As the latest meeting between the WGA and the AMPTP appears not to have sparked any optimism regarding the ongoing writers strike, it’s becoming more and more likely this year’s Fall TV season will ostensibly need to be scrapped. Which could mean very different futures for such projects as ABC’s established drama spinoff The Rookie: Feds, its in-development drama spinoff The Good Lawyer (which aired its backdoor pilot earlier this year), and its well-liked sitcom Home Economics. That particular trio was at the center of an update that addresses what each project’s chances are, depending on how long the strikes last.
Let’s dig into where things stand for each of them, noting that these issues are related to the impending expiration of the cast members' contractual options. SAF-AFTRA rules state that the hold period for such options is to be stretched out for the length of any work stoppages, which allows for slightly more wiggle room on the network's side.
The Rookie: Feds
After helping bring The Rookie some of its biggest Season 4 ratings in 2022, Niecy Nash's Simone Clark began heading up her own storylines for The Rookie: Feds, which started off slowly ahead of gaining more ratings momentum as the debut season went along. The numbers weren't enough to spark an instant renewal from ABC, however, and the show has been on the bubble since its May finale aired. Even Nash herself spoke positively about its Season 2 chances in June, but the network has been largely silent amidst the growing number of strike-related delays.
According to Deadline, the spinoff isn't in too rough a spot just yet, even as a project produced by the non-Disney-owned eOne. Because it was a freshman series going into the offseason, the contract options on the cast members won't be up until the end of October, which basically allows ABC execs to wait until December to come up with a concrete decision about Season 2. But the network could certainly made a choice before that time arrives, and the fact that The Rookie: Feds has made it this far on the bubble fence speaks to its chances.
The Good Lawyer
As a hopeful drama with only a backdoor pilot on The Good Doctor to its credit, the Felicity Huffman-starring spinoff The Good Lawyer has the most uphill road to travel in order to cement its spot in ABC's primetime lineup. Sony Pictures TV had another month for the cast members' options whenever the SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14, so that time would start up again at whatever point the strike would end. But it would definitely need to end sooner rather than later for such extensions to truly matter .
Because if the strikes carry on into October and November, that would put a far more serious damper on the creative team's efforts. The Good Laywer was being plotted for a spring premiere, but further delays would make that timing impossible to hit, and it's suspected that ABC execs would choose to pass on the project if that happens. But a quicker ending to the strikes would mean better chances of a series order.
Home Economics
As the most established series of the three, Topher Grace's Home Economics essentially has the least to worry about, even if its Season 4 return isn't yet set in stone. The cast options were reportedly extended for an extra two months whenever their initially expired on June 30, so the producers will have around six weeks or so to lock down deals if/when the strike conflicts are resolved.
Home Economics' chances of renewal are also helped along by the fact that it's a 30-minute series, rather than boasting the 60-minute time slots of the aforementioned dramas. As such, it has more latitude regarding how far into the traditional TV season it could debut, in that the cast and crew could feasibly church out episodes at a quicker pace than longer shows.
At the moment, fans have zero need to start mourning The Rookie: Feds, The Good Lawyer, or Home Economics, since ABC definitely would have canceled one or all of them had interest not been maintained behind the scenes. For now, though, head to our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see what all the networks are filling Fall Primetime with.
