New ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke isn’t worried about the no-host state of the Oscars, she told reporters at winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif., after being introduced by ABC’s late-night star Jimmy Kimmel in a surprise appearance.
“I’ve ironically found that the lack of clarity around the Oscars has kept the Oscars really in the conversation and the mystery has been really compelling,” Burke told the room of reporters and critics on Tuesday.
ABC and the Motion Picture Academy had originally announced comedian Kevin Hart as host, but he ended up withdrawing after facing criticism for homophobic tweets he posted several years ago. He said he apologized for them at the time, but people didn’t find that apology to be enough and Hart ended up stepping down.
She also pointed out that three of the movies nominated for best picture — Black Panther, Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star is Born — crossed the $200 million mark at the box office and Black Panther was a global hit that earned more than $700 million domestically and $1.35 billion globally. Because of that popularity, Burke expects people to tune in to this year’s Oscars telecast, which air Sunday, Feb. 24, on ABC.
In other news, Modern Family will end its run after next season, the comedy’s 11th, ABC said Tuesday. Modern Family, created by Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, premiered in 2009 and immediately shot to the top of the ratings charts.
“Chris and Steve have created one of the most seminal and iconic comedies in television history,” said Burke in a statement. “In its final season, there will be more milestone events that anyone who has been a fan of the series won’t want to miss.”
“For 10 years, our characters have bravely faced turning points in life and moved through them to great personal enrichment; we have chosen a different path by doing one more season of Modern Family,” said co-creator and executive producer Christopher Lloyd.
“Even after 10 years together, we realized there are still some things our writers don’t yet know about each other’s sex lives,” said co-creator and executive producer Steve Levitan.
Modern Family — which stars Ed O’Neill, Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet — is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Entertainment, which is soon to be owned by ABC parent company Disney.
ABC handed out renewals for several series, including The Good Doctor, starring Freddie Highmore, for season three; new comedy A Million Little Pieces for season two and reality competition series Shark Tank for season 11. ABC also is bringing back Bachelor in Paradise for season six this summer. Prior to that, it will close out this season of The Bachelor with a two-night finale on March 11 and 12.
Following the second-night finale, ABC will air a first-look episode of Videos After Dark, a new comedy reality series hosted by Bob Saget. Like the network’s long-running America’s Funniest Home Videos, the series will feature home videos but with “an edgier twist.”
American Housewife, starring Katy Mixon, will conclude its season on Tuesday, May 21, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, with a special crossover episode with American Idol, featuring cameos from all three judges — Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan — as well as host Ryan Seacrest. In the episode, Taylor (Meg Donnelly) decides she’s going to use her college fund to travel to Los Angeles and audition for American Idol, making her dreams of musical superstardom come true.
Tags: a million little pieces abc american housewife american idol bachelor in paradise karey burke modern family shark tank the bachelor the good doctor winter tca 2019