ABC ANNOUNCES 2026 MIDSEASON PREMIERE DATES

'WILL TRENT' AND 'THE ROOKIE' KICK OFF NEW SEASONS IN JANUARY ALONGSIDE THE RETURN OF HIT DRAMA 'HIGH POTENTIAL'

'AMERICAN IDOL' RETURNS IN JANUARY WITH A FRESH TWIST ON THE ICONIC HOLLYWOOD WEEK

THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED 'SCRUBS' REVIVAL PREMIERES THIS FEBRUARY

TAYLOR FRANKIE PAUL WILL HAND OUT ROSES WHEN THE NEW SEASON OF 'THE BACHELORETTE' DEBUTS ON A NEW NIGHT IN MARCH

Clockwise from top left: "Scrubs" (Disney/Jeff Eddell), "The Rookie" (Disney/Larry Horricks), "American Idol" (Disney/Eric McCandless), "Will Trent" (Disney/Daniel Delgado Jr.)*

Following a phenomenal fall season of unprecedented success across the schedule, today ABC announced its 2026 midseason premiere dates featuring a slate of hilarious comedies, thrilling dramas, and high-stakes unscripted series.

"Across ABC and its streaming home on Hulu, we have the best shows on television, from acclaimed dramas to standout comedies and unscripted hits," said Craig Erwich, president, Disney Television Group. "Our midseason schedule underscores our ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional storytelling and engaging content to audiences wherever they choose to watch."

"America's Funniest Home Videos" kicks off the week Sunday, Jan. 4.

Star and executive producer Ramón Rodríguez directs the Season 4 premiere of "Will Trent" Tuesday, Jan. 6, followed by the midseason return of "High Potential" which continues to be a powerhouse, ranking as the No. 1 original broadcast series across platforms for the second season in a row among Adults 18-49, and the Season 8 premiere of "The Rookie." Both "Will Trent" and "The Rookie" enjoyed tremendous ratings success last season, surging year over year and posting several new streaming highs. Both series consistently delivered over 10 million Total Viewers in multiplatform viewing.

Wednesday night comedies "Shifting Gears" and Emmy(R) Award-winning "Abbott Elementary" return for a night of laughs Wednesday, Jan. 7, followed by the return of "Shark Tank."

The following day, ratings juggernaut dramas "9-1-1," "9-1-1: Nashville" and "Grey's Anatomy" return to the Thursday night lineup on Jan 8.

Rounding out the week, "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune" and Friday's most-watched newsmagazine, ABC News' "20/20," return to the schedule Friday, Jan. 9.

"NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC" returns for select Saturdays beginning Jan. 24 (Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks). The full ABC/ESPN NBA schedule can be found here.

"American Idol" premieres its ninth season on ABC and 24th season overall with a new schedule, airing Mondays beginning Jan. 26. Music superstars Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Carrie Underwood return as judges alongside Emmy Award-winning host Ryan Seacrest. For the first time ever, "American Idol" will bring the iconic Hollywood Week round to Nashville. Hollywood Week: Music City Takeover will feature one round only as the hopefuls from all musical genres take the stage for a make-or-break performance, facing the biggest Hollywood Week cut in "Idol" history.

Premiering Wednesday, Feb. 25, ABC is scrubbing back in for Sacred Heart Hospital with back-to-back episodes of comedy "Scrubs" starring Zach Braff, Donald Faison and Sarah Chalke.

Ken Jennings-hosted "Celebrity Jeopardy!" returns for Season 4 with a brand-new All-Stars Tournament Friday, Feb. 27, while the drama-filled season premiere of "The Bachelorette" starring "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star Taylor Frankie Paul and hosted by Jesse Palmer kicks off on its new night, Sunday, March 22.

As previously announced, new drama series "RJ Decker" (working title) starring Scott Speedman will debut in 2026. The premiere date will be announced at a later time. With this newest addition to the schedule, ABC ups its drama count to seven series, and 10 scripted series overall.

SCHEDULE:
Airdates are as follows (all times listed are Eastern/Pacific). All original programming will stream the next day on Hulu.

SUNDAY, JAN. 4
7:00 p.m. America's Funniest Home Videos (Season 36 Return)

TUESDAY, JAN. 6
8:00 p.m. Will Trent (Season 4 Premiere)
9:00 p.m. High Potential (Season 2 Midseason Return)
10:00 p.m. The Rookie (Season 8 Premiere)

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 7
8:00 p.m. "Shifting Gears" (Season 2 Midseason Return)
8:30 p.m. Abbott Elementary (Season 5 Midseason Return)
10:00 p.m. Shark Tank (Season 17 Midseason Return)

THURSDAY, JAN. 8
8:00 p.m. 9-1-1 (Season 9 Midseason Return)
9:00 p.m. 9-1-1: Nashville (Season 1 Midseason Return)
10:00 p.m. Grey's Anatomy (Season 22 Midseason Return)

FRIDAY, JAN, 9
8:00 p.m. Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (Season 6 Midseason Return)
9:00 p.m. 20/20 (Season 48 Midseason Return)

SATURDAY, JAN. 24
8:00 p.m. Inside the NBA
8:30 p.m. Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks

MONDAY, JAN. 26
8:00 p.m. American Idol (Season 24 Premiere)

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25
8:00 p.m. Scrubs (Two-Episode Series Premiere)

FRIDAY, FEB. 27
8:00 p.m. Celebrity Jeopardy! All Stars (Season 4 Premiere)

SUNDAY, MARCH 22
8:00 p.m. The Bachelorette (Season 22 Premiere)

About "Scrubs"

JD and Turk scrub in together for the first time in a long time: Medicine has changed; interns have changed; but their bromance has stood the test of time. Characters new and old navigate the waters of Sacred Heart with laughter, heart and some surprises along the way.

The 30-minute revival comedy series stars Zach Braff as John "J.D." Dorian, Donald Faison as Christopher Turk and Sarah Chalke as Elliot Reid.

Bill Lawrence of Doozer Productions created the original series and serves as executive producer alongside Jeff Ingold and Liza Katzer also of Doozer Productions. Zach Braff, Donald Faison and Sarah Chalke will star and executive produce. Aseem Batra serves as executive producer and showrunner; Tim Hobert and Randall Winston also executive produce. The series is produced by 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios.

Follow "Scrubs" (#Scrubs) on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Source: Cross platform analysis of Nielsen Linear + SCR data based on 7 days of viewing from the linear air date and streaming FSD. Includes pre-premieres. Broadcast original series only. Excludes, sports, specials, news and repeats. 9/22/25-10/12/25. Linear based on Nielsen's Updated Big Data Plus Panel Sample.