CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC, CW Adding 17 New Shows Wednesday Night: The 3 to Watch

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Buy Me a Coffee!

Fox, CBS, ABC, The CW and NBC tonight (January 21, 2026) will add 17 new shows to their lineups. Here are the three to watch, in my humble opinion. (All Times Eastern.)

Abbott Elementary (New episode)
What Kind of Show: Workplace comedy
Where to Watch: ABC
When to Watch: 8:30 p.m.
The mockumentary comedy featuring everyone’s favorite underfunded Philadelphia public school is back with a new episode (Season five, episode 11). Tonight, the staff continues to adjust to operating out of an abandoned shopping mall, and a new custodian joins the school. If you’ve never seen Abbott Elementary, it’s very funny and it doesn’t matter if you pick up the show in season five; you’ll quickly catch up on the plot lines.

Dirty Talk: When Daytime Talk Shows Ruled TV: Part Two
What Kind of Show: Documentary
Where to Watch: ABC
When to Watch: 9 p.m.
Younger viewers may be aghast to hear that three decades ago the daytime airwaves were dominated by sensationalistic shows on which average folks would divulge their most inner secrets and, occasionally, engage in fisticuffs and chair hurling. It was televised therapy meets pro wrestling. The hosts included Jerry Springer, Morton Downey, Maury Povich (pictured above), Sally Jessy Raphael, Phil Donahue, and Montel Williams, among others. They became big stars with huge audiences. Tonight, ABC looks back at this bizarre time in television and offers some explanations for what caused it in part two of a three-part series. (Part one aired January 14 and part three will be January 28). In part two, we learn how the shows became even more extreme in the 1990s, even triggering a murder after a taping.

Chicago Med (New episode)
Where to Watch: NBC
When to Watch: 8 p.m.
Who’s In It: Nick Gehlfuss, Torrey DeVitto
Let’s get away from ABC and give the long-running Chicago Med (11th season) some love. The show, based on an emergency room in the Second City, may not be ER (or even HBO’s The Pitt), but it delivers watchable drama week to week. Tonight’s new episode features real-life WNBA player Courtney Vandersloot (Chicago Sky, pictured above)) as the team treats a college basketball player with a mysterious illness.

Shows Coming Tonight to ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and the CW (All Times Eastern)

ABC
Shifting Gears (New episode) – 8 p.m.
Abbott Elementary (New episode) – 8:30 p.m.
Dirty Talk: When Daytime Talk Shows Ruled TV: Part 2 (New episode) – 9 p.m.
Shark Tank (New episode) – 10 p.m.
Jimmy Kimmel Live (Guests: Martin Short, Jackson White) – 11:35 p.m. (New episode)

CBS
Hollywood Squares (New episode) – 8 p.m.
The Price Is Right at Night (New episode) – 9 p.m.
Harlan Coben’s Final Twist – 10 p.m.
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert (Guests: Jane Fonda, Jessica Williams) – 11:35 p.m. (New episode)

NBC
Chicago Med (New episode) – 8 p.m.
Chicago Fire (New episode) – 9 p.m.
Chicago PD (New episode) – 10 p.m.
The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon (Guests: Natalie Portman, Charlie Heaton) – 11:35 p.m. (New episode)

Fox
The Masked Singer (New episode) – 8 p.m.
Fear Factor: House of Fear (New episode) – 9 p.m.

The CW
Police 24/7 (New episode) – 8 p.m.
Katie Pavlich: Trump Exclusive (New episode) – 9 p.m.

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