ABC has ordered an additional two episodes each of veteran drama Grey’s Anatomy and comedies black-ish and American Housewife, expanding the seasons of each series from the regular 22 to 24 episodes. All three shows hail from ABC sibling ABC Studios.
In a genre that often commands limited-run seasons of 13-18 episodes a year –strategy employed by such high-profile dramas as NBC’s This Is Us, Fox’s Empire and ABC/Shondaland’s How To Get Away With Murder — Grey’s has been able to deliver suppressed seasons for most of its long run while remaining a ratings winner. Besides its original midseason run, 12 of Grey’s 13 subsequent seasons have consisted of 24 or 25 episodes each. The show, now in its 14th season, is about to cross the 300 episode mark.
American Housewife, a promising newcomer last season when it produced 23 episodes, has made a successful move to its high-profile new time slot this season, Wednesdays at 9:30 PM, behind Modern Family. Meanwhile, Kenya Barris’ black-ish, has done solid business holding up Tuesdays as new 9 PM anchor. Now in its fourth season, black-ish has had orders for extra two episodes every year, churning out 24 episodes a season.
