Yahoo News ‘Home Economics’ Canceled at ABC
ABC has canceled its comedy Home Economics — one of just two shows from the network’s 2022-23 slate that was still in limbo — after three seasons.
Additionally, ABC has pushed High Potential, a crime drama starring Kaitlin Olson, to a fall 2024 debut after initially ordering it for this season. Dual strikes by writers (which ended this week) and actors during the summer and fall have caused significant shuffling of broadcast network schedules already, and there will likely be more moves as the window for producing new episodes for 2023-24 tightens.
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Home Economics had the smallest Nielsen-measured audience among the five ABC comedies that aired during the regular September-to-May season in 2022-23. It averaged 2.92 million viewers per episode over seven days, along with a 0.55 rating among the key ad demographic of adults 18-49 (figures don’t include streaming). ABC Signature and Lionsgate Television produced the series, which revolves around three adult siblings (Topher Grace, Caitlin McGee and Jimmy Tatro) and their families.
The series was one of two in limbo at ABC over the summer. The other, The Rookie: Feds, is still awaiting word on its fate as broadcasters reassess their needs with writers able to work again but actors still on the picket lines. (SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, representing media companies, are scheduled to resume negotiations Oct. 2.)
The cancellation of Home Economics leaves ABC with three comedies on its 2023-24 roster at the moment: Abbott Elementary, The Conners and second-year show Not Dead Yet. The network passed on two other comedy pilots in the spring.
As for High Potential, it was the only new series order ABC made at its upfronts in May. The drama from creator Drew Goddard is based on a French show and stars Olson as a single mom with an exceptional mind whose unconventional knack for solving crimes leads to an unusual and unstoppable partnership with a by-the-book seasoned detective (Daniel Sunjata). Javicia Leslie, Deniz Akdeniz, Amirah J, Matthew Lamb and Judy Reyes also star.
Even should the SAG-AFTRA strike end relatively soon (actors have been striking for 11 weeks), it’s unlikely any scripted series would be back on the air before early 2024. With five returning dramas (The Good Doctor, Grey’s Anatomy, The Rookie, Station 19 and Will Trent) and the addition of former Fox series 911, ABC will likely be set for the remainder of the current season and can hold off on launching High Potential rather than try to open it amid what could be a crush of returning shows in the first part of next year.
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