ABC Renews ‘Scrubs’ and ‘Shifting Gears’ While ‘R.J. Decker’ Faces Uncertainty
ABC Renews Comedy Series ‘Scrubs’ and ‘Shifting Gears’ for 2026-27 Season
In a significant move, ABC has renewed its remaining comedy offerings, Scrubs and Shifting Gears, for the 2026-27 season. This renewal marks the second season for the Scrubs revival and the third for the Tim Allen-led sitcom, Shifting Gears.
These renewals follow expectations that had been circulating in the industry, leaving just one ABC scripted series, the freshman procedural R.J. Decker, starring Scott Speedman, with an uncertain future. R.J. Decker is currently facing a decision that could determine its survival on the network.
While neither series has announced an episode count, sources suggest that both comedies are likely to produce a limited number of episodes. The first season of Scrubs featured nine episodes, while Shifting Gears had ten in its inaugural season and thirteen in its third season.
The decision to renew Scrubs and Shifting Gears comes due to their strong ratings. The premiere of Scrubs has been particularly noteworthy, becoming the highest-rated comedy telecast on any network this season among adults aged 18-49, according to Nielsen. It garnered over 11 million total viewers across platforms within its first 35 days.
Shifting Gears also performed admirably, consistently ranking as ABC’s most-watched comedy on linear television. The Season 2 finale in February delivered the show’s best multiplatform audience since its fall premiere.
Amidst these developments, R.J. Decker stands at a crossroads with its renewal prospects deemed 50-50. The freshman series has struggled to keep pace with lead-ins Will Trent and High Potential, both of which have secured renewals. However, R.J. Decker has shown resilience on Hulu, frequently making it onto the Daily Top 10.
Despite a promising start, R.J. Decker faces increased competition from the pilot for The Rookie: North, which has emerged as a strong contender for the 2026-27 season. ABC might need to assess its drama series count, potentially deciding between renewing R.J. Decker or opting for The Rookie: North.
In a positive sign for R.J. Decker, Speedman attended Disney’s TV awards season party this week, alongside talent from other ABC series that have either been renewed or are pending renewal.
While the spinoff pilot of The Rookie, featuring Jay Ellis, remains in contention, ABC’s comedy pilot Do You Want Kids? will not move forward. This decision aligns with the network’s choice to renew its existing comedy series.
Scrubs was originally created by Bill Lawrence, who continues to executive produce the revival through Doozer Productions, alongside Jeff Ingold, Liza Katzer, Zach Braff, Donald Faison, and Sarah Chalke. Aseem Batra serves as the executive producer and showrunner, with director-producer Randall Winston also attached as an executive producer.
Meanwhile, Tim Allen heads the production team for Shifting Gears, collaborating with Michelle Nader, Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, Rick Messina, John Pasquin, Jim Patterson, Bob Daily, and John Amodeo. Kat Dennings, one of the series’ co-leads, is also a producer.
Both series are produced by 20th Television, a division of Disney Television Studios.
