The Breakdown: ABC Thursday in 2023-24 (The Golden Bachelor, 9-1-1, Bachelor in Paradise and more!)

It's time for a journey through the ABC Thursday schedule in 2023-24...


fall

Year	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00	10:30	Avg
2022-23	Station 19		Station 19	Grey's Anatomy		Grey's Anatomy	Alaska Daily		Alaska Daily	95
	2022-23	116		116	115		115	56			56	95
2023-24	The Golden Bachelor		The Golden Bachelor	Bachelor in Paradise				Bachelor in Paradise	Bachelor in Paradise	Bachelor in Paradise	112 (+18%)
	2023-24	158 (+37%)		158.398678177389	89 (-22%)		89 (-22%)	89 (+61%)		89 (+61%)		112.268999196839
VsAvg	+52%		0.522185252520442	-30%		-0.297571809262519	-3%		-0.0308357924166194	+4%
Rank	6/25		6/25	18/25		18/25	13/25		13/25	13/25

ABC successfully expanded the Bachelor universe with the addition of The Golden Bachelor in the fall. It was one of the biggest entertainment programs on TV, posting nearly the same Plus as the winter edition of the Bachelor mothership (165). However, much of that audience did not stick around for a second straight fall season of Bachelor in Paradise, which tumbled significantly vs. last year in the Tuesday 8:00-10:00 slot.

winter

Year	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00	10:30	Avg
2022-23	Celebrity Jeopardy!		Celebrity Jeopardy!	The Parent Test		The Parent Test	The Chase		The Chase	92
	2022-23	134		134	81		81	61			61	92
2023-24	Press Your Luck		Press Your Luck	American Idol (R)		American Idol (R)	Will Trent (R)		Will Trent (R)	71 (-23%)
	2023-24	106 (-21%)		106.082309428285	69 (-16%)		69 (-16%)	39 (-36%)			39 (-36%)	71.1608038400917
VsAvg	+13%		0.132995976753659	-41%		-0.407892555279902	-52%		-0.516399082322275	-26%
Rank	9/25		9/25	20/25		20/25	23/25		23/25	19/25

ABC aired a wide collection of different stuff in this period, including a few Truth & Lies specials. This three-hour lineup never actually existed because the four Press Your Luck eps were in January/early February and the Idol/Trent reruns were later in February but I wanted to get the PYL numbers on here as they were a huge improvement vs. its Tuesday 10/9c fall numbers.

spring

Year	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00	10:30	Avg
2022-23	Station 19		Station 19	Grey's Anatomy		Grey's Anatomy	Alaska Daily		Alaska Daily	85
	2022-23	107		107	98		98	49			49	85
2023-24	9-1-1		9-1-1	Grey's Anatomy		Grey's Anatomy	Station 19		Station 19	111 (+31%)
	2023-24	143 (+34%)		142.65105584611	116 (+17%)		116 (+17%)	75 (+53%)			75 (+53%)	111.133847972489
VsAvg	+59%		0.593394940465731	-4%		-0.0352698143997508	-9%		-0.087498549958132	+14%
Rank	5/25		5/25	13/25		13/25	12/25		12/25	10/25

In mid-March came the long-anticipated move of 9-1-1 from Fox to ABC, where it very much remained one of the strongest scripted programs on broadcast. The big lead-in helped Grey's Anatomy, while Station 19 took a dive airing regularly in the 10/9c hour for the first time.

Rating the Ratings

Name	Lo	Avg	Hi	y2y	Plus	Label	Plusy2y	Results
The Golden Bachelor	0.4	0.60	0.8		158	big hit		detail
Press Your Luck	0.2	0.31	0.4		82	marginal		detail
9-1-1*	0.4	0.54	0.6	-10%	142	hit	+1%	detail
Bachelor in Paradise	0.3	0.34	0.4	-37%	89	marginal	-29%	detail
Grey's Anatomy*	0.3	0.43	0.6	-4%	112	solid	+8%	detail
Station 19*	0.2	0.28	0.4	-40%	74	marginal	-33%	detail

9-1-1: It's been a very consistent show throughout its run and a March premiere on a new network couldn't change that. Make it seven seasons and a row between 141 and 169. Grade: B+.

Grey's Anatomy: Don't think it's a big reach to say it was up in Plus because of the 9-1-1 pairing, but it's still a relatively fine result for a show coming off two straight double-digit declines. Grade: B-.

Station 19: The final season was announced before it premiered, so these ratings didn't seal its fate, and the big drop wasn't all that shocking in a move from 8/7c to 10/9c. Even its middling performance was stronger than pretty much any spring occupant in this hour since the Scandal days. Next season will see Grey's itself take on this hour, while the Ryan Murphy takeover continues with newbie Doctor Odyssey at 9/8c. Grade: C.

The names in this last table link to the shows' War of 18-49 pages. Links with an asterisk(*) have been updated with the new info. Updates to younger shows will come later in the summer.

Previous Breakdowns for ABC Thursday: 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23

Here's the now updated Schedules Plus for ABC Thursday.