ABC has dominated Thursday night programming for two decades, basically, led by the unstoppable machine of Grey's Anatomy, but Tuesday nights are also a sneaky good night for the network. It sounds like ABC has big plans to make Tuesday night even better.
This fall, ABC has new episodes of Dancing With The Stars at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Tuesday nights, followed by one of its biggest and best shows, High Potential, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Then, in early 2026, ABC is rolling out new episodes of High Potential, The Rookie, and Will Trent, three of the network's most popular shows in key demographics.
Stacking that Tuesday night lineup is all by design, according to a report from Deadline. Disney Television Group President Craig Erwich opened up about Tuesday nights and why it's so important to ABC's vision.
Here's what Erwich said about ABC's Tuesday night programming:
“And when you bring in High Potential to that Tuesday night, it just creates a powerhouse night. Television, in many ways, is still about nights. People ask, What am I going to watch tonight? And ABC has had so many signature nights of television. Over the last 20 some odd years, it’s been Thursday night — now with Grey’s and 911— and Tuesday night has become really a must-see destination night of television for our viewers.”
It makes a lot of sense for ABC to continue to make big investments in its Tuesday night lineup. As the Deadline report mentioned, ABC views High Potential as one of its most successful shows, and it's just one season into what will likely be an incredible run on the network known for incredible, long-running TV shows. High Potential season 2 will have more episodes, too, so the network will get more nights with all three shows.
The Rookie and Will Trent are no slouches, either. When they return at the midseason in the middle of High Potential's new season, that's going to be an incredibly strong night of TV. It's a big swing putting so many good shows on one night of the week, but again, this is a strategy that's worked well for ABC in the past and will likely continue into the future.
Looking at ABC's competitors, I don't think there's any doubt which network is going to dominate Tuesdays next TV season. NBC is basically opting out of scripted coverage on that night. The NBA will make up NBC's Tuesday slate from October through April and into May, as well. FOX has a limited lineup on Tuesday nights. CBS is basically ABC's only competition on Tuesday, and that's CBS's NCIS block. So, if you don't like NCIS but you like scripted dramas on broadcast, you're probably going to be watching ABC.
It's definitely a good spot to be in, but it would probably work even better if Tuesdays were The Rookie, Will Trent, and High Potential beginning in the fall. Of course, that's not the case with Dancing With The Stars airing during the fall on Tuesdays, but that's another spot where ABC has virtually no competition, too.
We'll continue to share updates as we find out, but ABC fans can sleep well knowing the network has them covered on Tuesday nights next TV season.