ABC 2019-20 Renew/Cancel Wrap-Up: A Look at the Hits and Misses

ABC has finally decided the fates of all of their in-season scripted programs, with the last of their decisions being handed down on June 15. It's time for me to take a look at what I got right, what I got wrong, and look back at the ABC season that was. Below is my full chart of predictions for the season, with every show placed exactly where I last left them before their fates were decided.
Certain Cancellation:
Emergence (Canceled 5/21)

Likely Cancellation:
N/A

Leans Cancellation:
The Baker & the Beauty (Canceled 6/15)
Fresh Off the Boat (Canceled/Final Season 11/8/19)
Single Parents (Canceled 5/21)

Leans Renewal:
Bless This Mess (Canceled 5/21)
For Life (Renewed 6/15)
Mixed-ish (Renewed 5/21)
Schooled (Canceled 5/21)
Stumptown (Renewed 5/21)

Likely Renewal:
American Housewife (Renewed 5/21)

Certain Renewal:
Black-ish (Renewed 5/21)
The Conners (Renewed 5/21)
The Goldbergs (Renewed 5/21)
The Good Doctor (Renewed 2/10)
A Million Little Things (Renewed 5/21)
The Rookie (Renewed 5/21)
Station 19 (Renewed 3/11)

Renewed Before the Season Began:
Grey's Anatomy

Announced as Ending Before the Season Began:
How To Get Away With Murder
Modern Family

The Hits:

There were many obvious decisions this time around. The Goldbergs, The Conners, The Good Doctor, Station 19, The Rookie, Blackish and A Million Little Things were all obviously coming back, and there were never any signs to the contrary, at least not near the end. Only The Rookie and A Million Little Things spent any time outside of the Certain Renewal category this season. Emergence was the only clear cancellation, where a renewal would have absolutely blown my mind. American Housewife was less obvious, but didn't seem to have much to be worried about and was a hit.

The shows in the "leans" categories were significantly more difficult to make sense of. Their comedies all rated so similarly, and I didn't know what to do for much of the season. In the end, I predicted the renewal of Mixedish and the cancellations of Single Parents and long-running Friday sitcom Fresh Off the Boat. The Single Parents prediction was a key hit, having been a last-minute downgrade. I was less confident in For Life by the end but I ultimately predicted its renewal correctly. I was pretty sure Stumptown was doomed all season. That wasn't right, but I got the show correct in a last-minute upgrade to a renewal prediction. I also correctly surmised that The Baker and the Beauty was a goner, despite being less certain of that by season's end.

The Misses: 

I wasn't expecting ABC to be quite so prepared to pull the trigger on canceling comedies, thinking that ABC would hand out renewals to Schooled and Bless This Mess. Those renewals didn't come, which stung particularly badly because those were last-minute changes that I had doubts about, Mess more than Schooled.

Reflection and Looking Forward:

In the end, my prediction getting fifteen of seventeen shows right. With so many bubble shows, I easily could've had more misses than this, and I'm proud of that record. ABC had a big comedy problem this season that they've addressed in their new schedule. Uncertainty over a comedy cut led me to believe more comedies would be renewed than actually were, so at the very least my uneasiness over comedy predictions should be mostly solved going forward. I'm excited to see how ABC's new schedule plays out next year and I'll be back to predict all of their shows next season!

What were your predictions for ABC's 2019-20 programs? How do you think their 2020-21 season will play out? Let me know in the comments and make sure to vote in the polls below!



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