ABC Renews Two Hit Shows — Find Out Which Made the Cut

ABC is sticking with what works, handing out new season renewals to two comedies that are drawing real audiences—not just critical buzz. If you were bracing yourself for some surprise cancelations, relax: both 'Scrubs' and 'Shifting Gears' are officially coming back in 2027.

Big Numbers, Bigger Renewals

Let‘s talk viewership, because the numbers are actually impressive—especially for network television in an era when most people can‘t even find the remote.

• 'Shifting Gears': This one is now ABC‘s top-performing comedy in terms of people actually watching it live on TV—a rare feat in 2027. The show is pulling in 5.4 million viewers on ABC proper, and if you add in streaming, the audience jumps to around 7 million. Not too shabby for a sitcom with a dad-jokes premise.
• 'Scrubs': The revival launched with a ridiculous 9 million viewers across platforms, and wound up totaling 11 million in its first month. Apparently, nostalgia for snarky doctors never goes out of style.

Who‘s Actually In These?

'Shifting Gears' feels very much like classic network comfort food: Tim Allen plays a grumpy widower running an auto restoration shop, who suddenly has to deal with his estranged daughter (Kat Dennings) and two grandkids—because what else would you do with Tim Allen these days? Throw in Seann William Scott and Daryl 'Chill' Mitchell, and you‘ve got a cast ready for a ping-pong of sitcom punchlines. Created by Julie Thacker Scully and Mike Scully (both sitcom veterans), and run by Michelle Nader, this show got its start in 2025.

'Scrubs' is exactly what you‘d think: the full revival, with Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, Judy Reyes, and John C. McGinley all back, once again playing the doctors and nurses they turned into sitcom royalty. Bill Lawrence, the guy behind the original, is back as creator and exec producer, and Aseem Batra is steering the ship as showrunner this time. Braff, Faison, and Chalke have also signed up as producers, probably because no one wants to be left out of a good reunion payday.

Why ABC Pulled the Trigger

The short version: the viewership is just too good to pass up. When millions are tuning in for something that isn‘t sports or true crime, it only makes sense to double down.

'These are two of our best-performing comedies and there was never much doubt about their future. The renewals were driven by good old-fashioned ratings—how often do you get to say that these days?'

To sum up: if you had these sitcoms on your renewal bingo card, you‘re a winner. And if you love old-school network comedies that actually get watched, ABC wants to keep serving you more.