The WIT Analysis: ABC

NEW YORK: Shonda Rhimes’ new Thursday night drama, How to Get Away with Murder, led social-media interest in ABC’s new fall slate, according to analysis from media research company The WIT.

The new crime thriller from the creator of hits Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal features Viola Davis and is being showcased to international buyers this week by Disney Media Distribution. It led Facebook, Twitter and YouTube rankings among ABC’s upcoming shows and is the most anticipated new show of the season outside of Warner Bros. Television’s superhero, comics-inspired series. On Facebook the series generated about 70,000 likes, with about 125,000 interactions on the page in the last week. The trailer, viewed about 740,000 times, has been shared some 16,000 times on Facebook since its May 13 debut.

“ABC’s strategic move to create ‘Shonday’ nights (lining up Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder in Thursday prime time) is quite unanimously praised,” says The WIT’s Caroline Servy. “People expect a lot from the Viola Davis and Shonda Rhimes association, and are seduced by the dark and edgy vibe of the series.”

Second on The WIT’s social-media rankings for ABC’s new series is the comedy Fresh Off the Boat, inspired by Eddie Huang’s best-selling memoir, about a hip-hop loving Asian kid growing up in Orlando in the ‘90s. The show has generated the most interest among all the new comedies debuting in the 2014-15 season, with 101,000 interactions on its Facebook page and some 297,000 trailer views.

Servy notes that the show has generated “conversations about the Asian stereotypes used for the sake of comedy… [there are] a few sensibilities that have been hurt, but a vast majority find it funny.”

Also generating interest for ABC is the midseason replacement Galavant, a musical comedy fairy tale. “Galavant raises anticipation among a certain kind of audience (not the CSI type), keen to welcome this original, over the top, ‘ridiculous in a good way’ project,” Servy says. “Social media conversations are filled with excitement, nostalgic [movie references] (Princess Bride, Robin Hood: Men in Tights), or character spotting (a lot of comments about Detective Lassie [actor Timothy Omundson] from Psych playing the evil King with singing act). Although, some wonder how long the gimmicky charm will last. ‘Good for a movie but… will it hold on a full season?’”

For more on the upcoming U.S. fall season, check out our network-by-network and studio-by-studio recap here.