ABC Cancels Multiple Major Shows

ABC canceled five shows on Thursday, while renewing 13 others. Schooled, Emergence, Bless This [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

ABC canceled five shows on Thursday, while renewing 13 others. Schooled, Emergence, Bless This Mess, Single Parents and Kids Say The Darndest Things will not be returning during the 2020-2021 television season. The network, owned by Disney, has yet to reveal how it plans to fill up its fall schedule, which will likely be impacted due to the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns.

"At a time when we are physically apart and shared experiences matter more than ever, these shows will build on the strategy that has made us No. 1 this season – bringing people together, creating cultural moments, and making content that entertains and inspires across generations and demographics," ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke said in a statement to Variety. According to Burke, the network's "top priority" is collaborating with studios "to ensure a safe return to production so that we can build on the strong momentum of a winning lineup with measured bets on new series that will invigorate our air and continue to deliver the quality programming that our viewers have come to expect and love."

ABC said it will announce its fall 2020 schedule later on. The network followed in the footsteps of Fox, CBS and The CW, which all handed out far more renewal orders than usual due to the lack of pilots being produced this summer. The CW and Fox also made big acquisitions to fill gaps, but ABC has not announced plans to do the same. In the meantime, here is a look at the shows canceled.

Schooled

schooled
(Photo: ABC)

Schooled was the first spin-off of The Goldbergs. While that series was a nostalgic look back at the 1980s, Schooled took the same approach to the 1990s. It starred AJ Michalka, Tim Meadows and Bryan Callen as their Goldbergs characters, while Brett Dier and Haneefah Woods joined the cast. The series lasted two seasons and was created by Adam F. Goldberg and Marc Firek.

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Emergence

Emergence-ABC
(Photo: Eric Liebowitz/ABC via Getty Images, Getty)

Emergence was a mystery thriller originally set up at NBC before moving to ABC. It premiered in September and finished its first and only season in January. Created by Michele Fazekas and Tata Butters, Emergence starred Allison Tolman (Fargo) as a newly divorced police chief who agrees to take in a mysterious child who has no memory of her life or identity.

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Bless This Mess

bless-this-mess-episode-2-abc-john-fleenor
(Photo: ABC/John Fleenor)

Bless This Mess ran only two seasons and featured Dax Shepard and Lake Bell as a city couple who decide to become farmers in Nebraska. Bell co-created the series with New Girl creator Elizabeth Meriwether. The cast also included JT Neal, Pam Grier, Ed Begley Jr., David Koechner, Lennon Parham and Langston Kerman.

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Single Parents

single parents abc
(Photo: ABC/Richard Cartwright)

Coincidentally, Single Parents was also co-created by New Girl creator Elizabeth Meriwether. This time, she worked with JJ Philbin (The O.C.) to create this charming sitcom about a group of single parents with their odd-ball children. The all-star cast included Taran Killam, Leighton Meester, Brad Garrett, Kimrie Lewis, Jake Choi, Marlow Barkley, Tyler Wladis, Devin Trey Campbell and Mia and Ella Allan.

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Kids Say the Darndest Things

tiffany haddish kids say the darndest things abc
(Photo: BC/Eric McCandless)

The Tiffany Haddish-hosted revival of Kids Say The Darndest Things did not turn out to be as successful as the original show. The original TV version ran on CBS from 1998 to 2000 and was hosted by Bill Cosby. The show was based on Art Linkletter's House Party, which ran on radio and TV from 1945 until 1969.

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Fates to Be Detirmined

the baker and the beauty abc
(Photo: ABC/Maarten de Boer)

The fate of freshman shows For Life and The Baker and the Beauty are still to be determined, sources told Variety. For Life was created by Hank Steinberg and is inspired by the story of Isaac Wright Jr., who became a paralegal while imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. He helped overturn the convictions of fellow inmates before he finally helped overturn his own conviction. Nicholas Pinnock plays Aaron Wallace, the show's fictional version of Wright.

As for The Baker and the Beauty, it is based on an Israeli series about a baker who falls in love with a famous model. The leads are played by Victor Rasuk and Nathalie Kelley in ABC's version. The show will continue airing through June 1.

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