Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, HTGAWM returns delayed
Natalie Abrams@NatalieAbrams / Updated January 10, 2017 at 12:25am EST
TGIT’s triumphant return has been delayed.
The winter premieres of Grey’s Anatomy and How to Get Away with Murder, as well as the season 6 premiere of Scandal have been pushed a week from Thursday, Jan. 19 until Thursday, Jan. 26 due to a pre-inauguration 20/20 special airing on ABC News.
The one-hour special, America’s First Family: The Trumps Go to Washington, will air at 10 p.m. ET, preceded by repeats of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal at 8 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET, respectively.
Publicly, ABC said the move was made to ensure TGIT would return with three original episodes. But it was clearly a late-breaking decision to add the news special since ABC had been promoting the Jan. 19 return of TGIT with an action-packed teaser that declares, “yeah, we kind of left you hanging last year.” Ratings on ABC’s Thursday lineup faltered this fall without Shondaland’s full lineup of hell-raisers so the return of Scandal — which will reveal whether Mellie or Frankie won the election — could provide a much-needed boost.
TGIT will officially return Thursday, Jan. 26, with Grey’s Anatomy at 8 p.m. ET, Scandal at 9 p.m. ET and How to Get Away with Murder at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.