ABC's fall lineup: We would consider "Cavemen" for "According to Jim" a fair trade

The ABC network is shaking up its schedule. No fewer than eight new series will appear in prime time this fall, according to an announcement released Tuesday morning in advance of ABC’s upfront gala to advertisers in New York.

 

"Women’s Murder Club," a series based on the James Patterson novels, was among the five new dramas to go with three new comedies on the ABC fall lineup. Pembroke Hill graduates Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fein, who formed a team after college and wrote episodes of FX’s "The Shield," are the head writers of "Murder Club" and wrote the pilot.

The much-anticipated "Grey’s Anatomy" spinoff, "Private Practice," will star Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison, who will move, as the title suggests, into private practice, along with — it must be said — a couple of show-killers, Tim Daly and Taye Diggs, who between them have sunk a good half-dozen TV series. On the other hand, another co-star, Amy Brenneman, had wild success as "Judging Amy."

The three other new dramas are "Pushing Daisies," about a young man whose touch can raise the dead; "Big Shots," a big ensemble about CEOs and their awful, awful home lives; and "Dirty Sexy Money," which stars Peter Krause as an idealistic lawyer who takes over his family’s law practice but is sucked into their dark intrigues, and if this reminds you of the Rob Lowe vehicle "The Lyon’s Den" from a few years back, you’re not alone.

The new comedies include "Carpoolers," about four men who share rides; "Sam I Am," starring Christina Applegate as a woman who emerges from a coma with no clue about who she used to be, in what sounds like a comic reworking of "Regarding Henry"; and, yes, the much-rumored "Cavemen," based on the Geico TV commercials. Kansas City’s John Lehr was the original Geico knuckle-dragger, but he will not be part of the show, at least not at the beginning, because he’s busy: The TBS show he wrote and starred in, "10 Items Or Less," has been renewed for a second season.

Gone are "George Lopez" and "What About Brian" in addition to several shows previously cancelled by ABC. The fate of "According to Jim," according to industry reports, is uncertain.

Perhaps the most intriguing move that ABC made was leaving a show off the fall schedule — namely, "Lost," which was recently renewed through 2010 but is battling viewer attrition and will not return until midseason.

Like NBC’s "Heroes," another adventure serial, the audience for "Lost" dropped each time the show returned from one of its vacations. ABC will probably resort to a schedule not unlike the one Fox uses for its thriller "24," airing all the episodes in a row, without a break.

As for "Heroes," NBC announced at its Monday presentation that it will show 24 episodes of "Heroes" more or less without a break, then put on a companion program, "Heroes: Origins," featuring new superheroes, to hopefully keep interest up among viewers while the main show is on hiatus.