ABC Thursday night lineup swaps Grey's Anatomy for Marvel

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Simu Liu in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

TV fans won't be heading to Seattle to see what's going on with Station 19 or Grey's Anatomy, as both series wrapped up their seasons on May 18. Instead, ABC is giving viewers a chance to catch up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as it airs the broadcast TV debut of one of the studios recent movies.

Airing on Thursday, May 25, at 8 pm ET/PT on ABC is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The Marvel movie starring Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh introduces the new hero of Shang-Chi, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.

Shang-Chi was released in movie theaters on September 3, 2021, and was widely praised, earning a "Certified Fresh" score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, including What to Watch's own Shang-Chi review giving it three and a half stars, while audiences gave it a 98% positive rating. The movie made more than $430 million worldwide, which considering it came out when the pandemic had people a bit weary to head to the movie theater, is nothing to shrug off.

The movie has been available to stream on Disney Plus since November 2021, but its airing on ABC gives those not subscribed to the streaming service their first chance to watch the movie at no extra cost.

If you can't watch Shang-Chi on May 25 though, don't worry, it's not the only time the movie is going to be airing on TV in the near future. FX is going to broadcast the movie on Sunday, May 28, Saturday, June 17, and Wednesday, June 21, all at 7 pm ET/PT, and again on Thursday, June 22, at 5 pm ET/PT. Freeform is also going to show the movie on Saturday, June 10, at 8:10 pm ET/PT and Sunday, June 11, at 5 pm ET/PT.

To watch Shang-Chi on ABC, if you have a TV antenna, a traditional cable TV subscription or a live TV streaming service that carries the network (FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV) you can tune in. FX and Freeform, meanwhile, are also available through cable subscriptions or the four major live TV streaming services, FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV.

ABC is showing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings as part of its Wonderful World of Disney specials. Watch the trailer for the movie right here.

Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.