ABC’s fall lineup looks almost unrecognizable, with ten new programs debuting in September, and at least five more ready for mid-season. The main reason for this is a desperate need to build off their big hits while they’re still big hits. While Grey’s Anatomy could wind up being ABC’s ER, who knows how long Housewives and Lost will be around?
Staying Put: According to Jim, American Inventor, America’s Funniest Home Videos, The Bachelor*, Boston Legal, Dancing With the Stars, Desperate Housewives, Extreme Makeover, George Lopez, Grey’s Anatomy, Lost, Supernanny*, 20/20, What About Brian, Wife Swap
Coming Soon: Betty the Ugly, Big Day, Brothers & Sisters, Day Break, Help Me Help You, In Case of Emergency#, Just for Laughs#, Let’s Rob…, Men in Trees, The Nine, Notes from the Underbelly, Saturday Night College Football, Set for the Rest of Your Life#, Six Degrees, Summer Share#, Traveler#
Say Goodbye: Alias, Commander in Chief, Emily’s Reasons Why Not, The Evidence, Freddie, Hope & Faith, Hot Properties, In Justice, Invasion, Jake in Progress, Less Than Perfect, Monday Night Football, Night Stalker, Rodney, Sons & Daughters
* Not a full-season pickup
# Mid-season replacement
At the beginning of the 2005-06 season, the challenge for ABC was to build off the momentum of a watershed 2004-05 – which saw them return to the living of network programming. You would have to say they didn’t succeed. Their most successful new show was American Inventor. Invasion couldn’t come close to sustaining Lost‘s ratings. Commander in Chief was good enough to earn Geena Davis an Emmy, yet not good enough for a second season. And stars like Heather Graham (one episode) and John Stamos (no matter how hard they tried) weren’t good enough, either.
So where do they go from here? If there’s a sure thing in ABC’s crowded bullpen of newbies, I’m just not seeing it. The best bets are Brothers & Sisters, a multigenerational drama set in L.A. with Calista Flockhardt; and
Six Degrees, another product of J.J. Abrams, following out of Grey’s Anatomy. But who decided to keep dead weight like According to Jim? And renew What About Brian?
Moving Grey’s Anatomy to Thursday is probably the right thing to do – spreading the wealth. ABC is also giving the plum Lost slot to the new Taye Diggs vehicle Day Break for a stretch next winter, before returning Lost in the spring.
And don’t think ABC won’t miss long-time staple and franchise Monday Night Football. They attempt to make up for this in a small way by introducing Saturday Night College Football.
Monday
8 Wife Swap
9 The Bachelor/Supernanny
10 What About Brian
Tuesday
8 Dancing With the Stars/Set for the Rest of Your Life
9 Let’s Rob…
9:30 Help Me Help You
10 Boston Legal
Wednesday
8 Dancing With the Stars/George Lopez
8:30 According to Jim
9 Lost/Day Break
10 The Nine
Thursday
8 Big Day
8:30 Notes from the Underbelly
9 Grey’s Anatomy
10 Six Degrees
Friday
8 Betty the Ugly
9 Men in Trees
10 20/20
Saturday
8 Saturday Night College Football
Sunday
7 America’s Funniest Home Videos
8 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9 Desperate Housewives
10 Brothers & Sisters
Strongest Night(s): Sunday
Weakest Night(s): Monday and Tuesday
First New Show(s) to Go: Help Me Help You, Notes from the Underbelly
My Take: For a network with such huge hits as Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, and Lost – it’s quite amazing how unstable their fall lineup looks…
