‘Grace’ Coming Back Later In Season

So what ever happened to “Grace Under Fire”? The one-time ABC comedy hit was not even on the fall schedule that ABC announced last week, a development that was all the more surprising given how many new shows the network was adding.

ABC announced that the series would be one of its backup shows ready to be added to the schedule later in the season.

In this case, later may not be very late at all. ABC has actually ordered 25 episodes of “Grace,” three more than the standard series order of 22 episodes. That means that the show is very likely to be the first one added to ABC’s schedule, perhaps within a couple of weeks of the start of the season.

Given the economic commitment involved in signing on for 25 episodes, why not put it on the air at the outset? Several network and studio executives said ABC was trying to go with as many new shows as it had on hand in the fall, hoping for as many chances as possible to ignite the glimmerings of a hit.