Television production was more or less at a standstill for months due to the WGA writers strike followed by the SAG-AFTRA actors strike. After the writers strike finally ended in late September, the actors strike concluded on November 9 when a deal was struck with the AMPTP. This means it's just a matter of time before TV's biggest shows are back, and some details are already available about when we can expect some of them, including Abbott Elementary, Chicago P.D., Grey's Anatomy, NCIS, and more.
Networks wasted no time in preparing shows to get back into production after news that the strike would end on November 9. Deadline reports that casts and crews began getting updates about start dates minutes after the SAG-AFTRA announcement. The outlet shared a list of shows that are expected to begin production for the 2023-2024 TV season before the end of the year, and it's worth getting excited about.
Shows Starting In November
NBC's comedy Night Court, which was a hit right out of the gate with its premiere early in the 2023 TV schedule, will reportedly begin production on Season 2 on Wednesday, November 15. This is an interesting target date, as it presumably either means Night Court beginning production briefly before going on Thanksgiving break or working through Thanksgiving. Deadline previously reported that comedies were considering filming six-day weeks to finish episodes ASAP.
Beginning this early likely means Night Court will be back in time for midseason, which is generally no later than March. Returning shows are expected to need 3-6 weeks of pre-production and prep before filming can begin, and new episodes aren't likely any sooner than mid-February. A slew of other projects are expected to begin production after Thanksgiving, with multiple aiming for Monday, November 27. Take a look at the list so far:
- Abbott Elementary/ABC
- The Rookie/ABC
- Grey's Anatomy/ABC
- Bob Hearts Abishola/CBS
- NCIS/CBS
- Tracker/CBS
- Young Sheldon/CBS
- The FBIs (FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, FBI: International)/CBS
- The Equalizer/CBS
- Blue Bloods/CBS
- One Chicago (Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Chicago Med)/NBC
- The Law & Orders (Law & Order, SVU, Organized Crime)/NBC
- The Irrational/NBC
- Quantum Leap/NBC
- Pretty. Little Liars/Max
- The Sandman/Netflix
- Apples Never Fall/Peacock
- Chucky/Syfy
The late November start date may be after Thanksgiving, but shouldn't prevent these series from returning in midseason of the 2024 TV schedule. It's worth noting that comedies were expected to be ready sooner than dramas back when the WGA writers strike ended; whether that means shows like Abbott Elementary and Young Sheldon will be back earlier than Grey's Anatomy, One Chicago, and NCIS remains to be seen. A lot has happened since the writers went back to work in late September.
Grey's Anatomy was previously said to be aiming for a ten-episode new season, but the nine shows of Wolf Entertainment – the three FBIs, the three Law & Orders, and the three One Chicago – were aiming for 13. A 13-episode season isn't necessarily out of the question for projects that are returning before the end of November.
Shows Starting In December
Another batch of series will be back later, although still before the end of the year and early enough for potentially more than ten episodes. These are expected to begin in early December:
- The Cleaning Lady/Fox
- All American/The CW
- 9-1-1/ABC
- Will Trent/ABC
- Ghosts/CBS
- The Neighborhood/CBS
- Alert: Missing Persons Unit/Fox
- Duster/Max
- Grown-ish/Freeform
- Hysteria/Peacock
These projects presumably won't make it as far in their new seasons as those that are beginning before or shortly after Thanksgiving, but there should be time for a midseason return to primetime or streaming debut. At the time of writing, no shows have been confirmed to begin in mid-to-late December or January, but starting that late could mean that only ten-episodes could be produced for the 2023-2024 TV season. It would also likely mean a late midseason or spring premiere.
So, while it may be some time before we get any official start dates, all signs at this point suggest that shows that begin production before the end of the year could complete 10-13 episodes for the current TV season, with returns around or after mid-February. A lot can change in the coming weeks, however, so stay tuned for updates!
