Watch Trailers For ABC's New 2017-2018 Shows: 'Roseanne' Returns, Zach Braff Forms 'Alex, Inc.' & More
Another day, another set of trailers from the upfronts presentations that networks are giving over in Hollywood. This time, it's ABC coming out of the gate with trailers for all of their shows debuting this fall, as well as the midseason.
There are seven new dramas, including a Lost-style mystery sci-fi series called The Crossing with Steve Zahn and a potentially compelling medical drama called The Good Doctor starring Freddie Highmore. And ABC also has four comedies, including a new show called Alex, Inc. produced by and starring Zach Braff, the revival of Roseanne, and the return of The Office star Jenna Fischer to television in Splitting Up Together.
Watch all of the ABC 2017 TV series trailers below.
Dramas
The Crossing
Reaction: There's a reason that the trailer touts the "from the network that brought you Lost" bumper, and that's because this appears to be another fascinating, sci-fi show with plenty of mystery at its core. Count me intrigued from this trailer, even if the introduction of a character who basically has super powers feels like it's tapping into comic book territory a bit too much.Synopsis: Refugees from a war-torn country seek asylum in a small American fishing town, only the country these people are from is America... and the war they are fleeing hasn't happened yet. As the government tries to uncover the truth behind this mysterious migration only one thing is certain: The lives of the people here – both the townspeople and these newcomers – will never be the same.
Writers Dan Dworkin & Jay Beattie executive produce with Jason Reed. The pilot is directed by Rob Bowman. The series is from ABC Studios.
"The Crossing" stars Steve Zahn as Jude Miller, Natalie Martinez as Reece, Sandrine Holt as Emma Ren, Rick Gomez as Nestor, Jay Karnes as Craig Lindauer, Marcuis Harris as Caleb, Simone Kessel as Rebecca, Kelly Missal as Hannah, Rob Campbell as Paul, Grant Harvey as Roy, Bailey Skodje as Leah, Jon D'Leo as Will, Luc Roderique as Bryce and Tommy Bastow as Marshall.
Cast: Steve Zahn as Jude Miller, Natalie Martinez as Reece, Sandrine Holt as Emma Ren, Rick Gomez as Nestor, Jay Karnes as Craig Lindauer, Marcuis Harris as Caleb, Simone Kessel as Rebecca, Kelly Missal as Hannah, Rob Campbell as Paul, Grant Harvey as Roy, Bailey Skodje as Leah, Jon D'Leo as Will, Luc Roderique as Bryce and Tommy Bastow as Marshall
Deception
Reaction: This show is clearly trying to ride the coattails of Now You See Me by crafting a series that teams up an illusionist with the FBI. The comedy in this trailer feels so hokey and forced that I'm not sure I'd be able to take the dramatic side seriously. Feels like it's going for a tone along the lines of the CBS series Scorpion, but it's not succeeding nearly as well.Synopsis: When his career is ruined by scandal, superstar magician Cameron Black has only one place to turn to practice his art of deception, influence and illusion – the FBI. Using every trick in the book and inventing new ones, he will help the government catch the world's most elusive criminals while staging the biggest illusions of his career.
The series is from writer/executive producer Chris Fedak ("Chuck") and executive producers Greg Berlanti, Martin Gero and Sarah Schechter, Berlanti Productions and Quinn's House in association with Warner Bros. Television. Co-produced by illusionist David Kwong ("Now You See Me") and directed by David Nutter, who is also executive producer.
Cast: Jack Cutmore-Scott as Cameron Black/Jonathan Black, Ilfenesh Hadera as Kay Daniels, Lenora Crichlow as Dina Clark, Amaury Nolasco as Mike Alvarez, Justin Chon as Jordan Kwon, Laila Robins as Special Agent Deakins and Vinnie Jones as Gunter Gustafsen
For the People
Reaction: Oh, good! Finally a show with sassy, sarcastic lawyers with attitude who inevitably get caught up romantically with each other while also trying to navigate the professional world of practicing law. Where do the networks come up with these brilliant ideas?Synopsis: Set in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, aka "The Mother Court," this new Shondaland drama follows brand-new lawyers working for both the defense and the prosecution handling the most high-profile and high-stakes federal cases in the country – all as their lives intersect in and out of the courtroom.
The series is created by Shondaland's Paul William Davies and is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers.
Cast: Ben Rappaport as Seth Oliver, Susannah Flood as Kate Littlejohn, Wesam Keesh as Jay Simmons, Regé-Jean Page as Leonard Knox, Ben Shenkman as Roger Gunn, Hope Davis as Jill Carlan, Vondie Curtis-Hall as Judge Nicholas Byrne and Anna Deavere Smith as Tina Krissman
The Good Doctor
Reaction: Medical dramas are a dime a dozen on network television, but this one has a concept that feels like House meets Rain Man, and that just might be enough to make it interesting. Freddie Highmore seems like a good choice for the lead, but my question is how long can audiences be entranced by both the brilliance of his character's savant skills and the difficulties that come from his autism in the workplace. I'll give it a few episodes to show me where it's going.Synopsis: Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore, "Bates Motel"), a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, relocates from a quiet country life to join a prestigious hospital's surgical unit. Alone in the world and unable to personally connect with those around him, Shaun uses his extraordinary medical gifts to save lives and challenge the skepticism of his colleagues.
The series is from David Shore ("House") and "Lost" and "Hawaii Five-O" star Daniel Dae Kim, Sony Pictures Television and ABC Studios. David Shore is writer and executive producer. Daniel Dae Kim, David Kim and Sebastian Lee are also executive producers. Seth Gordon directed the pilot and is also an executive producer.
Cast: Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy, Antonia Thomas as Dr. Claire Brown, Nicholas Gonzalez as Dr. Neal Melendez, Chuku Modu as Dr. Jared Kalu, Beau Garrett as Jessica Preston, Hill Harper as Dr. Marcus Andrews and Richard Schiff as Dr. Aaron Glassman
The Gospel of Kevin
Reaction: I'm not completely turned off by this trailer, but it has the premise of a cheesy family comedy film than a series that can sustain itself for an entire season. There are flares of Bruce Almighty in there, though this one seems to be leaning into the religious side of the story in an even more hammy way. This feels like ABC's attempt to get viewers who go see those movies based on Christian novels and whatnot.Synopsis: Kevin Finn (Jason Ritter, "Parenthood"), a cluelessly self-serving person, is on a dangerous path to despair. In a downward spiral, Kevin returns home to stay with his widowed twin sister (JoAnna Garcia Swisher, "Once Upon a Time") and niece. On his first night there, an unlikely celestial being named Yvette appears to him and presents him with a mission — to save the world.
Executive produced by Michele Fazekas & Tara Butters ("Marvel's Agent Carter," "Resurrection," "Reaper"), the pilot is directed by Paul McGuigan. The series is from ABC Studios.
Cast: Jason Ritter as Kevin Finn, JoAnna Garcia Swisher as Amy, J. August Richards as Nate, Chloe East as Reese, Dustin Ybarra as Tyler and India de Beaufort as Kristin
Marvel's Inhumans
Reaction: There's not much to go on as far as footage is concerned, but the production design, costumes and art direction looks cheap as hell, and I'm not sure this series is going to work at all.Synopsis: "Marvel's Inhumans" explores the never-before-told epic adventure of the royal family including Black Bolt, the enigmatic, commanding King of the Inhumans, with a voice so powerful that the slightest whisper can destroy a city. After the Royal Family of Inhumans is splintered by a military coup, they barely escape to Hawaii where their surprising interactions with the lush world and humanity around them may prove to not only save them, but Earth itself.
The legendary comic book series will be brought to life in a way that has never been done before, as a version of the first two episodes will be shown globally in IMAX theaters for a two-week period beginning September 1, 2017. ABC will then air the entirety of the series on the network, with additional exclusive content that can only been seen on ABC.
The series is executive produced by Scott Buck, along with Marvel's Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory with Buck serving as showrunner. Roel Reiné will direct the first two episodes. This series is a Marvel and IMAX project and is co-produced by Marvel Television and ABC Studios.
Cast: Anson Mount as Black Bolt, Iwan Rheon as Maximus, Serinda Swan as Medusa, Eme Ikwuakor as Gorgon, Isabelle Cornish as Crystal, Ken Leung as Karnak, Ellen Woglom as an undisclosed character, Sonya Balmores as Auran and Mike Moh as Triton
Ten Days in the Valley
Reaction: Having this series unfold as the main character works on a crime procedural could either make the show more interesting, or it could be really lame. I'm not sure how much drama can come from crossing over a kidnapping with the world of fictional television, and this feels more like a Lifetime movie than a captivating series.Synopsis: "Ten Days in the Valley" stars Kyra Sedgwick as Jane Sadler, an overworked television producer and single mother in the middle of a separation whose life is turned upside down when her young daughter goes missing in the middle of the night. Just like her controversial police TV show, everything is a mystery, everyone has a secret and no one can be trusted.
"Ten Days in the Valley" is from Skydance Television. It is created and written by Tassie Cameron. Executive producers are Tassie Cameron, Kyra Sedgwick, Jill Littman, Dana Goldberg, David Ellison and Marcy Ross.
Cast: Kyra Sedgwick as Jane Sadler, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as John Bird, Kick Gurry as Pete Greene, Erika Christensen as Ali Petrovich, Felix Solis as David Gomez, Josh Randall as Tom Petrovich, Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Matt Abigail Pniowsky as Lake and Francois Battiste as Gus
Comedies
Alex, Inc.
Reaction: This comedy series has the vibe of Zach Braff's second feature Wish I Was Here, just made a little more appealing for general audiences. Braff has quite an affable personality, and he might be able to make a show like this work, even if it doesn't have the same absurd kind of comedy that made Scrubs so enjoyable. Also, it's nice to see Star Wars Rebels voice actress Tiya Sircar have a prominent role in the show.Synopsis: Based on the podcast StartUp, Alex Schuman (Zach Braff, "Scrubs") is a brilliant radio journalist, husband and father of two who is about to do something crazy—quit his job and start his own company. He quickly discovers it's going to be a lot harder than he thought.
Zach Braff stars, directs and is executive producer with Matt Tarses ("Scrubs") and Davis Entertainment ("Dr. Ken," "Blacklist"). Matt Tarses is writer and executive producer, Zach Braff is director and executive producer, John Davis and John Fox are executive producers of the series, from Davis Entertainment as are Alex Blumberg, Chris Gilberti and Matt Lieber (Gimlet Media) in association with Sony Pictures Television and ABC Studios.
Cast: Zach Braff as Alex Schuman, Tiya Sircar as Rooni, Hillary Anne Matthews as Deirdre, Michael Imperioli as Eddie, Elisha Henig as Ben and Audyssie James as Soraya.
The Mayor
Reaction: It's Bulworth meets Parks and Recreation, with the story of a young, aspiring rapper who decides to run for mayor in his town just to get a higher profile for his future career in music. Considering the current political climate, this has the potential to be quite a poignant series, and it also looks like it could be fairly funny.Synopsis: Young rapper Courtney Rose (Brandon Micheal Hall) needs his big break. For years, he's toiled away in a small inner-city apartment, making music in his junk-filled bedroom closet. Tired of waiting for opportunity, Courtney cooks up the publicity stunt of the century: Running for mayor of his hometown in California to generate buzz for his music career. Unfortunately for Courtney, his master plan goes wildly awry, ending in the most terrifying of outcomes: An election victory. With the help of his mother (Yvette Nicole Brown, "Community") and friends, including Valentina ("Glee's" Lea Michele), Courtney will have to overcome his hubris if he wants to transform the struggling city he loves.
From executive producer Daveed Diggs (Tony winner for Broadway's "Hamilton"), writer/executive producer Jeremy Bronson ("Speechless," "The Mindy Project," "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon") and executive producer Jamie Tarses ("Happy Endings"), the series is from ABC Studios. The pilot is directed by executive producer James Griffiths ("black-ish").
Cast: Brandon Micheal Hall as Courtney Rose, Lea Michele as Valentina, Bernard David Jones as Jermaine Hardaway, Marcel Spears as TK, Yvette Nicole Brown as Dina and guest star David Spade.
Roseanne
Reaction: There's no new footage here for the revival of the classic sitcom, but I think there's some promise for this groundbreaking show to return in a modern day setting. At the very least, it will probably be better than Fuller House, and a lot more edgier.Synopsis: Iconic comedy series "Roseanne" will return to ABC. The eight-episode reboot, featuring the original cast will air in 2018. Sarah Chalke, who played the character Becky in later seasons, will also appear in another role.
When it premiered on ABC, the series broke new ground for its realistic portrayal of a working-class family, the Conners, barely scraping by in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois. It also dominated the ratings as one of the highest-rated television series on the air for its near-decade run. A comedy about ordinary people who faced day-to-day survival with a sense of the absurdity of it all, the inimitable Roseanne was its epicenter. Lauded for its humor, relevance, warmth and honesty, the Conner family will continue to deal with the economic challenges of living pay check to pay check in 2018. In its nine seasons on ABC, in addition to being a primetime ratings hit, the series won a Peabody Award and a Golden Globe Award for best television series (comedy or musical). Barr and Goodman each won Golden Globes for best performance by an actress and actor. Barr went on to win an Emmy as lead actress, and Metcalf won two supporting actress Emmys for her work on the series.
Cast: Roseanne Barr as Roseanne, John Goodman as Dan, Sara Gilbert as Darlene, Laurie Metcalf as Jackie, Michael Fishman as D.J., Lecy Goranson as Becky, and Sarah Chalke (who also played Becky) in another role.
Splitting Up Together
Reaction: This looks charming enough, and it's at least a bit of a change from the usual dysfunctional family sitcom. It hits some familiar beats that we've already seen explored in countless romantic comedies, but in these kinds of shows, it's the characters that you fall in love with, even if they're treading familiar territory. It might be hard seeing Jenna Fischer with anyone other than John Krasinski though.Synopsis: Based on the Danish series, "Splitting Up Together" is the story of a couple (Jenna Fischer, "The Office," Oliver Hudson, "Scream Queens") whose marriage is reignited by their divorce.
Emily Kapnek ("Suburgatory") writes and serves as executive producer of this new comedy, along with Ellen DeGeneres. Jeff Kleeman, Mette Heeno, Mie Andreasen and Hella Joof are also executive producers of "Splitting Up Together," which is based on the original series created by Heeno. It is produced by A Very Good Production and Piece of Pie Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Dean Holland directed the pilot.
Cast: Jenna Fischer as Lena, Oliver Hudson as Martin, Bobby Lee as Arthur, Diane Farr as Maya, Lindsay Price as Camille, Olivia Keville as Mae, Van Crosby as Mason and Sander Thomas as Milo
ABC Fall 2017 Schedule
Here's the new schedule for ABC's shows when new programming (in bold) arrives this fall:
MONDAY:
8:00 p.m. Dancing with the Stars
10:00 p.m. THE GOOD DOCTOR
TUESDAY:
8:00 p.m. The Middle
8:30 p.m. Fresh Off the Boat (new time period)
9:00 p.m. black-ish (new day and time period)
9:30 p.m. THE MAYOR
10:00 p.m. THE GOSPEL OF KEVIN
WEDNESDAY:
8:00 p.m. The Goldbergs
8:30 p.m. Speechless
9:00 p.m. Modern Family
9:30 p.m. American Housewife (new day and time period)
10:00 p.m. Designated Survivor
THURSDAY:
8:00 p.m. Grey's Anatomy
9:00 p.m. Scandal
10:00 p.m. How to Get Away with Murder
FRIDAY:
8:00 p.m. Once Upon a Time (new day and time period)
9:00 p.m. MARVEL'S INHUMANS
10:00 p.m. 20/20
SATURDAY:
8:00 p.m. Saturday Night Football
SUNDAY:
7:00 p.m. America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00 p.m. To Tell the Truth
9:00 p.m. Shark Tank (new day and time period)
10:00 p.m. TEN DAYS IN THE VALLEY