This was posted Friday, May 11 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
ABC this season had one big new hit in "The Good Doctor," a big comeback with "Roseanne" and a decent return in "American Idol."
But most ABC's other freshman offerings failed to find big enough audiences so the cancellations came fast and furious today: "Deception," "The Crossing," "Ten Days in the Valley," "The Mayor," "Alex Inc.," "Marvel's Inhumans" and the Atlanta-produced show "Kevin (Probably) Saves the World."
"Kevin," which starred Jason Ritter, is part of a line of shows over the years that have dabbled in spiritual whimsy but couldn't click with viewers to last for long. (An exception: "Touched By An Angel.") It was sweet but relied heavily on Ritter's likability. It was also the only ABC show shot in Atlanta.
ABC ended three long-running shows "The Middle," "Once Upon a Time" and "Scandal" and two that had multiple seasons: “Quantico” (three seasons) and “Designated Survivor” (two seasons). None are in any position to come back like, say, Fox's "Brooklyn Nine Nine."
Both "Black-ish" and ”Fresh Off the Boat" were on the bubble but made the cut for fifth seasons. Veterans such as "Grey's Anatomy" and "Modern Family" easily received renewal tickets, along with "Speechless," "How to Get Away With Murder" and "The Goldbergs." Among newcomers, "Station 19" and "Splitting Up Together" survived. Right now, among scripted shows, only "For the People" and "Marvel's Agents of Shield" are outstanding.
Most major reality shows on ABC are coming back including "Gong Show," "America's Funniest Home Videos," "The Bachelor" and "Dancing With the Stars." Still up in air: "Boy Band," "Battle of the Network Stars" and "Match Game."
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