Fall TV: New Series on ABC
by EG
Among the fall schedules of the major broadcast networks, ABC's is arguably the most daring, with only one new series based on a theatrical film, a trend that makes up the bulk of new offerings at some other networks, and a talking dog and a weird CGI character among its new stars.
The talking dog is the star of Downward Dog, a new comedy based on the now-defunct web series of the same name; it's about the travails of a young woman told from her dog's point of view. The strange CGI character is the star of Imaginary Mary, a comedy that also stars Jenna Elfman as a woman whose romantic life is complicated by her interaction with an imaginary friend. The two other new comedy series on the network's fall schedule will star Minnie Driver and Sarah Dunn.
The new series based on a movie is Time After Time, an adaptation of the 1979 time-travel action flick about Jack the Ripper. The other new drama series on ABC in the fall will include Conviction, a legal drama starring Hayley Atwell of the recently cancelled Marvel's Agent Carter; Designated Survivor, a political thriller starring Kiefer Sutherland, who won't be appearing in FOX's new spinoff of 24; Notorious, another legal drama; and Still Star-Crossed, a sequel to Romeo and Juliet from producer Shonda Rhimes.