History Creator / AmericanBroadcastingCompany

Starting in the New Tens, ABC started making a concerted push to diversify its primetime lineup, primarily focusing on sitcoms, leading to the creation of shows like ''Series/Blackish'', ''Series/{{Cristela}}'', and ''Series/FreshOffTheBoat''. While ''Cristela'' struggled in the ratings, ''Blackish'' and ''Fresh Off the Boat'' did well enough to be renewed. This success led to the network committing itself to develop shows that feature minorities underrepresented in American television. ABC has also found immense success with its "[=TGiT=]" block (Thank God It's Thursday, echoing the old [=TGiF=] block). ''Unlike'' "[=TGiF=]", "[=TGiT=]" is an all-drama block centered around ''Grey's Anatomy'', ''Scandal'' and ''How to Get Away With Murder.'' The block is also informally referred to as "Shondaland" as all three series come from the same executive producer, Shonda Rhimes. A ''fourth'' series, again from Shonda Rhimes, is set to arrive March 2016. It's also notable that the [=TGiT=]/Shondaland block also continues ABC's march towards being the leading network in on-screen diversity, including down to Shonda Rhimes herself and most notably with ''HTGAWM'''s Viola Davis who won a Primetime Emmy for her starring role. They have also begun to revive classic game shows in the summer as part of their "Summer Fun & Games" block (though some of the shows have also aired at other times), including ''Celebrity Series/FamilyFeud'', ''[[Series/{{Pyramid}} The $100,000 Pyramid]]'', ''Series/MatchGame'' and ''Series/ToTellTheTruth'' (the first two having aired on ABC for the much of the 70s, the third having been ABC's final daytime game from 1990-91); a revival of ''Series/TheGongShow'' joined them for summer 2017; followed by revivals of ''Series/PressYourLuck'' and ''Series/CardSharks'' two years later.

Then, in the [[TheSeventies '70s]], ABC hired Fred Silverman away from Creator/{{CBS}}. With Silverman's invention of the JiggleShow (with ''Series/CharliesAngels'' and ''Series/ThreesCompany''), loading the schedule with {{sitcom}}s (''Series/HappyDays'' and others), and the broadcast of several significant MiniSeries (''Series/{{Roots|1977}}'', ''Rich Man Poor Man''), sports events (''Monday Night Football'', ''Series/WideWorldOfSports'', the UsefulNotes/OlympicGames), and various other big-ticket spectacles (including the ''Sunday Night Movie'', which aired major theatrical features such as the Franchise/JamesBond films, and live events like the UsefulNotes/AcademyAwardsCeremonies), the network saw both its ratings position and its revenue skyrocket. By the end of the decade, it had become a dependable frontrunner and completely lost its "also-ran" cachet. Among the other things that helped this was the signing of several of NBC's affiliates in mid-sized markets, as their existing affiliates in those markets were, like their network, not strong performers (and several were on the less-desirable UHF band). Their news division, previously an also-ran, quickly gained ground late in the decade and into the next with the debut of staples like ''Series/ABCWorldNewsTonight'' (originally featuring a three-anchor rotation of Frank Reynolds, Max Robinson and Peter Jennings; Jennings ultimately became the sole anchor by 1983), ''Series/{{Nightline}}'' (intended as a temporary program to cover the Iranian hostage crisis), and ''Series/TwentyTwenty'' (though the latter had a disastrous debut that resulted in a hasty revamp).

In the [[TheFifties 1950s]], ABC was the traditional third-runner in the U.S. television UsefulNotes/{{ratings}}, usually finishing well in back of the other, more "senior" networks as many markets had no access to a dedicated ABC station in that era. (And even the markets that ''did'' have access to ABC programming usually ended up watching those shows at different times, as their local NBC or Creator/{{CBS}} affiliates would pick up ABC's shows and run them at odd or obscure hours; and if an ABC show had poor ratings, forget even that. Before a 1953 merger with United Paramount Theaters gave it some badly-needed cash, the network was pretty much in a race to bankruptcy with Creator/DuMont.) Starting in the [[TheSixties '60s]], however, ABC began to make up for this by targeting younger audiences with shows such as ''Series/AmericanBandstand'', ''Series/{{Batman|1966}}'', ''Series/TheModSquad'', and ''Series/{{Room 222}}'', as well as more traditional DomCom fare like ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'' and ''Series/TheBradyBunch''.

In the [[TheFifties 1950s]], ABC was the traditional third-runner in the U.S. television UsefulNotes/{{ratings}}, usually finishing well in back of the other, more "senior" networks as many markets had no access to a dedicated ABC station in that era. (And even the markets that ''did'' have access to ABC programming usually ended up watching those shows at different times, as their local NBC or Creator/{{CBS}} affiliates would pick up ABC's shows and run them at odd or obscure hours; and if an ABC show had poor ratings, forget even that. Before a merger with United Paramount Theaters in 1953 gave it some badly-needed cash, the network was pretty much in a race to bankruptcy with Creator/DuMont.) Starting in the [[TheSixties '60s]], however, ABC began to make up for this by targeting younger audiences with shows such as ''Series/AmericanBandstand'', ''Series/{{Batman|1966}}'', ''Series/TheModSquad'', and ''Series/{{Room 222}}'', as well as more traditional DomCom fare like ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'' and ''Series/TheBradyBunch''.

Then, in the [[TheSeventies '70s]], ABC hired Fred Silverman away from Creator/{{CBS}}. With Silverman's invention of the JiggleShow (with ''Series/CharliesAngels'' and ''Series/ThreesCompany''), loading the schedule with {{sitcom}}s (''Series/HappyDays'' and others), and the broadcast of several significant MiniSeries (''Series/{{Roots|1977}}'', ''Rich Man Poor Man''), sports events (''Series/MondayNightFootball'', ''Series/WideWorldOfSports'', the UsefulNotes/OlympicGames), and various other big-ticket spectacles (including the ''Sunday Night Movie'', which aired major theatrical features such as the Franchise/JamesBond films, and live events like the UsefulNotes/AcademyAwardsCeremonies), the network saw both its ratings position and its revenue skyrocket. By the end of the decade, it had become a dependable frontrunner and completely lost its "also-ran" cachet. Among the other things that helped this was the signing of several of NBC's affiliates in mid-sized markets, as their existing affiliates in those markets were, like their network, not strong performers (and several were on the less-desirable UHF band). Their news division, previously an also-ran, quickly gained ground late in the decade and into the next with the debut of staples like ''Series/ABCWorldNewsTonight'' (originally featuring a three-anchor rotation of Frank Reynolds, Max Robinson and Peter Jennings; Jennings ultimately became the sole anchor by 1983), ''Series/{{Nightline}}'' (intended as a temporary program to cover the Iranian hostage crisis), and ''Series/TwentyTwenty'' (though the latter had a disastrous debut that resulted in a hasty revamp).

'''Bold''' denotes ongoing or upcoming series.

* ''Series/DancingWithTheStars'' (2005-21)

* ''Series/TheDatingGame'' (1965-73; revival ''The Celebrity Dating Game'' 2021-present)

* ''Series/HoleyMoley'' (2019-present)

* ''Series/HomeEconomics'' (2021-present)

** ''Series/TheRookieFeds'' (2022-present)

** ''Series/{{The Wonder Years| 2021}}'' (2021-present)

ABC's "circle" logo, designed by Paul Rand in 1962 and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CWhyOw6Sko refreshed by Trollbäck+Company in 2021.]]]]

Also during the 1990s, Capital Cities/ABC was bought by Creator/{{Disney}}, the network's current owner, who during the first few years of their ownership played this up significantly (ie. replacing the previous Saturday-morning schedule with the Creator/{{One Saturday Morning| And ABC Kids}} block, putting ads for ABC programs on Disney, Touchstone and Miramax VHS tapes; early fears of it being rebranded "The Disney Network" were never realized), but this has since cooled down.

Starting in the New Tens, ABC started making a concerted push to diversify its primetime lineup, primarily focusing on sitcoms, leading to the creation of shows like ''Series/Blackish'', ''Series/{{Cristela}}'', and ''Series/FreshOffTheBoat''. While ''Cristela'' struggled in the ratings, ''Blackish'' and ''Fresh Off the Boat'' did well enough to be renewed. This success led to the network committing itself to develop shows that feature minorities underrepresented in American television. ABC has also found immense success with its "TGiT" block (Thank God It's Thursday, echoing the old TGiF block). ''Unlike'' "TGiF", "TGiT" is an all-drama block centered around ''Grey's Anatomy'', ''Scandal'' and ''How to Get Away With Murder.'' The block is also informally referred to as "Shondaland" as all three series come from the same executive producer, Shonda Rhimes. A ''fourth'' series, again from Shonda Rhimes, is set to arrive March 2016. It's also notable that the TGiT/Shondaland block also continues ABC's march towards being the leading network in on-screen diversity, including down to Shonda Rhimes herself and most notably with ''HTGAWM'''s Viola Davis who won a Primetime Emmy for her starring role. They have also begun to revive classic game shows in the summer as part of their "Summer Fun & Games" block (though some of the shows have also aired at other times), including ''Celebrity Series/FamilyFeud'', ''[[Series/{{Pyramid}} The $100,000 Pyramid]]'', ''Series/MatchGame'' and ''Series/ToTellTheTruth'' (the first two having aired on ABC for the much of the 70s, the third having been ABC's final daytime game from 1990-91); a revival of ''Series/TheGongShow'' joined them for summer 2017; followed by revivals of ''Series/PressYourLuck'' and ''Series/CardSharks'' two years later.

Not to be confused with the Creator/AustralianBroadcastingCorporation or with the Japanese network Asahi Broadcasting Corporation (Creator/TVAsahi's Osaka affiliate), which both have the same abbreviations. Likewise the former Creator/{{ITV}} station Associated British Corporation [[labelnote:†]](though their most famous series, ''Series/{{The Avengers|1960s}}'', did air in America on ''this'' ABC — the British ABC's name is spelled out in its VanityPlate)[[/labelnote]], as well as Associated Television (ATV), which was known as the Associated Broadcasting Company in its very early days until the ''other'' ABC complained.

* ''Series/MissionImpossible'' (1988–1990 revival; originally aired on CBS)

* ''Series/WaltDisneyPresents'' (1954–1961, 1986-1988, 1997-present)

Not to be confused with the [[Creator/TheABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] or with the Japanese network Asahi Broadcasting Corporation (Creator/TVAsahi's Osaka affiliate), which both have the same abbreviations. Likewise the former Creator/{{ITV}} station Associated British Corporation [[labelnote:†]](though their most famous series, ''Series/{{The Avengers|1960s}}'', did air in America on ''this'' ABC -- the British ABC's name is spelled out in its VanityPlate)[[/labelnote]], as well as Associated Television (ATV), which was known as the Associated Broadcasting Company in its very early days until the ''other'' ABC complained.

** ''Series/SecondChance'' (essentially an ObviousBeta for ''PYL''; March-July 1977)

Starting in the New Tens, ABC started making a concerted push to diversify its primetime lineup, primarily focusing on sitcoms, leading to the creation of shows like ''Series/{{Blackish}}'', ''Series/{{Cristela}}'', and ''Series/FreshOffTheBoat''. While ''Cristela'' struggled in the ratings, ''Blackish'' and ''Fresh Off the Boat'' did well enough to be renewed. This success led to the network committing itself to develop shows that feature minorities underrepresented in American television. [=ABC=] has also found immense success with its "[=TGiT=]" block (Thank God It's Thursday, echoing the old [=TGiF=] block). ''Unlike'' "[=TGIiF=]", "[=TGiT=]" is an all-drama block centered around ''Grey's Anatomy'', ''Scandal'' and ''How to Get Away With Murder.'' The block is also informally referred to as "Shondaland" as all three series come from the same executive producer, Shonda Rhimes. A ''fourth'' series, again from Shonda Rhimes, is set to arrive March 2016. It's also notable that the [=TGiT=]/Shondaland block also continues [=ABC=]'s march towards being the leading network in on-screen diversity, including down to Shonda Rhimes herself and most notably with ''[=HTGAWM=]'''s Viola Davis who won a Primetime Emmy for her starring role. They have also begun to revive classic game shows in the summer as part of their "Summer Fun & Games" block (though some of the shows have also aired at other times), including ''Celebrity Series/FamilyFeud'', ''[[Series/{{Pyramid}} The $100,000 Pyramid]]'', ''Series/MatchGame'' and ''Series/ToTellTheTruth'' (the first two having aired on ABC for the much of the 70s, the third having been ABC's final daytime game from 1990-91); a revival of ''Series/TheGongShow'' joined them for summer 2017; followed by revivals of ''Series/PressYourLuck'' and ''Series/CardSharks'' two years later.

* ''Series/{{Scandal}}'' (2012-18)

-->-- '''One of ABC's many yellow ad quotes'''

Then, in [[TheSeventies the 1970s]], ABC hired Fred Silverman away from Creator/{{CBS}}. With Silverman's invention of the JiggleShow (with ''Series/CharliesAngels'' and ''Series/ThreesCompany''), loading the schedule with [[SitCom sitcoms]] (''Series/HappyDays'' and others), and the broadcast of several significant MiniSeries (''Series/{{Roots|1977}}'', ''Rich Man Poor Man''), sports events (''Series/MondayNightFootball'', ''Series/WideWorldOfSports'', the UsefulNotes/OlympicGames), and other big-ticket spectacles (including the ''Sunday Night Movie'', which aired major theatrical features such as the Franchise/JamesBond films, and live events like the UsefulNotes/AcademyAwardsCeremonies), the network saw both its ratings position and its revenue skyrocket. By the end of the decade, it had become a dependable frontrunner and completely lost its "also-ran" cachet. Among the other things that helped this was the signing of several of NBC's affiliates in mid-sized markets, as their existing affiliates in those markets were, like their network, not strong performers (and several were on the less-desirable UHF band). Their news division, previously an also-ran, quickly gained ground late in the decade and into the next with the debut of staples like ''Series/ABCWorldNewsTonight'' (originally featuring a three-anchor rotation of Frank Reynolds, Max Robinson and Peter Jennings; Jennings ultimately became the sole anchor by 1983), ''Series/{{Nightline}}'' (intended as a temporary program to cover the Iranian hostage crisis), and ''Series/TwentyTwenty'' (though the latter had a disastrous debut that resulted in a hasty revamp).

ABC's run at the top stretched into [[TheEighties the 1980s]], but began to slip midway through that decade. The once-moribund NBC was experiencing its resurgence under Brandon Tartikoff, and hit shows like ''Series/ThreesCompany'' and ''Series/LaverneAndShirley'' were coming to an end. While ABC was still producing hit shows like ''Series/Dynasty1981'', ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'', ''Series/TheWonderYears'', ''Series/GrowingPains'' and ''Series/{{MacGyver|1985}}'', it was also producing bombs like ''[[Music/DollyParton Dolly]]'' and the Creator/LucilleBall {{sitcom}} ''Life with Lucy''. The network wound up being bought out by a media company only a tenth its size, Capital Cities Communications, in 1985 (they could not do it alone, though; Warren Buffett financed the purchase in return for a 25% stake in the company). After this, the network became more financially conservative (as its new owner had been known for prior to the purchase), tightening its purse strings and slowing investment in new series.

In [[TheNineties the 1990s]] and [[TurnOfTheMillennium early 2000s]], the network's only success story was its spectacular subversion of the FridayNightDeathSlot, the ''Franchise/TGiF'' comedy block on Fridays, which featured such shows as ''Series/FullHouse'', ''Series/FamilyMatters'' and ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld''. Hits on other nights, such as ''Series/ThePractice'' and ''Series/{{Alias}}'', were few and far between, and attempts to launch a hit RealityShow (like Creator/{{CBS}}' ''Series/{{Survivor}}'' and Creator/{{Fox}}'s ''Series/AmericanIdol'') proved to be embarrassments. It briefly enjoyed massive success with the hit GameShow ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'', until they started marketing the show to death by airing it ''four nights a week'', turning it from a megahit into [[CondemnedByHistory a punchline]] almost overnight.

The [[https://abc.com American Broadcasting Company]], owned by [[Creator/{{Disney}} The Walt Disney Company]] since 1996, was spun off from Creator/{{NBC}} (where it originated as the "NBC Blue" radio network) as the result of an antitrust ruling in 1943. It changed its name to ABC the following year, and launched its television network in 1948. Though its broadcasting facilities are located at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, the network's corporate offices have been based in New York City since the network's founding, with its current headquarters shared with flagship station WABC-TV on the Upper West Side of Manhattan since 1988.

In the [[TheFifties 1950s]], ABC was the traditional third-runner in the U.S. television UsefulNotes/{{ratings}}, usually finishing well in back of the other, more "senior" networks as many markets had no access to a dedicated ABC station in that era. (And even markets that ''did'' have access to ABC programming usually ended up watching those shows at different times, as their local NBC or Creator/{{CBS}} affiliates would pick up ABC shows and run them at odd or obscure hours; and if an ABC show had low ratings, forget even that. Before a merger with United Paramount Theaters in 1953 gave it some badly-needed cash, ABC was pretty much in a race to bankruptcy with Creator/DuMont.) Starting in the [[TheSixties '60s]], however, ABC began to make up for this by targeting younger audiences with shows like ''Series/AmericanBandstand'', ''Series/TheModSquad'', ''Series/{{Batman|1966}}'', and ''Series/Room222'', as well as more traditional DomCom fare like ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'' and ''Series/TheBradyBunch''.

Then, in [[TheSeventies the 1970s]], ABC hired Fred Silverman away from Creator/{{CBS}}. With Silverman's invention of the JiggleShow (with ''Series/CharliesAngels'' and ''Series/ThreesCompany''), loading the schedule with [[SitCom sitcoms]] (''Series/HappyDays'' and others), and the broadcast of several significant MiniSeries (''Series/{{Roots|1977}}'', ''Rich Man Poor Man''), sports events (''Series/MondayNightFootball'', ''Series/WideWorldOfSports'', the UsefulNotes/OlympicGames), and other big-draw spectacles (including the ''Sunday Night Movie'', which aired major theatrical features such as the Franchise/JamesBond films, and live events like the UsefulNotes/AcademyAwardsCeremonies), the network saw both its ratings position and its revenue skyrocket. By the end of the decade, it had become a dependable frontrunner and completely lost its "also-ran" cachet. Among the things that helped this was the signing of several of NBC's affiliates in mid-sized markets, as their existing affiliates in those markets were, like their network, not strong performers (and several were on the less-desirable UHF band). Their news division, previously an also-ran, quickly gained ground late in the decade and into the next with the debut of staples like ''Series/ABCWorldNewsTonight'' (originally featuring a three-anchor rotation of Frank Reynolds, Max Robinson and Peter Jennings; Jennings ultimately became sole anchor by 1983), ''Series/{{Nightline}}'' (intended as a temporary program to cover the Iranian hostage crisis), and ''Series/TwentyTwenty'' (though the latter had a disastrous debut that resulted in a hasty revamp).

In [[TheFifties the 1950s]], ABC was the traditional third-runner in the American UsefulNotes/{{ratings}}, usually finishing well in back of the other, more "senior" networks as many markets had no access to a dedicated ABC station in that era. (Even markets with access to ABC programming usually ended up watching those shows at different times, as their local NBC or Creator/{{CBS}} affiliates would pick up ABC shows and run them at odd or obscure hours; and if an ABC show had low ratings, forget even that. Before the merger with United Paramount Theaters in 1953 gave it some badly-needed cash, ABC was pretty much in a race to bankruptcy with Creator/DuMont.) Starting in [[TheSixties the 1960s]], however, ABC began to make up for this by targeting younger audiences with shows like ''Series/AmericanBandstand'', ''Series/TheModSquad'', ''Series/{{Batman|1966}}'' and ''Series/Room222'', as well as traditional DomCom fare like ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'' and ''Series/TheBradyBunch''.