ABC UNVEILS 2009-10 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
New Series Include “Cougar Town,” “The Deep End,” “Eastwick,”
“Flash Forward,” “The Forgotten,” “Hank,” “Happy Town,” “The Middle,”
“Modern Family,” “Shark Tank” and “V”
“Better Off Ted,” “Castle,” “Scrubs” and “True Beauty”
Join Previously Announced Returning Series “America’s Funniest Home Videos,”
“The Bachelor,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Desperate Housewives,”
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Lost,” “Private Practice,”
“Supernanny,” “Ugly Betty,” “Wife Swap” and “20/20″
Stephen McPherson, president, ABC Entertainment Group, today outlined ABC’s plans for next season and unveiled the network’s 2009-10 fall schedule before the advertising and media communities at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall.
New fall and midseason series include “Cougar Town,” “The Deep End,” “Eastwick,” “Flash Forward,” “The Forgotten,” “Hank,” “Happy Town,” “The Middle,” “Modern Family,” “Shark Tank” and “V.”
“Better Off Ted,” “Castle,” “Scrubs” and “True Beauty” join previously announced returning series “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “The Bachelor,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Lost,” “Private Practice,” “Supernanny,” “Ugly Betty,” “Wife Swap” and “20/20.” “Saturday Night College Football” will also return.
“Our focus is always on delivering the best stories with the most memorable characters on TV, whether that’s established audience favorites or innovative new shows,” said McPherson. “This year we’ve got the best of both. We’re headed into the season with a strong slate of returning series as well as great new shows from one of our best development seasons ever.”
For the 2008-09 TV season, ABC claims four of the top 10 highest-rated TV series in Adults 18-49, including the top two scripted shows with “Desperate Housewives” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” For the fourth straight season, the Network remains a top destination for upscale viewers, delivering five of the top 15 highest-rated TV series and three of the top four scripted shows among Adults 18-49 in homes w/$100K+ annual income. During the fall, the Net finished No. 1 in the November Sweep among Adults 18-49 for the fourth year in a row. ABC’s audience is growing in 2009, delivering across-the-board gains over the same point last year: Total Viewers +2%, Adults 18-34 +14%, Adults 18-49 +4% and Adults 25-54 +3%.
Fall premiere dates will be announced at a later time. However “Shark Tank” will premiere over the summer following the special 10th anniversary primetime return of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” and will then move to Tuesday nights at 8:00 p.m. Please note shows picked up but not listed on the schedule will debut later in the 2009-10 season.
ABC’s fall primetime schedule is as follows (all times listed are Eastern):
DAY TIME SERIES
MONDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars” (two-hours)
10:00 p.m. “Castle”
TUESDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Shark Tank”
9:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show”
10:00 p.m. “The Forgotten”
WEDNESDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Hank”
8:30 p.m. “The Middle”
9:00 p.m. “Modern Family”
9:30 p.m. “Cougar Town”
10:00 p.m. “Eastwick”
THURSDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Flash Forward”
9:00 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy”
10:00 p.m. “Private Practice”
FRIDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Supernanny”
9:00 p.m. “Ugly Betty”
10:00 p.m. “20/20″
SATURDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Saturday Night College Football”
SUNDAY:
7:00 p.m. “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
8:00 p.m. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
9:00 p.m. “Desperate Housewives”
10:00 p.m. “Brothers & Sisters”
“The Bachelor” will air Monday nights from 8:00-10:00 p.m. following the run of “Dancing with the Stars,” and “Scrubs” and “Better Off Ted” will air at 9:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., respectively, following the run of “Dancing with the Stars The Results Show.”
NEW FALL AND MIDSEASON SERIES
DRAMA
“THE DEEP END”
Each year one of LA’s most prestigious law firms recruits four young lawyers from the finest law schools worldwide. The only way for these first-years to survive is to support each other…even as they compete against one another in the cutthroat arena of high-end law. Sex, greed, romance, betrayal – it’s all part of being a first year associate at Sterling Law.
“The Deep End” stars Matt Long as Dylan Hewitt, Ben Lawson as Liam Priory, Tina Majorino as Addy Fisher, Norbert Leo Butz as Rowdy Kaiser, Leah Pipes as Beth Bancroft, Billy Zane as Cliff Huddle, Sherri Saum as Susan Oppenheim and Clancy Brown as Hart Sterling.
The series is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television. David Hemingson is executive producer/writer. The pilot was directed by Michael Fresco.
“EASTWICK”
Three very different women find themselves drawn together by a mysterious man who unleashes unique powers in each of them, and this small New England town will never be the same. The series is based on the popular movie “The Witches of Eastwick” and on the novel of the same title by John Updike.
“Eastwick” stars Rebecca Romijn as Roxie Torcoletti, Lindsay Price as Joanna Frankel, Jamie Ray Newman as Kat Gardener, Paul Gross as Darryl Van Horne, Sara Rue as Penny, Veronica Cartwright as Bun, Johann Urb as Will, Jon Bernthal as Raymond and Ashley Benson as Mia.
The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television. Maggie Friedman is executive producer/writer. The pilot was directed by David Nutter.
“FLASH FORWARD”
When a mysterious event causes the entire world to black out, humanity is given a glimpse into its near future, and every man, woman and child is forced to come to grips with whether their destinies can be avoided or fulfilled.
Adapting award-winning author Robert J. Sawyer’s revolutionary novel, executive producers David S. Goyer (visionary co-writer of “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight”) and Brannon Braga (”24,” “Star Trek: Enterprise”) invite you to embark on a journey to answer the question, “if you knew what your future held, what would you do?”
“Flash Forward” stars Joseph Fiennes as Mark Benford, John Cho as Demetri Noh, Jack Davenport as Lloyd Simcoe, Sonya Walger as Olivia Benford, Courtney B. Vance as Stan Wedeck, Brian O’Byrne as Aaron Stark, Christine Woods as Janis Hawk, Zachary Knighton as Bryce Varley and Peyton List as Nicole.
The series is from ABC Studios. David S. Goyer is executive producer/writer/director. Brannon Braga is executive producer and co-wrote the pilot. Other executive producers are Marc Guggenheim, Jessika Goyer, Vince Gerardis and Ralph Vicinanza. Guggenheim will be the showrunner, along with Goyer.
“THE FORGOTTEN”
From executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer comes a crime show in which a team of dedicated amateurs work on cases involving unidentified victims. After the police have given up, this group must first solve the puzzle of the victim’s identity in order to then help catch the killer. They work to give the deceased back their names, lest they become — The Forgotten.
“The Forgotten” stars Rupert Penry-Jones as Alex, Reiko Aylesworth as Linda, Michelle Borth as Candace, Bob Stephenson as Walter, Anthony Carrigan as Tyler and Rochelle Aytes as Detective Grace Russell.
The series is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Warner Bros. Television. Mark Friedman is executive producer/writer, Jerry Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman are executive producers, KristieAnne Reed is co-executive producer and Danny Cannon is executive producer/director.
“HAPPY TOWN”
Haplin, Minnesota, “Happy Town,” is approaching almost a decade of peace after being riddled for years by unsolved kidnappings. But in the wake of this small town’s first crime in seven years, some dark truths are being revealed about some familiar faces. They say every town has its secrets… that doesn’t even begin to describe Happy Town.
“Happy Town” stars Geoff Stults as Tommy Conroy, Lauren German as Henley, Amy Acker as Rachel Conroy, Dean Winters as John Haplin, John Patrick Amedori as Andrew Haplin, Sarah Gadon as Georgia Bravin, Jay Paulson as Larry ‘Root Beer’ Rogers, Robert Wisdom as Roger Hobbes and Sam Neill as Merritt Grieves.
The series is from ABC Studios. Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg are executive producers and co-writers. The pilot was directed by Gary Fleder, who is also an executive producer.
“V”
“V” is a re-imagining of the 1980’s miniseries about the world’s first encounter with an alien race in which the aliens call themselves The Visitors, and have a seemingly friendly agenda that may or may not be a cover for something more malevolent.
“V” stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack Landry, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie Stevens, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.
The series is produced by HDFilms in association with Warner Bros. Television. Scott Peters is executive producer/writer and Steve Pearlman and Jace Hall are executive producers. The pilot was directed and executive produced by Yves Simoneau.
COMEDY
“COUGAR TOWN”
Courteney Cox stars as a recently divorced single mother exploring the honest truths about dating and aging in our beauty and youth obsessed culture.
“Cougar Town” stars Courteney Cox as Jules, Christa Miller as Elle, Busy Philipps as Laurie, Dan Byrd as Travis, Brian Van Holt as Bobby, Josh Hopkins as Grayson and Ian Gomez as Andy.
The series is from ABC Studios. Bill Lawrence is executive producer/writer/director, Kevin Biegel is writer/co-executive producer, and Courteney Cox and David Arquette are executive producers.
“HANK”
Kelsey Grammer stars in this timely comedy as Hank Pryor, a titan of industry who suddenly finds himself out of work, almost out of money and around a wife and kids for whom he’s never made much time. Despite his recent setbacks, however, Hank is confident he’s on the road back to the top. He knows he is destined to return to greatness. And he is – just not the greatness he imagines.
“Hank” stars Kelsey Grammer as Hank, Melinda McGraw as Tilly, David Koechner as Grady, Macey Cruthird as Maddie and Ryan Wynott as Henry.
The series is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with McMonkey Inc., Grammnet Productions, Werner Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television. It is written by Tucker Cawley. Tom Werner, Tucker Cawley, Kelsey Grammer and Mike Clements serve as executive producers. The pilot was directed by James Burrows.
“THE MIDDLE”
The Hecks are a middle class family living in the middle of Indiana, just trying to keep their heads above water. Emmy-winner Patricia Heaton stars as a wife and mother of three in a comedy about raising a family and lowering your expectations.
“The Middle” stars Patricia Heaton as Frankie, Neil Flynn as Mike, Eden Sher as Sue, Atticus Shaffer as Brick and Charlie McDermott as Axel.
The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television. Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline are executive producers/writers and Werner Walian is producer. The pilot was directed by Julie Anne Robinson.
“MODERN FAMILY”
Today’s American families come in all shapes and sizes. Shot from the perspective of an unseen documentary filmmaker, this comedy takes a modern look at the complications that come with being a family in 2009.
“Modern Family” stars Ed O’Neill as Jay, Sofía Vergara as Gloria, Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell, Eric Stonestreet as Cameron, Ty Burrell as Phil, Julie Bowen as Claire, Sarah Hyland as Haley, Rico Rodriguez as Manny, Nolan Gould as Luke and Ariel Winter as Alex.
The series is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television. Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd are executive producers. The pilot was directed by Jason Winer.
ALTERNATIVE SERIES
“SHARK TANK”
From Mark Burnett, executive producer of “Survivor” and “The Apprentice,” and Sony Pictures Television comes “Shark Tank,” an exciting new reality show that gives budding entrepreneurs the chance to make their dreams come true and become successful – and possibly wealthy – business people. But the entrepreneurs must first try to convince five tough, multi-millionaire tycoons to part with their own hard-earned cash and give them the funding they need to jumpstart their ideas.
In these trying economic times, it’s difficult for an individual possessing a dream or even a working small business poised for growth to get a loan for a risky venture. Whether it be an imaginative enhancement for an existing product, a family recipe that has all the ingredients to become a profitable culinary treat, or the latest technological gadget that could take the world by storm, most of these dreams die an early death because no one dared take a financial chance on someone with an unproven and oftentimes outrageous proposal. Many of these people now see “Shark Tank” as their last chance at success. Some have been laboring on their ideas for years or even decades, have invested large amounts of money, and are being pressured to throw in the towel by friends and family. Others have simply never had access to the means to live out their dreams, until now.
Enter the Sharks of “Shark Tank” – Barbara Corcoran (Manhattan real estate titan), Kevin Harrington (king of infomercials), Robert Herjavec (technology tycoon), Daymond John (fashion mogul) and Kevin O’Leary (venture capitalist) - five multi-millionaires who lifted themselves up by their bootstraps to make their own entrepreneurial dreams come true and turned their ideas into empires.
Each week ambitious entrepreneurs from across the country will present their breakthrough business concepts, products, properties and services to the panel of ruthless investors. Their goal is to convince these merciless moguls to invest their own dollars in the concept. Convincing real-life millionaires to part with their own money is no easy task, because when the idea is poor, the Sharks will tear into the ill-prepared presenters and pass on the idea with a simple, “I’m out!” — sending them running for the exit.
But these Sharks aren’t just out for blood, they too have a goal: to own a piece of the next big idea. Entrepreneurs will be asked to give up a percentage of their companies’ equity to the Sharks in order to get the investment they need. But when the Sharks hear a really top-notch idea, and more than one of them wants to sink their teeth into it, a war between them will erupt. Then the once-desperate entrepreneur can rejoice when the Sharks reveal their true interest in the product and bid up the price of the investment.
RETURNING SERIES
DRAMA
“BROTHERS & SISTERS”
“Brothers & Sisters” continues to follow the California-based Walker family through the complicated maze of American life today. The compelling one-hour drama series is about a collection of five enmeshed and somewhat damaged adult siblings, their spouses and their strong and passionately devoted mother, Nora Holden (Oscar and Emmy Award winner Sally Field).
The Walkers’ lives have not been without challenge; romance, parenting, divorce, infidelity, addiction, war, birth and even death have pushed each of them to the limit, but they continue to work toward living their lives as individuals, while loving each other unconditionally and trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy after the loss of their larger-than-life family patriarch, William Walker.
“Brothers & Sisters” stars Dave Annable as Justin Walker, Maxwell Perry Cotton as Cooper Whedon, Kerris Lilla Dorsey as Paige, Sally Field as Nora Holden, Calista Flockhart as Kitty Walker, Balthazar Getty as Thomas Walker, Rachel Griffiths as Sarah Whedon, Rob Lowe as Senator Robert McCallister, Sarah Jane Morris as Julia Walker, Matthew Rhys as Kevin Walker, Ron Rifkin as Saul Holden, Emily VanCamp as Rebecca Harper and Patricia Wettig as Holly Harper.
The series produced by ABC Studios. Ken Olin (”Alias,” “thirtysomething”), Greg Berlanti (”Dirty Sexy Money,” “Everwood”), Monica Owusu-Breen (”Alias”), Alison Schapker (”Alias”), Sarah Caplan and Molly Newman are executive producers.
“CASTLE”
When viewers first met Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) — a famous mystery novelist and divorced father raising his teenage daughter (Molly Quinn as Alexis), while being kept grounded by his Broadway diva mother (Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers) — he was bored with his own success. He then found out that a real-world killer was staging murder scenes depicted in his novels. Castle was questioned by NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), a bright and aggressive detective who kept her investigations under tight reins, especially the years-old unsolved murder of her own mother. Though they instantly clashed, sparks of another sort began to fly, leading both to danger and a hint of romance as Castle stepped in to help find the copycat killer. Once that initial case was solved, together Castle and Beckett built on their new relationship investigating more strange homicides in New York – as much fun as one could have with death and murder. In the season finale, Castle, against Beckett’s direct order to stay out of her mom’s case, unearthed information in that homicide which may end his relationship with her forever.
Also starring in the series are Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.
“Castle” is produced by ABC Studios. Andrew Marlowe serves as executive producer/writer, along with executive producers Rob Bowman, Armyan Bernstein and Laurie Zaks.
“DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES”
After jumping five years ahead into the lives of the women of Wisteria Lane, critically acclaimed series “Desperate Housewives” returns for its sixth season on ABC. Susan (Teri Hatcher) and Mike (James Denton) are brought together by their worst fears; Lynette’s (Felicity Huffman) unexpected pregnancy tests her family; as Bree’s (Marcia Cross) marriage dissolves, she finds herself in the arms of another man; Gabrielle (Eva Longoria Parker) is in for a surprise when she and Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) welcome their niece into their home; and Katherine (Dana Delany) struggles over the thought of losing Mike.
“Desperate Housewives” stars Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer, Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo, Marcia Cross as Bree Hodge, Eva Longoria Parker as Gabrielle Solis, Ricardo Antonio Chavira as Carlos Solis, Doug Savant as Tom Scavo, Kyle MacLachlan as Orson Hodge, Dana Delany as Katherine Mayfair, Shawn Pyfrom as Andrew Van De Kamp, Brenda Strong as Mary Alice Young, James Denton as Mike Delfino, Charlie Carver as Porter Scavo, Max Carver as Preston Scavo, Joshua Moore as Parker Scavo, and Kendall Applegate as Penny Scavo.
Marc Cherry serves as executive producer and creator. Sabrina Wind, George Perkins, Larry Shaw and David Grossman are executive producers. “Desperate Housewives” is produced by ABC Studios and is the winner of both the 2005 and 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy.
“GREY’S ANATOMY”
“Grey’s Anatomy” is the recipient of the 2007 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama, and multiple Emmy nominations including two for Outstanding Drama Series.
The doctors of Seattle Grace Hospital deal with life-or-death consequences on a daily basis – it’s in one another that they find comfort, friendship and, at times, more than friendship. Together they’re discovering that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white. Real life only comes in shades of grey.
“Grey’s Anatomy” stars Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey, Patrick Dempsey as Derek Shepherd, Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang, Katherine Heigl as Isobel “Izzie” Stevens, Justin Chambers as Alex Karev, T.R. Knight as George O’Malley, Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey, James Pickens, Jr. as Richard Webber, Sara Ramirez as Callie Torres, Eric Dane as Mark Sloan, Chyler Leigh as Lexie Grey and Kevin McKidd as Owen Hunt.
“Grey’s Anatomy” was created and is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes (”Introducing Dorothy Dandridge”). Betsy Beers (”Casanova”), Mark Gordon (”Saving Private Ryan”), Krista Vernoff (”Law & Order”), Rob Corn (”Chicago Hope”), Mark Wilding (”Jake: 2.0″) and Allan Heinberg (”The O.C.) are executive producers. “Grey’s Anatomy” is an ABC Studios production.
“LOST”
After Oceanic Air flight 815 tore apart in mid-air and crashed on a Pacific island, its survivors were forced to find inner strength they never knew they had in order to survive. But they discovered that the island holds many secrets, including a mysterious smoke monster, polar bears, housing and hatches with electricity and hot & cold running water, a group of island residents known as “The Others,” and a mysterious man named Jacob. The survivors have also found signs of those who came to the island before them, including a 19th century sailing ship called The Black Rock, a downed Beechcraft plane from a failed drug run, the remains of an ancient statue, as well as bunkers belonging to the Dharma Initiative — a group of scientific researchers who inhabited the island in the recent past. They also encountered a freighter stationed off the island that some thought would lead to their rescue, but ultimately almost caused their extinction. The band of friends, family, enemies and strangers must continue to work together against all odds if they want to stay alive. But as they have discovered during their journey, nothing is what it seems, and danger and mystery loom behind every corner, with even those they thought could be trusted turning against them. Even heroes have secrets.
“Lost” stars Naveen Andrews as Sayid, Henry Ian Cusick as Desmond, Michael Emerson as Ben, Matthew Fox as Jack, Jorge Garcia as Hurley, Josh Holloway as Sawyer, Daniel Dae Kim as Jin, Yunjin Kim as Sun, Ken Leung as Miles, Evangeline Lilly as Kate, Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet and Terry O’Quinn as Locke.
A 2008 recipient of the prestigious Peabody Award, “Lost” was created by Jeffrey Lieber and J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof. Abrams, Lindelof, Bryan Burk, Jack Bender, Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz and Carlton Cuse serve as executive producers. “Lost,” which is filmed entirely on location in Hawaii and premiered on September 22, 2004, is from ABC Studios.
“PRIVATE PRACTICE”
From Shonda Rhimes, the Golden Globe-winning creator of “Grey’s Anatomy,” comes a story about finding a way to begin the rest of your life. Addison Forbes Montgomery is a renowned neonatal surgeon at the pinnacle of her profession. Having left behind Seattle Grace Hospital and a broken marriage, Addison has moved to Los Angeles for sunnier weather and happier possibilities. Now reunited with her friends from medical school, Naomi and Sam Bennett, Addison has joined their co-op practice at Oceanside Wellness Group in Santa Monica. The practice’s resident pediatrician is Dr. Cooper Freedman, Dr. Pete Wilder is the alternative medicine specialist, psychiatrist Dr. Violet Turner and office manager/nurse, William Dell Parker, round out the tightly knit group of professionals. The doctors of Oceanside work together to find solutions to their patients’ needs, but along the way they encounter medical cases that challenge their ethical and moral ideals and their abilities as doctors. For Addison, an old friend’s invitation has brought her to a new city and a new life full of promise – now it’s up to her to take chances in dating and find her place in this new medical environment. At Oceanside Wellness Group, the doctors are dedicated pros; it’s their private lives that need a little practice.
“Private Practice” stars Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery, Tim Daly as Dr. Pete Wilder, Audra McDonald as Dr. Naomi Bennett, Paul Adelstein as Dr. Cooper Freedman, KaDee Strickland as Dr. Charlotte King, Chris Lowell as William Dell Parker, with Taye Diggs as Dr. Sam Bennett and Amy Brenneman as Dr. Violet Turner.
“Private Practice” was created and is executive-produced by Shonda Rhimes. Betsy Beers, Mark Gordon, Mark Tinker, Jon Cowan and Robert Rovner are executive producers. The series is produced by ABC Studios.
“UGLY BETTY”
In the superficial world of high fashion, image is everything. Styles come and go, and the only constants are the super thin beauties who wear them. How can an ordinary girl from Queens possibly fit in? Sweet, intelligent, hard-working and – undoubtedly – fashion-challenged, Betty Suarez dreams of a successful career in magazine publishing. After taking a job at Mode Magazine, the bible of the fashion industry, Betty’s indomitable spirit and bright ideas win over the respect of her Mode cohorts despite continuous predictions of failure. She thrives in the ultra-competitive environment in spite of her lack of fashion sense. Betty forms an unlikely team with her boss, Daniel Meade, the co-editor in chief of Mode Magazine, as they help one another navigate the choppy waters of NYC’s shark infested fashion scene. Now she must prove that she is not just a super assistant with no fashion sense, but an aspiring career woman and editor-to-be while balancing her tumultuous love life and her family responsibilities.
“Ugly Betty” stars America Ferrera as Betty Suarez, Eric Mabius as Daniel Meade, Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater, Ana Ortiz as Hilda, Tony Plana as Ignacio, Becki Newton as Amanda, Mark Indelicato as Justin, Michael Urie as Marc and Judith Light as Claire Meade.
Based on “Yo Soy Betty La Fea,” the groundbreaking Colombian telenovela that became an international phenomenon, “Ugly Betty” is from ABC Studios. The series has been awarded the Golden Globe, Peabody, NAACP, ALMA, GLAAD and Imagen awards and earned 3 Emmy awards and 17 nominations. Executive producers are Silvio Horta (”Urban Legend”), Academy Award-nominee and Emmy Award winner Salma Hayek, Jose Tamez, Richard Heus, Ben Silverman, Teri Weinberg, Tracy Poust and Jon Kinnally.
COMEDY
“BETTER OFF TED”
“Better Off Ted” is a satirical office comedy about successful good guy, Ted, who runs research and development at the morally questionable Veridian Dynamics. No achievement is too far-fetched and no invention too unorthodox for Veridian. Need cow-less meat grown in a test tube? Done. Need pumpkins that also double as weapons of mass destruction? No problem. Ted’s a single dad to a seven-year-old girl, and he loves his job, but he’s starting to take a closer look at the company’s extremely dubious practices. Do you manufacture the best teeth whitener ever if it could also kill off all of the planet’s fish? Probably not, but…
Ted’s also fighting an attraction to co-worker Linda, who enjoys small acts of rebellion against Veridian (she’s secretly stealing and hoarding all the company’s creamer packets). But he holds back about his true feelings. He’s already had his self imposed “one office affair” with überboss Veronica. Incredibly beautiful (if seemingly devoid of conscience and also emotion-free), Veronica lets nothing get in her way when it comes to serving Veridian’s needs… even if it means doing something like cryogenically freezing an employee for testing purposes. And after all, the employee, research scientist Phil, survived (after he thawed out). So what if he screams like an eagle at the slightest provocation? He and his best friend, fellow research scientist Lem, are both geniuses and when they’re not bickering, they’re responsible for many of Veridian’s miracles of weird science.
“Better Off Ted” stars Jay Harrington as Ted, Portia de Rossi as Veronica, Andrea Anders as Linda, Jonathan Slavin as Phil, Malcolm Barrett as Lem and Isabella Acres as Rose.
“Better Off Ted” is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television. Victor Fresco (”My Name Is Earl,” “Andy Richter Controls the Universe”) is executive producer and creator of the series.
“SCRUBS”
This irreverent and offbeat comedy received two consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2005 and 2006, and was named TV.com’s “Best of 2007″ in Comedy.
“Scrubs” focuses on the unique point of view of Dr. John Dorian, or “J.D.” (Zach Braff). After surviving his internship and residency, and year as an attending physician with his own class of unmanageable interns at Sacred Heart Hospital, J.D. is moving on to greener pastures. He continues to face many challenges in his personal and professional life trying to balance his roles as doctor, father to Sam, devoted live-in boyfriend and friend to his very quirky companions at Sacred Heart.
In its debut year, “Scrubs” was nominated for two Emmy Awards and a People’s Choice Award. It has received a total of 16 Emmy nominations, and it won an Emmy for Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing in 2005 and another for Outstanding Sound Mixing in 2007. In 2004 the series was honored with a prestigious Humanitas Prize. Beginning that same year, it received three consecutive Producers Guild Award nominations, from 2004-2006.
“Scrubs” is produced by ABC Studios. Bill Lawrence (”Spin City”) is the executive producer and creator.
ALTERNATIVE
“AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS”
“America’s Funniest Home Videos” will celebrate its 20th season when it returns in the fall. Hosted by Tom Bergeron, “America’s Funniest Home Videos” is the longest-running primetime show in ABC history and has been entertaining viewers for decades by showing what happens when adults, children and even inanimate objects are at their spontaneous best, “America’s Funniest Home Videos” has given
away over $10 million in prize money and evaluated more than half a million videotapes from home viewers. Viewers wishing to submit home videos to “America’s Funniest Home Videos” should visit www.ABC.com for details.
Vin Di Bona is executive producer, with Todd Thicke and Michele Nasraway serving as co-executive producers.
“THE BACHELOR”
ABC’s “The Bachelor” is the original primetime romance reality series that offers one lucky man and 25 lucky women the unique opportunity to find true love. The new Bachelor will get to know 25 women via a series of social gatherings and exotic, romantic dates – some in groups, some individually. He will introduce some of the women to his family, and will visit their hometowns for a slice of their life in an effort to determine the woman with whom he is most compatible.
“The Bachelor” is hosted by Chris Harrison and produced by Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television. Mike Fleiss and Martin Hilton are executive producers.
“DANCING WITH THE STARS”
Hosted by Tom Bergeron (”America’s Funniest Home Videos”) and Samantha Harris (”The Insider”), “Dancing with the Stars” challenges celebrities from the worlds of Hollywood, sports, and beyond, to perform choreographed ballroom routines ranging from the foxtrot to the cha cha cha. Celebrities are paired with some of the top professional ballroom dancers in the world and their live televised performances are judged by renowned ballroom judge Len Goodman and dancer/choreographers Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.
“Dancing with the Stars” is the U.S. version of the international smash hit series, “Strictly Come Dancing.” This version is produced by BBC Worldwide Americas. Conrad Green serves as executive producer and Rob Wade and Matilda Zoltowski are co-executive producers. Alex Rudzinski directs.
“EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION”
Put together one very run-down house, a deserving family, several opinionated designers, seven days and what do you get? The answer is “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” The show has won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Reality Program, plus the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Reality Show/Makeover and the Family Television Award for Best Alternative/Reality Program. Each episode is self-contained and features a race against time on a project that would ordinarily take at least four months to achieve, involving a team of designers, contractors and several hundred workers who have just seven days to totally rebuild an entire house – every single room, plus the exterior and landscaping. The lives of the lucky families are forever changed when they learn that they’ve been selected to have their home walls moved, their floors replaced and even their facades radically changed. The result should be a decorator’s delight… if it can be done in time.
The design team includes team leader Ty Pennington, with designers Paul DiMeo, Paige Hemmis, Michael Moloney, Ed Sanders, Tracy Hutson, Eduardo Xol, John Littlefield, Rib Hillis and Didiayer Snyder.
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America. The executive producer is Anthony Dominici (”America’s Next Top Model,” “The Amazing Race”).
“SUPERNANNY”
“Supernanny” is in its fifth season with Jo Frost criss-crossing America, taking on some of its toughest parenting challenges. She can tame the wildest toddler, soothe the savage six-year-old and get the most difficult child to overcome problems with behavior, sleep, mealtime, potty training and other
challenges that have vexed parents around the world for centuries. The series debuted in America in early 2005 and captivated the country with Jo’s practical, no-nonsense style, honed over 20 years of nannying. “Supernanny” is now an international phenomenon; it airs in 172 territories, almost all of them with Frost as Supernanny. The series has been nominated for a People’s Choice Award.
Nick Powell is the creator and executive producer of both the American and British versions of the show. Nick Emmerson and Stephanie Schwam are executive producers of the American version. “Supernanny” is produced by Shed Media US.
“TRUE BEAUTY”
What makes a person truly beautiful? From executive producers Tyra Banks (”The Tyra Banks Show,” “America’s Next Top Model”) and Ashton Kutcher (executive producer of “Punk’d” and “Beauty and the Geek”), beauty is redefined in the popular ABC series “True Beauty.”
Gorgeous female and handsome male contestants assume they’re being judged solely on their outer appearance, but they’re only half right; outer beauty is just one component the judges are looking for. Contestants, unbeknownst to them, are also being evaluated for their INNER beauty as they’re tested in challenging situations that require them to make moral decisions.
Each episode will showcase an outer beauty and an inner beauty challenge, during which contestants will be judged on everything from how well they perform in photo shoots to how well they respect their elders. The three judges will observe and critique the contestants’ behavior and eliminate one person each week. Only after someone is eliminated will the truth about the show be revealed to him/her, as they watch a video montage of their behavior captured by a hidden camera during the shoot. At the end of eight episodes, one winner will be declared, a person who is truly beautiful inside and out. That person will receive a cash prize and a spot in PEOPLE magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful People issue.
Executive producers of “True Beauty” are Denise Cramsey (”Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”), Tyra Banks and Laura Armstrong for Bankable Productions, and Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg, Karey Burke and Rod Aissa for Katalyst Productions. The series is a production of Warner Horizon Television.
“WIFE SWAP”
Each week two very contradictory families from across the country participate in a two-week-long challenge: The wives exchange husbands, children and lives (but not bedrooms) to discover daily life in another woman’s shoes. This astonishing experiment repeatedly changes lives and redefines families.
In the first week of the swap, the wives move in and adopt their new family’s lifestyle, no matter how different it may be. They agree to follow a manual written by the departing wife that sets out the rules of their new household – how they parent, shop, do the house work, manage their budgets and their social life. In the second week, everything changes. The new wives take charge. They introduce their own set of rules and get to run the new household their way. It’s a radical shock to both families. The results are explosive, enlightening, emotional and often comical.
At the end of the show, the two couples meet for the first time. In a highly-charged exchange of views, both couples make a frank assessment of each other and talk about what they’ve learned from the experience.
“Wife Swap” is an RDF USA production. The show was created by Stephen Lambert and is executive-produced by Mike Gamson, and Michael Davies of Embassy Row (”Who Wants to be a Millionaire”). Neil Regan, Julie Cooper and Will Nothacker are co-executive producers.
“20/20″
ABC News’ acclaimed series “20/20″ has distinguished itself as one of the most esteemed news programs in broadcast journalism. Amid the heated, competitive environment of primetime entertainment, “20/20″ has demonstrated its ability to consistently attract a significant segment of the viewing audience by offering viewers more choices and more chances to learn about the world around them. For over three decades, “20/20″ has continued to combine hard-hitting investigative reports, newsmaker interviews and compelling human interest and feature stories that have changes lives.
The program is co-anchored by the broadcast team of Elizabeth Vargas and John Stossel, both award-winning journalists.
=
Robert/Bill , rating of Supernanny and Ugly betty in the last season ?
“The Bachelor” will air Monday nights from 8:00-10:00 p.m. following the run of “Dancing with the Stars,” and “Scrubs” and “Better Off Ted” will air at 9:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., respectively, following the run of “Dancing with the Stars The Results Show.”
So does that mean there will only be one edition of Dancing next season?
I think I know what you’re asking for. Friday night at 8 is obviously favoring a certain Nerd this Fall, no complaints here…..lol.
Supernanny and all unscripted can be found here:
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/05/12/may-12-renewal-cancellation-prospects-for-your-favorite-shows/
For Ugly Betty, click the link to ABC Scripted shows in that post.
Jon K, no, it means The Bachelor will fill the space between the DWTS cycles just as it did this past season.
oh dear, they’re about to kill off ugly betty it seems. Where is Lost, mid season premiere ???
to be honest, I can see ugly betty as a lead-in to desperate housewives. It will do SOOO much better on sunday.
I have one quastion: Is V the mini series event ou not?
V is not a “miniseries” event right now. It’s been picked up for 13 episodes. Depending on how those go, they may opt to run it as “closed-ended,” but for right now, it’s “open-ended.”
Matt, Thank you i hope V gets a second season… after this season…
I`ll see:
Tuesday: The Forgotten
Wednesday: The Middle, Cougar Town and Eastwick
Thursday: Flash Foward
I see ABC isn’t even bothering with a 90 minute DWTS.
Well they just killed Ugly Betty.
yep you’re right. ugly betty audience fits better desperate than grey’s. it would make a good lead in
So Motherhood and, erm, that other new comedy this season are cancelled. I don’t watch ABC.
Leaving us with 6 sitcoms. Two to replace the worst-performing ones (hopefully all of them) in midseason.
Has Dancing with the Stars always been two hours? A bit hefty.
At least they recognize Betty is not that great. Weird though that they are not pushing new shows by giving them post-Grey’s or Desperate slots. Though I guess Flash Forward is their great hope given that it’s Thursday.
Shark Tank sounds stupid. Why is “alternative” the new “reality”?
Hey, Happy Town has Aaron Rose, Doctor Saunders/Winifred Burkle, and Lucy’s Husband from 7th Heaven. I wonder where the midseason shows will go; Lost and V might make sense together.
“Gorgeous female and handsome male contestants assume they’re being judged solely on their outer appearance, but they’re only half right; outer beauty is just one component the judges are looking for.” Will this still apply? I mean…haven’t the contestants seen the show now and know what it’s about?
Interesting stuff. I thought they might move Brothers & Sisters to Tuesdays at 10, but I suppose with the rumors that Without a Trace being done, The Forgotten might have a chance there, assuming CBS doesn’t move one of it’s other successful procedurals there.
Also, i’m going to guess this is will probably end up being the last season for Ugly Betty, as she’s been shipped off to Fridays. Can’t wait to see the Betty vs. Dollhouse debates!
Also interesting is ABC’s attempt to build a comedy block on Wednesday nights. What also interests me is the fact that their Wednesday lineup is made up of all new shows. I’m guessing that if they want Lost to return to Wed. at 9 in the spring, they just stick with the two comedies that are working the best. Or if Eastwick fails and all the comedies are doing alright, then put Lost at 10. I could also see Lost going to Tuesdays at 10 perhaps if The Forgotten fails.
Oh ABC. Why are you not trying to promote any of your new shows by pairing it after one of your most succesful shows in Desperate Housewives? It really makes no sense to me.
Also haven’t they learned that it’s not good to have all new shows on in one night (wed’s again)?? Didn’t they learn their lesson? They should have had a seasoned show in there to anchor the night and move a new show to Sunday’s at 10.
I also think Flash Forward paired with Grey’s and PP doesn’t make any sense. A sci fi show at 8pm with two very highly skewed female shows? What?
The Forgotten has clearly been given the best chance to succeed here.
Hmmm…Friday night at 9, the “dead zone,” features Dollhouse versus Ugly Betty versus (not confirmed) Flashpoint versus (non confirmed) Southland? I think that’s good news for Flashpoint and CBS.
Huh, Dancing with the Stars will be against So You Think You Can Dance. I’m guessing the former will have better numbers, but the latter will skew younger.
Eastwick seems like a better fit with Desperate. Brothers and Sisters could have worked at Wed 10pm. After having 3 seasons of getting a sweet lead-in, it’s time Brothers and Sisters pulled its own weight.
My opinion, they should wait with Flash Forward until Midseason and air it together with LOST AND V
Based on what I’ve heard, ABC approached Ugly Betty in the same way Fox apparently looked at Dollhouse – they wanted budget cuts and retooling on the creative side. No network brings back a show to kill it, they obviously think they’ve got something that can work in a “reduced expectations” format.
Friday nights are going to be really interesting this year, in a way it seems like the shows on that night aren’t competing with each other – they’re competing with themselves to keep costs low, grab a niche audience and keep them.
So, ABC is going with the if it’s not broken, don’t fix it philosophy. Mondays,Thursdays, and Sundays are working, why mess with them? The new shows are either good enough to survive on their own, and to become replacements for their aging hits, or ABC is not going to be patient with them. That is what that schedule is telling the show runners of the new shows.
Ugly Betty on Fridays means that they where successful in a cutting costs scheme. I wonder how many regulars are going to become recurring, or killed for sweeps in the next season.
Wow at 9pm Fridays. Talk about competition. Although i must say ell the series have mainly different kind of public
why would ABC put all new shows on Wednesday. that looks like disaster. they shouldve left scrubs and better off ted that night along with 2 new sitcoms. and yea ugly betty on friday looks like disaster
So, Samantha Who and In the Motherhood are definitely dead.
I’ll be checking out Hank, Flash Forward and V (when that comes in mid season).
Well, there’s at least one show here I have to check out:
Eastwick – Rebecca Romijn – ’nuff said, can’t beat that!
Nice to see Sonya Walger back from being knocked off on Terminator and showing up on Flash Forward. Also Dean Winters back from being knocked off on Terminator showing up on Happy Town,
And Morena Baccarin – just finished watching her again tonight in “Serenity” – on V. And V also has Laura Vandervoort, another major babe.
And Courtney Cox on the aptly named “Cougar Town”. Even though I never watched “Friends”, I always thought Courtney was hotter than Jennifer Aniston. I just hope Morgan Fairchild, the “Queen of the Cougars”, makes an appearance.
I might check out V as well as Castle and Eastwick. But I remember the original.
I may watch Hank, Cougar Town and V, but the rest don’t look interesting. If Neil Flynn is in one of the new shows, does that mean he won’t be on Scrubs anymore?
By the way, if Chuck is moved to Fridays, from what I’ve seen its only real competition is Smackdown, which isn’t even on a network. And yes, I realize Jennifer Love Hewitt will still be on Friday at 8.
@CP, all of the “classic” Scrubs cast members are only going to appear in a few episodes this season. I’d assume that means Flynn is able to do his new show and make some appearances on Scrubs.
Shark Tank is an adaptation of the Japanese show Dragon’s Den which has been successful in Britain and I can see it doing well.
The Forgotten sounds like your typical Bruckheimer show but I think it could do well.
I thought I read on one of these posts that Flynn, Faison, and Dr. Cox have signed on for the full season.
To Mr. Hack, do you only base the shows you watch off of the women that are on them? There are some hot chicks on TV, but that shouldn’t be your basis. If that were the case, Ghost Whisperer would be one of my favorite shows. And if I wasn’t watching that I’d apparently be watching the Natalie Gulbis show and Carrie Underwood videos.
Wow, ABC totally gave the finger to Eggly Bettty! Considering Betty’s ratings, it’s too be expected. Damn them for putting Flash Forward on Thursday! I guess I’ll finally have to stop watching Smallville (on the television, that is).
When will ABC release their midseason schedule? Fox has already released theirs. Thanks.
I guess everyone’s already said it but WOW – Ugly Betty was given the SHAFT!
On one hand, I think the show MIGHT work on Friday’s because it’s a heavily-female skewing show, so it might do well against Dollhouse/Flashpoint (if CBS leaves that where it is).
On the other hand, I think ABC should have tried putting it on Wednesdays so there would be at least ONE established program in that night. Ultimately, I think after all the Wednesday shows flop, ABC will end up moving Ugly Betty to Wednesdays and bring in Wife Swap on Fridays.
So I have a question, where the hell is Lost going to fit onto this schedule? Presumably they’ll put back at Wednseday at 9, which begs the question where are Cougar Town and Modern Family going to go midseason. It does however seem very odd that they haven’t announced where Lost is going to be for its final season.
Elsewhere Shark Tank is UK Dragon’s Den by another name. Its actually a good show.
Is Scrubs and better off ted comeing in mid-season.
So glad that CASTLE gets to keep its cushy post DWTS spot – love Nathan Fillion. Potentially interested in Eastwick, The Forgotten and Flash Forward. The only potential new show from Fox – Human Target. From what I heard about CBS’s new shows – all very meh (hated the concept of the NCIS spin-off). NBC – may give Mercy or Parenthood a spin. I think that with renewals for Dollhouse, Chuck, Castle that I will be sticking with a lot of my old shows but there a few new shows that sound interesting but none with major buzz potential.
Alex, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lost at 10 if the comedy block works at all. ABC is actually being a bit honest here by not pretending they have any clue what midseason will look like.
RJ, Scrubs and BOT will be Tuesday at nine between DWTS runs. Either ABC is expecting them to fail and just stick to the short runs or they’ll actually be used to replace some new comedies that fail.
I agree with many — total shaft to “Ugly Betty”. Though the numbers did soften on Thursday nights, so did the entire night on each network.
And no, ABC does not learn. They made the same mistake two years ago in trying to launch an entire night with new programs. Big mistake. At least “Ugly Betty” is a proven commodity for the network and can provide some stability. It might benefit from the lead in slot on Wednesdays instead of the “bitch slap” slot on Fridays. They should have stuck with “Wife Swap” at 9.
Big mistake on ABC’s part (along with the cancellation of “Samantha Who”). They’ll do the right thing when their Wednesday night completely falls apart.
Why bother with a midseason schedule? reminds me of NBC all year round schedule.
actually, with Pushing/Private/Dirty, ABC was winning until the strike.. and they did not return the shows and the rest is history/
In regards to Flash Forward:
ABC (along with Fox with Fringe) are taking a page from the CW playbook: movie advertisers spend most of their budget on action movies, and are fond of Thursday advertising (fresh in the mind of consumers: hit the theater the next day).
Therefore programming Thursday action shows is a direct ploy to attract action movie advertisement money. (That is the only way Flash Forward will be profitable at 8pm.)
I too am mildly shocked by the all-new Wednesday, given how poorly it worked out for ABC last time.
And between V, Lost, & Happy Town, ABC has a lot of shows to schedule in Winter (not to mention the rest of the runs of Scrubs & Ted once Dancing returns). Who knows if their Winter schedule will have any resemblance to this one.
It never really occurred to me until Julia said it but I think ABC has done the (sort of) smart thing in not really announcing how the schedules going to look midseason. They’re launching 11 new shows (Wednesday is all new scripted shows) and it seems unlikely, especially when you take into account ABC’s current batting average that all of those will survive beyond 13 episodes.
So midseason they’ve got, what Wife Swap, True Beauty, Lost, Scrubs and Better Off Ted to play around with when they need to pull shows from the schedule. Makes sense.
Wow – only one night of ABC this year that I’m even remotely interested in watching (until Scrubs appears that is). Guess I will have more time for reading after all.
Things are busy here so I skipped ahead: Read a newspaper article which informed me Cougar was going to star Courtney Cox. I’m a big fan of hers and consider her one of the most classically beautiful women in Hollywood, ever since she danced with Bruce Springsteen on stage for some music video. I sure hope she can help carry the show before hers – assuming her show has any kind of writers at all – because her beautiful face and all-woman charms are sorely missed by this viewer, at least. ( Don’t like Updike, may he rest in peace, hated the movie despite the great cast, so can’t admit to much good feelings about ” Eastwick.” I will watch it tho. Maybe they will surprise me.)
Hmm, why are they pairing Flash Forward with Grey’s and PP? I mean…the audiences are totally different. Anyway, on one hand I am happy Flash Forward is a fall series, since I can’t wait to see it..but on the other hand I bet it would’ve been more successful in midseason together with Lost and V.
Other than that nice to see that ABC is confident in Castle and lets it stay in the post-DWTS spot. Happy Town and Eastwick sound interesting, too…I’ll definitely check them out. Other than that, it’s business as usual on ABC’s shedule.
not announcing mid season is meh. it’ll change anyway so who really cares. i think this is lazy by ABC. They need to try and launch new shows after Grey’s and DH.
Wow, it is so great to see Castle in that lineup! Thank you, ABC!
Thank you for keeping Castle!!!
I don’t see ABC puting the last season of Lost on at 10, no matter how well the comedy block does.
Stacy, they’ve had Lost at ten before and this season proved they can’t launch anything after Lost so I would expect it if the comedy block does well. At least Lost would get more of a lead in than the crap it’s been getting.
LOST will not be on at 10:00 pm. My guess is at 8:00 pm or 9:00 pm. We could see LOST on Thursdays again at 8:00 pm if the new show fails. It could end-up on Mondays or Tuesdays. I don’t think ABC wants to put LOST against AI anymore (especially, when AI moves to 9:00 pm after daylight savings time).
But regardless, LOST’s final episode will probably attract a lot of attention and hype in May 2010. I wouldn’t be surprised to see 15-17 million viewers with LIVE-SD DVR) for the final show.
I personally think that we will probably see a LOST movie sometimes in the near future released during summertime. It will be a great action/summer movie.
Please no-one get too invested in Flash Forward…as Braga is the producer/writer it’ll likely die fairly quickly of startrekrepeatstorylinesyndrome
Looks like Sayid and Juliet Live on Lost?
Happy about Castle but why no Samantha Who? Didn’t even know it was in danger of being cancelled. Not interested in any of the new shows, especially when ABC has a history of cancelling anything I invest my interest in…My So-Called Life, October Road, etc.
Thank you for saving Castle!
Yeah that entire Wednesday night ain’t going to make it to next season.
I think they’ll also fall to third with that Friday night (though should still handily beat Fox).
Otherwise it looks pretty solid. Personally I was hoping for Flash Forward on during the Lost slot, since that Thursday slot really conflicts with a lot of what I watch, but alas. I have a lot of hope for Flash Forward, so.
Nick C …are the webisodes official ? not clear to me
They keep Better off Ted but cancel Samantho Who??
I don’t understand!!!
sorry …wrong thread …I’m a little bit LOST
I’m really sad Ugly Betty is on Friday
but a 9pm timeslot is good! ABC should have try it on Wednesday or Monday.
I hope the Scrubs, Better Off Ted and the new sitcoms (Hank, Modern Family, Cougar Town and The Middle) failed and the Shark Tank to fail too (ABC should stop making new sitcoms and reality shows)!!!
Happy about the Monday and Sunday schedule (no changes glad no more sitcoms before Castle)
The Forgotten would probably be cancelled like Cupid
I’d like the Forgotten, Eastwick and Fast Forward to succeed
Hmmm… “V”, FLASH FORWARD & THE FORGOTTEN seem interesting…but I’ve invested years into Smallville – so Flash Forward may have to be another DVD thing…I do want to check out “V” but not if they put it up against “24″ on Monday’s…right now The Forgotten and Castle are the best bets for me to check out —all their recurrent stuff is still crap like DH, Brothers…,Grey’s… & Scrubs…
So ABC may get me to view their network again…really haven’t committed to anything on the Alphebet Network since they cancelled ALIAS…Where is Sydney Bristow when you need her!?
i’m sure that shark tank will tank (seriously no pun intended) before the season even starts since it’s starting summer. another entrepreneur show? jesus. yeah that’s what i wanna see… people begging for money to millionaires. so like last years ashton kutchner’s reality show at tues at 8… it will be gone and abc will either resked ugly betty there which would be a great fit or scrubs and ted.
I read through this pretty quickly but wasn’t there supposed to be a new Shonda Rhimes show In The Box or something? Is that mid-season or did they pass on it?
And these new shows look terrible. I’ll probably check out Frasier’s new show, but that’s about it.
If putting Ugly Betty Fridays at 9 gets it out of the pressure cooker, I don’t really mind it. Rather than it be in a hyper-competitive timeslot (Thursdays are the most watched night of the week) and be on a constant pressure to peform or be cancelled, I think UB would thrive out of the spotlight and I hope it reduces the constant threat of cancellation. Friday night is “women’s night” anyway, what with Wife Swap, Supernanny, Dollhouse, Ghost Whisperer, etc.
How on earth are they bringing back “True Beauty” unless they have all new hosts and judges. That makes no sense, but whatever.
I guess that Amy Acker being in “Happy Town” will either bump her off “Dollhouse” or just limit her screen time? I love her, so I may tune into “Happy Town” just for that reason, but if she leaves “Dollhouse,” it will be sadness!
ABC bringing back True Beauty is stupid. Everyone will know what they are competiting for. As for Castle coming back on mondays, I called it. I look forward to the Scrubs/Ted combo on tuesdays for midseason. Here’s my thought on the schedule
Monday – 2 Hours of Dancing, followed by Castle. Smart no comedies there to interfere, I’m sure castle will do fine competing with CSI: Miami.
Tuesdays – Shark Tank will as a lot of people have said, Tank, but we can wait for that. Dancing will do normally at 9, but once Scrubs and Ted return i’m sure if they are lucky, the series will get 4-6 million viewers. As for The Forgotten, hopefully it does better than Eli Stone but keep in mind, theres no SVU at 10 this year to get in the way, and the only competition will likely be The Mentalist at 10…. so yeah.
Wednesdays – I have a bad feeling that Wednesdays for ABC will be a complete disaster. Unlike the last 2 years where wednesday was structured with 3 new dramas, this year theres 4 new comedies and 1 drama. i have a feeling that the premiere of the comedies will get around 8-9 million viewers and they will just go dowen from there. ABC won’t cancel all of the comedies so look for 2 to be saved, likely at 8. (My bet is on The Middle and Modern Family). Eastwick will fail, no question just because of the lead in of the comedies.
Thursdays – The only change on t5hursdasys is Flash Forward replacing ugly betty at 8, which I think could turn out to be a good thing. ABD still has the reliable duo of Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practive from 9-11 which i think is smart.
Fridays – The only big change on friday is the addition of Ugly Betty. Will this be the final nail in the coffin for Betty, probably. Supernanny and 20/20 also will still be on fridays
Sundays – The only day of the week that is expected to be the same with no big changes.
As always, I will admit my guesses for cancellation. Only 2 of my guesses were wrong. I always had a strong feeling that Samantha Who? would be back no matter what, but to everyones shock, its axed. As of of the most surprising cancellations it all came down to cost, and I guess it seems that ABC will liekly never be able to continue a new comedy for more than 2 seasons. Surviving Suburbia was also axed but that was always 50/50, it seems that ABC didn’t like the retention out of Dancing and wanted to find something new.
Oh ABC, why are you sabotaging yourselves?
ABC, Why wouldn’t you launch a new comedy in the Post Dancing With the Stars Time slots?
ABC, Why are you having a completely new block of unestablished shows on Wednesdays? What’s gonna happen when American Idol comes back? You will get slaughtered
ABC, why would you move Ugly Betty to Fridays when it’s audience continues to dwindle week after week? You might as well just cancel it now!
ABC, why do you keep pairing Desperate Housewives with Brothers and Sisters? The shows do not mesh well together…’Betty’ would’ve done much better in the post Housewives spot.
The only night ABC got right was Thursday nights, surprisingly.
This is a good schedule. I hope Castle continues to do well at the 10 o’clock hour especially since it is up against Jay Leno & new CSI next Fall. The last 2 episodes were great & hope it stays this way.
I don’t think that UB to Fridays is an entirely bad move. UB is one of the only series that has lost no audience post-DST, which is surprising. In fact, it’s doing better in recent weeks than it was in March. Ratings are nothing special, but it proves that the series does have an audience. On Friday, Supernanny will likely do a 1.3 to 1.5 demo at 8pm. If UB can keep a 1.8 to 2.0 demo at 9pm (a distinct possibility), it would prove to be a good move for ABC.
Overall, I like ABC’s schedule. It’s gusty (especially Wednesday), but it could very well work. You really have to start from somewhere, and if ABC can salvage even one of the Wednesday comedies, then it was worth it. Two would be gangbusters.
I hoping for good things for Ugly Betty. They’ve had a rough time since their first hit year. Curious to see if they’ll end the show in the same way that the original did or just cancel it.
If the Ugly Betty series was to be canceled? Would that be the first incarnation of the Ugly Betty telanovas where the Ugly Betty character doesn’t end up with the Daniel character?
Affter reading some ad agency analysis of the new ABC schedule, it seems the smart money, so to speak, beleives ABC uh, desperately needs a new hit, of the magnitude of DH or Grey’s. This interests me for two reasons: one, I think the penumbra or intangables involved in the “brand name ” of a network must still count with sponsors. Why do I say that? Because by the demos, DH and Grey’s are doing great,( though they have – like almost everyone else – had viewer erosion.) Two, I think networ5ks must still believe bragging rights count somehow. The mainstream media still insists on reporting total household numbers the same way college football is ranked each week. I’m not saying this affects individual shows, but I think all ships rise, as they say, and maybe shows can get just a little oomph from positive spin or word of mouth. Ie, the whole new Wedendsday block for ABC.Insiders will be eager5 to see if another ” gutsy ” gamble pays off, like moving Grey’s to Thursday nightss -v- CSI. Media reporters will magnify this, make it klike gladitorial games, and sites like this one will obviously be affected. Traffic will probably go up as people dis or defend their favorites. Anyway, they need this machina and I gotta get off, so I can’t wrap this up too concisely. Wedensday ought to be an interesting nightb this fall.
Modern Family was really funny. I think the comedy block actually might have a chance. Hank looks kinda stupid, but something that would have been a huge hit about 15 years ago, so maybe it’ll find success today. Cougar Town has a shot, though it could go either way. The Middle looks like the weakest of the bunch, but if the rest of the block works it could find an audience, too. But I’m really rooting for Modern Family now. It started slow but was downright hilarious by the end.
On the drama side, they showed the first act of Flash Forward. This seems to be what they are hoping will become the new Lost. Of course, they managed to get an entire bible for the whole series so it might be able to avoid the Lost slump where it just seemed like they were wasting time because they had no idea where they were going. It was definitely an exciting first act. Not sure if I’ll be watching, but it has mass appeal I think.
The Forgotten looks like a typical procedural, but Rupert Penry-Jones will get me to watch.
Eastwick looks stupid. If you’ve seen the movie, you don’t need to see the show, as far as I can tell. And the devil character looks totally miscast. But the females should be appealing at least, but I have no idea how they can turn that into a series.
Happy Town looks horrible. V looks like it’ll appeal to those who you would think it would, and it doesn’t look too cheesy.
The Deep End looks AWESOME. I’m very excited about this one. I mean, it basically is Grey’s in a law office, but Grey’s was great its first season. Maybe this can manage to avoid turning into something unwatchable if it makes it.
Wednesday is big gamble, though as some have said, i wouldn’t be surprised if abc picked two favorites from the four comedies fairly soon and possibly move ugly betty to Wednesday with the surviving comedies and eastwick. reading that wife swap is coming back makes me really think abc has some type of move planned for betty over the course of the season.
after reading the comedy plots it dose seem like betty could fit in well with the new Wednesday shows which ever way it shakes out.
you could also easily see abc play with Mondays, scrubs and better off ted don’t seem to be returning for long…
betty, if i remember correctly, was originally scheduled to be a Friday night show, so its a bit coming full circle
im really interested to see what they do mid season, theres a lot to juggle with planned and returning shows. i think lost will be moved. flashforward seems like an odd fit for 8pm much less the lead into greys, but ok… abc lol
Flash Forward is clearly the hopeful Lost replacement. If it performs well on Thursdays they won’t touch it midseason, but if it’s mediocre I can see them pairing it with Lost, hopefully as a lead-in rather than lead-out. We all know how well lead-outs from Lost do.
The Deep End would go really well out of Desperate Housewives or Grey’s, but I don’t see them moving B&S or PP.
Wow, Im so sad!! Ugly Betty!!! NO! I’ll sdmit the ratings were going down but at least they were one of the only stable comedies ABS had! They should have moved Ugly Betty before Desperate Housewives. That would be nice =)
But who knows…ABC has moved TV shows around mid season..they did it with Samantha who and Private Practice. So if all these new shows fail, which seems likely, then Ugly Betty could be moved back!!
CBS used to be the place to watch crime dramas and comdeys and now ABC looks like the channel to watch!!
I’ll admit, as much as I think Ugly Betty would make for a great Desperate Housewives lead-in, it was smart of ABC to keep their best night- or one of their best nights- the same. As the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
Come to think of it, Ugly Betty might fit in nice on Fridays. Much less competition, but with the way the ratings have been going, I don’t think Thursdays at 8 next year would have been pretty for it. And to be honest, I never really noticed a pattern between Grey’s ratings and Betty’s ratings… When Betty’s ratings went up, Grey’s stayed the same. When Grey’s ratings went up, Betty’s stayed the same. As a matter of fact, for the Grey’s season finale, Betty’s ratings actually went down from the previous week. Which leads me to the conclusion that not too many Grey’s viewers watch Betty.
On another note, how on earth did Better Off Ted and Scrubs get renewed? How?
Both Ted and Scrubs were renewed because ABC liked the series compatibility. The series did terribly, but ABC looked past that. Also its possible that Suburbia will be back after all which leaves Samantha Who as the only wrong guess, and as the most shocking cancellation of the year.
Of the four networks, ABC seems to be trying the hardest, and it’s the most admirable, creatively speaking. Frankly, I’m surprised that they’re still throwing so much money at pilots. NBC is a sunken ship. Fox is not really in the game, as it has a golden goose in IDOL. I think CBS is the most problematic. CBS has two types of shows, sitcoms and mysteries. CBS reminds me of NBC when it was scheduling different flavors of LAW & ORDER round the clock. Then when the L&O mothership started downhill, the whole network went with it. CBS’ CSI is starting to crest over the hill.
Castle is safe, whew!!!…thank you, god
I think things are looking pretty ugly for Betty. . .
Wow, do my eyes deceive? Did ABC actually put together a good fall schedule? For the first time in years? I’m impressed.
The clips of their new shows looked quite good for the most part. The “Modern Family” pilot is great. Better than some of Steve Levitan’s past efforts and all of Christopher Lloyd’s. Kind of funny how ABC has a Wednesday reunion of sorts for “Back to You” — only spread across 3 separate shows. And they all air Back to Back to Back! Very wise of them to put half-hour sitcoms Tuesdays 9:00-10:00 and Wednesdays 9:00-10:00, since no one else is having them there. That’s the counterprogramming I’m talking about. And very happy “Ted” gets the time slot I hoped it would get last season. I hope it works out for it. If not, I will treasure the 26 episodes forever.
Of course they will have to spend a ton of money promoting the Wednesday lineup, but I guess that’s no different from Fall, 2007. Now they just need to practice a little patience with their new comedies. If the quality is there and they’re holding steady with viewers, stick with them. Keep the Wednesday comedy lineup intact. Don’t roll over and fear “American Idol” and let “Dancing with the Stars” lead in to the Tuesday comedies instead of uprooting them. Rome wasn’t built in a day. You can’t throw comedies into an hour, expect instant results, and then take them off a month later when you don’t get them. CBS didn’t build their Monday comedy lineup and NBC their Thursday comedy lineup in a day, either.
“Flash Forward” clips looked pretty good. They might have a real hit on their hands with that one. A little surprised it got Thursday 8:00 and not Wednesday 10:00, like people were expecting, but with FOX moving “Fringe” to Thursday, it could definitely work for them. It’s a better de facto lead-in for “Fringe” than “Fringe’s” real lead-in.
All in all, no complaints. Here’s to ABC’s comeback.
Riff, you don’t think Flash Forward’s premise sounds wafer thin? They all see visions of their future…okayyyy, so? I don’t want to judge before having watched the show but to me it sounds like a flimsy premise that can’t be stretched out for more than a few episodes, like the way they kept stretching out The Nine’s bank robbery plot by only showing a few seconds of it in each episode. V sounds far more promising to me.
ABC is taking some risks but I think they have to, their biggest hits are aging and this time their pilot developmet was strong.
Flash Forward, V, Easwick, Happy Town and Cougar Town looks pretty good
Some of the other ones are good too. I am sure they will have a couple of hits this season …
Riff,
you are an idiot. this is an awful line up
It’s all going to depend on execution, as usual. Any of these “thin premise” series could turn into something cool.
Personally I’ll wait to see reviews of V before bothering, since I’m not that big on alien invasion stuff, depending on how it’s done. Flash Forward’s premise may be weak, but we don’t know the details yet. Eastwick has Rebecca Romijn and the Devil (as opposed to Rebecca Romijn and Ugly Betty), so that sounds like a win – unless the Devil sucks, of course. Happy Town doesn’t interest me. Cougar Town (what’s with all the “Town” shows?) has Courtney Cox, who I think is hotter than Jennifer Aniston, but if she doesn’t actually BEHAVE like a cougar, given the title, it’s going to be a lame “bait and switch”.
I really think ABC will stick with Flash Forward. Its competition looks tought (Bones, Survivor, Vampire Diaries, Parks/SNL), but I think it will manage. While they think Eastwick, will be a sleeper hit, I think it will just be a dud. Hopefully it will get to air out all 13 episodes, though but I can’t say the same for some of the comedies. There are no changes on sunday (As expected) and Monday looks exactly as I hoped. I can’t wait for Ted and Scrubs to return to 8 and 8:30, i’m happy that Ted is coming back but I wish they would just let Scrubs die. I believe this will be the last season for Betty any way so why not just seal the deal and move the series to Fridays at 9, where it can help the new night out and at the same time assert its cancellation.
Ha, Dan, did you seriously just say Vampire Diaries is tough competition? Hee.
Well I think Survivor and Bones can be considered the only real competition for Flash Forward, with Community/Parks after followed by Vampire Diaries. I think viewers may pan out like this, ranking highest to lowest.
Survivor 11-14 million
Bones 8-10 million
Flash Forward 7-11 million (could be a breakout, but maybe not)
Parks/Community/SNL 5-7 million
Vampire Diaries 2-3 million
I hope for ABC’s sake that Flash Forward can do better than Ugly Betty has though….
Here’s my guess for how the cancellations/renewals will go for the new series:
Shark Tank: Like Opportunity Knocks last fall, Shark tank will definitely tank, to make room for The bachelor.
The Forgotten: Its possible this series could get a full season or additional episodes. If it performs anything like Eli Stone, however dont expect a thing.
Eastwick – This series will be axed no question. It has a really bad comedy lead in and ABC has had no luck launching a series Wednesday at 10. (The Nine, Dirty Sexy Money, Men in Trees, Life on Mars, The Unusuals)
The Middle / Hank / Modern Family / Cougar Town – Since this is a comedy block, I will say that half of these shows will be axed within the fall. My guess is that out of the four, which ever 2 are the least watched and least liked by ABC will be axed and the other 2 will slide into the 8pm hour leaving 9 open for something else. ABC hasn’t had a 2 hour comedy block since spring 2007, and that hasn’t worked out. Plus ABC has never had 4 new comedies airing back to back so that will be more tough. My bet is that Hank and Cougar Town will be axed, while The Middle and Modern family will be given a renewal. Keep in mind I havent seen the series, its just speculation.
Flash Forward – ABC seems to really like this one, and given it a nice spot at 8 on the thursday schedule. I’d say a definite full season renewal.
Castle!<3
I just noticed in the homepage of TVbythenumbers
CW 2009-10 Schedule Announced- Comments (161)
CBS Announces 2009-2010 Schedule- Comments (207)
NBC 2009-2010 schedule- Comments (552)
ABC 2009-10 Schedule Announced- Comments (91)
Fox 2009-10 Schedule Announced- Comments (269)
ABC has the lowest comments LOL I love ABC!
what about inside the box?? did they turn it down?
ABCFanatic,
I don’t think those numbers have to reflect the success of networks in the fall.
NBC did a good move releasing their scheadule the same day as ACB had planned. So that explains the big difference in the numbers taking into account all Chuck fans here
I am pretty sure ABC fall numbers will go up, they have a scheadule if not strong at least more decent than other networks, hehehhe
Andre – ABC definitely has a good chance and potential in the 10pm hour ever since NBC gave the hour to Jay Leno. Before that ABC had to worry about competition from shows like SVU, ER, Medium. Now with the new series (Eastwick, The Forgotten) and returning shows (Castle, Private Practice) ABC just needs to worry about all the heavy CBS series in 10pm. It seems that ABC will have competition from the highly rated CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, and The Mentalist but shouldn’t have to worry about Tuesday at 10 wher a new CBS show will air
I know everyone is upset about the Leno show and everyone is expecting it to tank, but am the only one who thinks it might do okay at that hour? Leno has been on late night for a long time now so he must have some fans, right? Anyone know what kind of numbers his Tonight Show pulls in? I would think at least he’d get that many people to tune in to this show, too. Is it just me? (Not a fan of Leno, never have been, just wondering).
Leno averages about 3.6 to 3.9 mil in the tonight show slot. I watched Leno cause not much else on at 11:35pm but when he is on at 10pm I will watch other scripted programs on ABC and CBS. Leno is not funny to me with his jokes about FAT AMERICA and STUPID PEOPLE. I did find his current events sometimes amusing but like I stated when given a choice of CSI, EASTWICK, PRIVATE PRACTICE, THE FORGOTTEN, CASTLE and NUMB3RS I will choose them over Leno any night.
Thanks for the viewership numbers, Michael.
I don’t find Leno amusing at all myself. My dad likes Leno but I would think you’re probably right – at that hour, it’ll be harder for him to pull viewers in. But I don’t think NBC is expecting the show to be anything but a placeholder so they’re probably not expecting miracles anyway. If they really were that desperate to keep him from going to NBC they should’ve just tried to negotiate some type of new late night contract for him.
Julia, i agree with you. The Deep End is Grey’s in a law office, and Grey’s just so happens to be one of my most favorite shows and this looks amazing! lets hope the writing can live up to the descriptions!
Anyone interested in Late Night numbers, like Leno, Letterman, etc. can revel in them by clicking the “Late Night” link in the white nav bar above.
Seems like, unlike previous years, Fridays at 9 will have heavy competition, like Sophomore series Dollhouse and Southland, as well as Veterans Medium and Ugly Betty. This will be interesting.
My guess
Medium 9-11 million
Ugly Betty 5-7 million
Southland 5-7 million
Dollhouse 2-5 million
The higher numbers for all series will be at best.
Thanks, Bill. I’m new here so I don’t know my way around yet and still miss quite a lot things.