Stephen McPherson, president, ABC Entertainment Group, outlined ABC's plans today in New York, saying, "Our focus is always on delivering the best stories with the most memorable characters on TV .... 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."
Below is the just-announced fall lineup, and much more on each new show!
ABC's fall primetime schedule is as follows: (**Note: all times listed are Eastern**):
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."
And for some summer fun, the network announced a special 10th anniversary primetime return of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," and a new show called "Shark Tank."
MORE ON THE 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.
"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.
"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.
"THE FORGOTTEN"
From executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer comes a crime show in which a team of dedicated amateurs work on cases involving unidentified victims.
"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.
"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.
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.
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.
"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.
"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.
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.
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).
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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. The band of friends, family, enemies and strangers must continue to work together against all odds if they want to stay alive.
"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.
"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?
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.
"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.
ALTERNATIVE
"AMERICA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS"
"America's Funniest Home Videos" will celebrate its 20th season when it returns in the fall.
"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.
"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.
"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."
"SUPERNANNY"
"Supernanny" is in its fifth season with Jo Frost criss-crossing America, taking on some of its toughest parenting challenges.
"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."
"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.
"20/20"
ABC News' acclaimed series "20/20" has distinguished itself as one of the most esteemed news programs in broadcast journalism.
