CBS announced its 2026-27 TV schedule last month, but this week the remainder of the Big Four broadcasters showed off their wares to the advertising community in New York during the annual “upfronts,” where advertisers get a sneak peek at new shows and commit advertising dollars to the next TV season “up front.”
ABC
The alphabet network renewed its entire 2025-26 scripted series lineup for the 2026-27 TV season and will introduce no new series this fall.
“R.J. Decker” stays put at 10 p.m. Tuesday and the rest of the lineup remains intact as well.
New seasons of “The Bachelor,” “Bachelor in Paradise,” “High Potential,” “Shifting Gears,” “The Rookie” and “Will Trent” will debut in 2027 alongside new spin-off “The Rookie: North,” starring Jay Ellis as a man who becomes the oldest rookie in the Pierce County, Wash., police department.
Fox
Although Fox has few scripted originals on its fall 2026 schedule, opting for reality shows Monday (“Celebrity Name That Tune,” “Celebrity Weakest Link”), Wednesday (“The Floor,” “99 to Beat”) and Thursday (“Hell’s Kitchen,” “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test”) nights, there are new and returning scripted shows on deck for midseason.
Those include a “Baywatch” sequel series, debuting in January, and “The Interrogator,” a thriller starring and written by Stephen Fry (“Blackadder”) as a former MI6 agent solving crimes as part of a team that includes his handler, played by Jenna Elfman (“Dharma & Greg”).
For fall, Fox brings back “Best Medicine” and “Doc” on Tuesday nights and adds its sole live-action comedy, “Animal Control,” to its Sunday night animation block that also includes “The Simpsons,” “Universal Basic Guys” and “Grimsburg.”
Unscripted renewals for the 2026-27 TV season include “Beat Shazam,” “Crime Scene Kitchen,” “Don’t Forget the Lyrics,” “Extracted,” “Fear Factor: House of Fear,” “Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service,” “Kitchen Nightmares,” “Lego Masters,” “The Masked Singer,” “Next Level Baker” and “Next Level Chef.”
Fox will bring back scripted series “Memory of a Killer,” “Murder in a Small Town” (with Peter Gallagher joining the cast), “American Dad!,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “Family Guy” and “Krapopolis.”
Coming in the 2027-28 TV season, Fox will reboot “Highway to Heaven” — Lifetime attempted this in 2021 — with “Friday Night Lights” showrunner Jason Katims at the helm, and introduce “Family Guy” spin-off “Stewie,” where the Griffin family’s youngest child gets forced to attend a new preschool, covering Stewie’s life when he’s not at home with the Griffins.
NBC
NBC, which will celebrate its 100th birthday with a three-hour prime-time special on Dec. 10, introduces just three new shows this fall.
“Line of Fire,” airing after “The Voice” on Mondays in September/October, stars Peter Krause (“9-1-1”) as the head of a family of law enforcement agents who get caught up in a conspiracy.
NBC will have two comedy blocks to kick off prime time on Mondays in November (“St. Denis Medical,” “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins”) and Fridays, where “Happy’s Place” gets paired with newcomer “Newlyweds,” starring real-life married couple Tea Leoni and Tim Daly.
NBA games stay put Tuesday and the “Chicago” shows continue to air Wednesday.
Prior to “Law & Order: SVU” and “Law & Order” on Thursday, NBC introduces a civilian version of Peacock hit “The Traitors.”
At midseason, NBC will debut a remake of “The Rockford Files” starring David Boreanaz” (“SEAL Team”) as private investigator Jim Rockford, the role made famous by James Garner. On the comedy side, NBC has “Sunset P.I.” from one of the creators of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” that stars Jake Johnson (“New Girl”), Jane Levy (“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”) and Keith David (“The Lowdown”).
“Today” host Savannah Guthrie will host a TV version of the New York Times word game Wordle in 2027.
Of local note
New WTAE morning traffic reporter Lily Coleman announced on her Facebook page that she’s expecting her second child in September.
WQED posted a 15-minute interview online at plus.wqed.org, “Chris Moore: 50 Years of Broadcasting,” an enlightening, nostalgic interview Minette Seate conducted with the Pittsburgh media veteran who retired from KDKA-AM earlier this year and previously hosted shows and documentaries at WQED-TV.
RIP Dave Forstate
Condolences to the family, friends and co-workers of Dave Forstate, a former videographer for KDKA-TV and WQED-TV who died this week from pancreatic cancer.
A regular behind the scenes on KDKA’s “Evening Magazine,” Forstate shot features with Dave Crawley for the evening news before retiring from KDKA in 2017.
“He was our best photographer at ‘Evening Magazine’ and in the evening news,” Crawley said. “Every day you go out and do a different story and the temptation is to just phone one in, and he never did.”
Forstate frequently freelanced for WQED-TV until about a year ago, shooting Rick Sebak’s 2019 film “The Great Ride” and many other documentaries, including those produced by Beth Dolinar.
“Well into his 70s he was willing to climb, run, do what was needed to get the shot,” Dolinar explained. “He was known as exacting, even artistic in his approach to framing a shot.”
Dolinar said as a producer, it was clear Forstate listened while behind the camera filming interviews.
“Often I would close an interview, and he would speak up with a question I hadn’t thought to ask,” Dolinar noted, adding that Forstate was “unfailingly kind” to people when they were out filming. “Not just a cameraman. He was truly a journalist. Over the years he had done so many stories in so many places that his institutional knowledge was deep and wide.”
Renewed
Amazon’s Prime Video renewed “Reacher” for a fifth season ahead of its yet-to-be-announced fourth season premiere and renewed comedy “Jury Duty” for a third season.
Great American Family renewed “When Hope Calls: Brookfield” for a fourth season.
Hallmark will bring back prequel series “Hope Valley: 1874” for a second season in 2027.
Channel surfing
Deadline.com reports Steelers star Cam Heyward will be the subject of a documentary feature that’s now filming, though it’s unclear if it is intended for a theatrical, TV or streaming release. … A new 10-episode season of “Criminal Minds: Evolution” debuts on Paramount May 28. … Conan O’Brien will host the Oscars on ABC in 2027 for the third consecutive year.