TV Upfronts: ABC, FOX, And NBC Announce Renewals, Cancellations, And Series Orders, 'Clarice' & More Heading To Paramount+
Even though they're not quite as celebratory or hyped as usual thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, this year's TV upfront presentations are still unfolding this month. So far, NBC, ABC and FOX have revealed series orders and trailers for the new shows coming up for the 2021-2022 season. But with new shows coming in and the reliable ones sticking around, there are plenty of shows that won't be coming back for another season. Find out the latest updates from the 2021-2022 TV upfronts presentations below.
New, Renewed and Canceled TV Shows for 2021-2022
ABC
First up, ABC has announced (via USA Today) that The Rookie with Nathan Fillion, the ensemble drama A Million Little Things, the Roseanne spin-off The Conners, the freshman series Home Economics, and the flashback comedy series The Goldbergs have all been renewed for another season.
Meanwhile, even though Black-ish has been renewed for an eighth season, it will also be the final season of the family comedy from Kenya Barris. On the other side of the spectrum, TV Line has news on Grey's Anatomy getting picked up for an 18th season, including the return of Ellen Pompeo. Plus, the sister series Station 19 is also coming back for a fifth season, so there might be another crossover in store.
But not all shows can stick around, and unfortunately TV Line reports ABC has canceled Katey Sagal's new series Rebel and the freshman sitcom Call Your Mother starring Kyra Sedgwick. Also given the axe were the legal drama For Life, the Black-ish spin-off Mixed-ish, and the family sitcom American Housewife.
Finally, ABC will be filling the gaps in their schedule with new series orders for The Wonder Years reboot, a hip-hop themed dramedy called Queens, a workplace comedy set in a Philadelphia public school called Abbott Elementary, and Maggie, a series based on a short film about a psychic who gets a glimpse of her own future, prompting her to change how she lives in the present. You can check out the trailers for all those new shows over here.
FOX
Over at FOX, The Hollywood Reporter confirms the network has actually renewed many of their previous shows, likely knowing they have to fill space in 2022 now that they no longer will be hosting Thursday night NFL games. The rescue drama 911 is returning for a fifth season and the spin-off 911: Lone Star will be back for a third season.
FOX also renewed The Resident for a fifth season, and they've given an early third season order to the animated comedy The Great North, which was already sticking around for a second season. They join previous renewals for Call Me Kat and animation staples Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, and The Simpsons, as well as the younger animated comedy Duncanville.
Unfortunately, that means Prodigal Son, Bless the Harts, and Filthy Rich are being left behind, with all three shows getting canceled.
As for new shows, FOX has ordered a comedy called Pivoting starring Eliza Coupe (Happy Endings), Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon a Time) and Maggie Q (Designated Survivor). The network is also counting on laughs from the comedy Welcome to Flatch, a BBC mockumentary-style series that explores the lives of residents in a small American town, including Seann William Scott (American Pie) and Aya Cash (The Boys).
On the drama side, FOX has snagged The Cleaning Lady, where Daredevil co-star Elodie Yung becomes a cleaning lady for organized crime, using her cunning and intelligence to forge her own path in the criminal underworld. They've also picked up a dramedy called The Big Leap, which follows a group of diverse, down-on-their-luck characters attempting to change their lives by participating in a potentially life-ruining reality dance show.
You can check out trailers for all the new FOX shows over here.
NBC
In case you hadn't heard, NBC has already renewed their trio of procedurals set in the Windy City with new seasons ordered for Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med. Joining them will be The Blacklist and the continuation of Law & Order: Organized Crime and Law & Order SVU. Dramas New Amsterdam and Transplant will also be coming back.
On the comedy side of things, freshman shows Kenan, Young Rock, and Mr. Mayor have already been renewed, and all three shows will be getting their own holiday specials outside of the second seasons that will be arriving in January 2022. Meanwhile, all you Brooklyn Nine-Nine fans waiting for the eighth and final season of the show will be happy to hear that it will arrive after this year's Summer Olympics.
NBC's hit series This Is Us will also be returning for a sixth season, but Variety reports this will be the last one. This is a planned end to the series that the showrunners have been talking about for awhile, so at least the show will go out on its own terms.
Meanwhile, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon will be sticking around a lot longer with the show getting renewed for a whopping five years. So if you like to see Jimmy Fallon hamming it up with your favorite celebrities, pop a bottle of champagne.
As for Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, Manifest, Debris and Good Girls, NBC hasn't determined what they're doing with those shows yet, but they haven't been canceled. So fans will just have to be patient.
When it comes to new shows, NBC isn't going too crazy this year. TV Line reports they've only ordered the dramas Ordinary Joe and La Brea for this fall, along with the new Law & Order: For the Defense. In fact, NBC has completely abandoned comedy this fall, opting instead to turn Thursday into an all-Law & Order line-up with For the Defense, Organized Crime and SVU taking over the evening.
Finally, even though ViacomCBS isn't having their upfronts presentation until later this week, word on the street is that CBS will be sending the Silence of the Lambs sequel series Clarice to Paramount+ along with the long-running military drama SEAL Team and the supernatural series Evil. What does this mean for the future of CBS network television? We're not entirely sure, but ViacomCBS putting an emphasis on streaming at Paramount+ likely means their more exciting shows won't shoot for CBS. We'll find out after they have their upfronts presentation.