ABC’s Upfront presentation occurred yesterday, getting TV fans excited for the network’s upcoming programming. Somehow our invitations to these events must keep getting lost in the mail, but even though we weren’t in attendance, we’re still excited about some of the announcements. Many of the announcements dealt with rescheduling the days/times of programs, but there’s still a lot of buzz surrounding the event. Here are some of the biggest pieces of news from ABC’s event.
1. ABC is jumping on the “live show” bandwagon, with a live action Little Mermaid show hitting the network in October. No news yet on casting.
2. Katy Perry will be a lead judge on American Idol. The network got the bid for the reboot, and just signed Perry on to the project. Rumor has it that the show will undergo some changes, but let’s see how well it survives.
3. Roseanne is coming back. The popularity of the reboot is definitely in full force. Roseanne’s comeback will include the original cast, and much of the original crew as well.
4. Jimmy Kimmel is returning as host for the 2018 Oscars (meh), and Variety reports that “ABC also is giving Kimmel a primetime special for a live staging of classic sitcom scripts”.
5. Nick Carter will judge the network’s summer singing competition Boy Band. Basically American Idol, but specifically to make the country’s next big boy band. Rita Ora and Emma Bunton are also part of the production.
Some of this news is exciting, some feels a little forced. The network is keeping many of its signature shows like Blackish and Modern Family, so at least we will still have that to look forward to.
