First Look: Hottest Fall TV

If you could just ignore those pesky months between September and December, Fox would be sitting pretty. The challenge each year for this network is how to schedule a fall start that will live up to the blockbuster spring finish provided by late-arriving shows like American Idol and (even a diminished) 24.

In the last of the week's upfront presentations, Fox Entertainment president Peter Ligouri made the curious choice of putting himself in the middle of a 24 parody, trading exchanges on the phone with clips of Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland, not in attendance in New York this year) from 24, in which Jack addressed "the president." The ticking-clock (ticking bomb?) metaphor isn't the most natural fit for a sales presentation, you'd think. And given that the first thing anyone in Los Angeles (where I've been for the last three weeks) wants to talk to me about is the steep decline in 24's quality this season, is this really putting your best foot forward? (24, incidentally, was renewed for two more seasons earlier this week. More reason than ever to reinvent the show from top to bottom next year.)

Ligouri promised his pitch would last exactly an hour (with the 24 digital clock keeping track), and he lived up to his word. Now we'll just have to see if his shows can live up to their hype. — Matt Roush

To read Matt's complete take on Fox's fall lineup, click here.

3:50: Fox Upfront. The words still send shivers down my spine. As you recall, the network's presentation last year was widely considered to be the single-most grueling Upfront in the history of Upfrontmanship. The post-traumatic stress still hasn't worn off.

3:51: Good news. The folks at Fox have clearly learned from their mistakes. In stark contrast to last year, the check-in process was easy-breezy. Even better, the air conditioning is working! Now if we can wrap this thing up in under two hours almost all will be forgiven.

4:01: I'm in complete denial about the VM thing, BTW. Just thought I'd share. Ooooh, the show is starting... with a 24 parody!

4:05: Jack Bauer urges Fox president Peter Liguori to keep this year's presentation under an hour! LOL!

4:06: They're bringing all their stars out on stage. Fox always has a good talent turnout at these things.

4:08: Well, most years they have a good turnout. The only Prison Breaker in attendance is Sucre (Amaury Nolasco)!

4:09: No Kiefer Sutherland, but Mary Lynn Rajskub's present. The cast of House is in the, er, house — sans Hugh Laurie. — Michael Ausiello

For more of Ausiello's take on Fox's upfront presentation, click here.

Past experience has shown that it's wise to write down the new Fox schedule in pencil. There's always a change or two (or three) by the time the fall rolls around. But stability was the message for the 2007-08 season: Prison Break, 24, House, Bones, American Idol, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? and the Sunday animation block will all return in their same time periods next season. Sure, Fox always falters when the season begins, but the network is about to finish No. 1 in viewers aged 18-49 for the third season in a row.

As far as new shows, Fox is trying to regain the edge it seemed to abandon in this past season's development (which was dismal). The most promising attempt is on Monday at 9 pm with K-Ville, starring Anthony Anderson and Cole Hauser as two cops in post-Katrina New Orleans. We were puzzled when a reporter asked entertainment president Peter Liguori if doing such a show was exploiting a disaster. What should a contemporary show filmed in New Orleans be about? Mardi Gras?

Less promising is New Amsterdam, about a 400-year-old New York police detective. Scheduled for Tuesday at 8 pm before House, this show is supposed to move to Friday when American Idol returns in January. Yes, we're putting that one down in pencil.

While ABC and NBC have abandoned the multicamera sitcom, Fox is embracing the form with Back to You on Wednesday at 8 pm. It's conventional, but really funny. With Patricia Heaton and Kelsey Grammer as stars, the worst that can happen for Fox is viewers stop to watch it thinking it's an Everybody Loves Raymond or Frasier episode they haven't seen. It's followed at 8:30 pm by The Return of Jezebel James. Fox has never had a successful female-oriented sitcom. If this show about two sisters — one of whom agrees to carry the other's baby — can make it to January, when it will precede the American Idol results show, it has a chance, especially with Amy Sherman-Palladino producing and directing.

With baseball preemptions, Fox will try to get through Thursday and Friday in the first half of the season with reality and game shows, turning to Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (kind of a makeover show for restaurants) and the producers of Idol for The Search for the Next Great American Band. Outside of Idol, country music is the last genre that works on broadcast network television, so Fox is trying Nashville, a "docu-soap" about trying to make it in the music business. — Stephen Battaglio

A year ago, the former stars of the WB and UPN found themselves uncomfortably mingling on one stage for the first upfront of the new CW network. They looked like the kids at the wedding of two single parents.

This year, the CW took a step toward developing its own personality, shedding the aging Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars (the longest-running unsuccessful show in prime time) and All of Us (the weakest link in its lineup of urban sitcoms). The network is even taking the teen out of teen-angst drama One Tree Hill. When that show returns in mid-season, the characters will have been fast-forwarded to their lives after college.

The network is replacing All of Us with Aliens In America, a comedy about a Muslim exchange student coming to live in Wisconsin. It looks funny and a little provocative. Who would have thought the CW would have the first sitcom to deal with post-9/11 attitudes?

Tuesday at 9 pm brings Reaper, about a slacker whose parents sold his soul to the Devil, played with a brilliant oiliness by Ray Wise. The show represents the general tone of the new fall lineups presented this week: lighter fare with more special effects and fewer dark, complicated story lines with dense mythologies.

The moms who watched Gilmore Girls with their daughters will be very sad when they see Gossip Girl. Small-town values, reading books and watching old movies have been replaced by a snarky blogger, privileged prep-school girls from the Upper East Side and barely a parental unit in sight. Gossip Girl, which airs Wednesday at 9 pm, is getting the best lead-in the CW has in America's Next Top Model. Clearly the network thinks this one is the future.

On Sunday at 7 pm, the network will try a younger entertainment news show called CW Now, followed by Online Nation, an America's Funniest Home Videos for the YouTube generation. At 8 pm, 7th Heaven will be replaced by Life Is Wild. Although it's shot on location in South Africa, you'll still see more black people on CW's Monday comedies than on this show. Network insiders say that will change — let's hope so. The wildlife backdrop gives this family drama a distinctive look. Too bad the network didn't have this show last year to replace 7th Heaven on Monday at 8 pm, when viewers still looking for a family show would have found it. —Stephen Battaglio

As part of a recent TVGuide.com Q&A, Rashida Jones had this to share about her Fox comedy The Rules for Starting Over, and how it might affect her run on The Office:

TVGuide.com: Now tell me about the Fox pilot you just booked, The Rules for Starting Over. What's the concept?
Rashida Jones: It's a comedy about friends who are kind of on the other side of the fun dating game — they've been through divorces and failed relationships — and they're now asking, "How do you reinvent your love life when you feel like all the good parts of being in your twenties are over?" I play a divorce lawyer and I basically represent all my guy friends, who have all been divorced twice, thrice....

TVGuide.com: And they have all slept with you at one point or another....
Jones: No, they haven't! This isn't Showtime. But I'm sort of like a workaholic and I have a boyfriend who I have not been with for a very long time, but I continue to idealize him in my mind and don't give any other guy a shot. The pilot is about me opening up a bit and exploring my options.

TVGuide.com: Is this a "second position" thing, or is there an expiration date set for your Office gig?
Jones: It's very nebulous. We've talked about some things, and other things may happen.... You see so many actors doing double duty on shows, so it's totally possible. But I have to say, it will be hard for me [to leave The Office] because I really love this show and I love this part.

On Wednesday night, CW's top-rated series, America's Next Top Model, showed double-digit growth last season and was the No. 1 show in its time slot with women 18-34. Next season, America's Next Top Model will stay in its 8-9 pm berth, followed by the new drama Gossip Girl from 9-10 pm. From The O.C. producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, Gossip Girl is based on the best-selling young-adult book series of the same name. The show features an ensemble cast of new and veteran actors, including Blake Lively (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) and Leighton Meester (Surface), and chronicles the struggle for social supremacy among teens in a posh Manhattan prep school. The fun, sexy and dramatic hour is a perfect companion piece for Top Model's strong female audience, making Wednesday "Girls Night In" on The CW.

On Thursday — television's most competitive night — Smallville and Supernatural deliver a solid mix of male and female viewers. On Friday, the wildly popular Friday Night Smackdown! rules the night with two hours of exciting matches 52 weeks a year. Smackdown! was last season's No. 1 show in male viewers, giving the network a lock on young men on Friday night.

On Sunday, two new reality shows will kick off the 7-8 pm hour. At 7 pm, CW Now will premiere as the ultimate source for everything hip, hot and happening in youth culture. From the producers of the entertainment-magazine show Extra, CW Now utilizes eye-catching visuals in a fast-paced mix of celebrity gossip and current fashion and lifestyle trends. Advertisers can participate by integrating their brands into the fabric of the show, expanding on the network's success last season with content wraps. At 7:30 pm, The CW is turning couch potatoes into mouse potatoes with Online Nation, a series that takes the best of the Web's user-generated videos and puts them on TV. At 8 pm, the new family drama Life Is Wild brings the beauty and drama of Africa to television. The show will be filmed entirely in South Africa, with a diverse cast of American, British and South African actors, and will feature film-quality production values. Life Is Wild follows a dysfunctional blended family from New York that moves to a rural South African town. Once there, they find that they must rely on each other more than they ever did back home. The 9 pm hour will continue last season's successful strategy of an encore presentation of America's Next Top Model.

The popular Monday night comedy lineup returns with three favorites and one new series. From 8-8:30 pm, the critically acclaimed Everybody Hates Chris will be back with a first-time guest appearance by the show's cocreator and executive producer, Chris Rock. Everybody Hates Chris provides the perfect leadin for the ground-breaking new fish-out-of-water comedy Aliens in America, about a 16-year-old Wisconsin boy, Justin Tolchuk (Dan Byrd, The Hills Have Eyes), whose mother decides to improve his social status at school by importing an exchange student to be his friend. When the student turns out to be a Pakistani Muslim teenager named Raja (Adhir Kalyan, Fair City), issues of diversity, tolerance and coming of age in America take center stage in this sweet and insightful comedy. From 9-10 pm, Girlfriends and The Game, the two highest-rated scripted television shows among Africa-American adults and women 18-34, return.

On Tuesday at 8 pm, the hit reality series Beauty and the Geek, from executive producers Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg, will return with a new crop of beauties and geeks in this funny and poignant social experiment competition. The devilish new drama Reaper will follow at 9 pm With executive producers Michele Fazekas, Tara Butters, Mark Gordon, Deborah Spera, Tom Spezialy and executive producer/director Kevin Smith, this humor-filled adventure focuses on a slacker named Sam (Bret Harrison, The Loop, Grounded for Life) who discovers his parents accidentally sold his soul to the devil before he was born, forcing him into a new life as Satan's bounty hunter. Ray Wise (24, The Closer) plays Satan, and Tyler Labine (Boston Legal, Invasion) plays Sam's best friend Bert "Sock" Wysocki.

Mid-season

In order to give producers time to make a significant creative change, the hit drama One Tree Hill will be held until mid-season. When it returns, the story will have advanced four years and the characters will have already graduated from college. Online digital diaries will premiere in the fall, detailing what happened during the intervening years, and will lead into the mid-season series return.

Mid-season reality series include a second season of the popular Pussycat Dolls, which averaged 8 million viewers a week in its premiere season, along with two new reality concepts. On Farmer Wants a Wife, a real-life farmer will search for a spouse from the big city, while on Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants, mother/daughter teams work together to win a beauty pageant. The three reality shows will enable the network to schedule original reality series in key time periods over the entire season.

Following is The CW's 2007-2008 prime-time schedule.

Monday
8-8:30 pm Everybody Hates Chris
8:30-9 pm Aliens in America
9-9:30 pm Girlfriends
9:30-10 pm The Game

Tuesday
8-9 pm Beauty and the Geek
9-10 pm Reaper

Wednesday
8-9 pm America's Next Top Model
9-10 pm Gossip Girl

Thursday
8-9 pm Smallville
9-10 pm Supernatural

Friday
8-10 pm Friday Night SmackDown!

Sunday
7-7:30 pm CW Now
7:30-8 pm Online Nation
8-9 pm Life is Wild
9-10 pm America's Next Top Model

Aliens in America — Justin Tolchuk (Dan Byrd, The Hills Have Eyes) is a sensitive, lanky 16-year old just trying to make it through the social nightmare of high school in Medora, Wisconsin. Helping him are his well-meaning mom Franny (Amy Pietz, Caroline in the City), aspiring-entrepreneur dad Gary (Patrick Breen, Kevin Hill) and his popular sister Claire (Lindsey Shaw, Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide), who is sweetly unaware of how good looking she is. When Franny agrees to host an international exchange student, she pictures an athletic, brilliant Nordic teen who will bestow instant coolness on her outsider son. However, the Tolchuks' exchange student turns out to be Raja Musharaff (Adhir Kalyan, Fair City), a 16-year-old Pakistani Muslim. Despite the cultural chasm between them, Justin and Raja develop an unlikely friendship that just might allow them to navigate the minefield that is contemporary high school.

Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants — Judges Carson Kressley (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy), former Miss U.S.A. Shanna Moakler (Dancing with the Stars, Meet the Barkers), and television personality Cynthia Garrett referee an eight-episode competition that dares to pit mother/daughter teams against each other in a no-holds-barred beauty pageant. This reality series explores one of the most emotional and volatile relationships as mothers and daughters from all walks of life compete together against other mother/daughter teams in order to win. The contestants will have to brand a "style" for their team via clothing and swimwear, express their points of view about world issues and rehearse the dance number. Not only do good looks, talent and a love of world peace need to run in the family, every team also requires patience and and a healthy sense of humor. In the end, one mother/daughter team will be "crowned" the winner and will receive a valuable prize package, including a $100,000 cash award, and, of course, a fabulous pair of tiaras.

CW Now — This fresh show blends news and entertainment to create the ultimate source for everything that's hip, hot and happening in the world of young adults. With a team of experts focused on the topics and trends that appeal specifically to The CW generation, this new series will feature informative and entertaining reports on the hottest fashions, the coolest music, the must-see movies and the must-have gadgets and technology. CW Now will be everywhere young adults are: from cyberspace profiling the best of the Web, to the most popular real-life hot spots. With young adults' insatiable appetite for fame, each episode will report on the latest news and gossip from inside the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.

Farmer Wants a Wife — The CW cultivates romance a là Green Acres with this new comedic reality series designed to help one lonesome farm boy find the city girl of his dreams. Based on the hit British format, the U.S. version will feature a charming, hard-working farmer who wonders if he could find happiness in the arms of a city gal. The show's producers will search the nation's cities to select a group of 10 women who are fed up with bad dates and are open to making a big change. The group will consist of women looking for an escape from the urban hustle and bustle. Farmer Wants a Wife will bring these city women to the country farmer. The ladies will have to impress him with their hearts and their newfound love of country life, or they'll be sent back to the city. Are these city girls ready for the realities of life and work on a farm: driving a tractor, taking care of large farm animals and attending bingo night? Through a series of challenges, group activities, shocking eliminations and cozy dates, 10 fast-lane women will see how they match up with a back-roads guy.

Gossip Girl — The privileged prep-school teens on Manhattan's Upper East Side first learn that Serena Van Der Woodsen (Blake Lively, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) is back in town the way they learn all the important news in their lives: from the blog of the all-knowing albeit ultra-secretive Gossip Girl. No one knows Gossip Girl's identity, but everyone in this exclusive and vicious circle relies on her text messages for the latest scoop. Serena's closest friend, Blair (Leighton Meester, Surface), is just as surprised as everyone else to discover that Serena has suddenly ended her self-imposed boarding-school exile and returned to Manhattan. The tension between Blair and Serena isn't lost on Gossip Girl, who is determined to uncover any and all scandals, whether they involve Serena's brother Eric (Connor Paolo, One Life to Live), Blair's boyfriend Nate (Chace Crawford, The Covenant) or Nate's buddy Chuck (Ed Westwick, Children of Men). Maybe the dirt has to do with Dan (Penn Badgley, John Tucker Must Die) and his sister Jenny (Taylor Momsen, Spy Kids 2, How The Grinch Stole Christmas), whose middle-class background keeps them on the fringes of this exclusive clique. Even the parents — Serena's mother Lily (Kelly Rutherford, Melrose Place), a former ballerina/rock-groupie, Nate's high-powered father Howie "The Captain" Archibald (Sam Robards, The West Wing), Dan and Jenny's dad Rufus (Matthew Settle, Brothers & Sisters), a former rocker turned art gallery owner — are aware that their sons and daughters are constantly checking their Sidekicks to read Gossip Girl's latest tidbits. In addition to all the shifting friendships, jealousies and turmoil in this wealthy and complex world, the central mystery remains: Who is Gossip Girl? Based on the popular series of young-adult novels by Cecily von Ziegesar.

Life is Wild — Katie Clarke (Leah Pipes, Clubhouse) may never forgive her veterinarian father, Danny (Brett Cullen, Ghost Rider, Friday Night Lights), for forcing their blended family to move from New York City to a broken-down lodge called The Blue Antelope in a game reserve deep inside South Africa. All the family members, including Katie's 11-year-old brother Chase (K'sun Ray, Smith), Danny's second wife Jo (Judith Hoag, Armageddon), her rebellious teenage son Jesse (Andrew St. John, General Hospital) and 7-year-old daughter, Mia (Mary Matilyn Mouser, Eloise), are sure that Danny has lost his mind. But Danny has his reasons, including his desire to keep his troubled family together while making a difference in the lives of the people and animals of South Africa. In addition, his late first wife Claire grew up at The Blue Antelope and it's still home to her reclusive father Art (David Butler). After just a few days in South Africa, the family has already encountered an injured lioness, a lost cub and a gentle giraffe. They've also met a few locals, including a handsome young Brit, Oliver Banks (newcomer Calvin Goldspink) and his twin sister Emily (newcomer Tiffany Mulheron), whose father, Colin Banks (Jeremy Sheffield), runs a safari business for wealthy tourists, and Tumelo (newcomer Atandwa Kani), a teen who dreams of becoming a veterinarian. While they are definitely outsiders, Katie and the rest of the family are begin to love the breathtaking vistas of the bush country and the vibrant culture enveloping them.

Online Nation — The amount of user-generated entertainment continues to explode across the Internet. Now The CW is giving them a nationally televised stage to flaunt their talents. Online Nation will scour the Web in search of the best, the hottest, the unique and sometimes, the flat-out bizarre. This fun, irreverent weekly series features everything and anything that has captured the attention of the online community, from the most popular sites to the addictive viral videos, to insights from digital tastemakers. Born of the Internet and tailored specifically for this generation, this series also features an innovative interactive element as viewers will be able to communicate with other fans live on the air. The CW is turning mouse potatoes into couch potatoes by putting all the greatest Internet clips in one ready-to-use package.

Reaper — For the first 20 years of his life, Sam (Bret Harrison, The Loop, Grounded for Life) wondered why his parents were so easy on him. Whether it was school, sports or career choices, Sam's mom (Allison Hossack, Falcon Beach) and dad (Andrew Airlie, The L Word) let him ease by with the least amount of effort, while simultaneously pressuring his younger brother Keith (Kyle Switzer, 15/Love) to excel. As a result, Sam skipped college, took a dead-end job and now wastes endless hours playing video games and wishing he had the guts to ask out his pretty coworker, Andi (Nikki Reed, Thirteen, The O.C.). Everything in his slacker world changes the day Sam turns 21 and discovers the ungodly reason his parents let him slide: they sold his soul to the devil before he was born. Satan himself (Ray Wise, 24, The Closer) drops by to personally explain that Sam must now serve as his bounty hunter, tracking down evil souls that have escaped and returning them to Hell. At first, Sam refuses to accept his bizarre fate, but after getting a glimpse of Satan's temper, Sam realizes that breaking a deal with the devil has consequences that are very, very bad. Armed with a constantly changing series of vessels — starting with a Dirt Devil mini-vacuum — to collect the escapees, Sam finds the work dangerous and frightening, even with the help of his friends and fellow slackers, Bert "Sock" Wysocki (Tyler Labine, Boston Legal, Invasion) and Ben (Rick Gonzalez, Coach Carter) and Sock's former-girlfriend-turned-paralegal, Josie (Valarie Rae Miller, Dark Angel). Still, as weird and scary as his life becomes, Sam is surprised to find that he somehow feels good about his newfound "mission" — sending evildoers back where they belong. With his friends and his trusty vessel-of-the-week at his side, Sam is ready to face his destiny as the Reaper.

The new dramas premiering this fall are K-Ville, starring Anthony Anderson and Cole Hauser as police officers in post-Katrina New Orleans; and New Amsterdam, the first American television project from Oscar-nominated director/producer Lasse Hallström, featuring newcomer Nikolaj Coster Waldau as a unique New York City homicide detective.

The new comedy slated for fall is Back to You, from executive producers Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd. Set at a TV news station in Pittsburgh, the sitcom stars Emmy Award-winners Patricia Heaton and Kelsey Grammer, and is directed by James Burrows.

The new unscripted series that will premiere this fall include The Search for the Next Great American Band(working title), a reality competition from the producers of American Idol, which will do for undiscovered groups what Idol has done for singers. From the producers of Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, Nashville (working title) is an unscripted docu-soap featuring a group of ambitious young people trying to make their mark on the music industry. And in Kitchen Nightmares, mercurial master chef Gordon Ramsay of Hell's Kitchen fame attempts to turn around floundering restaurants in less than a week.

Two additional dramas and two additional comedies will launch mid-season. Courtroom drama Canterbury's Law, from executive producers Denis Leary and Jim Serpico, writer Dave Erickson, and director Mike Figgis, stars Julianna Margulies as a rebellious female defense attorney who's willing to bend the law in order to protect the wrongfully accused. And The Sarah Connor Chronicles is an intense new drama based on the celebrated heroine of the Terminator movies, with Lena Headey in the title role. The Return of Jezebel James (working title) is a sister comedy starring Parker Posey and Lauren Ambrose, from Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. And a spring launch is planned for The Rules for Starting Over (working title), starring Craig Bierko and Rashida Jones in the Farrelly Brothers' comedic take on a group of thirtysomethings trying to find true love the second time around.

Fox series returning in 2007-2008 include: 24, American Dad, American Idol, America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, Bones, Cops, Family Guy, House, King of the Hill, Mad TV, Prison Break, The Simpsons, Talkshow with Spike Feresten and 'Til Death.

The summer 2007 schedule features established summer hits So You Think You Can Dance and Hell's Kitchen, along with new series On the Lot, the moviemaking competition from Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg, and Anchorwoman, an unscripted reality comedy series about a big-city model who goes to work at a small-town news station to help the station's ratings.

Following are the FOX prime-time schedule for 2007-2008 and synopses of the new series:

FOX Prime-time Schedule Fall 2007:

Monday
8 pm: Prison Break
9 pm: K-Ville

Tuesday
8 pm: New Amsterdam
9 pm: House

Wednesday
8 pm: Back to You
8:30 pm: 'Til Death
9 pm: Bones

Thursday
8 pm: Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
9 pm Kitchen Nightmares

Friday
8 pm: The Search for the Next Great American Band
9 pm: Nashville

Saturday
8 pm: Cops
8:30 pm Cops
9 pm America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back
11 pm: Mad TV
12 am: Talk Show with Spike Feresten

Sunday
7 pm: The OT (NFL post-game)
8 pm The Simpsons
8:30 pm: King of the Hill
9 pm: Family Guy
9:30 pm: American Dad

FOX Prime-time Schedule Beginning January 2008:

Monday
8 pm: K-Ville (January)/Prison Break (Spring)
9 pm: 24

Tuesday
8 pm: American Idol
9 pm: House

Wednesday (January)
8 pm: Back to You
8:30 pm ’Til Death
9 pm: American Idol

Wednesday (Spring)
8 pm: Back to You
8:30 pm: The Return of Jezebel James
9 pm: American Idol Results Show
9:30 pm: 'Til Death

Thursday
8 pm: Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
9 pm: Canterbury's Law

Friday
8 pm: Bones
9 pm: New Amsterdam

Saturday
8 pm: Cops
8:30 pm: Cops
9 pm America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back
11 pm: Mad TV
12 am: Talk Show with Spike Feresten

Sunday
7 pm: King of the Hill
7:30 pm: American Dad
8 pm: The Simpsons
8:30 pm: Family Guy
9 pm: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

The following new dramas will premiere this fall on FOX:

K-Ville — From writer and executive producer Jonathan Lisco (NYPD Blue, The District) comes a heroic police drama set in New Orleans. Two years after Katrina, the city is still in chaos. Many cops have quit, and the jails, police stations and crime labs still haven't been properly rebuilt. But the cops who remain have courage to burn and a passion to reclaim and rebuild their city. Marlin Boulet (Anthony Anderson, The Departed, The Shield) is a brash, funny, in-your-face veteran of the NOPD's Felony Action Squad, a specialized unit that targets the most-wanted criminals. Even when his partner deserted him during the storm, Boulet held his post, spending days in the water saving lives and keeping order. Now he's unapologetic about bending the rules when it comes to collaring bad guys. Boulet's new partner, Trevor Cobb (Cole Hauser, The Break-Up, ER), was a soldier in Afghanistan before joining the NOPD. He's tough and committed, but if he's less than comfortable with Boulet's methods, it’s because he's harboring a dark secret. Cobb has come to New Orleans seeking redemption, but redemption can be dangerous. Will Boulet be able to trust him? Will Cobb's past endanger them both? Rounding out the crew of cops are hotheaded Billy "K-9" Faust (Maximiliano Hernández, Law & Order, Shark), who often speaks before thinking; wisecracking Jeff "Glue Boy" Gooden (Blake Shields, Sleeper Cell, Veronica Mars), the team's comic relief; tough-as-nails Ginger "Love Tap" LeBeau (Tawny Cypress, Heroes), the only female on the squad, who gives as good as she gets; and Captain James Embry (John Carroll Lynch, Zodiac, The Drew Carey Show), who wrangles the eclectic personalities of his squad with equal parts humor and tenacity.

New Amsterdam — Directed and executive produced by visionary Lasse Hallström (My Life As a Dog, The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, The Hoax) and written by Allan Loeb (Things We Lost in the Fire, 21) and Christian Taylor (Showboy, Six Feet Under), New Amsterdam is the story of a unique New York homicide detective. He is brilliant, mysterious, reckless, magnetic, unknowable. And he has a profound secret: he is immortal. In 1642, John Amsterdam (Nikolaj Coster Waldau, Kingdom of Heaven), then a Dutch solider in the colony of New Amsterdam — later to become New York City — stepped in front of a sword to save the life of a Native Indian girl during a massacre of her indigenous tribe. The girl in turn rescued Amsterdam, weaving an ancient spell that conferred immortality upon him. Amsterdam will not age, she told him, until he finds his one true love. Only then will he become whole and ready for mortality. But Amsterdam has found this to be a mixed blessing. Over the course of three centuries, he's experienced endless adventure and honed his many talents. But everyone Amsterdam meets must leave him in time; lovers and children die while he remains young. His sole confidant and current lifelong friend is the sage jazz club owner Omar (Stephen Henderson, Law & Order: SVU), the keeper of Amsterdam's secret, as well as a few of his own. As the exhilaration of eternal life has given way to emotional isolation and bitter loneliness, Amsterdam discovers the blessing has become a curse. Bringing to bear the unorthodox techniques and unique knowledge gained from his vast life experience, Amsterdam is one of the NYPD's best homicide detectives, sparring with his vibrant, strong-willed partner Eva Marquez (Zuleikha Robinson, Rome, The Lone Gunmen) as they solve difficult murder cases. But when Amsterdam suffers and then recovers from what appears to be a massive heart attack while chasing a suspect, and Dr. Sara Dillane (Alexie Gilmore, Find Love) pronounces him dead in the ER, he realizes that the Indian girl's prophesy may have come true: he felt the pain in his heart that she had foretold so long ago. His soul mate must have been nearby. As he works to find a killer on the streets of New York, Amsterdam understands that his own life — and possibly his death — have changed forever.

The new comedy premiering this fall on FOX is:

Back to You — In the '90s, the local TV news scene in Pittsburgh was dominated by one team: Chuck Darling (Kelsey Grammer, Frasier, Cheers) and Kelly Carr (Patricia Heaton, Everybody Loves Raymond). They had that elusive quality all news teams need: chemistry — at least on-screen. Off screen, Chuck was a bit of a self-centered womanizer, Kelly a bit of an uptight know-it-all. So when Chuck got the call to move up to a larger market, no tears were shed. But after an embarrassing on-air tirade ended up on the Internet, Chuck found himself on the downswing career-wise. He also began questioning whether his lifestyle of chasing women and living in hotels was as exciting as it used to be. So when he got the call to return to Pittsburgh to reunite with Kelly and try to take the newscast back to No. 1, it was an offer he couldn't refuse. Back in Pittsburgh, Chuck has a new coworker in Ryan Church (Josh Gad, Mary and Joe), the overstressed news director. There are also familiar faces like Marsh McGinley (Fred Willard, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Best in Show), the affable, endlessly inappropriate sports anchor, and Gary Crezyzewski, pronounced Kre-shoov-ski (Ty Burrell, In Good Company, Out of Practice), the perennially put-upon field reporter who's always left out in the snow. But, mostly, there's Kelly, now a single mom to 10-year-old Gracie (Laura Marano, Without a Trace). There was magic between them once. Can they find it again?

New unscripted series joining the FOX schedule this fall include:

Kitchen Nightmares — Hell hath no fury like an angry chef, and when things go wrong in the kitchen no chef has a sharper temper than Gordon Ramsay. The star of the highly-rated culinary boot camp Hell's Kitchen returns to FOX with another sizzling unscripted series. This time, chef Ramsay hits the road in each episode, tackling a restaurant in crisis and exposing the stressful realities of trying to run a successful food business. Inspired by one of the UK's biggest hits, Kitchen Nightmares is seen in more than 50 territories around the globe, and the series reveals a whole new side to Ramsay. He's still prone to the explosive outbursts and spectacular confrontations familiar to fans of Hell's Kitchen, but he also shows his sensitive and nurturing side — a unique blend of fury, passion, inspirational leadership and tough love that can coax a small spark of talent into a roaring flame. There's no time for polite small talk as Ramsay embarks on his mission to turn things around. If the wine waiter's service isn't up to par, he'll be out the door before he can say "merlot." If the head chef doesn't match up to Ramsay's expectations, the master will hammer him into shape, and if he can't stand the heat, he'll have to get out of the kitchen. Ramsay's reputation is on the line, so there's bound to be high blood pressure, raised voices and serious clashes as he attempts to do the impossible: turn a deserted dining room into the most sought-after venue in town in just a week.

The Search for the Next Great American Band — What American Idol did for individuals, The Search for the Next Great American Band is going to do for musical groups. The producers of Idol will conduct the ultimate search for an undiscovered band. The Search for the Next Great American Band is scouring the country, seeking groups from all musical genres who think they have what it takes to make it big. Judges will narrow down bands from all walks of life — musicians of different ages, family acts, garage bands, etc. — to 10 semi-finalists, who will perform in front of a live studio audience. Viewers will then have the opportunity to vote for their favorites. The final three acts will compete for a major recording contract and the chance to become music superstars.

Nashville — From the creative minds behind the hit series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County comes Nashville, a high-stakes, high-drama docu-soap set in "the biggest small town in America." The show focuses on the dreamers and dream-makers in the music industry, as well as those trying to make their mark on Nashville's big business and high society. The series features a diverse, vibrant young cast perched on the cusp of achieving success in a town that can make you or break you. Talent, power, drive, love and hope are the fuel that makes Nashville burn bright — and makes this unique place the true embodiment of the American Dream. Behind every song there's a story waiting to be told, and there are many such stories in Nashville.

The following new dramas are slated for January launches:

Canterbury's Law — From executive producers Denis Leary and Jim Serpico (Rescue Me, The Job) and writer Dave Erickson (Murder in Greenwich) comes Canterbury's Law, a courtroom drama about a rebellious female defense attorney who's willing to bend the law in order to protect the wrongfully accused. Elizabeth Canterbury (Julianna Margulies, ER) is a force of nature. An attorney on the rise, she puts her career on the line to take on risky and unpopular cases, even when they take a toll on her personal life. Elizabeth and her law professor husband Matthew Canterbury (Linus Roache, Batman Begins, The Chronicles of Riddick), haunted by the disappearance of their young son, have settled in Providence, Rhode Island in an attempt to distance themselves from the tragedy and repair their relationship. But those goals become elusive when Elizabeth's work provides a stark reminder of the justice absent in their own lives. At the office, Elizabeth has surrounded herself with a brilliant but motley crew of attorneys. Russell Cross (Ben Shenkman, Pi, Angels in America) was forced out of the Providence District Attorney's Office when he went toe-to-toe with his morally bankrupt boss. His reputation tarnished, Russell turned to Elizabeth, the only attorney willing to take him in. Now Russell provides a much-needed voice of reason for her even when she doesn't want to hear it. Chester Fields (Jocko Sims, Dreamgirls, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) and Molly McConnell (Trieste Dunn, United 93) are the associates rounding out Elizabeth's legal crew. Chester is a blue-blooded congressman's son who is embarrassed by his privileged upbringing and has turned his back on politics. Molly, in contrast, is headstrong, passionate and quick to take sides — even if she finds herself in the opposite corner from her boss.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles — Executive producers Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds), David Nutter (Supernatural, Smallville) and C-2 Pictures (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines) bring an intense new drama to television based on the celebrated heroine of the Terminator movies: Sarah Connor. At the end of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Sarah vanquished the liquid metal Terminator sent from the future to kill her teenage son, John. Sarah and John now find themselves alone in a very dangerous, complicated world. Fugitives from the law, they are confronted with the reality that still more enemies from the future — not to mention the present — could attack at any moment. The Sarah Connor Chronicles reveals what happens when Sarah (Lena Headey, The Brothers Grimm, 300) stops running and goes on the offensive against an ever-evolving technological enemy bent on destroying her life, and perhaps the world. Her son, 15-year-old John Connor (Thomas Dekker, Heroes), knows that he may be the future savior of mankind, but is not yet ready to take on the mantle of leadership that he's told is his destiny. John finds himself inextricably drawn to Cameron (Summer Glau, Serenity, The Unit), an enigmatic and otherworldly student at his high school, who proves to be much more than his confidante when she assumes the role of Sarah and John's fearless protector. On their trail are not only threats from the future, but an intelligent and tough FBI agent, James Ellison (Richard T. Jones, Judging Amy), who soon becomes a powerful ally.

The new comedy scheduled to premiere in January is:

The Return of Jezebel James — Can two estranged sisters, polar opposites, live together when one agrees to carry the other's baby? Sarah Tohomkins (Parker Posey, For Your Consideration, Best in Show) is a bright, optimistic, determined woman who seems to have it all: a great job as a children's book editor, an eager-to-please assistant, Buddy (Michael Arden), who helps keep her life in order, and a no-strings-attached personal relationship with successful businessman Marcus Sonti (Scott Cohen, Kissing Jessica Stein). Nevertheless, as her father, Ronald (Ron McLarty, Law & Order), is constantly pointing out, something is missing from Sarah's life. Her hard work may garner accolades, but when she goes home at night, she is very much alone. Aware that she isn't getting any younger, Sarah decides to have a baby on her own and gets the shock of her life when the doctor tells her she can’t get pregnant. Having no concept of the term can't, Sarah comes up with a plan. With nowhere else to turn, Sarah sets up a meeting with her quirky younger sister, Coco (Lauren Ambrose, Six Feet Under), and proposes a plan for Coco to carry her baby. They haven't seen each other in a while, and initially Coco refuses to go along with such a huge favor. But something happens when Sarah mentions that she's turned Coco's imaginary childhood friend, Jezebel James, into a children's book. Even though she doesn't say so out loud, Coco is clearly touched, and, realizing that her current living situation — sharing a couch with her friend’s sick dog — isn't working out, Coco decides that this just might be worth a try.

The comedy slated for a spring debut is:

The Rules for Starting Over — From the creatively fruitful minds of the Farrelly Brothers comes a single-camera comedy, set in Boston, about a group of newly single friends learning the painful lessons of starting over in their thirties. They'd all love to get remarried, if they could just find their true loves. Jack "Gator" Gately (Craig Bierko, Cinderella Man, Boston Legal) is a charismatic, optimistic leader who never expected to be single again. But now that he is, he's determined to make the best of it. He's going to sift through all the bruised, damaged, occasionally psychotic fruit until he finds the one. Joining Gator in bachelorhood redux is his thrice-divorced best friend Tommy (Johnny Sneed, The Guardian, Fever Pitch). The founder and brewmaster of an upstart microbrewery, Tommy has a voracious appetite for food, beer and women. He falls in love easily and always disastrously, yet truly hopes his fourth starter marriage will be the one. Dr. Freddy Sahgal (Shaun Majumder, 24, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle) has seen some pretty strange stuff during his years as a successful surgeon, but he's never seen any of it through the eyes of a single man. Probably the least equipped of the group to handle this unexpected life change is Dr. Freddy, who can execute a triple bypass in his sleep, but is all thumbs when it comes to the opposite sex. Rounding out the group is Kate (Rashida Jones, The Office), a smart, successful attorney who handled all three of the boys' divorces. Having just turned 30, Kate finds herself dumped after a seven-year engagement. She reluctantly joins the guys in negotiating the treacherous waters of dating. Kate owns the brownstone next to Gator's. Over time, this pair may find that the one is just a brick wall away.

The new unscripted series scheduled to premiere this summer is:

Anchorwoman — Phil Hurley is the owner of a tiny Texas news station, KYTX Channel 19, and he is desperate to turn the tide of his mediocre ratings, or even just compete with a rival channel. Phil has shocked the station and the town of Tyler, Texas by bringing in a gorgeous model and ex-WWE diva with no previous news experience to be his next anchorwoman in the hope of reinventing the look of Channel 19 and overhauling its below-average 6 share. Former Miss New York and über-vixen Lauren Jones packs up her Versace dresses and heads to the middle of nowhere to start a new career. Can this bombshell cut it as a serious reporter? Will she save KYTX, or make it the laughingstock of the Lone Star State? Lauren wants to show everyone she's no airhead, and this is her big chance to prove she's more than just a pretty face. The entire newsroom thinks the boss has made a giant mistake. Reigning anchor Annalisa Petragliais is not about to lose her Queen Bee status to some hottie. News Director Dan Delgado is fit to be tied as his beloved journalistic standards go out the window. Michelle Reese, a hard-nosed reporter bound for CNN, will take no prisoners. Lauren will struggle not only with the news team and an unfamiliar town, but also with the not-so-Hollywood news stories: covering bake sales, cow-pie-tossing contests and county fairs like they were Watergate. News anchor or dead weight? Only the ratings will tell.

11:05 CW president (and honorary "Girl") Dawn Ostroff takes the stage and welcomes us to the second CW Upfront.

11:07 Last year was about establishing the network. This year is about not going out of business finding new hits.

11:09: Dawn's diving right into the sked, starting with Wednesday night. ANTM is staying put at 8 pm. Tyra's in the house!

11:10 Tyra introduces a highlight reel from Cycles 7 and 8.

11:11 While the clips play, let me take a moment to remind Mars fans that a press conference with Ostroff will immediately follow the upfront. And she better have good news for us. — Michael Ausiello

For more of Mike's minute-by-minute coverage of the CW presentation, click here.

Here's an updated list of the new show clips available in the Online Video Guide:
CBS:
Big Bang Theory
Cane
Moonlight
Kid Nation

Mid-season: Swingtown

ABC:
Sam I Am
Cavemen
Carpoolers
Pushing Daisies
Private Practice
Dirty Sexy Money
Big Shots
Women's Murder Club
Mid-season: Cashmere Mafia, Miss Guided, Eli Stone

NBC:
Journeyman
Bionic Woman
Lipstick Jungle
Chuck
Life
Mid-season: The IT Crowd

Come back tomorrow for more!

3:53: CBS is young and hip — and the net's got a DJ spinning records in front of the stage to prove it!

3:57: You haven't lived until you've heard CBS' NFL theme song remixed with "We Will Rock You."

4:01: Showtime! Oooh, we're starting with a musical number! A reggae group is welcoming us with a song about the Upfronts.

4:05: Ladies and gentleman, make way for King Les Moonves!!

4:10: "For the fifth year in a row, CBS is America's most watched network," Les proclaims. So humble, that one.

4:15: Les introduces a YouTube clip that a fan compiled featuring David Caruso's endless one-liners from CSI: Miami. Funny stuff. — Michael Ausiello

For more of Mike's minute-by-minute coverage of the upfront presentation, click here.

It seems smart to put The Amazing Race on the back burner for mid-season. With the gimmicky Family and All-Stars cycles, this most-honored of all reality-competiti