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ABC Pulls Bachelor Franchise Over Violence Allegations

5/13/2026

Summary

ABC Pulls Bachelor

ABC removed the Bachelor franchise series from its fall 2026 schedule after violence allegations against Taylor Frankie Paul.
The Bachelorette season was pulled before launch, with VP Ari Goldman saying ABC will focus on its flagship Bachelor series and retain Bachelor In Paradise for next summer.
ABC’s fall 2026 lineup will feature Monday Night Football, Disney’s Wonderful World, and scripted series High Potential, Shifting Gears and The Rookie: North for mid-season/2027.

Summary

ABC Renews All

The network renewed every scripted series, a first since its 1948 inception.
Four of the five top-rated 18-49 shows and the top three 18-34 shows came from ABC.
The Tuesday crime-procedural block was branded ‘Tuesday Cluesday’ in January 2025.
R.J. Decker never dropped below 3 million linear viewers and saw its biggest streaming week after the finale.
The Scrubs revival was the season’s No.1 new comedy on multiplatform and linear 18-49.

Summary

Decker Encore

ABC will air a “linear encore” of R.J. Decker’s season, nine episodes over three Tuesdays this summer.
ABC will pair the encore with a campaign to bring new viewers up to speed and will trim episode orders for existing series.
ABC says the fall return of R.J. Decker as lead-in after Dancing with the Stars will not affect content while expanding streaming libraries.

History

Historical Context

In 2004 ABC, struggling after a ratings dip, launched Lost, whose pilot cost over $14 million and drew 18.6 million viewers, reviving the network’s fortunes. The series later pioneered online distribution with a free streaming trial in May-June 2006. That legacy of hit-drama and digital experimentation underpins ABC’s current strategy of re-airing R.J. Decker while expanding streaming extensions.

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ABC Pulls Bachelor

ABC removed the Bachelor franchise series from its fall 2026 schedule after violence allegations against Taylor Frankie Paul.
The Bachelorette season was pulled before launch, with VP Ari Goldman saying ABC will focus on its flagship Bachelor series and retain Bachelor In Paradise for next summer.
ABC’s fall 2026 lineup will feature Monday Night Football, Disney’s Wonderful World, and scripted series High Potential, Shifting Gears and The Rookie: North for mid-season/2027.

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