A heads up to any and all who are fans of ABC's lineup of Wednesday night comedies The Conners, Not Dead Yet and Abbott Elementary — all three shows are not airing new episodes on Wednesday, March 27. Instead, reruns for each show are going to air in their usual time slots, starting at 8 pm ET/PT.
This is going to be a multiple-week break for The Conners season 6, Abbott Elementary season 3 and Not Dead Yet season 2, as the next new episodes of the comedies are set to return on Wednesday, April 10.
But why are all three shows not new tonight and taking this extended break from airing new episodes? While ABC has not given an official reason, this is most likely a conscious decision by the network to ensure that all the shows keep running into May to align with the traditional end of the 2023-2024 TV season.
As many will remember, 2023 saw Hollywood actors and writers go on strike in pursuit of new labor deals with the studios. This caused a delay in TV shows returning in the fall like they typically would. Once the strike was settled, most shows opted for shortened seasons that began to air in January or February.
This is actually the second break that The Conners, Not Dead Yet and Abbott Elementary have gotten this season. Other ABC shows have also received one or multiple-week breaks from airing new episodes to make sure they continue to air until the end of the spring TV season, including The Good Doctor season 7, The Rookie season 6 and Will Trent season 2.
If you want to catch up with The Conners, Not Dead Yet, Abbott Elementary or any of the ABC shows, you can stream them on-demand on Hulu (which is now also available through Disney Plus for Disney Bundle subscribers).
And if you're curious about what lies in store for all of these shows when they return, here is a look at the synopsis for their next new episodes:
The Conners season 6 episode 7, "Smash and Grab and Happy Death Day"
"The hardware store experiences a smash-and-grab, and Dan and Jackie nab one of the culprits. Meanwhile, Beverly Rose learns a lesson in remembering loved ones who have passed while keeping their memories alive."
Not Dead Yet season 2 episode 7, "Not in the Game Yet"
"TJ asks Nell to play on the newspaper softball team. Lexi and Edward spend a weird version of quality time together, while Duncan runs into an old rival."
Abbott Elementary season 3 episode 9, "Alex"
"Jacob is shocked when he finds out his colleagues are not invested in his frequent email messages and haven't even been writing their own replies. Meanwhile, Gregory turns to Janine for help with a former student."
