‘DWTS’ Season 35 release date confirmed as ABC reveals Fall 2026 schedule for ‘Shark Tank’, ‘Scrubs’, and more
ABC has finally completed the fall TV scheduling puzzle. As the last of the four major broadcast networks to reveal its 2026 lineup, the network has confirmed when viewers can expect returning dramas, comedies, and reality favorites to make their way back to primetime. Leading the charge is ‘Dancing With the Stars’ (DWTS), which will kick off the fall lineup with a special two-night premiere event. The ballroom competition returns for Season 35 on September 15 at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the second half of its opening event on September 16 at 8 p.m. ET. Immediately after the September 15 premiere of ‘DWTS’, ABC will roll into the second season of ‘R.J. Decker’. The crime drama returns that same night at 10 p.m. ET, making it one of the first scripted series to rejoin the network’s fall schedule.
September wraps up with a pair of fan-favorite shows sharing Wednesday night. The revival of ‘Scrubs’ returns for Season 2 on September 30 at 8 p.m. ET. Once the laughs are over, investment pitches take over as ‘Shark Tank’ begins Season 18 at 9 p.m. ET on the same evening. October starts with another returning game show. ‘Celebrity Wheel of Fortune’ is set to begin Season 7 on October 2 at 8 p.m. ET. The following week, ABC adds one of its biggest comedy hits back into the mix. ‘Abbott Elementary’ returns for Season 6 on October 7 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The network has also reserved one night in October almost entirely for first responders and hospital staff. On October 15, ‘9-1-1’ opens the evening with its Season 10 premiere at 8 p.m. ET. The action continues an hour later when ‘9-1-1: Nashville’ begins Season 2 at 9 p.m. ET.
Wrapping up the night is one of ABC’s longest-running dramas, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, which returns for Season 23 at 10 p.m. ET. While plenty of shows have secured fall dates, not every returning favorite will be back before the end of the year. ABC had already shared during its upfront presentation in May that several series would skip the fall schedule and instead return during midseason. That list includes ‘The Bachelor’, ‘High Potential’, ‘The Rookie’, its new spinoff ‘The Rookie: North’, ‘Shifting Gears’ and ‘Will Trent’. Moreover, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’s’ untitled Texas-set spinoff has been pushed to a midseason premiere as well. ABC also moved the next season of ‘Celebrity Jeopardy!’ to the same part of the schedule.
