ABC Sabotages Itself By Benching Its Top Show

Published Sep 22, 2026, 9:30 PM EDT

Maggie Dela Paz is a News and TV writer at ScreenRant. She has nearly a decade of professional experience in writing entertainment articles about a wide range of topics, including movies, television, music, anime, streaming, and more.

Despite driving viewership, ABC is delaying the return of its biggest network series. Three of ABC's ongoing shows managed to land high-ranked spots on Nielsen’s most recent list of top 10 network TV shows (via THR). All of these are police procedural series, which have been widely praised by critics and audiences since their respective debuts. This isn’t surprising, especially when ABC has also found similar success with past hit shows like NYPD Blue and Castle.

Apart from cop shows, comedy has also been a reliable genre for ABC. This was proven by the victorious run of Modern Family, which lasted for eleven seasons. However, after its conclusion in 2020, the network admittedly struggled to replicate its success with other comedy shows. This only changed with the series debut of Quinta Brunson’s Abbott Elementary, which broke records upon its premiere. The school-set comedy was able to dominate ABC’s overall viewership ratings during its first four seasons. Although its fifth season experienced a decline in its ratings, it remains the network’s top-performing comedy series.

With police procedurals and comedies being the network’s proven and tested lifelines, ABC currently has a show that merges these genres in the form of Kaitlin Olson’s High Potential. It follows an eccentric single mom who becomes an LAPD consultant thanks to her intellectual giftedness. After two seasons, High Potential is already shaping up to be the network’s newest flagship show. It hasn’t only become the network’s number one show, but it’s now also the third most-watched series during the 2025-2026 broadcast season. That’s why not including season 3 in ABC's fall 2026 schedule is a huge gamble for the network.

ABC Delays High Potential To 2027 (Despite Being Their Top Show)

ABC

ABC’s fall primetime schedule will be different this year, as High Potential fans will need to wait a little longer for Morgan and Karadec’s return. It has been confirmed that the network’s current top-performing show won't be coming back until 2027. Following its successful debut season in 2024, High Potential was able to build on its momentum with the second season, which received a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. High Potential reviews praised Olson for her delightful leading performance as Morgan Gillory, while also commending its ensemble cast.

ABC delaying High Potential season 3 could go wrong for multiple reasons. The first is that the network is risking the chance of losing the momentum that the show has built with its audience. The nearly year-long gap between the second season finale and season 3 premiere could test fans’ patience and make them forget about the excitement they feel for the next installment. Instead of gaining new viewers, the show’s delay to 2027 could potentially result in a decline in viewership ratings.

Another reason why changing High Potential’s release schedule would be a mistake is that the network may end up over-hyping the show’s return. Raising expectations far too high could affect the audience’s perception of the series. Besides potentially losing momentum and over-hyping, the hit show’s hiatus will certainly allow competing networks to have the chance to overtake High Potential’s position. This shift might be advantageous for top network shows that ranked below High Potential during the previous broadcast season, such as Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage (CBS), Chicago Fire (NBC), Elsbeth (CBS), and Fire Country (CBS).

ABC's Fall 2026 Lineup Doesn't Have Any Of The Top 10-Rated Series

ABC’s other top-performing shows, like Nathan Fillion’s The Rookie, Ramón Rodríguez’s Will Trent, and Tim Allen’s Shifting Gears, will also not be included in its fall 2026 lineup. Like High Potential, these shows are expected to return with new seasons in early 2027 as part of the network’s midseason broadcast schedule. Both The Rookie season 8 and Will Trent season 4 were part of Nielsen’s top network TV shows of 2025-2026, placing sixth and seventh, respectively. Meanwhile, Shifting Gears season 2 was positioned at 24th place, tying with CBS’s CIA series.

Nielsen Ranking	Show	Network
#1	Marshals	CBS
#2	Tracker	CBS
#3	High Potential	ABC
#4	Matlock	CBS
#5	Sheriff Country	CBS
#6	The Rookie	ABC
#7	Ghosts	CBS
#7 (tied)	Will Trent	ABC
#9	NCIS	CBS
#10	Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage	CBS

The only ABC scripted series premiering this fall from the top network shows list are Ryan Murphy’s first responders drama 9-1-1 and the Scrubs season 2 revival. 9-1-1 season 9 claimed the 14th spot, while Zach Braff’s medical sitcom ranked 22nd. The latter will debut its second season on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. Meanwhile, the Angela Bassett-led show is scheduled to return on Thursday, October 15, 2026, for its tenth and final season. The new installment is expected to kick off with a disastrous volcanic eruption that will put one of Station 118’s core members at risk.

The network’s fall 2026 lineup will also include the newest season of Abbott Elementary, which drops on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. Although it saw a decline in viewership during its previous season, the acclaimed comedy remains a solid part of ABC. It was recently nominated for seven major Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Lead Actress and Outstanding Comedy. Also debuting this fall on ABC are Dancing with the Stars season 35, Shark Tank season 18, and Grey’s Anatomy season 23.

Why ABC Delayed High Potential Season 3

MovieStillsDB

According to ABC executive Ari Goldman (via Deadline), High Potential season 3 was delayed in favor of the network’s new strategic programming. Releasing the new season during the midseason schedule will guarantee an uninterrupted weekly broadcast run for viewers. The network also believes that the early 2027 launch will allow it to promote its premium shows during high-profile events such as the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards. ABC is confident in this new shift, especially when the network has already done this release strategy before with The Rookie and Will Trent.

Goldman: “What we’ve seen the last several years, and we’ve really proven this out with Will Trent and The Rookie back in midseason of 24 and 25, is we want to give viewers a chance to watch these shows with as little interruption as possible across the season.”

Aside from its new release schedule, High Potential is undergoing major changes behind-the-scenes. Season 3 will return with new showrunners at its helm, as creative duo Nora and Lilla Zuckerman stepped in after original showrunner Todd Harthan’s exit. The cast is also losing a series regular in the form of Shameless star Steve Howey, who was introduced as Captain Nick Wagner in season 2. This comes after his character was brutally attacked at the end of the second season finale.

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  Morgan

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  Daniel Sunjata

  Karadec

Morgan, a single mother of three with a brilliant but unconventional mind, partners with a methodical detective after solving a crime during her job as a cleaner. The unlikely duo proves effective, blending Morgan's out-of-the-box thinking with his by-the-book approach​.