NEW YORK – ABC and the WB, two television networks badly in need of hits, promise advertisers an extreme makeover for the fall.
ABC is planning a whopping 11 new series, eight of them to premiere in the fall. They include only two new comedies, a shift for the network.
The WB will bring in six new series in the fall, including sketch comedies starring Drew Carey and Jeff Foxworthy and the first scripted series by reality show king Mark Burnett.
ABC’s new entertainment president, Stephen McPherson, met advertisers Tuesday on his 29th day on the job.
McPherson swung an immediate ax, canceling four comedies: “It’s All Relative,” “Married to the Kellys,” “I’m With Her” and “Life With Bonnie.” The drama “The D.A.” was also canceled.
The spinoff series, “The Practice: Fleet Street,” will bring James Spader and add William Shatner to the cast, and will have the feel of “L.A. Law,” he said.
The new season of “Alias” will be held until midseason to accommodate a tight shooting schedule. The final season of “NYPD Blue” will give way to another Steven Bochco-produced drama, “Blind Justice,” about a blind detective.
ABC will introduce two new reality series: “Wife Swap,” about real-life women who switch families, and “The Benefactor,” in which Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban will give away $1 million.
The comedy “8 Simple Rules” has survived for another season, and will move to a Friday lineup geared toward families.
The WB has completely revamped its Wednesday and Thursday nights, with only the drama “Smallville” returning.
On Wednesday, Foxworthy will star in “Blue Collar TV,” an adaptation of a popular concert series and DVD. “Drew Carey’s Green Screen Show” is an improvisational series, similar to one he did at ABC.
Burnett’s first scripted series is “Commando Nanny,” based on his own life as a former British paratrooper who moved to Los Angeles and worked as a nanny – before becoming a TV mogul.
Michael Davies, executive producer of “Super Millionaire,” will make a reality-game show hybrid called “Studio 7.” It features eight college-aged people brought to New York for a week to live together and compete in a trivia contest for a $770,000 prize.
The WB’s drama “Jack &Bobby” is about the boyhood of a future president and his headstrong brother. “The Mountain” is about a young man who inherits a ski resort.
Other new ABC series:
“Desperate Housewives,” a prime-time soap about suburban neighbors, with Teri Hatcher.
“Life As We Know It,” a coming-of-age drama about three teenaged boys. Kelly Osbourne is in the cast.
“Lost,” a drama about 48 plane crash survivors in the South Pacific.
“Savages,” a comedy, with Mel Gibson as executive producer, about a single dad raising four boys.
“Eyes,” a midseason drama starring Tim Daly as the head of a private investigation firm.
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