ABC has made one decision following the bombshell decision to pull the upcoming season of The Bachelorette starring Taylor Frankie Paul three days before its premiere — what will fill the 8 PM – 10 PM slot this Sunday, March 22.
A rerun of this week’s episode of American Idol, featuring the Top 20 contestants, which originally aired on Monday, will be used as replacement, leading to an Idol original the following night, March 23. Sunday used to be a home for American Idol on ABC, so the replacement makes sense.
Still, nothing about the situation makes sense, starting with Paul’s selection to headline The Bachelorette after her volatile relationship with former partner Dakota Mortensen had played out on Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
ABC and The Bachelorette producer Warner Bros. are now caught in the blast radius of the former couple’s custody battle that escalated to a full-blown major controversy with the release today of a shocking domestic assault video involving Paul attacking Mortensen.
For now, ABC has only scheduled a replacement for this Sunday’s season opener of The Bachelorette, and the network has not outright canceled the season of the dating show, just put it on an indefinite hold. With the situation in flux, a scheduling decision may be made week by week.