The 2021–22 afternoon network television schedule for the four major English-language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers the weekday and weekend afternoon hours from September 2021 to August 2022. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning and cancelled shows from the 2020–21 season.
Affiliates fill time periods not occupied by network programs with local or syndicated programming. PBS – which offers daytime programming through a children's program block, PBS Kids – is not included, as its member television stations have local flexibility over most of their schedules and broadcast times for network shows may vary. Also not included are MyNetworkTV and The CW (as the programming services also don't offer daytime programs of any kind), and Ion Television (as its schedule is composed mainly of syndicated reruns). Fox is not included on the weekday schedule: Fox only airs daytime programming (in the form of sports on weekend afternoons)
Effective this season, The CW turned over its weekday daytime hour to its affiliated stations on September 6, 2021;[1] as such, The CW will not be listed in any afternoon network schedule articles from this season onward.
Legend
Light blue indicates local programming.
Yellow indicates talk shows.
Chartreuse indicates soap operas.
Blue-gray indicates news programming.
Light green indicates sporting events.
Light teal indicates programs not applicable to the above categorizations.
Light yellow indicates the current schedule.
Schedule
New series are highlighted in bold.
All times correspond to U.S. Eastern and Pacific Time (select shows) scheduling (except for some live sports or events). Except where affiliates slot certain programs outside their network-dictated timeslots, subtract one hour for Central, Mountain, Pacific (for selected shows), Alaska, and Hawaii-Aleutian times.
Local schedules may differ, as affiliates have the option to pre-empt or delay network programs.[2] Such scheduling may be limited to preemptions caused by local or national breaking news or weather coverage (which may force stations to tape delay certain programs in overnight timeslots or defer them to a co-operated station or digital subchannel in their regular timeslot) and any major sports events scheduled to air in a weekday timeslot (mainly during major holidays). Stations may air shows at other times at their preference.
All sporting events air live in all time zones in U.S. Eastern time, with local and/or primetime programming after game completion.
ABC stations have the option of airing General Hospital at 2:00 or 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, depending on the station's choice of feed.
Depending on their choice of feed, CBS stations have the option of airing Let's Make a Deal at either 10:00 a.m. or 3:00 p.m. Eastern (airtime adjusted by time zone), and/or The Young and the Restless at 11:00 or 11:30 a.m. local time (in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones).
NBC stations have the option of airing Days of Our Lives at varying airtimes (usually between Noon and 2:00 p.m. local time), depending on the station's preference and choice of feed.
Fox aired Fox NFL Thursday on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. ET live in all time zones during the fall.[3]
ABC, CBS and/or NBC stations may air their corresponding network's early evening newscast anytime between 6:00- 8:00 p.m. ET and PT/5:00-7:00 p.m. CT/MT, depending on the station's choice of feed.
To comply with FCC educational programming regulations, stations may defer certain programs featured in their respective network's E/I program blocks to determined weekend late morning or afternoon time periods if a sporting event is not scheduled in the timeslot or in place of paid programming that would otherwise be scheduled.
NBC Nightly News with Jose-Diaz Balart is preempted in the Eastern and Central Time zones when Notre Dame Football on NBC airs a 3:30 p.m. ET game, all other time zones air the program or sometimes may be preempted for other sporting events scheduled to air in the Afternoon (primetime in the Eastern and Central Time zones).
CBS Weekend News is preempted in the Eastern and Central time zones when SEC on CBS airs a 3:30 pm ET game, all other time zones air the program.
ABC, CBS and/or NBC stations may air their corresponding network's early evening newscast anytime between 6:00- 8:00 p.m. ET and PT/5:00-7:00 p.m. CT/MT, depending on the station's choice of feed.
To comply with FCC educational programming regulations, stations may defer certain programs featured in their respective network's E/I program blocks to determined weekend late morning or afternoon time periods if a sporting event is not scheduled in the timeslot or in place of paid programming that would otherwise be scheduled.
Airtimes of sporting events may vary depending on the offerings scheduled for that weekend.
When CBS and/or Fox offer an early singleheader NFL game, a post-game show airs after the game from 4:30–5:00 p.m. ET (the length of which may vary depending on the timing of the early game's conclusion) with local, syndicated or non-NFL sports programming airing after from 5:00–7:00 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, when CBS and/or Fox offer a late singleheader NFL game, local, syndicated or non-NFL sports programming airs from 1:00–4:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. PT.
CBS and Fox stations in the Pacific Time Zone receiving an NFL singleheader game must air a late singleheader game, if possible.
ABC, CBS and/or NBC stations may air their corresponding network's early evening newscast at 6:00 or 6:30 p.m. ET and PT/5:00 or 5:30 p.m. CT/MT, depending on the station's choice of feed.
Fox NFL Sunday—Renewed through the 2032–33 season on March 18, 2021.[16]
NASCAR on Fox—Renewed through the 2023–24 season on August 2, 2013.[20]
NBC
Days of Our Lives—Renewed through the 2022–23 season on May 11, 2021.[25] On August 3, 2022, it was announced that the series would be moving to Peacock.[26]
Notes
^Third revival on ABC and second contractually shared with ESPN; previously aired on ABC from 1992–94 under a time-buy agreement, and from 1999–2004.
