The WIT Analysis: ABC

NEW YORK: Bill Prady’s Muppets revival topped the social-media buzz charts for ABC’s upcoming fall season, according to new analysis from The WIT.

Slated to open Tuesday nights, The Muppets (distributed by DMD), from Big Bang Theory co-creator and veteran showrunner Bill Prady, is part of a wave of franchise revivals slated for the next U.S. network season. The official trailer logged 4 million cumulative views as counted on its official Facebook page and the ABC YouTube playlist (which was, unlike most rival networks, geoblocked and only available in the U.S.). The show is also number one in Facebook and Twitter fan bases of all upcoming ABC shows, with 95,000 likes and 11,000 followers as of May 20.

"The return of the classic Disney brand raises a lot of different feelings, as the new version is branded as a more adult version, for ‘kids of all ages,’” says The WIT’s Caroline Servy. “Beyond the unanimous excitement for these beloved characters coming back, there is also a lot of skepticism about the bold 'mockumentary' take on the format, voices raising to protect the legacy of the show and its family-friendly and heartwarming spirit."

Featuring the Stateside launch of Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra (who herself is followed by 14 million fans), the Tuesday night thriller Quantico (distributed by DMD) is ABC’s second most-anticipated upcoming show, with 1.5 million cumulative views for its trailer (Facebook/YouTube), and a growing fan base of 39,000 Facebook likes and 3,300 Twitter followers. In the two days following the Upfront, Quantico was the most-talked-about new ABC show on Twitter, with a solid 13,700 tweets (the third most commented across all networks).

"Beyond the casual sex scene shown in the trailer that offended some social media users and was commented as distasteful, the general feeling is overall positive about Quantico, with discussions revolving about the possible plot developments and the presence of Indian star Priyanka Chopra—and accidentally, about the Westernized name she was given in the series (Alex) which stirred quite a debate on YouTube,” Servy says.

Another thriller closes ABC's most anticipated list for the upcoming season, Shonda Rhimes' The Catch (distributed by DMD). Given the huge social-media presence of Rhimes’ own Scandal, the buzz around the new show is understandable. However, it generated less interest than last year's addition to ABC's TGIT lineup, How to Get Away With Murder. With a Facebook fan base of 20,000 likes as of May 20, the thriller pales in comparison with the 70,000 likes collected by How to Get Away With Murder over its first week. Similarly, it logged 100,000 trailer views as compared with Murder’s 700,000 views during the same period last year.

"We see a good fit for actress Mireille Enos, who was loved in The Killing and is welcomed positively by Shondaland's fan base,” Servy says. “Beyond that, it is still difficult to have a guess as to whether The Catch will prove a relevant successor for Revenge. Fans are undoubtedly excited about this upcoming project, but the general level of excitement is lower than before…somehow, a 'catch' seems to be missing."

Want more on the fall season lineups? Check out World Screen's 2015-16 season grid here.