ABC Family Announces January 2015 Premiere Dates, Time Slot Changes
ABC Family has revealed the premiere dates for its January 2015 lineup, and it features some shuffling around in the schedule.
Right up front, the network confirmed Pretty Little Liars will return on Tuesday, January 6 at 8:00 PM ET/PT. ABC Family will air a special Pretty Little Liars marathon that day starting at noon, leading into the big premiere. However, we'll be getting a new episode before the big premiere, as ABC Family will also air a special holiday episode of Pretty Little Liars on Tuesday, December 9th at 8:00 PM ET/PT, during its month-long 25 Days of Christmas programming block.
However, the big news here is that after the failure of Twisted, ABC Family has finally realized that no new show is going to be a success in the post-PLL time slot. So how are they going to fill that time slot now? By placing one of its more popular shows in that 9:00 PM hour.
Switched At Birth will return for season four on a new night: Tuesday, January 6, 9:00PM ET/PT, immediately following the Pretty Little Liars premiere. Bess Armstrong (My So-Called Life) and Max Adler (Glee) have been confirmed as recurring guest stars for this season of the show, which will air a new episode sooner than expected: much like with Pretty Little Liars, ABC Family will premiere a special holiday episode of Switched At Birth on Monday, December 8 from 9:00 PM ET/PT.
Melissa & Joey and Baby Daddy, both in their fourth seasons, will return with all new episodes on Wednesday, January 14 in their regular time slots: Melissa & Joey will bow at 8:00 PM ET/PT followed by Baby Daddy at 8:30 PM ET/PT. In addition to a mini-marathon leading into the premiere, ABC Family will also air a holiday episode of Melissa & Joey on Wednesday, December 10th at 8:00 PM ET/PT, to be followed immediately by the Baby Daddy holiday episode. Yes, ABC Family takes Christmas very seriously. And considering the popularity of their 25 Days of Christmas block, it's not exactly a bad move on their part, what with Christmas fever in the air. Lord knows, I'm already getting hyped for the holidays.
Lastly, both The Fosters and Chasing Life will return on Monday, January 19. However, there will be a time slot change for The Fosters, which is moving to 8:00 PM ET/PT, an hour earlier than its previous time slot. Chasing Life will inherit the 9:00 PM ET/PT time slot. But, once again, we're only about a month away from a brand new episode: a special holiday episode of The Fosters will air on Monday, December 8 at 8:00 PM ET/PT, while the Chasing Life holiday episode will air on Tuesday, December 9th at 9:00 PM ET/PT.
See what I mean? Christmas = serious business. And I love it.
Credit: ABC Family
To recap, the schedule is...
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6
Pretty Little Liars (8:00 PM ET/PT) Switched At Birth (9:00 PM ET/PT)WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14
Melissa & Joey (8:00 PM ET/PT) Baby Daddy (8:30 PM ET/PT)MONDAY, JANUARY 19
The Fosters (8:00 PM ET/PT) Chasing Life (9:00 PM ET/PT)HOLIDAY EPISODES
The Fosters (Monday, December 8th at 8:00 PM ET/PT) Switched At Birth (Monday, December 8th at 9:00 PM ET/PT) Pretty Little Liars (Tuesday, December 9th at 8:00 PM ET/PT) Chasing Life (Tuesday, December 9th at 9:00 PM ET/PT) Melissa & Joey (Wednesday, December 10th at 8:00 PM ET/PT) Baby Daddy (Wednesday, December 10th at 8:30 PM ET/PT)What do you think about the schedule? Is moving Switched At Birth a mistake? Is changing The Fosters time slot a bad idea? Or is ABC Family making the right moves? And which shows are you excited to see return? Sound off in the comments!