ABC hands out first new series pickups

‘How to Get Away with Murder’ is one of three Shonda Rhimes shows on ABC Thursday night.

The two highest-rated new scripted shows to premiere so far this fall have become the first to receive full-season pickups.

ABC has ordered the back nine for Wednesday comedy “Black-ish” and Thursday drama “How to Get Away with Murder.”

Both shows bowed to good numbers.

“Murder” was the fall’s No. 1 new show, posting a 3.9 adults 18-49 Nielsen rating in its premiere two weeks ago.

It maintained 85 percent of its rating in week two, a solid retention rate, and also set a record for biggest three-day DVR playback, drawing an additional 6 million total viewers for its premiere.

“Murder” is part of an all-Shonda Rhimes-produced Thursday that is drawing great numbers with women, airing opposite CBS’s male-skewing football.

The drama was Media Life readers’ preseason pick as the most likely new hit of the fall.

Meanwhile, “Black-ish” bowed to a 3.3, holding onto a high percentage of its big “Modern Family” lead-in. The comedy slid in week two but bounced back to a 2.9 in week three, becoming one of very few shows to see an increase in its third week.

That likely sealed ABC’s decision. The network has been searching for a show to fill the post-“Family” slot for years, and “Black-ish” is the most promising in a long line of comedies that have premiered there.

One thing “Black-ish” and “Murder” have in common that is also playing into their success: African-American lead actors, at a time when broadcast has been almost comically devoid of black-focused shows.

Not surprisingly, black viewers are eager to see scripted series that focus on African Americans. A third of the premiere audience for “Murder” was black, compared to a quarter for “Black-ish,” according to Nielsen data.

They ranked as the No. 1 and No. 5 shows on broadcast that week among African Americans.

Tags: abc, black-ish, fall TV, how to get away with murder, new show pickups, new shows, renewals