The 2020–21 network television schedule for the five major English-language commercial broadcast networks that air in the United States covers the prime time hours from September 2020 to August 2021. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series canceled after the 2019–20 television season.
Fox was the first to announce its fall schedule on May 11, 2020, followed by The CW on May 14, CBS on May 19, NBC on June 16, and ABC on June 17, 2020.
PBS is not included at all, as member television stations have local flexibility over most of their schedules and broadcast times for network shows may vary. Ion Television and MyNetworkTV are also not included because both network schedules comprise syndicated reruns (with limited original programming). This is the last season that The CW did not program primetime on Saturday evenings (however it does offer network programming on Saturdays in the following season).
New series are highlighted in bold.
On January 6, 2021, most of ABC, CBS and NBC's programming was preempted in favor of news coverage of the January 6 United States Capitol attack in Washington D.C.
Note: From July 23 to August 8, 2021, all NBC primetime programming was pre-empted for the coverage of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
All times are U.S. Eastern and Pacific Time (except for some live sports or events). Subtract one hour for Central, Mountain, Alaska, and Hawaii–Aleutian times.
Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.Highest-rated series is based on the annual top-rated programs list compiled by Nielsen Media Research and reported on The Hollywood Reporter/7-Day Season Ratings
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Each of the major television networks in the United States had initially planned for their upfront presentations to be made to the public in mid-May, a tradition going back to the Golden Age of Television. Due to concerns caused by COVID-19, most major networks and cable network groups canceled their public upfront events due to both public health concerns, and stay-at-home orders which effectively prevented them from going forward. It was expected most of the upfront announcements would be either press releases or virtual video events via videotelephony, and could be delayed due to pilots being unable to be produced, along with an overall decline in advertising. NBC carried traditional upfront content on July 16, 2020, blended in as a part of 30 Rock: A One-Time Special, though a majority of the network's affiliates pre-empted the event (it aired the next day as a special airing across all of NBCUniversal's cable networks at the same time in primetime).
On May 1, the Television Critics Association cancelled its summer 2020 press tour, originally scheduled for July 28 through August 13 (during the now-rescheduled 2020 Summer Olympics), as the organization was unsure it could occur at all due to public gathering restrictions and an anticipated lack of any scripted programming output, even in pilot form, to promote by that time period. The TCA cancellation complicated any plans by the networks to build buzz about their upcoming schedules, while the move of the 2020 Summer Olympics to 2021 nullified any plans NBC had to use the Games to lead into their new television season.
Delays in production as a result of the pandemic resulted in many shows being pushed over from their intended Summer 2020 premieres. CBS was the first network to push the thirty-second season premiere of The Amazing Race as a part of its contingency plan to preserve programming for fall. The same day, ABC announced that it had delayed the sixteenth season of its summer staple series The Bachelorette to a tentative fall launch, while sister-series Bachelor in Paradise had been postponed indefinitely. The following month, Fox and The CW followed suit by announcing that both the networks would be delaying most of their original scripted premieres to a cycle beginning in January 2021, and their fall lineup would consist primarily of acquisitions and delayed summer series.
In light of further delays in production, CBS moved up S.W.A.T. to a fall premiere to replace Survivor, while the latter had been postponed its production of the forty-first season to spring 2021 and was replaced by aforementioned The Amazing Race. On August 26, 2020, the network further modified its schedule by deciding to push the premieres of all scripted programming to November and air acquired and encore programming in early fall instead. Similarly, NBC altered its schedule on August 12, 2020, by replacing The Voice with American Ninja Warrior on Monday nights.
On September 16, 2020, ABC announced that the network would not be moving forward with the second season of Stumptown, a decision that came in reversal to its May 2020 renewal. COVID-related production delays that would not have allowed the series to be ready for telecast before April 2021 (the end of the broadcast season) were cited as the primary reason behind the cancellation.
Because of the pandemic-related production halts, this is the third time in the history of American television where the start of the television season was delayed due to issues outside of the control of the major television networks; the last two instances occurred in the 1988–89 season (which was delayed due to the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike) and the 2001–02 season (which was affected by news coverage of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001), while the fourth would occur in the 2023–24 season, which was delayed due to the strikes involving the Writers Guild of America and SAG–AFTRA.
In spite of the fact that an effective vaccine for the COVID-19 virus was not available until the first few months of 2021, most scripted shows were able to resume production in the autumn of 2020. This was accomplished by having all cast and crew members take daily COVID-19 tests during production to ensure no transmission of the virus, not having fans in the audience during tapings, and often writing scenes to reduce the total number of people on set at a given time. The 2020–2021 season saw a diffused approach to COVID-19; some series acknowledged the pandemic and had storylines that addressed the issues from it, while others did not reference it at all. Chuck Lorre said publicly that his CBS shows would not take place in a setting where COVID-19 existed, something that he has stuck with going into 2023.
Legend
Sunday
Network7:00 p.m.7:30 p.m.8:00 p.m.8:30 p.m.9:00 p.m.9:30 p.m.10:00 p.m.10:30 p.m.ABC FallAmerica's Funniest Home VideosSupermarket SweepWho Wants to Be a MillionaireCard Sharks WinterWho Wants to Be a MillionaireCard SharksThe Rookie Mid-winterAmerican Idol Late winterWho Wants to Be a Millionaire SpringThe Rookie SummerCelebrity Family FeudThe ChaseTo Tell the TruthCBS FallNFL on CBS 60 Minutes CBS Sunday Night Movies Mid-fallNCIS: Los Angeles NCIS: New Orleans NCIS Winter60 Minutes The Equalizer NCIS: Los Angeles NCIS: New Orleans SummerBig BrotherLove Island Late summerThe Equalizer NCIS: Los Angeles The CW FallLocal programmingPandoraWhose Line Is It Anyway? Local programming Mid-fallThe Outpost WinterBatwomanCharmed SpringLegends of TomorrowBatwoman SummerWellington Paranormal Dead Pixels Late summerWellington Paranormal Fox FallFox NFL The OTThe Simpsons Bless the HartsBob's BurgersFamily Guy Winter Cherries WildBless the HartsThe Great North SpringThe Simpsons SummerDuncanville HouseBroken Late summerLego Masters NBC FallFootball Night in AmericaNBC Sunday Night Football WinterWeakest Link The Wall Chicago Med Dateline NBC Late winterThe Voice Ellen's Game of GamesGood Girls SpringEllen's Game of Games Ellen's Game of GamesZoey's Extraordinary Playlist SummerNBC Sports programming
Monday
Network8:00 p.m.8:30 p.m.9:00 p.m.9:30 p.m.10:00 p.m.10:30 p.m.ABC FallDancing with the StarsEmergency Call Mid-fallThe Good Doctor Late fallMonday Night CountdownMonday Night Football WinterThe BachelorThe Good Doctor SpringAmerican Idol Mid-springThe Wonderful World of Disney Late springThe BacheloretteThe Celebrity Dating Game SummerBachelor in ParadiseThe Ultimate SurferCBS FallBig BrotherOne Day at a TimeManhunt: Deadly Games Late fallThe NeighborhoodBob Hearts AbisholaAll RiseBull SpringNCIS: New Orleans SummerYoung Sheldon United States of Al NCIS: Los Angeles The CW Fall Whose Line Is It Anyway?Whose Line Is It Anyway? Penn & Teller: Fool UsLocal programming WinterAll AmericanBlack Lightning Late winterBulletproof SpringAll American Late springThe Republic of Sarah SummerRoswell, New Mexico Late summerPenn & Teller: Fool Us Fox FallL.A.'s FinestFilthy Rich Late fallCosmos: Possible Worlds Winter9-1-1 9-1-1: Lone Star Late winterAmerica's Most Wanted Spring9-1-1: Lone Star SummerHell's Kitchen: Young Guns HouseBroken DuncanvilleNBC Early fallAmerican Ninja Warrior Dateline NBC FallThe Voice Weakest Link WinterEllen's Game of GamesThe Wall Late winterThe Voice Debris SpringAmerican Ninja WarriorSmall Fortune SummerThe Wall
Tuesday
Network8:00 p.m.8:30 p.m.9:00 p.m.9:30 p.m.10:00 p.m.10:30 p.m.ABC FallThe BacheloretteBig Sky WinterThe Wonderful World of Disney Mid-winterTo Tell the TruthBlack-ishMixed-ish Late winterSoul of a Nation SpringPooch PerfectBig Sky Mid-springMike Tyson: The KnockoutTo Tell the Truth Late springThe Goldbergs Home Economics The Conners Black-ish SummerBachelor in ParadiseThe Ultimate SurferCBS FallNCIS FBI The FBI Declassified Mid-fallFBI: Most Wanted SummerLove Island Late summerFBI The CW FallSwamp ThingTell Me a StoryLocal programming WinterTwo Sentence Horror StoriesTrickster Late winterThe FlashSuperman & Lois SpringSupergirl Late springSuperman & Lois SummerStargirlSupergirlFox FallCosmos: Possible WorldsNext WinterThe ResidentProdigal Son Late winterHolmes Family Effect SpringThe ResidentProdigal Son Late springLego MastersMental Samurai SummerFantasy IslandNBC FallThe Voice This Is Us Transplant WinterZoey's Extraordinary PlaylistNurses Late winter Young Rock KenanNew Amsterdam SpringThe Voice SummerAmerica's Got TalentCapital One College Bowl
Wednesday
Network8:00 p.m.8:30 p.m.9:00 p.m.9:30 p.m.10:00 p.m.10:30 p.m.ABC FallThe GoldbergsAmerican HousewifeThe ConnersBlack-ishThe Con Mid-fallFor Life Late fallThe Great Christmas Light Fight WinterThe GoldbergsAmerican HousewifeThe ConnersCall Your Mother Late winterThe Con Spring Home EconomicsA Million Little Things Late springPress Your LuckThe $100,000 Pyramid Early summerCard Sharks SummerMatch Game Late summerSuperstarCBS FallBig BrotherVarious programming48 Hours: Suspicion Mid-fallThe Amazing RaceSEAL TeamS.W.A.T. WinterTough as Nails SpringKids Say the Darndest Things Late springS.W.A.T. SummerBig BrotherLove IslandS.W.A.T. Late summerHouse Calls with Dr. Phil48 HoursThe CW FallDevilsCoronerLocal programming WinterRiverdaleNancy Drew SpringKung Fu SummerIn the Dark Late summerRiverdaleFox FallThe Masked Singer I Can See Your Voice WinterThe Masked DancerName That Tune Late winterThe Masked Singer Game of Talents SpringMasterChef: LegendsCrime Scene Kitchen SummerMasterChef: LegendsNBC FallChicago Med Chicago Fire Chicago P.D. SummerAmerica's Got Talent Family Game Fight! Note: Season 2 of Stumptown was originally scheduled to premiere in fall 2020, but it was canceled and was replaced by For Life.
Thursday