ABC Officially Replaces ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ in Fall Schedule

Thursdays on ABC are going to be looking a lot different this fall. According to AV Club, The Bachelor franchise will officially be taking over. The latest , The Golden Bachelor, will center on 72-year-old widower Gerry Turner and his journey to find love with a group of over 65-year-old women. The new journey to love will officially begin on Thursday, September 28 at 8 p.m. ET. Following The Golden Bachelor will be two hours of Bachelor in Paradise, meaning that Thursdays will officially be known as Bachelor Thursdays.

The three straight hours of the Bachelor franchise is part of ABC’s strike-proof fall schedule. Initially announced not long after the writers’ strike started, the network was the first of many to make its fall schedule original scripted series-free. With the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes continuing with no end in sight, it’s become the new normal, at least for now. Many networks have had to rework their schedules and hold their scripted originals for next year. Aside from a few that are still airing in the fall.

It will be pretty strange to not see any Grey’s Anatomy on Thursdays. Since the third season, the long-running medical drama has sat comfortably on Thursdays, making it a primetime staple. Not to mention the night is also the slot for other Shondaland series, such as Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, and Station 19. 

Despite Ellen Pompeo exiting  as a series regular midway through Season 19, that didn’t stop ABC from renewing the series earlier this year. The show will be coming back for a historic 20th season, which won’t be premiering until at least early 2024. With no end in sight for either strike, it could be a while until the staff at Grey Sloan Memorial come back. Even though its replacement is not exactly on par for fans of Grey’s, it is still a long-running franchise with plenty of drama.

It will take some time to get used to with no Grey’s Anatomy in the fall, but hopefully, it doesn’t last too long, and things will go back to normal soon. Fans may want to check out the Bachelor-filled night, though. The Golden Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise will definitely be interesting to watch, as per usual. Luckily, if that doesn’t float your boat, all 19 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy are streaming on Netflix, which will surely keep fans occupied for a while.