Television programming continues to dominate more of the San Diego Comic-Con schedule each year, with panels drawing massive crowds, and some Ballroom 20 lines rivaling even those for Hall H. As TV’s presence at the con grows, so does the excitement — and the wait — for official panel announcements from networks and Comic-Con International.
While we wait, we’re diving into some educated speculation about which series we think could appear at SDCC this year. We’re breaking it down into three parts: Cable & Streaming Networks (which you can read over here), followed by Broadcast Networks (that’s this post right here!). You can also find our Movie speculation over here.
So, what might you expect from the world of broadcast television at San Diego Comic-Con this summer? Let’s take a look.
ABC
ABC went all-in on Abbott Elementary at San Diego Comic-Con last year, finally giving fans the in-person panel we’ve been craving for years, as well as a fun offsite and the prime placement for the big Petco Park wrap. So now for 2025, we’d love if they’d do it all again. This is the only school we want in session this summer.
And while ABC chose not to bring High Potential to the con last year, we still think there’s a chance it could turn up this year. The series hails from lots of creatives from the world of Psych (and shares a similar concept), which proved to be a huge hit at the con. Star Kaitlin Olson has plenty of fans at SDCC already thanks to It’s Always Sunny — so we think this could be a big, fun performer at the con for ABC.
It’s also never outside the realm of possibilities that they bring The Rookie back, as ABC basically just has to put star Nathan Fillion on the Ballroom 20 stage.
CBS
For years, CBS tried to find a willing audience at Comic-Con with their procedurals, to not much avail. But for the last few years, they know they’ve found a winner in the form of Ghosts (one of the best comedies not just on CBS, but on any network) which consistently packs Ballroom 20. And CBS knows how good the series is — they renewed the series for both a season five and a season six. In this economy! So we would be frankly shocked if Ghosts didn’t head back to San Diego Comic-Con for another panel with plenty of the Woodstone Manor residents in tow.
Last year, they also brought along the Justin Hartley-led Tracker for its second season — and it could manage another appearance this year.
The CW
Look, we’re going to be honest here. We don’t think the CW will turn up here at all. Their one DC series, Superman & Lois, finished its run. Back when the CW was part of Warner Bros., they used to bring everything and the kitchen sink because Warner Bros. was presumably footing the bill. Those days are sadly over.
FOX
We expect Saturday’s annual animation domination will be back this year with back-to-back panels for The Simpsons, American Dad!, and Family Guy (alongside Hulu’s Futurama). At this point, it’s tradition.
Meanwhile, on Friday, you will likely find Bob’s Burgers and The Great North, as we would be very surprised indeed if the two Loren Bouchard series don’t make their triumphant return.
We also think we’ll see Krapopolis back at the con, as it’s been renewed now for four seasons, even though it’s still in the middle of airing its second. Last year’s new entry, Universal Basic Guys, could squeak in with another appearance as well.
The timing has just never worked out for Grimsburg given that it airs in the spring, so we bet they’ll give the con a miss this year as well.
On the live-action side, we really don’t think anything is genre enough — but there is the new Memory of a Killer, based on a 2003 Belgian novel, which follows a hitman who develops early-onset Alzheimer’s. It sounds more like something that would have warranted an appearance ten years ago than today, though.
NBC
Similar to last year, NBC’s offerings for the con look pretty bleak, as most of their series simply aren’t genre enough. The Hunting Party, a high-concept crime procedural about a small team of investigators who are assembled to track down and capture the most dangerous killers our country has ever seen, did make an appearance at WonderCon, so it’s not off the table for SDCC. We suspect parent company NBC Universal will focus more on the Peacock side of things at Comic-Con.
TV Graveyard
We’d also like to take a moment to reflect back upon our dearly departed shows that won’t be gracing the stages at San Diego Comic-Con this summer, either because they were canceled, or simply ended their run. Here are the broadcast shows that you won’t be seeing at SDCC again, at least until that ten year reunion:
Superman & Lois (The CW)
