo and 3.37 million viewers. The series has also shown that a spinoff can thrive even out of controversy. The show has set itself apart as its own thing and has been embraced by viewers.

Home Economics will be back for season 3 as the comedy continues to get great critical notices and steady numbers. Season 2 of Home Economics made an okay premiere in September with a 0.4 rating in the 18-49 demo and 2.17 million followers. The comedy has since dipped slightly in the demo, but rose and remained steady in recent weeks with a 0.3 rating. The series is inspired by creator Michael Colton’s real-life experiences and documents the uncomfortable yet heartwarming relationships of three siblings in very different situations: one in the ultra-rich, one in the middle class, and one scraping by. The series stars Topher Grace, Caitlin McGee, Jimmy Tatro, Karla Souza, Sasheer Zamata, Shiloh Bearman, Jordyn Curet, Chloe Jo Rountree, and JeCobi Swain.

Lastly, a renewal that will make my mom jump for joy, it was also announced that ABC has renewed their ensemble drama A Million Little Things for a fifth season on the network. This comes with a caveat however that still might make my mom tear up. It wasn’t announced as the final season but Deadline is reporting that it is expected to be the closing chapter of the DJ Nash-created series. Negotiations also came down to the wire to bring the show back. The pickup came after difficult license fee negotiations as networks are pushing down on what they pay for moderate performers amid sliding linear ratings. That was the case for A Million Little Things as it was very much on the bubble with a sizable ensemble that includes David Giuntoli, Romany Malco, Allison Miller, Christina Moses, Grace Park, and James Roday Rodriguez. The scary thing for the creative team was that they were told not to write this current season finale as a series finale which made them scared that if ABC did cancel it, there would be no closure for fans. Thankfully this was not the case.

Helping A Million Little Things is that it ranks as the No.1 gainer in L+7 Day playback on the major networks this season in Adults 18-49 (+133%), tying ABC’s Big Sky. In fact, A Million Little Things is one of only two broadcast programs this season to more than double its initial Live+Same Day Adult 18-49 rating after seven days of linear playback. After 35 days of viewing across all linear and digital platforms, AMLT is ABC’s No.1 delayed-viewing gainer this season in Total Viewers (+249%) and Adults 18-49 (+547%), soaring more than six times over its initial A18-49 Live+Same Day rating. In Live+Same Day, the series has been hovering over the 0.2 18-49 ratings mark.

While initially seen as ABC’s attempt to copy NBC’s This Is Us, the show has since drawn praise for its depiction of complex issues like mental health. The series revolves around a tight-knit group of friends from Boston who become motivated to live fuller lives after the unexpected death of a close friend.

Are YOU excited to see these shows return?