CHICAGO – ABC announced their 2013-14 schedule this morning and revealed an aggressive slate of new programming, including four new comedies and four new dramas. Tuesday nights will be entirely new, anchored by “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”. Their hit shows aren’t really moving other than “The Neighbors” slidng to Friday nights and “Dancing with the Stars” downsized to one night. They also revealed that they will air a special based on the hit Pixar trilogy, “Toy Story of Terror,” in October 2013.
Full schedule below with an asterisk for new show. New show descriptions below that. “Suburgatory” is being held for mid-season.
MONDAY
7pm “Dancing with the Stars”
9pm “Castle”
TUESDAY
7pm “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”*
8pm “The Goldbergs”*
8:30pm “Trophy Wife”*
9pm “Lucky 7”*
WEDNESDAY
7pm “The Middle”
7:30pm “Back in the Game”*
8pm “Modern Family”
8:30pm “Super Fun Night”*
9pm “Nashville”
THURSDAY
7pm “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland”*
8pm “Grey’s Anatomy”
9pm “Scandal”
FRIDAY
7pm “Last Man Standing”
7:30pm “The Neighbors”
8pm “Shark Tank”
9pm “20/20”
SATURDAY
7pm “Saturday Night College Football”
SUNDAY
6pm “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
7pm “Once Upon a Time”
8pm “Revenge”
9pm “Betrayal”
NEW COMEDIES
“Back in the Game”
Terry Gannon Jr. (Maggie Lawson) was an All Star softball player until life threw her a few curve balls — a baby, a lost college scholarship and a loser for a husband. After striking out on her own, Terry and her son, Danny (Griffin Gluck), move in with her estranged father, Terry Sr., aka “The Cannon” (James Caan). The Cannon is an opinionated, beer-guzzling, ex-athlete who never quite made the cut either as a single father or professional baseball player. As hard as Terry tries to keep Danny away from the sports-driven lifestyle of her youth, Tommy wants to play Little League. His stunning lack of baseball skills (he doesn’t even know which hand the mitt goes on) makes him the laughing stock of the baseball field and of his grandfather’s living room. When Danny and a group of other athletically-challenged hopefuls fail to make the team, Danny’s disappointment forces Terry to face her past. So when a wealthy neighbor volunteers to finance a team for the rejected kids, Terry reluctantly offers to coach the team of misfits.
“Back in the Game” stars Maggie Lawson (“Psych”) as Terry, Jr., James Caan (“Las Vegas”) as Terry “The Cannon” Gannon, Sr., Lenora Crichlow (“Being Human,” “Fast Girls”) as Gigi, Griffin Gluck (“Private Practice”) as Danny, Ben Koldyke (“Big Love”) as Dick, Kennedy Waite (“I-Doll”) as Vanessa, J.J. Totah (“Jessie”) as Michael and Cooper Roth as David.
“The Goldbergs”
Before there were parenting blogs, trophies for showing up and peanut allergies, there was a simpler time called the ‘80s. For geeky 11-year-old Adam (Sean Giambrone) these were his wonder years, and he faced them armed with a video camera to capture all the crazy. The Goldbergs are a loving family like any other, just with a lot more yelling. Mom Beverly (Wendi McClendon-Covey) is a classic “smother,” an overbearing, overprotective matriarch who rules this brood with 100% authority and zero sense of boundaries. Dad Murray (Jeff Garlin) is gruff, hot-tempered and trying to parent without screaming. Sister Erica (Hayley Orrantia) is 17, hot, terrifying and not one to mess with. Barry (Troy Gentile) is 16, a grade-A spaz with classic middle child syndrome. Adam (Sam Giambrone) is the youngest, a camera-wielding future director who’s crushing on an older woman. Rounding out the family is beloved grandfather Al “Pops” Solomon (George Segal), the wild man of the clan, a shameless Don Juan who’s schooling Adam in the ways of love. When Pops buys a new sports car and offers his Caddy to middle child Barry, it’s enough to drive this already high-strung family to the brink of chaos.
“The Goldbergs” stars Wendi McLendon-Covey (“Bridesmaids”) as Beverly, Jeff Garlin (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) as Murray, George Segal (“Don’t Shoot Me”) as Pops, Hayley Orrantia (“The X Factor”) as Erica, Sean Giambrone as Adam and Troy Gentile (“Good Luck Chuck”) as Barry.
“Super Fun Night”
Junior attorney Kimmie Boubier (Rebel Wilson) and her two best friends, Helen-Alice (Liza Lapira) and Marika (Lauren Ash), have had a standing date every Friday night for the last 13 years. They even have a motto for what they call “Friday Night Fun Night”: “Always together! Always Inside!” However Kimmie’s recent promotion throws a monkey wrench into the tradition. Not only is she now working with her idol, “Lady Lawyer of the Year” Felicity Vanderstone (Kelen Coleman), but she meets a dashingly handsome British attorney, Richard Lovell (Kevin Bishop), who invites her to his party at a trendy club. Determined to spend time with Richard and heed Felicity’s advice to network, Kimmie sets out to convince her friends to take Super Fun Night on the road.
“Super Fun Night” stars Rebel Wilson (“Pitch Perfect,” “Bridesmaids”) as Kimmie, Lauren Ash (“Lars and the Real Girl”) as Marika, Liza Lapira (“Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23”) as Helen-Alice, Kelen Coleman (“The Newsroom”) as Felicity and Kevin Bishop (“Star Stories”) as Richard.
“Trophy Wife”
They say the third time’s the charm, and reformed party girl Kate (Malin Akerman) is hoping that’s true when she becomes Pete’s (Bradley Whitford) third wife. She fell into his arms (literally) at a karaoke bar, and a year later Kate’s got an insta-family, complete with three stepchildren and two ex-wives. Diane (Marcia Gay Harden) is ex-wife number one, an intense, over-achieving doctor and the mother of twin teenagers Hillary (Gianna LePera) and Warren (Ryan Scott Lee). Diane is quick to convey her withering disapproval of Kate’s barely tapped maternal instinct. Ex-wife number two, Jackie (Michaela Watkins), is mother to adopted son Bert (Albert Tsai), and can pull Pete’s strings with her special blend of neurotic, new-ageyness. Juggling all this baggage is uncharted territory for Kate, who finds support with her best friend Meg (Natalie Morales), a party-hearty singleton and the only woman Kate knows who has less experience with kids than she has.
“Trophy Wife” stars Malin Akerman (“Suburgatory”) as Kate, Bradley Whitford (“The West Wing”) as Pete, Marcia Gay Harden (“Into the Wild,” “Damages”) as Diane, Michaela Watkins (“Saturday Night Live”) as Jackie, Natalie Morales (“90210”) as Meg, Ryan Scott Lee (“Super 8”) as Warren, Albert Tsai (“How I Met Your Mother”) as Bert and Gianna LePera (“Modern Family”) as Hillary.
NEW DRAMAS
“Betrayal”
A chance meeting between photographer Sara Hadley (Hannah Ware) and Attorney Jack McAllister (Stuart Townsend) leads to an instant and undeniable attraction. Sarah’s husband, Drew (Chris Johnson), is a successful prosecutor with political aspirations, while Jack is married to Elaine (Wendy Moniz), the daughter of his boss, Thacher Karsten (James Cromwell). When Karsten’s brother-in-law Lou is murdered, all evidence points to Karsten’s son, T.J.(Henry Thomas). Jack, the company’s lead counsel, will have to defend him, but for Sara’s prosecutor husband, Drew, this is the kind of high-profile murder case that can secure his political future. Just as Sara and Jack’s affair is starting, the lovers find themselves in an impossible situation — on opposite sides of a murder investigation.
“Betrayal” stars Hannah Ware (“Shame,” “Boss”) as Sara, Stuart Townsend (“The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”) as Jack, James Cromwell (“Babe,” “American Horror Story”) as Thacher Karsten, Henry Thomas (“E.T.,” “Gangs of New York”) as T.J. Karsten, Chris Johnson (“The Vampire Diaries”) as Drew, Wendy Moniz (“Guiding Light,” “The Guardian”) as Elaine, Elizabeth McLaughlin (“The Clique”) as Val and Braeden Lamasters (“Men of a Certain Age”) as Vic.
“Betrayal” was written by David Zabel (“ER”) and directed by Patty Jenkins (“The Killing,” “Monster”) and is executive-produced by David Zabel, Rob Golenberg (“Red Widow”) and Alon Aranya. “Betrayal” is produced by ABC Studios.
“Lucky 7”
In Astoria, Queens, a group of seven gas station employees have been chipping into a lottery pool for months, never thinking they’d actually win. Money could solve problems for each of them: Matt (Matt Long) could get his girlfriend and two kids out of his mother’s house; Matt’s brother, Nicky (Stephen Louis Grush), an ex-con, could pay off a dangerous debt; Samira (Summer Bishil), a second-generation Pakistani immigrant, could afford to go to Juilliard; Denise (Lorraine Bruce), a plucky cashier, could focus on rebuilding her crumbling marriage; Leanne (Anastasia Phillips), a young mother, could help her daughter realize her dreams; Bob (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.), the store’s manager, could finally retire; and Antonio (Luis Antonio Ramos) could give his wife and kids a whole new life.
“Lucky 7” stars Isiah Whitlock, Jr. (“The Wire”) as Bob Harris, Matt Long (“Private Practice”) as Matt Korzak, Stephen Louis Grush (“Detroit 1-8-7”) as Nicky Korzak, Lorraine Bruce (“Eden Lake”) as Denise, Anastasia Phillips (“Stoked”) as Leanne, Summer Bishil (“Towelhead”) as Samira Rajpur, Luis Antonio Ramos (“The Ruins”) as Antonio Clemente and Christine Evangelista (“The Joneses”) as Mary.
Written by David Zabel (“ER”) and Jason Richman (“Detroit 1-8-7”), “Lucky 7” is executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, David Zabel and Jason Richman. The pilot was directed by Paul McGuigan. “Lucky 7” is produced by ABC Studios and Amblin Television.
“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
Clark Gregg reprises his role of Agent Phil Coulson from Marvel’s feature films, as he assembles a small, highly select group of Agents from the worldwide law-enforcement organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. Together they investigate the new, the strange and the unknown around the globe, protecting the ordinary from the extraordinary. Coulson’s team consists of Agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), highly trained in combat and espionage; Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen), expert pilot and martial artist; Agent Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker), brilliant engineer; and Agent Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge), genius bio-chemist. Joining them on their journey into mystery is new recruit and computer hacker Skye (Chloe Bennet).
“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Marvel’s first television series, is from executive producers Joss Whedon (“Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen, who co-wrote the pilot (“Dollhouse,” “Dr.Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”). Jeffrey Bell (“Angel,” “Alias”) and Jeph Loeb (“Smallville,” “Lost,” “Heroes”) also serve as executive producers. “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is produced by ABC Studios and Marvel Television.
“Once Upon a Time in Wonderland”
In Victorian England, the young and beautiful Alice (Sophie Lowe) tells a tale of a strange new land that exists on the other side of a rabbit hole. An invisible cat, a hookah smoking caterpillar and playing-cards that talk are just some of the fantastic things she’s seen during this impossible adventure. Surely this troubled girl must be insane, and her doctors aim to cure her with a treatment that will make her forget everything. Alice seems ready to put it all behind her, especially the painful memory of the genie she fell in love with and lost forever — the handsome and mysterious Cyrus (Peter Gadiot). But deep down Alice knows this world is real, and just in the nick of time the sardonic Knave of Hearts (Michael Socha) and the irrepressible White Rabbit (John Lithgow) arrive to save her from a doomed fate. Together the trio will take a tumble down the rabbit hole to this Wonderland where nothing is impossible.
“Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” stars Sophie Lowe (“Beautiful Kate”) as Alice, Michael Socha (“This Is England”) as Knave of Hearts, Peter Gadiot (“The Forbidden Girl”) as Cyrus, Emma Rigby (“Hollyoaks”) as Queen of Hearts and John Lithgow (“3rd Rock from the Sun”) as the voice of the White Rabbit.
 [9] | By BRIAN TALLERICO [10] |
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