ABC Announces Midseason Premiere Schedule; No Return Date for COUGAR TOWN, GCB Replaces PAN AM

Another midseason schedule, another great TV series missing. Just a few days ago NBC announced their midseason schedule, and along with it came the news that Community will be benched for the foreseeable future. A similar scenario is now happening with ABC’s midseason premiere schedule. While their announcement today includes premiere dates for GCB (which will replace Pan Am in the post-Desperate Housewives slot starting in March), the Ashley Judd drama Missing, the horror-drama The River, the comedy Work It, and a new season of Dancing with the Stars, the fantastically quirky sitcom Cougar Town is nowhere to be found. Hit the jump for more, including a list of the premiere dates.

While Cougar Town began as a rather unfunny take on the “Cougar” phenomenon, it quickly morphed into an ensemble character drama that dropped the cougar aspect in favor of genuinely funny storylines. ABC held the show this fall, with the assumption that it would return at midseason, but it’s missing from their schedule announced today and I’m none too pleased. TV Line’s Michael Ausiello reports that sources tell him the show will return “sometime in the spring,” but no firm date is set. Please, television gods, stop withholding the few network series that are actually good. As for Pan Am, an extra episode was recently ordered, bringing its total to 14, but its replacement by GCB is not a good sign for the ratings challenged drama. Also missing from the schedule is the series Man Up.

Here are the midseason premiere dates:

Tuesday, January 3

8:30-9:00 p.m.             “Work It”

9:00 -10:00 p.m.          “Celebrity Wife Swap”

Thursday, January 5

8:00-9:00 p.m.             “Winter Wipeout”

Friday, February 3

8:00-9:00 p.m.             “Shark Tank”

Tuesday, February 7

9:00-10:00 p.m.           “The River”

Sunday, March 4

10:00-11:00 p.m.         “GCB”

Thursday, March 15

8:00-9:00 p.m.             “Missing”

Monday, March 19

8:00-10:00 p.m.           “Dancing with the Stars”

Tuesday, March 27

9:00-10:00 p.m.           “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show”