The ABC 2008-09 Schedule: It Might Look A Little Familiar

The alphabet network outlined its plans for the 2008-09 season today, an announcement noteworthy for the almost lack of new programming revealed. While the mostly static schedule might be deemed surprising for a network that's not in first place in the ratings or even very close, it was expected after the writers' strike all but wiped out the traditional pilot season. ABC will try to build on its current beachhead evenings and shore up existing weak links on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

First, a quick note about what is not coming back. The cancellation of Men in Trees, which will disappear for good after its last few episodes are burned off beginning in two weeks, was announced last month. That show, while it likely never could have become a ratings powerhouse, was a victim of capricious treatment by the ABC brass. Ironically, the show that originally pushed Men in Trees out of the post-Grey's Anatomy slot where it seemed to be getting traction, the amateurish October Road, is also being shown the door. The one ABC series that seemed to have a 50-50 chance of surviving, Women's Murder Club, was also canceled, its failure to improve its ratings since moving to Tuesdays dooming it.

Also not coming back, due to a lack of interest in continuing by its namesake, is Oprah's Big Give, which performed well in place of Desperate Housewives. Big Shots, Cavemen, Carpoolers, and Notes From the Underbelly died long ago, and reaction to the six episodes of Miss/Guided hastily dumped on the air in early spring apparently weren't enough to interest ABC in doing more. And try to restrain your sorrow, but there won't be a second edition of Dance War either. Who's going to break the news to Bruno Tonioli?

The ABC fall schedule will thus contain only two new shows. Opportunity Knocks is a game show produced by Ashton Kutcher (one of the folks behind Miss Guided). The gimmick here is that the "studio" is the home of the people playing the game that week, as Opportunity Knocks will take its show, and all the prizes that are a part of it, on the road. Quiz questions will concern how well the family knows itself and its home.

The second new series is Life on Mars, a remake of the British series that gained a small following here on BBC America. It will star Jason O'Mara as a detective who survives a car accident but finds himself back in 1973. He pursues his police craft in the past, no doubt wondering why everyone is dressed so weird and what the big deal is about shag carpeting. Some of the October Road production team is involved with this one, not exactly a promising sign.

ABC has several shows in the pilot pipeline for a possible midseason pickup, but only three have been given the solid go-ahead. One familiar name is on this list: Scrubs, leaving NBC after seven years for one last go-round on ABC. Kutcher and Tyra Banks are collaborating on a beauty pageant show, but further details (including a name) are sketchy, though it would almost have to be better than the CW's Crowned. A third show in production for midseason is The Goode Family, an animated series from Mike Judge about a family that really tries to be "goode," but often with consequences they didn't expect. Also coming back no earlier than the winter are Lost (which we already knew), The Bachelor, and the unkillable According to Jim.

The ABC fall schedule, night by night:

Monday: Dancing With the Stars, Samantha Who? at 9:30 (the only sitcom or half-hour show anywhere on the ABC fall schedule), and Boston Legal, surviving another year on the bubble.

Tuesday: Opportunity Knocks, the Dancing result show, and Eli Stone, which got a faint vote of confidence with a 13-episode order.

Wednesday: No changes here: the sophomore trio of Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, and Dirty Sexy Money. How well any of these will fare after getting only mediocre ratings to begin with and then being away for over half a year is anyone's guess.

Thursday: Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, and Life on Mars, which becomes the umpteenth show to try to fill the slot that really shouldn't be hard to fill after Grey's.

Friday: Wife Swap, Supernanny, and 20/20.

Saturday: College football, at least until December.

Sunday: No reason to change what's working: America's Funniest Home Videos, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.

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