ABC Sets Fall Premiere Dates: DWTS, Shark Tank Lead Slate
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- "Dancing With the Stars" launches ABC's fall with a two-episode premiere Sept. 15, with celebrity contestants including Ciara Miller, Maura Higgins, and Jackson Olson.
- "Shark Tank" returns Sept. 30 with a two-episode premiere, adding Kendra Scott and Rashaun Williams to the regular panel and booking guest sharks including MrBeast, Mindy Kaling, J.J. Watt, and Steven Bartlett.
- "Scrubs" debuts its 11th overall season — the second of the reboot — on Sept. 30, the same night as the Shark Tank premiere.
- "Abbott Elementary" returns Oct. 7, followed Oct. 15 by a three-show Shonda Rhimes block of "9-1-1," "9-1-1: Nashville," and "Grey's Anatomy."
- "America's Funniest Home Videos" gets a two-episode premiere Sept. 27.
- NFL programming — Alabama A&M vs. Howard on Aug. 29 and Broncos at Chiefs on Monday Night Football Sept. 14 — leads ABC into its scripted and reality rollout.
Why it matters: ABC stacks its scripted premieres behind two weeks of NFL coverage, betting football's massive audience will carry viewers into DWTS and the Oct. 15 Shonda Rhimes Thursday block. The notable subplot: Shark Tank's guest-shark recruitment of MrBeast, J.J. Watt, and Mindy Kaling signals ABC is leaning harder into celebrity wattage to juice a veteran reality format.
