ABC is moving up the premiere dates of its Thursday primetime dramas by one week. The network announced Tuesday that “9-1-1,” new series “9-1-1: Nashville” and “Grey’s Anatomy” will now premiere Thursday, Oct. 9.
ABC did not reveal a reason behind the schedule change, though premiere date shifts are not uncommon on broadcast television. The change also moves the dramas’ debut closer to the rest of ABC’s lineup, which kicks off its fall premieres on Sept. 16 with the returns of “Dancing With the Stars” and “High Potential.”
It’s unclear how many episodes “9-1-1: Nashville” will have for its inaugural season, though “9-1-1” and “Grey’s Anatomy” have both stuck with 18-episode orders.
“9-1-1” kicks off the Thursday night lineup, returning for Season 9 at 8 p.m.. The new episodes mark the first season without series star Peter Krause, with Captain Bobby Nash killed off in a late Season 8 episode this past spring. The series stars Angela Bassett, Oliver Stark, Ryan Guzman, Kenneth Choi, Aisha Hinds and Jennifer Love Hewitt.
“9-1-1: Nashville” is the latest entry into Ryan Murphy’s procedural universe, running at 9 p.m. The show will follow a new firehouse and cast of characters in the Tennessee city. The series stars Chris O’Donnell, Jessica Capshaw, Hailey Kilgore, Michael Provost, Juani Feliz, Hunter McVey, LeAnn Rimes and Kimberly Williams-Paisley.
“Grey’s Anatomy” ends the night at 10 p.m., returning for Season 22. The premiere will have a lot of questions to answer after the finale ended with an explosion at the hospital, leaving the lives of many beloved characters in peril. One positive development is that Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith decided to spend more time in Seattle moving forward, though it remains to be seen if that means more screentime for the beloved lead character.
