The New York Times
May 13, 2008
ABC Fall Roster Is Heavy on the Already Proven
By Jacques Steinberg and Stuart Elliott
ABC on Tuesday is expected to announce a lineup of scripted prime-time shows for next year that will look a lot like this year's slate, with two notable exceptions: a new drama called "Life on Mars," in which a police officer is transported from the 21st century back to the 1970s, and "Scrubs," a castoff from NBC.
Having lost four months of its development season to the writers' strike, the network will, at least initially, rely heavily on fan favorites like "Grey's Anatomy," "Desperate Housewives," "Ugly Betty," "Lost" and "Boston Legal." ABC will also effectively reintroduce shows like "Dirty Sexy Money," "Pushing Daisies," "Eli Stone" and "Private Practice," which had truncated runs this season, according to people briefed on the schedule who did not want to be identified revealing its details before it is officially announced.
Among those series not returning are the comedies "Cavemen" and "Carpoolers"; "Big Shots" and "Men in Trees," two dramas that were dabbed with comic touches, in much way "Desperate Housewives" is; and another drama, "October Road."
For ABC, a unit of the Walt Disney Company, the strike came at a particularly inopportune time. This year, as last, it has sought to gain ground on Fox, which, largely because of "American Idol," remains the most-watched broadcast network among viewers ages 18 to 49, whom advertisers value.
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© 2008 The New York Times Company
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