The past week has been a big one for certain ABC series, as the network handed out sought-after renewal orders for a pair of its more light-hearted shows. And now that first-season smash hit High Potential is definitely returning for Season 2 to give Kaitlin Olson's Morgan plenty of new and complicated murder cases to figure out, I think we can star to make the mental moves to figure out the network's next big announcement.
High Potential And Abbott Elementary Were Renewed Back To Back
One of the biggest network debuts of 2024 in terms of viewership, High Potential continued building on those relatively massive numbers from week to week. But I can't imagine anyone expected the number of people watching the enjoyably quirky procedural to go up by literal millions.
The midseason finale's Tuesday-night viewership hit 3.36 million in November, while the midseason premiere on January 7 was watched by 5.69 million people on the evening. And the Live + 3 Day delayed totals only helped push those totals higher.
Meanwhile, Abbott Elementary hasn't regularly brought in viewer totals that line up with High Potential's, and the first half of Season 4 faced some series-low totals, with episodes dropping below 2 million live viewers for the first time. However, those totals skewed upwards after new episodes began airing again in 2025, with the midseason premiere topping out at 3.76 million, which was higher than High Potential's aforementioned fall finale.
As such, it makes all the sense in the world why ABC made the decision to officially renew Abbott and High Potential before January was even over. Fans knowing that both will continue will hopefully keep the numbers steady in the back half of their respective seasons.
With that pair used as a proof of concept, I think it's pretty easy to figure out what ABC series will be on the non-chopping block next with good news: Tim Allen's attempt to become sitcoms' Tom Brady.
Why I Think Shifting Gears Will Be Renewed ASAP
Years after ABC pulled the plug on Last Man Standing (which survived a few more seasons on Fox), the network put the Tim Allen train back on the tracks for the new sitcom Shifting Gears, with beloved co-stars like Kat Dennings, Seann William Scott and Brenda Song (among others) sharing the screen with the Home Improvement vet. And there hasn't been even a whiff of a mystery regarding audiences' interest, at least where the numbers are involved.
Shifting Gears is very easily the biggest new TV comedy of 2025, which Tim Allen himself celebrated, and I won't be surprised if it's still holding that title by the time 2026 rolls around. Just look at these totals for just its first three episodes.
| Episode | Live Viewership Totals | Delayed Viewing Totals |
| 1 - "Restoration" | 6.10 million (0.7 demo) | 7.38 million (0.8 demo) |
| 2 - "Accommodations" | 4.56 million (0.4 demo) | 6.15 million (0.6 demo) |
| 3 - "Job" | 4.61 million (0.5 demo) | Unknown |
Former network comedy champ The Conners is one of the biggest TV series ending in 2025, with the final season kicking off in March. Assuming Shifting Gears will serve as a lead-in or a follow-up on Wednesday nights, it could lead to a ratings bonanaza for ABC.
So without any theoretical downfalls in sight, I assume the paperwork and contractual details are already being worked out behind the scenes, with renewal news imminent for Shifting Gears. I wouldn't be surprised if Season 2 is ordered up before I even finish typing this senten...ce.
Shifting Gears airs Wednesday nights on ABC at 8:00 p.m., with new eps streaming the next day with a Hulu subscription.
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