Yahoo News Pat Sajak’s Final ‘Celebrity Wheel of Fortune’ Season Added to Monday Nights As ABC Announces Fall Premiere Dates
ABC is revealing more of its Monday night plans this fall, as it returns to airing just a handful of NFL Monday Night Football games — leaving the night open for other series as well. The Alphabet network is set to announce at the Television Critics Assn. press tour on Wednesday that “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,” featuring Pat Sajak’s final turn as host, will air on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET starting Oct. 7. It will then be followed by the return of the Elizabeth Banks-hosted “Press Your Luck” on the night at 9 p.m.
Still up in the air: The 10 p.m. slot on non-football Mondays. “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,” “Press Your Luck” and the unnamed 10 p.m. show will air on weeks that “Monday Night Football” doesn’t run on ABC. The plan for now is simulcasts with either ESPN or ESPN+ (or both) starting on Sept. 9 with the New York Jets at San Francisco 49ers. ABC will also air regular NFL Monday games on Sept. 23, Sept. 30, Oct. 28, Dec. 9, Dec. 16 and Dec. 30.
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The Monday scheduling update comes as ABC announced its fall premiere dates. Things kick off on Tuesday, Sept. 17 with the return of “Dancing With the Stars” (simulcast with Disney+) and the premiere of the new Kaitlin Olson starrer “High Potential.”
On Wednesdays, “The Golden Bachelorette” premieres on Sept. 18, while the comedy “Abbott Elementary” and ABC News Studios series “Scamanda” join the night on Oct. 9.
The Thursday night “Thank God It’s Ryan and a Bit of Shonda” sked, with “9-1-1,” frosh “Doctor Odyssey” (with Joshua Jackson and Don Johnson) and legacy hit “Grey’s Anatomy” launches Sept. 26. On Fridays, “20/20” returns on Sept. 20 and “Shark Tank” is back Oct. 18.
On Sundays, “America’s Funniest Home Videos” is back for Season 35 on Sept. 29, along with “The Wonderful World of Disney,” which kicks off with the “world television premiere” of the live-action “The Little Mermaid.” Additional films this season include the world television premieres of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and “Haunted Mansion,” as well as the broadcast premiere of “Hocus Pocus 2.”
Still on tap for midseason bows (or who knows, maybe that Monday at 10 p.m. slot) are dramas “The Rookie” and “Will Trent,” as well as the final season of “The Conners.” Also on deck are unscripted players “American Idol,” “The Bachelor,” “Celebrity Jeopardy!,” “What Would You Do?” and the new take on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” hosted by The Home Edit’s Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin.
Here is ABC’s fall schedule premiere dates:
SATURDAY, AUG. 24
7:30 p.m. College Football
TUESDAY, SEPT. 17
8:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars” (simulcast on Disney+)
10:00 p.m. “High Potential” (new drama)
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18
8:00 p.m. “The Golden Bachelorette” (new unscripted_
FRIDAY, SEPT. 20
9:01 p.m. “20/20” (two hours)
THURSDAY, SEPT. 26
8:00 p.m. “9-1-1”
9:00 p.m. “Doctor Odyssey” (new drama)
10:00 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy”
SUNDAY, SEPT. 29
7:00 p.m. “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
8:01 p.m. “The Wonderful World of Disney”
MONDAY, OCT. 7
8:00 p.m. “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune”
9:00 p.m. “Press Your Luck”
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 9
9:30 p.m. “Abbott Elementary”
10:02 p.m. “Scamanda” (new unscripted)
FRIDAY, OCT. 18
8:00 p.m. “Shark Tank”
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