ABC Renews 15 Series, Including 'How to Get Away with Murder'

The Cast of How to Get Away with Murder

ABC has issued pick-up orders for the following series for the 2016-2017 season: America’s Funniest Home Videos, The Bachelor, black-ish, Dancing with the Stars, Fresh Off the Boat, The Goldbergs, Grey’s Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Middle, Modern Family, Once Upon a Time, Scandal, Shark Tank and Quantico.

“We’re very proud of our strong roster of performers, and we’re excited about what they will bring us creatively next season,” said Channing Dungey, the new President of ABC Entertainment.

ABC 2015-2015 Schedule Revealed

ABC announced its 2015-16 slate of programming on Tuesday, including the addition of 10 new series. Paul Lee, president, ABC Entertainment Group, unveiled the network’s new lineup to the advertising and media communities this afternoon at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall.

"Our new slate of shows continues the momentum from last year. ABC was the most buzzed about network, and the only major network to hold on to its audience and to grow in the target demo. Our 2015-16 schedule, with new shows and returning favorites that reflect our commitment to world-class storytelling, will solidify ABC’s place as the network that raises the bar for what viewers expect from broadcast television," said Lee.

ABC is the only major network to increase its Adult 18-49 audience during the 2014-15 season.  ABC delivered 7 of the Top 20 entertainment series on broadcast TV this season in Adults 18-49, placing 4 of the Top 10 and claiming 3 of the Top 5 dramas: Modern Family and Scandal tie at No. 4, How to Get Away with Murder – No. 9, Grey’s Anatomy – No. 10, Once Upon a Time – No. 12, while black-ish and The Bachelor tie at No. 18.

New series The Catch, Dr. Ken, The Family, The Muppets, Of Kings and Prophets, OIL, Quantico, The Real O’Neals, Uncle Buck and Wicked City will join the lineup.

ABC May 2015 Preview (Spoilers)

ABC has announced highlights of upcoming May sweeps programming, featuring season finale dates for series American Crime, America's Funniest Home Videos, black-ish, Castle, Dancing with the Stars, Forever, The Goldbergs, The Middle, Modern Family, Nashville, Revenge, Scandal, Secrets and Lies and Shark Tank. In addition, the 2015 Billboard Music Awards will take place live from Las Vegas.

Other highlights include a special two-hour finale of Once Upon A Time and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the premieres of Beyond the Tank and 500 Questions, and the return of The Bachelorette, with a special two-night event.

Below is a chronological listing of programming highlights (all times Eastern):

The Chew - The Chew is celebrating spring! On Monday, April 27, Guillermo Diaz (Scandal) guests, and Tuesday, April 28, The Radio City Rockettes swing by and kick-up their heels for a fun, yet informative, spring cleaning segment with Clinton Kelly. On Tuesday, May 5, it's a "Cinco de Mayo Party!" with Mexican chef Pati Jinich. The week of May 11-15 is "Inspiration Week," with co-hosts Mario Batali, Michael Symon, Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly and Daphne Oz celebrating the people in their lives who inspire them most. On Monday, May 18, Empire star Jussie Smollett fills in as guest co-host for the day. The Chew airs Monday - Friday (1:00- 2:00 p.m., ET).

General Hospital - The Daytime Emmy nominated series celebrates the annual Nurses' Ball on Friday, May 1, Monday, May 4 and Tuesday, May 5. See which of your favorite stars will return, along with the GH character fans voted back. Stay tuned for a two-day network daytime television event as General Hospital broadcasts live from Los Angeles on Friday, May 15, and again Monday, May 18.

'Empire' Tops 'Scandal' and 'HTGAWM' in Social Comments/Tweets This Week

Per Nielsen's Social Guide, Wednesday's episode of Empire is the most social primetime TV show on broadcast or cable so far this week – generating more social comments/tweets during its broadcast (366,088) than both Scandal (281,475) and How to Get Away with Murder (94,000).

This week's Empire also posted the highest Live + Same Day rating (4.8) of any broadcast drama telecast (excluding premieres) in 4 years –since Grey's Anatomy on 3/31/11 (4.9/13).

Empire is this season’s only broadcast drama to average higher than a 5.0 rating in the Live + 3s (its current L3 average is a 5.7/17)

And according to measurement service Rentrak, in the month of January 2015, the first three episodes of Empire were the top 3 most-viewed titles overall on VOD.

Harris Poll Reveals 'NCIS' and 'The Big Bang Theory' as America's Favorite TV Shows

NCIS and The Big Bang Theory are America’s top two favorite current shows, according to a newly released Harris Poll of 2,232 U.S. adults who were surveyed online in English between Jan. 14 and Jan. 20, 2015.

“We all know that NCIS and The Big Bang Theory are the top-rated scripted series, but this survey demonstrates that these shows clearly stand out as America’s favorite choice in a growing television universe,” said David Poltrack, Chief Research Officer, CBS Corporation, President, CBS Vision. “This level of viewer engagement is important because research has proven that engaged viewers are more receptive to and more responsive to advertising. The CBS primetime lineup accounted for far more ‘favorite’ mentions than that of any other network and contained more different programs chosen as viewer favorites, confirming the unique bond between this Network’s programs and its audience.”


FAVORITE CURRENT TV SHOW
“What is your favorite current TV show?”

Unprompted responses

Base: All adults

	Total
NCIS	1
The Big Bang Theory	2
The Walking Dead	3
Scandal	4
Game of Thrones	5
The Good Wife (tie)	6
The Blacklist (tie)	6
Modern Family	8
Blue Bloods	9
Criminal Minds	10

Source: Harris Poll

ABC Dominates the First Night of the February Sweep with the Return of TGIT

A total of 3.7 million people in the U.S. saw over 527,000 Tweets about Scandal on Thursday, according to Nielsen.

Featuring the return of its TGIT lineup for the first time in over 2 months (since 11/20/14), ABC dominated the opening night of the February Sweep in Adults 18-49 (3.1/10), beating original schedules on CBS by 35% (2.3/7 = 8:00-10:00 p.m. comedies/Elementary), Fox by 72% (1.8/5 = American Idol/Backstrom) and NBC by 107% (1.5/5 = Biggest Loser finale/Parenthood series finale). ABC’s Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder and Grey’s returned as Thursday’s Top 3 dramas. ABC ranked No. 1 in 5 of 6 half-hours of prime in the key sales demo.

'Scandal' Is Back Tonight. Who Took Olivia? (Sneak Peek)

Scandal returns tonight. Photo Credit: ABC

Scandal returns tonight at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. The winter premiere episode ("Run") picks up right where the finale left off, this time from Olivia's point of view.

Exactly what happened when Jake went to the bedroom? Who took Olivia and where did she go? The fight of Olivia's life begins.

Watch a sneak peek below:

32nd Annual PaleyFest to Feature 'Scandal,' 'The Good Wife,' 'The Flash,' and 'Arrow'

The Paley Center for Media today announced ABC's Scandal, CBS's The Good Wife, and The CW/Warner Bros. Television's Arrow and The Flash as the first honorees for Paleyfest, the 32nd annual William S. Paley Television Festival, which will return to the iconic Dolby Theatre March 6-13, 2015. The annual Festival will feature premiere screenings and exclusive conversations with the stars and creative teams responsible for today's most acclaimed television series. As previously announced, premier digital platform Yahoo will be the Festival's Official Media Sponsor, as part of the Company's larger multi-event sponsorship that will run throughout 2015. The Paleyfest lineup will be announced on Tuesday, January 20.

Facebook Top 10 TV Shows, Movies, Entertainers and Songs of 2014

Facebook has revealed its most-mentioned movies, TV shows, songs and entertainers of 2014 via its new Year in Review website.

Top 10 TV Shows
1. Game of Thrones
2. Orange is the New Black
3. The Walking Dead
4. The Big Bang Theory
5. Downton Abbey

ABC Wins All 4 Thursdays of November for the First Time in at Least 23 Years

The How to Get Away with Murder hit a 6-week high in Adults 18-49.

ABC won all 4 Thursdays of the November Sweep in Adults 18-49 for the first time in at least 23 years – since at least November 1991, which is the first sweep period in Nielsen's electronic database. Driven by strong turnouts for the winter finales for its Thursday drama lineup, ABC beat CBS by a season-best 38% (2.9/9 vs. 2.1/7). The network spiked over the year-ago Thursday (7.0 million and 2.1/6 on 11/21/13). On average, ABC's Thursday November Sweep delivery was up by 20% in Total Viewers and by 22% for its best numbers in 4 years – since 2010.

ABC's HTGAWM (3.1/10), Scandal (3.1/10) and Grey's Anatomy (2.4/7) continued their run as Thursday's Top 3 dramas in Adults 18-49 (over CBS' Elementary, NBC's Parenthood and Fox's Bones and Gracepoint). In addition, Scandal and HTGAWM trailed only CBS' The Big Bang Theory as the top-rated series of the night and are once again tracking as the week's top broadcast dramas in Adults 18-49.

'Scandal' Winter Finale Sneak Peek: Where the Sun Don't Shine

The Scandal winter finale airs November 20 on ABC.

The Scandal winter finale ("Where the Sun Don’t Shine) airs Thursday, November 20 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

Command is always two steps ahead and everyone in Olivia's life is in danger. Meanwhile, Cyrus is forced to face the consequences of his behavior, and Huck and Quinn finally figure out just what Elizabeth North has been planning, but they might be too late to stop it.

Watch a sneak peek video below:

ABC Sets Premiere Dates for 'Galavant' and 'Marvel's Agent Carter' Plus Return Dates for Five Dramas

ABC has announced premiere dates for two of its highly anticipated new midseason shows - Galavant, a comedy extravaganza and Marvel's Agent Carter, the second action packed series from the creative minds at Marvel, inspired by the feature films Marvel's Captain America: The First Avenger and Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, along with the short Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter. Galavant will premiere on Sunday, January 4 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) and will run two episodes in the one-hour block each week, and Marvel's Agent Carter premieres on Tuesday, January 6 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET).

Once Upon a Time will return on Sunday, March 1 and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will return on Tuesday, March 3 in their regular time periods with all-new episodes.

The hit TGIT Thursday night dramas, Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder, return Thursday, January 29.

'Scandal' Preview: Olivia Defends a Convicted Assassin, Mellie Bonds With a Former First Lady

Scandal airs tonight at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

Olivia finds herself defending a convicted assassin in this week's new Scandal, airing Thursday, October 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

In the episode, titled "An Innocent Man," Olivia is summoned by a convicted assassin who claims he was wrongly accused, and Mellie becomes intrigued by a former first lady whose stories seem to be strikingly similar to her own. Meanwhile, Elizabeth inches closer to corrupting the White House and Fitz makes a shocking move.

Watch a sneak peek video below:

Kate Burton and Katie Lowes to Host 2014 Ovation Awards

Kate Burton and Katie Lowes have been set to host the 2014 LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards Ceremony on Sunday, November 2, at the historic San Gabriel Mission Playhouse in San Gabriel, it was announced today. Red carpet arrivals begin at 5:30 and the ceremony starts at 7 p.m.

Kate Burton is a three-time Tony Award nominee and a three-time Emmy Award nominee. On the stage, her critically acclaimed work includes productions of "The Elephant Man," "An American Daughter," "The Cherry Orchard," "The Constant Wife," "Hedda Gabler," "Spring Awakening," "Doonesbury," "The Grand Manner," "The Water's Edge," and "The Beauty Queen of Leenane," among many others. In 2002, she portrayed two roles on Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award for both -- nominations for Best Actress in a Play ("Hedda Gabler") and for Best Featured Actress in a Play ("The Elephant Man") made her one of only five actors in Tony history to be nominated for two acting awards in the same year. TV appearances include work on Law & Order, The Practice, The West Wing, Judging Amy, Medium, Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, Rescue Me, and Grimm, to name only a few.

'Scandal' Preview: What Happened to Jake?

Scandal is new Thursday night on ABC.

It's not easy being Olivia Pope in this week's new Scandal, airing Thursday, October 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

In the episode, titled "The Key," Olivia and the team continue to investigate Catherine’s case, but Olivia is distracted when Jake stops returning her calls. Meanwhile, Cyrus falls deeper into the rabbit hole with Michael, David realizes what it’s like to finally be a winner in DC and Fitz seeks answers to Jerry's death.

Watch a sneak peek video below:

Shonda Rhimes Responds to Complaint About 'Gay Scenes' In Her Shows

Scandal and Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes took a fan to task on Twitter Sunday afternoon (October 19), after they pointed out that they didn't appreciate certain parts of her shows.

"The gay scenes in "Scandal' and 'How to Get Away with Murder' are too much," the user writes. "There is no point and they add nothing to the plot."

Like only Shonda can, she fired back a trio of tweets. "There are no GAY scenes. There are scenes with people in them," she replies. "If you are suddenly discovering that Shondaland shows have scenes involving people who are gay, you are LATE TO THE PARTY. If u use the phrase 'gay scenes,' u are not only LATE to the party but also NOT INVITED to the party. Bye Felicia. #oneLOVE"

Shortly after setting the matter straight, Rhimes took her leave from Twitter to go back to the "Grey's Anatomy" script notes she was working on and all was calm once again in Shondaland.

Ratings: ABC Up Year-to-Year for 4th Straight Thursday Thanks to 'Scandal,' 'How to Get Away with Murder' and 'Grey's Anatomy'

Viola Davis plays Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder.

Opposite CBS' Thursday Night Football, ABC continued to dominate its nearest non-sports Thursday competition in Total Viewers (+82% - 9.3 million vs. 5.1 million - Fox) and Adults 18-49 (+125% - 2.7/8 vs. 1.2/4 - Fox and NBC tied). For the 4th week in a row, ABC aired Thursday's Top 3 entertainment shows with Scandal (9.8 million and 2.9/9), How to Get Away with Murder (9.7 million and 2.7/9) and Grey's (8.4 million and 2.4/8). All three ABC dramas rank among the season's biggest gainers in TV Playback. The network held steady with its week-ago Thursday delivery in the Fast Affiliate numbers (9.5 million and 2.8/9).

ABC's Scandal is tracking as the week's top-rated broadcast drama in Adults 18-49.

'Scandal' Preview: Fitz Calls on Olivia to Clean Up a Family Mess

Scandal is new Thursday night on ABC.

Fitz calls on Olivia to clean up a family mess in this week's new Scandal, airing Thursday, October 16 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

In the episode, titled "Like Father, Like Daughter," Fitz asks Olivia to shut down a situation that could destroy the Grant family's reputation. Meanwhile, Rowan calls on an old friend to do his dirty work.

Watch a sneak peek video below:

Several Familiar Faces Return on Tonight's 'Scandal'

Scandal is new tonight on ABC.

Several familiar faces return on this week's new Scandal, airing Thursday, October 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

In the episode, titled "Inside the Bubble," an old friend (Sonya Walger) returns for help after her daughter goes missing, Cyrus has an awkward run in during a business breakfast, and Jake uses his connections to get some answers. Meanwhile, Mellie becomes obsessed with a national news story and David goes to great lengths to prove himself.

Watch a sneak peek video below:

Gun Control in Focus on 'Scandal' Tonight

"I don't do favors for the White House anymore," says Olivia Pope.

Fitz prepares for his State of the Union address on this week's new Scandal, airing Thursday, October 2 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

In the episode, titled "The State of the Union," in order for Fitz to make the biggest impact with his State of the Union address on gun control, Cyrus sets out to recruit a power couple (Mary McCormick and Josh Randall) who are influential on the issue. Meanwhile, Mellie's personal struggle gets national attention.

Watch a sneak peek video below: