ABC shuffles “Idol,” “Will Trent,” Bachelorette,” more

When the holiday season ends, ABC’s schedule will see some sharp changes:
— “American Idol” will be back … but only on Mondays. And this season’s “Hollywood Week” will be in Nashville, 2,004 miles from Hollywood.
— The long-delayed “Bachelorette” season will finally arrive in March … taking the Sunday spot that used to belong to “Idol.”
— There will finally be a full night of dramas on Tuesdays, with “Will Trent” (shown here) and “The Rookie” starting their seasons.
— And two other scripted shows are coming, one new (Scott Speedman as an ex-con private-eye) and one not (“Scrubs,” with the original cast).
The network opened its season with only six scripted shows — three dramas on Thursdays, two comedies on Wednesdays and “High Potential” on Tuesdays. It will need more when the seasons end for “Monday Night Football” and Tuesday’s “Dancing With the Stars.”
First, ABC has its annual plan of resting many of its shows in November and December. It stuffs that stretch with holiday shows and/or reruns, then heralds the “return” of shows in January. The 2026 plan includes:
SUNDAYS: “America’s Funniest Home Videos” returns Jan. 4. It’s at 7 p.m., leading into movies … until March 22. That’s when “The Bachelorette” arrives, after missing its usual summer spot. Now it centers on Taylor Frankie Paul, from Hulu’s “Secret Lives of Moron Wives.”
MONDAYS: “American Idol” arrives on Jan. 24, with changes that include a new judge (Carrie Underwood, taking over for Katy Perry) and more. “Hollywood Week” used to stretch for multiple episodes; this time, it will be one busy two-hour stretch in Nashville.
TUESDAYS: At last, there’s a second drama night. On Jan. 6, “Will Trent” and “The Rookie” start their seasons at 8 and 10 p.m., with “High Potential” returning at 9.
WEDNESDAYS: On Jan. 7, the only comedies (“Shifting Gears” and “Abbot Elementary”) return at 8 and 8:30. “Shark Tank” is at 10, with the 9 p.m. spot pending. And as the comedies run out of episodes, “Scrubs” will step in; it starts with two episodes Feb. 25.
THURSDAYS: On Jan. 8, the other drama night returns, with “9-1-1,” “9-1-1: Nashville” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”
FRIDAYS: “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” and “20/20” return at 8 and 9. But on Feb. 27, the opening spot will be replaced with what’s now billed as “Celebrity Jeopardy! All-Stars.”
SATURDAY: Pro basketball takes over at 8:30 p.m. ET, with the pre-game show at 8.