Television
ABC's primetime takes a dramatic turn
By Toni Fitzgerald
May 15, 2007, 08:14

Last year, ABC introduced six new dramas, many of them serials like “The Nine” and “Six Degrees.” Despite good reviews, most of those shows flopped, and the network saw declines on nearly every night of the week.

This fall ABC will again have a slew of new dramas, seven of them, but this year’s shows have a lighter tone and storylines contained within each episode instead of dragging out over a full season.

The network concedes it made a mistake by asking viewers to invest so much in last year’s shows, and this year’s dramas require virtually none of that commitment. 

It’s part of what may be the most aggressive fall scheduling revamp for any network following its 8 percent decline among adults 18-49 for non-special programming this season, based on the sheer number of new shows (12). ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson announced the new lineup to reporters this morning, in advance of this afternoon’s presentation to advertisers.

Wednesday will get an entirely different look, with three new dramas, including “Grey’s Anatomy” spinoff “Private Practice” at 9 p.m. Tuesday also gets significant changes, with two new comedies leading into “Dancing with the Stars.”

“Tuesday and Wednesday for us are a big focus,” McPherson said. “Last fall when ‘Dancing’ and ‘Lost’ were on, those were good nights for us. Rather than putting on a completely new show [to anchor Wednesday], we’re putting a spinoff with a known entity and a tremendous amount of publicity behind it.”

The pilot for “Practice,” starring Kate Walsh, ran two weeks ago as part of a two-hour “Grey’s.” It’s typical of ABC’s new dramas, in that it’s funny, relationship-focused and includes a number of well-known TV actors, if not big stars, like Taye Diggs and Tim Daly.

That’s also true of nearly all the network’s new dramas. “Big Shots,” which gets the coveted post-“Grey’s” slot Thursday, is a buddy show about four CEOs starring “Alias’” Michael Vartan and “The Practice’s” Dylan McDermott; “Cashmere Mafia,” from “Sex and the City’s” Darren Star, stars “Ally McBeal’s” Lucy Liu; and “Dirty Sexy Money,” about a guy who inherits his dad’s crooked law firm, stars “Six Feet Under’s” Peter Krause.

In addition to the seven dramas, two of which premiere at midseason, the network ordered four new comedies and one reality series. Only one of its current sitcoms, “Notes from the Underbelly,” is slated to return next year, and that’s at midseason.

Another bubble show, “October Road,” will also return at midseason. “What About Brian,” “According to Jim” and “George Lopez” did not make the fall lineup, though it was unclear at press time if they'd been outright canceled.

As for the actual schedule, Wednesday gets the biggest makeover. The night begins with “Pushing Daisies,” the new drama about a guy who brings people back to life. It’s followed by “Practice” and “Money.”

The first two hours on Thursday stay the same, with “Ugly Betty” followed by “Grey’s,” which leads into “Shots.”

“Men in Trees” returns to Friday at 8 p.m., leading into the procedural “Women’s Murder Club,” based on the James Patterson novels. “20/20” stays at 10 p.m. Saturdays in the fall will have “Saturday Night College Football.”

Sundays stay the same, with “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Desperate Housewives” and “Brothers & Sisters.”

“Dancing” airs Monday at 8, followed by the new Christina Applegate comedy “Sam I Am,” about a woman with amnesia, at 9:30. “The Bachelor” returns at 10.

New sitcom “Cavemen,” based on the Geico commercials, leads off Tuesday at 8 p.m., followed by “Carpoolers,” another new comedy. At 9, “Dancing” returns, followed by current timeslot occupant “Boston Legal.”

New dramas “Cashmere Mafia” and "Eli Stone" will premiere at midseason, as will sitcom “Miss/Guided,” produced by Ashton Kutcher, and returning reality series “Wife Swap” and “Supernanny.”

Also slated for midseason is a new reality show entitled “Oprah’s Big Give,” produced by Oprah Winfrey. “Primetime,” the network’s long-running newsmagazine, could also return at midseason if needed.

And "Lost," which earlier this month was picked up for three more years, will premiere next winter and run straight through to May without reruns.