Fall TV premiere schedule will give your DVR a workout

Fall will be here before you can say "back to school," and with it the new TV season.

Premiere week for most channels begins Sept. 20, but the CW kicks off the new season on Sept. 8.

With so many shows to sample in just a few hours of prime time, the question remains: Why do all the shows you like air opposite all the other shows you like? Here are some potential night-by-night conflicts for fall.

Mondays: Scrappy "Chuck" (NBC) is up against longtime hit "House" (Fox), ratings giant "Dancing With the Stars" (ABC) and "90210" (CW) at 8 p.m.

At 9 p.m., new entries "Lone Star" (Fox) and "The Event" (NBC) will challenge "Two and a Half Men" (CBS) and "Gossip Girl" (CW).

At 10 p.m., "Castle" (ABC) could have smooth sailing opposite newcomers "Chase" (NBC) and "Hawaii Five-O" (CBS).

Projected winners: ABC, CBS.

Tuesdays: Top-rated "NCIS" (CBS) and pop-culture darling "Glee" square off at 8 p.m., with ABC throwing buzzworthy newcomer "No Ordinary Family" into the mix. NBC keeps "The Biggest Loser."

At 9 p.m., Fox offers new sitcoms opposite CBS's "NCIS: Los Angeles" and CW's "Life Unexpected."

"The Good Wife" and "Parenthood" go head-to-head at 10 p.m.

Projected winners: CBS, Fox.

Wednesdays: "Survivor" (CBS) moves off Thursdays to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, where its major competition looks like NBC's new spy series "Undercovers" and CW's "America's Next Top Model."

ABC slots "The Middle," the funny and underrated Patricia Heaton sitcom, also at 8.

At 9, there's something for everyone -- comedy ("Modern Family" and "Cougar Town") on ABC; procedurals ("Criminal Minds" on CBS and "Law & Order: SVU" on NBC); and reality ("Hell's Kitchen" on Fox).

The 10 p.m. hour is entirely new, and all legal, with "Law & Order: Los Angeles" opposite CBS's dramedy "The Defenders" and ABC's "The Whole Truth."

Projected winners: CBS, ABC.

Thursdays: CBS tries its increasingly popular "Big Bang Theory" out in the old "Survivor" slot, while NBC leads off its comedy lineup with "Community" and "30 Rock" and CW has "The Vampire Diaries."

The 9 p.m. hour looks unusually competitive: "Grey's Anatomy," "CSI" and "Fringe" against NBC's "The Office" and newcomer "Outsourced."

At 10 p.m., where NBC once ruled, the network calls on "The Apprentice" to take on ABC's "Private Practice" and CBS's "The Mentalist."

Projected winners: A tossup, but don't write NBC off.

Fridays: On a throwaway night, only CBS and Fox seem to be trying very hard. CBS leads off with the returning "Medium" at 8 p.m., opposite unscripted shows on ABC and NBC.

Fox gives "Human Target" a shot at 8, with "Good Guys" moving to 9 p.m. opposite the relocating "CSI: NY" on CBS and the new "Body of Proof" on ABC.

One of the strongest-looking new dramas of fall, Tom Selleck's "Blue Bloods," airs at 10 p.m. Fridays on CBS, and NBC has the new "Outlaw."

The CW is stable with "Smallville" at 8 and "Supernatural" at 9.

Projected winner: CBS.

Sundays: If you liked Sundays last season, you'll like the night this season, when the lineups on ABC, Fox and NBC (with football) are unchanged, and CBS's only move is to make "Undercover Boss" permanent at 9 p.m.

Projected winners: NBC and Fox, with its animated block that includes "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy."