From Sunday nights, when Anna and Elsa of Frozen make their debut in Storybrooke on Once Upon a Time, to Thursday primetime, when Shonda Rhimes will rule from 8-11 pm with three (count ‘em, three!) series, this network has been busy promoting ABC’s new line-ups.

Of its new series coming this season, two stand out in their ability to promote themselves all summer long: Once Upon a Time and How to Get Away with Murder. As Once welcomes the box office-breaking snow queen, ABC welcomes the queen of drama to its Thursday nights, now boasting three Shonda Rhimes series in a row: Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, which kicks off the night at 8 pm. To showcase the all-Shonda evening, the network created a campaign around a night of can’t-miss, binge-worthy TV.

Using the phrase and hashtag Thank God It’s Thursday (or #TGIT), ABC is promoting the entire night of drama by encouraging fans to watch live each Thursday night, with an extra focus on the line-up’s latest addition, How to Get Away with Murder, starring Viola Davis.

The #TGIT campaign was created in partnership with marketing agency LUSSIER, and it was all about being “conversational, fun and different,” according to LUSSIER’s editorial director and partner, Terri Zitnick.

Targeting fans of Grey’s, Scandal and Shonda Rhimes in general, the first of these spots aimed to garner “a general excitement for the night,” according to Zitnick. Shorter versions of these promos warned viewers to mark their calendars, charge their phones, get ready for drama and ignore the water cooler because Thursday nights are meant to be viewed live. All in all, the message was clear: if you’re not watching these shows live, you’re not doing it right.

ABC’s creative director of drama, movies and specials, Melissa King, said the TGIT campaign was their chance to “brand the night as binge-worthy, must-watch TV,” promoting How to Get Away with Murder as a “sexy, fast-paced legal thriller” while also as a part of the larger Shonda lineup. The other goal of the TGIT campaign is to encourage people to not only watch live on ABC, but to watch the entire primetime block.

“We’re trying to tell people, sit on the couch for this three-hour block to be completely entertained,” said King. “We’d love fans to sit with Twitter and their red wine and just take in the night.”

The series of videos and social campaign elevated Shonda Rhimes as a creator of great dramas, while also grouping the three shows together in a way that marketed all three at once as “twisty, tweet able television,” says King.

In a more long-form “Women of Thursday” conversation, ABC and its local stations have aired a living room discussion between the shows’ stars and their creator: Ellen Pompeo of Grey’s, Kerry Washington of Scandal, Viola Davis of How to Get Away with Murder and Shonda Rhimes herself:

On the fairy tale side of things, returning series Once Upon a Time announced at the end of last season that characters of Disney’s hit movie Frozen will make an appearance in a story arc come Sept. 28. That became a summer-long campaign to watch for casting news, introduce the characters into this new world and encourage fans to show their support through feedback and online fan art competitions.

Darren Schillace, SVP of marketing strategy at ABC, calls it “a synergy dream” for the network, and the showrunners ran with the idea as soon as they got permission from Disney to use the characters right before last season’s finale. But it was worth it, because when Elsa appeared in a brief but imposing scene in May’s finale, the response was overwhelming.

The one-minute clip (above) was shared via YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook, with the show’s Facebook page getting record engagement. Since then, fans have been waiting on the edge of their seats for more information about the Frozen story arc to come.

“Posting Elsa on Once was one of our biggest social posts we’ve ever had,” said Schillace. “It speaks to the Once and Frozen fan bases and the true meaning of viral. It’s why Facebook is so great at what it does.”

ABC’s sneak peek of the characters of Frozen in their Once Upon a Time debut gained traction on air and online with fans of both franchises:

The upcoming season will also include veteran competition show Dancing with the Stars, which will feature natural brand tie-ins (two of this season’s contestants are on ABC Family shows, for starters) and plenty of Disney/ABC synergy. But there are no plans to push other ABC brands into the show as of yet: “Earlier in season, we want you to get to know them first,” said Schillace. “We don’t want the theme to overshadow the people.”

And as for the network’s comedy lineups, ABC is inserting Black-ish into a Wednesday night programming block of existing highly performing half-hours in order to promote the entire night as one (“the best in terms of audience flow we’ve ever had,” according to Schillace): Modern Family, Goldbergs and The Middle.

Tuesday nights are a bit tougher, introducing two half-hour comedies together: Selfie, Manhattan Love Story debut Sept. 30. “All the competition is going to be one hours,” said Schillace, “so it’s so important to bring people in at the top of the hour, getting people into Selfie first. For a network known for such dramas to up our comedy brand, is such a big priority for us.”

For a better breakdown of ABC’s new and returning fall series, here is how the broadcaster’s fall schedule shakes out:

Sept. 23: Forever (10 pm)
Sept. 24: Black-ish (9:30 pm)
Sept. 25: How to Get Away with Murder (10 pm)
Sept. 30: Selfie (8 pm), Manhattan Love Story (8:30 pm)
Oct. 10: Cristela (8:30 pm)

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