Ousted CEO Deborah Dugan accused the organization of “incidents of conflict of interest that taint the results”
Following ousted National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences CEO Deborah Dugan’s claims that the Grammy Awards voting process is “ripe with corruption” and conflicts of interest, the Recording Academy belatedly issued a statement Thursday defending its nomination practices as “fair and ethical.”
“It is the goal of the Recording Academy to ensure the Grammy Awards process is led in a fair and ethical manner and that voting members make their choices based solely on the artistic excellence and technical merits of eligible recordings,” Recording Academy’s chief awards officer Bill Freimuth said in a statement to TheWrap. “Spurious allegations claiming members or committees use our process to push forward nominations for artists they have relationships with are categorically false, misleading and wrong. This process is strictly enforced with everyone involved and has no exceptions.”
Representatives for Dugan, who was ousted after less than a year after replacing longtime Recording Academy chief Neil Portnow, did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment on the Academy’s statement.
During an interview with “Good Morning America” on Thursday, Dugan detailed her criticism of the integrity of the Grammys themselves, saying she found specific cases where the nominations process had been tainted. “The system should be transparent and there are incidents of conflict of interest that taint the results,” she said.
Dugan said that Ed Sheeran and Ariana Grande missed out on a Song of the Year nomination for the 2020 awards show because another artist — who did get a nomination — sat on the committee’s nominating category and is represented by a board member of the Recording Academy, a claim she first made in a discrimination complaint she filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Tuesday. But she declined to name the artist on “GMA.”
“For the artist’s privacy and for the integrity of all those artists who are going to perform and get nominations this year, I don’t want to say, but it’s not even just that one room,” she said, adding that she has “evidence” of other voting irregularities in the Grammy nominations process. “It’s very serious and I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could make a difference,” she said.
In his statement, Freimuth maintained: “There are strict rules in place to address any conflict of interest. Should a committee member qualify for a Grammy, they are required to leave the room for the entire listening session and are NOT allowed to vote in that category. Committee members do not know the ranking of any entry and the voting is by secret ballot.” He did not address whether these rules had ever been violated, either last year or in previous years.
Dugan, who also appeared on “CBS This Morning” Thursday, said she sent a detailed email to human resources on Dec. 22, 2019, outlining many instances of what she called corruption and misconduct at the organization that hands out the Grammy Awards — refuting a claim by the Recording Academy that she only complained after she was ousted from the organization.
Last week, Dugan abruptly resigned after she was placed on administrative leave by the Academy’s executive committee, just days before the 2020 Grammys, which take place this Sunday.
Interim Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. revealed in a letter sent to membership Monday that Dugan was being investigated following accusations of misconduct made by a staff member who accused her of creating a “toxic and intolerable” and “abusive and bullying” environment toward her staff.
In the EEOC complaint filed by Dugan’s attorneys Douglas Wigdor and Michael Willemin on Tuesday, she accused the Recording Academy of voting irregularities, financial mismanagement and other conflicts of interest involving the Academy’s board members.
That filing also included Dugan’s claims that Joel Katz, the general counsel for the Recording Academy, had sexually harassed her in a private meeting last year, and that she had been informed an accusation of rape was made against Portnow. Both Portnow and Katz have denied these accusations.
Read the Recording Academy’s full statement below.
It is the goal of the Recording Academy to ensure the GRAMMY Awards process is led in a fair and ethical manner and that voting members make their choices based solely on the artistic excellence and technical merits of eligible recordings,” Recording Academy’s chief awards officer Bill Freimuth said in a statement to TheWrap Thursday. “Spurious allegations claiming members or committees use our process to push forward nominations for artists they have relationships with are categorically false, misleading and wrong. This process is strictly enforced with everyone involved and has no exceptions. A detailed overview of the full voting process can be found on our website here: https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/voting-process.
The Nomination Review Committees are made up of a diverse group of current and relevant music creators with a high level of expertise in their respective genres. These committee members are all Voting Members. Committees are built by the Chair in consultation with the President/CEO and Chief Awards Officer using names submitted by all Academy Chapters. Many are Trustees. They are chosen weeks before the 1st round entry list is created so it is unknown whether any of the approved members will have been involved in a potential nomination. Because these committee members are at the top of their craft, and many members work with multiple artists, it is not unusual that some of the people in each room will end up with nominations from the first round. There are strict rules in place to address any conflict of interest. Should a committee member qualify for a GRAMMY, they are required to leave the room for the entire listening session and are NOT allowed to vote in that category. Committee members do not know the ranking of any entry and the voting is by secret ballot. The committees are not confidential, but the committee members’ names are for the obvious reason of preventing lobbying from outside parties, therefore further protecting the integrity of the voting process. Everything relating to the nomination and voting processes is set up with the intention of protecting the integrity of the awards in order to recognize and celebrate artists’ excellence.
We remain fully committed to the integrity, transparency and robustness of the awards and look forward with excitement to celebrating the artists who deservingly receive them. We are acutely aware that many artists have worked a lifetime for this moment at music’s biggest night and it is them we want to focus on when we celebrate this weekend.
Winter TV 2020: Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows (Photos)
Winter is here and with it, naturally, comes the Winter TV season. In honor of the return of the colder months and their small-screen offerings, TheWrap has rounded up the premiere dates for not just the new and returning shows on Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS and The CW, but also the ones for the eagerly anticipated series hitting cable channels and streaming services this winter. Click through our gallery to find out when your favorite shows will be back and when your possible new favorites will debut.
ABC/AMC/NBC/Netflix
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Series: “Dracula” Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Saturday, Jan. 4 Time: N/A
Netflix
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Series: “Say Yes to the Dress: America” Net: TLC Premiere Date: Saturday, Jan. 4 Time: 8 p.m.
TLC
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Series: “Sister Wives” Net: TLC Premiere Date: Sunday, Jan. 5 Time: 8 p.m.
TLC
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Series: “Naked and Afraid: Alone” Net: Discovery Channel Premiere Date: Sunday, Jan. 5 Time: 10 p.m.
Discovery Channel
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Series: “America’s Got Talent: The Champions” Net: NBC Premiere Date: Monday, Jan. 6 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
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Series: “The Bachelor” Net: ABC Premiere Date: Monday, Jan. 6 Time: 8 p.m.
ABC
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Series: “Love & Hip Hop: Miami” Net: VH1 Premiere Date: Monday, Jan. 6 Time: 9 p.m.
VH1
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Series: “Manifest” Net: NBC Premiere Date: Monday, Jan. 6 Time: 10 p.m.
NBC
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Series: “Ellen’s Game of Games” Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
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Series: “Jeopardy: The Greatest of All Time” Net: ABC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 Time: 8 p.m.
ABC
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Series: “Nick Cannon Presents: Wild N’ Out” Net: VH1 Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 Time: 8 p.m.
VH1
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Series: “Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back” Net: Fox Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 Time: 9 p.m.
Fox
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Series: “The Haves and the Have Nots” Net: OWN Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 Time: 9 p.m.
OWN
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Series: “Schitt’s Creek” Net: Pop TV Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 Time: 9 p.m.
Pop TV
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Series: “Vanderpump Rules” Net: Bravo Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 Time: 9 p.m.
Bravo
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Series: “FBI: Most Wanted” Net: CBS Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 Time: 10 p.m.
CBS
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Series: “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” Net: NBC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 Time: 10 p.m.
NBC
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Series: “Cheer” Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 8 Time: N/A
Netflix
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Series: “Undercover Boss” Net: CBS Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 8 Time: 8 p.m.
CBS
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Series: “Catfish: The TV Show” Net: MTV Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 8 Time: 8 p.m.
MTV
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Series: “Criminal Minds” Net: CBS Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 8 Time: 9 p.m.
CBS
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Series: “America’s Top Dog” Net: A&E Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 8 Time: 9 p.m.
A&E
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Series: “Party of Five” Net: Freeform Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 8 Time: 9 p.m.
Freeform
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Series: “Medical Police” Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 10 Time: N/A
Netflix
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Series: “AJ & The Queen” Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 10 Time: N/A
Netflix
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Series: “Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector” Net: NBC Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 10 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
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Series: “The Outsider” Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, Jan. 12 Time: 9 p.m.
HBO
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Series: “The New Pope” Net: HBO Premiere Date: Monday, Jan. 13 Time: 9 p.m.
HBO
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Series: “Grace & Frankie” Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 15 Time: N/A
Netflix
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Series: “The Magicians” Net: Syfy Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 15 Time: 10 p.m.
Syfy
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Series: “68 Whiskey” Net: Paramount Network Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 15 Time: 10 p.m.
Paramount Network
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Series: “Listing Impossible” Net: CNBC Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 15 Time: 10 p.m.
CNBC
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Series: “Grown-ish” Net: Freeform Premiere Date: Thursday, Jan. 16 Time: 8 p.m.
Freeform
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Series: “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay” Net: Freeform Premiere Date: Thursday, Jan. 16 Time: 8:30 p.m.
Freeform
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Series: “Little America” Net: Apple TV+ Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 17 Time: N/A
Apple TV+
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Series: “Diary of a Future President” Net: Disney+ Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 17 Time: N/A
Disney+
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Series: “Sex Education” Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 17 Time: N/A
Netflix
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Series: “Seven Worlds, One Planet” Net: BBC America Premiere Date: Saturday, Jan. 18 Time: 9 p.m.
BBC America
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Series: “Avenue 5” Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, Jan. 19 Time: 10 p.m.
HBO
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Series: “9-1-1: Lone Star” Net: Fox Premiere Date: Sunday, Jan. 19 Time: 10 p.m.
Fox
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Series: “Curb Your Enthusiasm” Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, Jan. 19 Time: 10:30 p.m.
HBO
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Series: “Brain Games” Net: Nat Geo Premiere Date: Monday, Jan. 20 Time: 9 p.m.
Nat Geo
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Series: “Home Town” Net: HGTV Premiere Date: Monday, Jan. 20 Time: 9 p.m.
HGTV
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Series: “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” Net: The CW Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 21 Time: 9 p.m.
The CW
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Series: “Project Blue Book” Net: History Channel Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 21 Time: 10 p.m.
History
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Series: “Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens” Net: Comedy Central Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 22 Time: 10:30 p.m.
Comedy Central
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Series: “Star Trek: Picard” Net: CBS All Access Premiere Date: Thursday, Jan. 23 Time: N/A
CBS All Access
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Series: “Station 19” Net: ABC Premiere Date: Thursday, Jan. 23 Time: 8 p.m.
ABC
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Series: “Outmatched” Net: Fox Premiere Date: Thursday, Jan. 23 Time: 8:30 p.m.
Fox
-
Series: “The Bold Type” Net: Freeform Premiere Date: Thursday, Jan. 23 Time: 9 p.m.
Freeform
-
Series: “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 24 Time: N/A
Netflix
-
Series: “The Ranch” Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 24 Time: N/A
Netflix
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Series: “Shrill” Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 24 Time: N/A
Hulu
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Series: “The Circus” Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Jan. 26 Time: 8 p.m.
Showtime
-
Series: “Justin Bieber: Seasons” Net: YouTube Premiere Date: Monday, Jan. 27 Time: N/A
YouTube
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Series: “Biggest Loser” Net: USA Network Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 28 Time: 9 p.m.
USA Network
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Series: “Miracle Workers: Dark Ages” Net: TBS Premiere Date: Tuesday, Jan. 28 Time: 10:30 p.m.
TBS
-
Series: “Miz & Mrs.” Net: USA Network Premiere Date: Wednesday, Jan. 29 Time: 10 p.m.
USA Network
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Series: “BoJack Horseman” Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Jan. 31 Time: N/A
Netflix
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Series: “The Masked Singer” Net: Fox Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 2 Time: 10:30 p.m.
Fox
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Series: “Lego Masters” Net: Fox Premiere Date: Wednesday, Feb. 5 Time: 9 p.m.
Getty
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Series: “Katy Keene” Net: The CW Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 6 Time: 8 p.m.
The CW
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Series: “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” Net: NBC Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 6 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
-
Series: “The Sinner” Net: USA Network Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 6 Time: 9 p.m.
USA Network
-
Series: “Indebted” Net: NBC Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 6 Time: 9:30 p.m.
NBC
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Series: “Tommy” Net: CBS Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 6 Time: 10 p.m.
CBS
-
Series: “Briarpatch” Net: USA Network Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 6 Time: 10 p.m.
USA Network
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Series: “Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet” Net: Apple TV+ Premiere Date: Friday, Feb. 7 Time: N/A
Apple TV+
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Series: “Locke & Key” Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Friday, Feb. 7 Time: N/A
Netflix
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Series: “MacGyver” Net: CBS Premiere Date: Friday, Feb. 7 Time: 8 p.m.
CBS
-
Series: “High Maintenance” Net: HBO Premiere Date: Friday, Feb. 7 Time: 11 p.m.
HBO
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Series: “Homeland” Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 9 Time: 9 p.m.
Showtime
-
Series: “Kidding” Net: Showtime Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 9 Time: 10 p.m.
Showtime
-
Series: “For Life” Net: ABC Premiere Date: Tuesday, Feb. 11 Time: 10 p.m.
ABC
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Series: “Survivor” Net: CBS Premiere Date: Wednesday, Feb. 12 Time: 8 p.m.
CBS
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Series: “Narcos: Mexico” Net: Netflix Premiere Date: Thursday, Feb. 13 Time: N/A
Netflix
-
Series: “High Fidelity” Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, Feb. 14 Time: N/A
Hulu
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Series: “Outlander” Net: Starz Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 16 Time: 8 p.m.
Starz
-
Series: “American Idol” Net: ABC Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 16 Time: 8 p.m.
ABC
-
Series: “Duncanville” Net: Fox Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 16 Time: 8:30 p.m.
Fox
-
Series: “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” Net: HGTV Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 16 Time: 9 p.m.
HGTV
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Series: “Good Girls” Net: NBC Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 16 Time: 10 p.m.
NBC
-
Series: “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” Net: HBO Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 16 Time: 11 p.m.
HBO
-
Series: “Better Call Saul” Net: AMC Premiere Date: Sunday, Feb. 23 Time: 10 p.m.
AMC
-
Series: “The Voice” Net: NBC Premiere Date: Monday, Feb. 24 Time: 8 p.m.
NBC
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Series: “Dispatches From Elsewhere” Net: AMC Premiere Date: Sunday, March 1 Time: 10 p.m.
AMC
-
Series: “Hillary” Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Friday, March 6 Time: N/A
Hulu
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Series: “Ride With Norman Reedus” Net: AMC Premiere Date: Sunday, March 8 Time: 11 p.m.
AMC
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Series: “Cosmos: Possible Worlds” Net: Nat Geo Premiere Date: Monday, March 9 Time: 9 p.m.
Nat Geo
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Series: “Roswell, New Mexico” Net: The CW Premiere Date: Monday, March 16 Time: 9 p.m.
The CW
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Series: “The Plot Against America” Net: HBO Premiere Date: Monday, March 16 Time: 9 p.m.
HBO
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Series: “Little Fires Everywhere” Net: Hulu Premiere Date: Wednesday, March 18 Time: N/A
Hulu
Here’s when 92 broadcast, cable and streaming series debut and come back
Winter is here and with it, naturally, comes the Winter TV season. In honor of the return of the colder months and their small-screen offerings, TheWrap has rounded up the premiere dates for not just the new and returning shows on Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS and The CW, but also the ones for the eagerly anticipated series hitting cable channels and streaming services this winter. Click through our gallery to find out when your favorite shows will be back and when your possible new favorites will debut.
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