ABC releases midseason schedule and premiere dates

ABC has unfurled its midseason lineup, including the premiere date for season 20 of “The Bachelor” -- season 20! -- and a Thursday night reality lineup in January to keep the fires burning until Shonda Rhimes’ dramas return the following month.

That Thursday lineup will include the new unscripted competition “My Diet Is Better Than Yours,” as well as fresh episodes of “Beyond the Tank,” the companion show to the entrepreneur contest “Shark Tank.” Both shows will bow on Jan. 7.

Fresh episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal” and “How to Get Away with Murder” -- all from the Shondaland factory -- will return Feb. 11. Another Rhimes drama, “The Catch,” will make its debut March 24.

“The Bachelor” will come back for its 20th cycle on Jan. 4.

Meanwhile, the biblical epic “Of Kings & Prophets” will premiere Tuesday, March 8, at 10 p.m. The swords-and-sandals series was originally supposed to start its reign on Sunday nights, but ABC downgraded the show from a fall launch and is putting it in a challenging time slot.

Other notable returns include “Nashville” (March 16), “Fresh Off the Boat” (Feb. 2, with a new time period starting March 8) and “American Crime” (Jan. 6).

A complete list of dates follows:

Jan. 2 - “Galavant” (season 2)

Jan. 4 - “The Bachelor” (season 20)

Jan. 5 - “Marvel’s Agent Carter” (season 2)

Jan. 6 - “American Crime” (season 2)

Jan. 7 - “My Diet Is Better Than Yours” (series premiere); “Beyond the Tank” (season 2)

Feb. 2 - “The Muppets” (new episodes); “Fresh Off the Boat” (new episodes)

Feb. 11 - “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal,” “How To Get Away With Murder” (new episodes for all)

March 2 - “The Real O’Neals” (sneak preview)

March 3 - “The Family” (sneak preview)

March 6 - “Once Upon a Time” (new episodes); “The Family” (time period premiere); “Quantico” (new episodes)

March 8 - “Fresh Off the Boat” (new time period); “Real O’Neals” (time period premiere); “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (series return); “Of Kings & Prophets” (series premiere)

March 9 - “American Crime” (season finale)

March 16 - “Nashville” (series return)

March 17 - “How To Get Away With Murder” (season finale)

March 24 - “The Catch” (series premiere)

Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT