Frontrunners play it safe at own risk; Rivals get creative to catch up to CBS and NBC

Looking over the new fall network schedules announced this week in New York, one thing becomes clear: In the television business these days, there is no such thing as a safe move. As hundreds of skeptics in the advertising community looked on, executives from ABC and Fox - two networks in desperate need of viewers - presented completely overhauled schedules and pledged to leave no stone unturned in the search for ratings gold. By contrast, NBC and CBS, the No. 1- and No. 2-rated networks this season, presented schedules designed to extend, or at least conserve, their current success. CBS rolled out a "CSI" spin-off and other formulaic shows that brought to mind its smash whodunit. NBC's fall lineup will be unchanged on five out of seven nights. Yet this strategy is also fraught with danger. It was just two years ago that ABC executives, convinced that the game show megahit "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" had unlimited appeal, unveiled the most conservative schedule in the network's history, with four hours a week of "Millionaire" and only three new programs. "Millionaire" aged rapidly, not enough new shows came along to take up the slack, and ratings plunged. WB and UPN opted for a middle road, shaking up their schedules but adding new shows that resemble their current hit shows. Several shows immediately showed promise. They include: "CSI: Miami," the spin-off introduced on an episode of "CSI" earlier this month, marks the return to series television of David Caruso (the show will air 9 p.m. Mondays on CBS this fall). "Boomtown," a stylish-looking L.A. crime series that will solve one crime each week by looking at it from the various viewpoints, including that of the victim, the police, the news media and local politicians (9 p.m. Sundays/NBC). "Cedric the Entertainer Presents," a comedy-variety series that appears partly inspired by Fox's hit from the early 1990s, "In Living Color," and plays off the humor of the versatile comedian Cedric the Entertainer. He's the large gentleman in the Budweiser beer commercials with the tag line "it's not that bad." (7:30 p.m. Wednesdays/Fox). "Everwood," a family drama starring Treat Williams as a surgeon who moves with his two children to a sleepy Colorado town after his wife dies (8 p.m. Mondays/WB). "Life With Bonnie," another attempt to build a half-hour comedy around the real-life experiences of comedian Bonnie Hunt; she plays a working mom with kids (8 p.m. Tuesdays/ABC). UPN's "Twilight Zone" remake, which will follow "Enterprise" on Wednesdays. "Dinotopia," based on the Hallmark Entertainment miniseries that aired earlier this month (7 p.m. Thursdays/ABC). "Girls Club," an as-yet-unwritten new series about three sexy young female lawyers from David E. Kelley (8 p.m. Mondays/Fox). "30 Seconds to Fame," a "Gong Show" on speed that's not much more than cheap schedule filler but looks hilarious (7 p.m. Thursdays, starting winter/Fox). Beyond these, however, winning original ideas were as elusive as ever. Fox's presentation was not short on originality, but some of the ideas that entertainment chief Gail Berman tossed out were, quite frankly, nuts. "Fastlane," a buddy detective show with elements of the street-car film "The Fast and the Furious," seemed to revel in its lowbrow appeal. The preview switched frenetically between car chases and bedroom scenes as an announcer said, "They've got the look! They've got the toys! And they've just been given the keys to the kingdom!" Or how about "Septuplets," a show about seven boys and girls who all come of age at the same time. "They live in a hotel ... adventurous ... bikini-clad ... teen-agers" - the announcer said more than that during the jaw-dropping "Septuplets" trailer, but that's all I remember. ("Septuplets" is a midyear replacement series). But at least Fox was trying to be different. Elsewhere, formula reigned. "Without a Trace" was described as a "procedural drama," but it looks just like "CSI" only with Anthony LaPaglia as a missing-persons detective. ABC and CBS will both try out doctor shows at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays: "Presidio Med" on CBS will star Dana Delany and feature female doctors, while "Meds" claims to draw its inspiration from "M*A*S*H," as two wisecracking docs take on the bureaucracy of their HMO-run hospital. ABC and WB are each introducing comedies based on an identical "Back to the Future"-inspired concept. The WB will also offer up a remake of the comedy "Family Affair" and another series based on a comic book series ("Birds of Prey," an extension of the "Batman" franchise). At UPN, "Haunted" is clearly meant to offer a companion series on Tuesdays to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," with Matthew Fox ("Party of Five") solving crimes with help from paranormal forces. Likewise, "Half and Half," a sitcom about two young African-American women who discover they are half-sisters, is obviously meant to keep viewers of the show's lead-in, the hit "Girlfriends."