2017-2018 Fall Preview Specials [Updated]

Monday, September 11th, 2017 Update: The ABC, CBS, and NBC fall preview specials can all be viewed online. See below for details.

Sunday, August 27th, 2017 Update: Both NBC and FOX appear to have produced half-hour fall preview specials this season. So far, national network broadcasts are not scheduled, suggesting these are for affiliate use only. See below for details.

The 2017-2018 starts in just over a month, which means it’s time for fall preview specials. The networks want viewers to know about their new and returning fall fare. But fall preview specials seem to have fallen out of favor this season. So far, I only have information on ABC and CBS fall preview specials. Both will air nationally.

Although I’ve yet to find any information about an NBC fall preview special, I do see previews or sneak peeks of four returning shows (Superstore, The Good Place, Chicago Fire, and This Is Us) airing on my local NBC affiliate at 1AM on Saturday, August 25th. Check your local listings to see if similiar previews are airing in your area.

For the record, ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX all released fall preview specials last season. However, only the ABC and CBS specials were network specials; NBC and FOX offered specials to affiliates, online, and On Demand. The CW sat out the 2016-2017 season and will likely sit this year out as well.

ABC – “The ABC Fall Preview Special”

I haven’t found an official press release for this half-hour special. Cedric Yarbrough of Speechless and Diedrich Bader of American Housewife co-host. It airs nationally on ABC on Sunday, September 3rd from 7-7:30PM ET. Be sure to check local listings to see if it’s also airing on your local ABC affiliate. If you have cable, you may be able to watch it On Demand as well.

Update: You can watch “The ABC Fall Preview Special” at ABC.com or Hulu.

CBS – “CBS Fall Preview”

CBS will air this half-hour special on Monday, September 4th from 8:30-9PM ET. It will also air on CBS All Access and be available On Demand, online, and on cable channels through the middle of October. The stars of six new CBS shows will co-host the special: Ian Armitage of Young Sheldon, David Boreanaz of Seal Team, Mark Feuerstein of 9JKL, Shemar Moore of S.W.A.T. Bobby Moynihan of Me, Myself & I, and Jeremy Piven of Widsom of the Crowd). A full press release can be found here.

Update: You can watch “CBS Fall Preview” at CBS.com.

NBC – “NBC Primetime Preview”

I know nothing about this half-hour special. It is scheduled to air on cable channel Oxygen (owned by NBCUniversal Cable) from 7:30-8AM ET on Monday, September 4th.

Update: The cast of NBC sitcom Great News host this half-hour special–in character. It is not scheduled to air nationally on NBC but is airing locally on NBC affiliates and on NBCUniversal cable properties. A full press release can be found here.

You can watch the “NBC Primetime Preview” at NBC.com.

FOX – “FOX Fall Preview Special”

I don’t know anything about this special, either. It’s also a half-hour in length and seems to have started airing on certain FOX affiliates the weekend of August 26th/27th.


As always, be sure to check your local listings. Hit the comments if you see any other fall preview specials airing. I used to record as many specials as possible using a standalone DVR (and then burn them to DVD) but these days my over-the-air reception isn’t great. It’s the price I pay for relying so heavily on my Comcast DVR: recording and making copies of a TV show isn’t an easy task.


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14 Replies to “2017-2018 Fall Preview Specials [Updated]”


  1. Although I’ve yet to find any information about an NBC fall preview special, I do see previews or sneak peeks of four returning shows (Superstore, The Good Place, Chicago Fire, and This Is U) airing on my local NBC affiliate at 1AM on Saturday, August 25th. Check your local listings to see if similiar previews are airing in your area.

    Do you mean Friday, August 25th or Saturday, August 26th?

    I don’t recall seeing one of these specials since Rob Lowe, then of THE WEST WING, hosted a preview of NBC’s 2001-02 season in early September 2001 on PAX network, which was connected with NBC at the time. As I recall, the events of 9/11 moved all the premieres 1 week later. These specials, along with the Saturday morning preview specials, were a staple of the networks from the 1960s through the 1980s (at times).

    1. The Saturday Morning Previews aired up until around 2000, with only a few after that. CBS and NBC seemed to drop off in the 80s, but ABC had them fairly consistently until 1999. (The last three were to promote the One Saturday Morning formula.) FOX had one in 2003 and CW had one in 2008 which seems to be the last ever aired.

      Airings of a possible 2001 ABC Saturday Morning special were cancelled because of 9/11. ABC, NBC and WB had preview specials that year. The WB special refers to 9/11 and may have been altered in response.

    2. Sorry I’m late responding. I don’t know why I have so much trouble with early morning hours. The NBC sneak peeks aired on my local NBC affiliate between 1:38AM and 2:08AM on Saturday, August 26th.

  2. ABC aired it’s special last week for many stations. It seems to be up to the individual stations as to when to air them. Cedrick and Diedricke attend an outdoor party. It’s done in a campy style like other Disney previews.

    The new season doesn’t start until the end of September so many stations don’t air their previews until then. NBC could still appear in the next few weeks. I don’t see anything for the CW yet either even though they have done them in the past. Going by my records, last year there was one by FOX, ABC, NBC and CBS. CW doesn’t appear to have done one since 2013.

  3. There does appear to be an NBC special this season. Cable channel Oxygen (owned by NBCUniversal Cable) is airing an “NBC Fall Preview Special” from 7:30-8AM ET on Monday, September 4th.

    1. It’s at 1pm in our area.

      For our area, ABC is repeating on Sunday Aug.3rd at 7pm and FOX at 12:05am. NBC is Monday at 1pm and CBS is Monday at 8:30pm. So this is the weekend to look out for them.

  4. This past Sunday ABC (NY local) & FOX (NY local) aired their Fall Preview Shows. Labor Day-Monday NBC (NY local) & CBS (network) aired theirs.

    Here’s how I rate them from best to worst:
    FOX – they broke down each night with the co-star of “Lethal Weapon” who interviewed the stars of their new shows. Very simple and very nice.
    CBS – had no host and only featured the new shows. No mention of their returning shows or night breakdown. I guess the number one network can get away with that.
    NBC – they did the show within the show featuring the cast of “Good News.” Last year featured the cast of “Superstore.” The “Good News” anchors weren’t that funny.
    ABC – a pool party with the co-stars of “Speechless” & “American Wife”. This show managed to squeeze in clips of every show on the network including quick glances of a couple of mid-season shows. Too many clips and not enough time. Confusing and uninteresting.

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