Fall 2005 Primetime Broadcast Lineups

Legend:
* new show
[    ] pick for that timeslot

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Notes

ABC

Cancelled: 8 Simple Rules, My Wife and Kids, Extreme Makeover, Eyes, and Blind Justice.

Midseason: Jake in Progress, The Bachelor, and Less Than Perfect as well as seven new shows.

New for Fall:

Commander-in-Chief, casts Geena Davis as a mother of three who's about to become the first female president, despite objections from her own party. Donald Sutherland and Kyle Secor also star. -- I think I'll pass on this. Geena Davis hasn't done anything even sorta good in ten years. Actually, now that I think about it, has she ever done anything good?

Freddie, a vehicle for Freddie Prinze, Jr. He plays a successful young chef living in a house full of female relatives. It's notable that one of the characters on the show (Freddie's grandmother) will speak only Spanish with English subtitles. -- No.

Invasion, a thriller about an alien invasion of a Florida town. -- A serial drama in the style of Lost. TWoP is recapping it, so perhaps they know something I don't.

The Night Stalker, a remake of the old Darren McGavin drama from Frank Spotnitz and Daniel Sackheim ("The X-Files"), stars Stuart Townsend as a crime reporter investigating crimes of a supernatural angle and Gabrielle Union as his sidekick. -- All I know about it is that TWoP is recapping it.

Hot Properties, a comedy starring Gail O'Grady and Nicolle Sullivan as female real estate agents in New York. -- No.

CBS

Cancelled: JAG, Everybody Loves Raymond, 60 Minutes: Wednesday, Listen Up, Judging Amy, and Joan of Arcadia.

Midseason:

Everything I Know About Men, a Jenna Elfman sitcom.

The Unit, a military drama from David Mamet and Shawn Ryan ("The Shield").

New for Fall:

How I Met Your Mother, told in flashbacks from 20 years in the future, stars Josh Radnor, Jason Segel (Freaks and Geeks) and Alyson Hannigan (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and features Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, M.D.). -- I'll give it a go.

Out of Practice, an ensemble comedy about a family of doctors, stars Christopher Gorham and features features Henry Winkler, Stockard Channing and Paula Marshall. The creators are Joe Keenan and Christopher Lloyd of Frasier.-- I don't know why, but it's on my preliminary list of shows to watch.

Close to Home, from Jerry Bruckeheimer and his team (CSI, etc.), stars Jennifer Finnigan as a new mom and prosecutor trying cases in suburbia. -- No.

Criminal Minds stars Mandy Patinkin and Shemar Moore as two members of an FBI criminal profiling team. -- Haven't we had enough profiler shows? They bore me and I suspect this one will be quickly cancelled.

Ghost Whisperer stars Jennifer Love Hewitt as a young woman who can communicate with the dead. -- A Medium rip-off. No thanks.

Threshold, a suspense drama from Brannon Braga (Star Trek: Enterprise), features Carla Gugino, Charles S. Dutton and Brent Spiner as part of a team assembled by the Navy to investigate the discovery of an extraterrestrial craft in the mid-Atlantic. -- The premise intrigues me, so I'll give it a shot.

Fox

Cancelled:

Midseason: 24, American Idol, Nanny 911, Trading Spouses

New for Fall:

The War at Home, a comedy about a family with three teenagers. -- Ehh.

Kitchen Confidential, a comedy with Bradley Cooper as a hard-drinking, woman-chasing culinary star who gets a chance to clean up his act. -- No.

Prison Break, a drama about a man on death row and his brother who's so determined to prove he's innocent that he robs a bank to join him inside -- with a plan to break out. -- This might be the worst TV premise ever, but it is critcally acclaimed, so I'll give it a spin.

Bones, a "darkly amusing" story of a forensic anthropologist (and novelist) and an FBI special agent who doubts her crime-solving abilities. -- This show intrigued me until I realized it wasn't a new Star Trek show focused on Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy. After I read the plot synopsis I decided to pass.

Head Cases, with Chris O'Donnell as a lawyer who, post-nervous breakdown, launches a new career helping underdog clients.  Rachel Leigh Cook, Adam Goldberg and Krista Allen also star. -- Where do washed-up movie stars like Chris O'Donnell and Rachel Leigh Cook go? Bad TV shows.

Reunion, described as "a groundbreaking concept in series television." The series, starring Will Estes, Sean Faris, Dave Annable, Alexa Davalos, Amanda Righetti, Chyler Leigh and Mathew St. Patrick (Six Feet Under), chronicles the lives of a group of friends over 20 years -- opening with a murder and flashing back before revealing which of the friends is dead. Each episode will cover one year of their lives from HS graduation, so the first episode will be set in 1986, the second in 1987, and so on. We'll eventually learn who the murderer is. If the show is picked up for a second season, it'll be with a whole new cast.-- I like the format, so I'm going to see if the show holds up. I'm especially intrgued by a one season series. This is a positive trend for American television, where shows that could fit well in a one-season format are stretched out for season after season.

The Gate, a crime drama from Josh Berman (CSI) set in San Francisco. Johnny Messner plays a detective haunted by "personal demons" while investigating especially twisted crimes. Marguerite Moreau and Chi McBride also star. -- This doesn't intrigue me in the least.

NBC

Cancelled: American Dreams and Law & Order: Trial by Jury.

Midseason: Scrubs and Fear Factor.

New for Fall:

Fathom, an action-adventure about a mysterious new form of sea life that begins to appear in the world's oceans. Stars include the appropriately named Lake Bell, late of Boston Legal. -- This could be good, but it won't be.

My Name Is Earl, a comedy about a loser who decides to make amends for all his mistakes after winning the lottery and being hit by a truck. -- Reportedly the best tested comedy NBC has seen in 15 years, which frankly doesn't bode well, but I'll test view it at least once.

The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, the Donald Trump spin-off featuring Martha Stewart, who will reportedly not intrude on Trump's trademarked phrase "you're fired." -- I can't wait for this show. It will be awesome. And I'm not being sarcastic.

E-Ring, a drama from Jerry Bruckheimer of CSI fame based in the center ring of the Pentagon where all the higher-ups have offices. Dennis Hopper and Benjamin Bratt star. -- In The West Wing's old timeslot I'm sure they're hoping for ratings similar to the old West Wing. But they won't get them because Jerry Bruckheimer has no idea how to write and intelligent, engaging drama about important issues facing our government. Free Aaron Sorkin.

Three Wishes, a feel-good reality hour in which country music star Amy Grant "leads a team of experts to a small town to 'grant' wishes to help make the hopes and unbelievable dreams of deserving people come true. -- Does NBC really think this crap will be better than Law & Order: Trial by Jury?

Inconceivable, an ensemble drama set in a fertility clinic. -- The show's title is fittingly ironic, as it is inconceivable to me that someone could greenlight a show with such a ridiculous premise. "Hey, I know," some exec. said. "Why don't we take a part of a couple's life that has them at their most emotional and make a TV show out of hit. It'll be heart-warming." Idiot.

UPN

Cancelled: Kevin Hill, Enterprise

Midseason:

South Beach, as in Miami, a drama about two pals, one of whom pursues his model ex-girlfriend. Jennifer Lopez is credited as a producer.

New for Fall:

Everybody Hates Chris, in which the title character is bused to a faraway, mostly white middle school and navigates his strict parents as the eldest of three children. Produced by, narrated by, and loosly based on the life of Chris Rock. -- Is Chris Rock taking a shot at Everybody Loves Raymond? I only saw that show once, but based on that one viewing, I hope so.

Love, Inc, a comedy starring Shannen Doherty (Beverly Hills, 90210; Charmed) as a "wingwoman" who helps men find dates. -- And I thought Hitch did poorly in theatres. Guess I was wrong. Also, I believe Shannon Doherty has been bumped from this show already.

Sex, Lies and Secrets, a drama about six twentysomething friends set in L.A.'s hip Silver Lake area. -- This is supposed to be in the vein of The OC. TWoP is recapping it, but who knows what that means, as they often recapp bad shows. The OC went downhill last season, so perhaps this will be a good substitute.

The WB

Cancelled: Jack & Bobby

Midseason:

The Bedford Diaries, about college students in a human sexuality class who really like their homework.

Misconceptions, with Jane Leeves (Frasier) as a single mother who learns something surprising about her sperm donor.

New for Fall:

Just Legal, described as the WB's first procedural, comes from Jerry Bruckheimer (CSI) and centers on the relationship between a young lawyer (Jay Baruchel) and his mentor (Don Johnson), "a jaded defense attorney who has fallen from the big leagues." -- Jay Baruchel was last seen in Million Dollar Baby. On TV, he was in the critically acclaimed, but mucked up by Fox show, Undeclared. Based on his resume alone I'll give this one a chance.

Supernatural revolves around two brothers, played by Jared Padalecki (Gilmore Girls) and Jensen Ackles (Smallville), "searching for the evil unknown creatures lurking in spooky small towns along the back roads of America." -- Maybe?

Related, a drama from Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman, stars Jennifer Esposito as one of four adult sisters. -- No.

Twins stars Melanie Griffith and Sara Gilbert as sisters with little in common. -- No.

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