Strike-struck fall TV season gets a boost from reruns and reality shows.

By Lisa Richwine

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Broadcast television ⁢networks kick off the fall TV season this month ⁣with strike-depleted lineups featuring game shows, reruns and a 72-year-old widower looking for love in the ⁣reality TV dating pool.

ABC’s “The Golden Bachelor,” in which 22 women aged 60 to 75⁤ compete for⁢ the affection of a Midwestern grandfather, is among the unscripted series peppering prime-time schedules.

Over on ‍Fox, no-nonsense chef Gordon Ramsay will work double ⁢shifts​ with shows airing on two‍ nights. CBS extended summer reality favorite “Big Brother” so it could run into November.

Networks are trying to fill gaps created when⁤ Hollywood writers walked off the job⁢ in May, shutting ⁣down comedy and⁢ drama sets just as they were gearing up to ⁢film fall shows. Actors joined the picket lines in July for ⁣the first dual Hollywood work stoppage in 63 years.

The fall season has been a staple of ⁢American TV ​for decades, the time ⁣to roll out the⁤ best that broadcast TV has to offer.

“It’s going⁤ to be ⁣a patchwork of different ​genres and whatever they have in the can that they ‌can run,” media consultant Brad Adgate said of the broadcast schedules.

New episodes of scripted shows⁣ will be in much shorter supply. ABC’s hit comedy “Abbott Elementary,” Paramount Network’s top-rated⁣ drama “Yellowstone” and NBC’s long-running crime series “Law & Order”​ will show reruns.

ABC’s entire Thursday ⁣night lineup consists of game shows: “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune,” “Press Your Luck” and “The $100,000 Pyramid.” The Walt Disney-owned network⁣ has no​ new scripted ​programming on its fall ​schedule.

“Move over, Hot ⁣Labor Summer. It’s time for Sad TV Fall,” the Los Angeles Times wrote.

CATERING ‍TO OLDER VIEWERS

Broadcast television already​ faced major challenges as younger audiences ⁣switched to streaming.

The average age of ‌broadcast viewers was ​62, according to Nielsen data from November of last season, compared with 40 on streaming.

Today, the biggest drama on ⁢broadcast draws‌ around 10‍ million viewers, ⁢compared with‍ roughly‌ 20 million⁣ a decade ago.

Adding to the tumult, ABC has‌ gone dark in ⁤nearly‌ 15​ million homes because of‌ a‌ dispute between Disney and‍ cable TV provider Charter⁢ Communications.

While the strikes compounded problems for broadcast executives, they said ​they had planned ahead‍ and applied lessons learned when⁢ COVID-19 abruptly halted ⁣production, ⁣forcing them to rewrite schedules and seek overseas ⁢programming they could bring​ to U.S. audiences.

“We’ve navigated through the pandemic and that has helped us think about how to prepare for ⁤this,” said ‌Dan Harrison, executive vice president of program planning⁢ and content strategy for Fox Entertainment.

Fox ‌is bringing back Ramsay’s “Kitchen Nightmares,” which ended a decade‍ ago, on Mondays and will continue his⁣ “Hell’s Kitchen” series on⁣ Thursdays.

The network also will benefit from ⁢its recent focus on‍ adult animation. ‌Next to new ⁢episodes of “The‍ Simpsons,” “Family Guy” and “Bob’s Burgers,” Fox will introduce “Krapopolis” about a city ⁢run by a family of humans,‍ gods⁢ and ⁢monsters. Writing of those shows was completed ⁤well before the strikes because⁣ animation takes longer to produce.

Comcast’s NBC started some of its drama productions earlier than usual ⁢in ⁢preparation⁤ for a potential strike, said Steve Kern, senior vice president of​ program planning and strategy for NBC Entertainment.

NBC ‍has‌ scheduled fresh episodes of⁤ five scripted dramas, including “Magnum P.I.,” newcomer “Found” and a Canadian series, “Transplant.”

“Our schedule is⁣ largely returning intact,” Kern said.

One​ thing missing⁢ from⁤ NBC: new installments in creator Dick Wolf’s “Law & Order” ⁤and “Chicago” franchises. The network will air ⁢repeats.

‘YELLOWSTONE’ ⁤JOINS SUNDAY LINEUP

Despite the shake-ups, executives see opportunities.

Paramount Global‌ hopes to ‍turn new fans⁢ on to “Yellowstone,” which has been running on the Paramount Network cable channel and streaming on Peacock. ‍

The first season of the ⁤drama ⁤about a‌ wealthy ranch owner played by ‌Kevin Costner will air on CBS, also owned by Paramount, after “Sunday Night Football” and “60​ Minutes.” ‌

For scripted​ shows, CBS will run the British edition​ of hit comedy “Ghosts,” and the first international version‌ of the “NCIS” franchise, set ⁣in Sydney.

Viewers can turn to streaming services⁢ for new series,⁤ though they too have seen popular dramas such ⁤as “Stranger Things” and “Euphoria” shut down ​by the strikes.

Netflix just released “One Piece,” a live-action adaptation of the Japanese manga series about pirates, and Apple TV+ will release⁣ a new season of “The Morning Show”⁤ next week. A reboot of “Frasier” ⁤starring Kelsey Grammer will debut on Paramount+ in November.

(Reporting by Lisa ‍Richwine; ⁤Editing by Mary Milliken and Jonathan⁣ Oatis)

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