Fall 2006 - ABC

Today is ABC’s turn in the upfront parade, and “bold” is the word of the day: the alphabet network is making a HUGE move with the relocation of Grey’s Anatomy from Sundays to Thursdays. ABC is betting big that Grey’s large and dedicated audience will follow it to a very lucrative night in what promises to be a very-competitive time slot (facing CSI and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, just to name a few). We haven't seen this type of gutsy programming move since 2000, when CBS moved then-rising stars Survivor and CSI to Thursday nights in hopes of challenging the then-invincible NBC Thursday "must-see TV" lineup. This move of Grey's to Thursdays can't be going over too well at NBC, as the peacock had counted on a more open field on Thursdays for the launch of its new Studio 60. So don't be surprised if NBC shifts Studio 60 to Mondays before the start of the Fall season.

Also announced by ABC: there will be no repeats of Lost in the 2006-07 season. Instead, Lost will kick-off the Fall season by running seven new episodes straight, with no repeats. Lost will then “get lost” until late January/early February, at which time it will return will all-new episodes running straight through May.

Here’s the ABC Fall lineup (with new shows in bold):

MONDAY
8:00 Wife Swap
9:00 The Bachelor
10:00 What About Brian


TUESDAY
8:00 Dancing with the Stars
9:00 Let’s Rob…
9:30 Help Me Help You
10:00 Boston Legal


WEDNESDAY
8:00 Dancing with the Stars
9:00 Lost
10:00 The Nine


THURSDAY
8:00 Big Day
8:30 Notes from the Underbelly
9:00 Grey’s Anatomy
10:00 Six Degrees


FRIDAY
8:00 Betty the Ugly
9:00 Men in Trees
10:00 20/20


SATURDAY
8:00 ABC Saturday Night College Football


SUNDAY
7:00 America’s Funniest Home Videos
8:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9:00 Desperate Housewives
10:00 Brothers and Sisters


Shows awaiting a midseason launch include Set for the Rest of Your Life (a game show), which will run in place of the Tuesday edition of Dancing with the Stars. The George Lopez Show and According to Jim (what is it going to take to kill this show – a wooden stake?) are set to return to the schedule at midseaon to inherit the Wednesday Dancing with the Stars timeslot. Now... I don't know if you noticed, but... although George and Jim will be returning at midseason, for the first time that I can ever remember in the history of network television there are no returning half-hour comedies on this network's Fall schedule.

Also at midseason: Supernanny will fill-in for The Bachelor on Monday nights. And filling in for Lost during its hiatus? A new show entitled Day Break, starring Taye Diggs in a dramatic variation on the movie “Groundhog Day.”

PrimeTime Live will return to the schedule in one form or another, and there will be another season of American Inventor. Also announced by ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson: there may be a two-hour movie follow-up to the now-cancelled Commander in Chief... and if the movie were to be a success, it could (in theory, anyway) lead to a revival of the series.

As for the new shows set to debut in the Fall…

LET’S ROB…
Donal Logue is an again janitor whose dream of opening a bar seem to be slipping away. His solution to the problem: convince his friends to join him in robbing the Central Park apartment of Mick Jagger.

HELP ME HELP YOU
Ted Danson heads back to prime time in this single-camera comedy about group therapy. While not the greatest show you've ever seen, thankfully it's not another Dear John (despite the presence of Jere Burns in both shows).

THE NINE
Nine people find themselves linked forever after being held hostage in a botched bank-robbery attempt. Tim daly, Chi McBride, and Scott Wolf star.

BIG DAY
This show takes the core concept of 24 (the story of one day is told through 24 episodes) and reworks it for a half-hour comedy. This show will follow over 22 episodes the course of a couple’s wedding day. Considering this show’s time slot, something tells me that we’re not even going to make it to the actual ceremony (despite the fact that, in the pilot presentation, they managed to work in a reference to the theme from What's Happening!! - come on, how could you not love that?).

NOTES FROM THE UNDERBELLY
A woman set against ever having children learns that she’s pregnant in the half-hour sitcom. The pilot presentation of this single-camera comedy actually offered glimpses of a smart show. However, thanks to its time slot, who wants to bet that this show is cancelled before they ever even get near the delivery room?

SIX DEGREES
A new hour from Lost’s J.J. Abrams, this drama applys the “six degrees of separation” theory to a group of six strangers who slowly discover that their lives are intertwined.

BETTY THE UGLY
Based on the telenovela Betty la Fea, this one-hour dramedy follws the life of Betty Suarez, a “square peg in a round hole” trying to survive in the world of high fashion.

MEN IN TREES
Anne Heche finds herself snowbound in an Alaskan town in which men outnumber women 10-to-1 in this one-hour drama. Think Sex and the City meets Northern Exposure. John Amos is also featured.

BROTHERS AND SISTERS
Ally McBeal’s Calista Flockhart leads an ensemble cast in a story about a large family dealing with life’s ups and downs. Betty Buckley, Balthazar Getty, and Rachel Griffiths are also featured in this very-soapy hour that I'm sure ABC is hoping will be the next Grey's Anatomy.



** ** ** ** **


Even More Rumors from the Upfronts ...


- The CW has just finalized a deal to bring back Veronica Mars for a third season. The deal calls for 22 episodes, but gives The CW an option to cut the order after 13 episodes (in case of disastrous ratings).

- Look for a surprise renewal by The CW for One Tree Hill... and look for The CW's cancellation of Everwood.