The Fall TV Season presentations for all the new network shows take place this week with the second announced today. Here's a full breakdown of which concepts have made the final list over on ABC.
This past season has proven a big success for the Alphabet, thanks to two hit new series in the form of "Ugly Betty" and "Brothers and Sisters" along with still rating warhorses like "Grey's Anatomy," "Lost," "Desperate Housewives" and "Boston Legal". Strong reality fare like "Dancing with the Stars," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "The Bachelor," and "Supernanny" kept up a good record for the network in this field.
Yet not all went well, many of last year's new series including high profile serials like "The Nine" and "Day Break" along with ensemble drama "Six Degrees" failed to find audiences, and have been summarily dumped. Others like "Traveler," one of the stronger pilots it had last year, were basically thrown out with little fanfare into an early Summer schedule to plug a hole.
In an odd move as well, soap-drama ensemble series "Men in Trees," "October Road" and "Notes from the Underbelly" have remained on the schedule and the network hopes to build an audience for these shows which are doing alright, especially with its key female 18-49 demographic which it is currently leading the networks in.
They mark the only real excess flab on the ABC's network line-up. Like previous years they've announced a raft of new shows including seven new drama series, four comedies and one reality show - essentially hoping that three or four of these dozen new entries will survive the annual culling.
Some notable high-profile pilots didn't make the cut. Amongst them were American remakes of British sexy soap "Footballers Wives" and time-travel cop drama "Life on Mars;" the TV version of the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie action film "Mr. and Mrs. Smith;" a contemporary update of legendary noir crime novel detective Phillip Marlowe in "Marlowe;" and the Guy Ritchie produced procedural drama "Suspect" with Carrie-Anne Moss in the lead.
Adapted from the best selling novels by author James Patterson ("Kiss the Girls," "Along Came a Spider"). San Francisco Detective Lindsay Boxer (Angie Harmon) can analyze a crime scene in seconds, but she's frustrated that investigating and prosecuting a crime can take months or even years.
To circumvent the Justice Department men's club, she assembles an all-female group of experts a medical examiner, a newspaper reporter and a young assistant district attorney. And because personal lives often blend into professional ones, they also become reliable friends. These women solve the latest homicides while unraveling the mysteries of their own turbulent romantic lives. Brett Ratner and Patterson executive produce, whilst Aubrey Dollar, Elizabeth Ho, Laura Harris, Paula Newsome, Rob Benedict and Tyrees Allen star.
Renewals include "America's Funniest Home Videos," "The Bachelor," "Boston Legal", "Brothers and Sisters," "Dancing with the Stars," "Desperate Housewives," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "Grey's Anatomy," "Jimmy Kimmel Live," "Lost," "Men in Trees," "Notes from the Underbelly," "October Road," "Supernanny," "Ugly Betty," "Wife Swap."
Cancellations include "According to Jim," "Big Day," "Daybreak," "Extreme Makover," "The George Lopez Show," "The Great American Vote," "Help Me Help You," "In Case of Emergency," "The Knights of Prosperity," "The Nine," "Show Me the Money," "Six Degrees," "What About Brian."
The nightly ABC schedule will be as follows:
MONDAY (Fall) 8pm: "Dancing with the Stars" 9:30pm: "Sam I Am" 10pm: "The Bachelor"
MONDAY (Spring) 8pm: "Wife Swap" 9pm: "Samantha Who?" 9:30pm: "Notes from the Underbelly" 10pm: "October Road"
TUESDAY 8pm: "Cavemen" 8:30pm: "Carpoolers" 9pm: "Dancing with the Stars Results" (Fall) "Cashmere Mafia" (Spring) 10pm: "Boston Legal"
WEDNESDAY 8pm: "Pushing Daisies" 9pm: "Private Practice" 10pm: "Dirty Sexy Money"
THURSDAY 8pm: "Ugly Betty" 9pm: "Grey's Anatomy" 10pm: "Big Shots"
FRIDAY 8pm: "Men in Trees" 9pm: "Women's Murder Club" 10pm: "20/20"
SATURDAY 8pm: "Saturday Night College Football"
SUNDAY 7pm: "America's Funniest Home Videos" 8pm: "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" 9pm: "Desperate Housewives " 10pm: "Brothers and Sisters"
