day 2.276

upfront with abc (and cbs)

the alphabet net and the eye net have released their fall schedules. first up, abc.

it looks like abc will have the strongest schedule come fall. that's mainly because not much is changing. the network canceled very few series - ugly betty and lost were told ahead of time they would be ending; while flash forward, scrubs, better off ted and romantically challenged were all expected casualties. so what does abc have in store for fall? here are my picks for their new show best bets.

better together - this is the show i'm most looking forward to. starring jennifer finnigan and joanna garcia, the show focuses on two sisters (the aforementioned finnigan and garcia) who are in very different relationships. finnigan's character has been in a long-term, 9-year relationship. garcia's character has been dating a guy for less than 2 months and they're already engaged. throw in the sisters' 35-years-together parents, and comedy ensues. it's a standard sitcom that will fit right in with comedy night wednesdays on the alphabet net. check out the trailer below.

no ordinary family - this is abc's biggest risk. it could either pay off big time or be canceled within weeks. the show stars michael chiklis and julie benz as a suburban couple whose lives get flipped upside down when their entire family acquires super powers. it's heroes meets modern family.

body of proof - abc is getting back into the scripted friday night game with this dana delany procedural. delany stars as a nuero-surgeon turned medical examiner who is trying to get both her personal and professional life in check. hopefully the show doesn't get lost on fridays.

something that could help delany's body of proof is the possible addition of cbs' ghost whisperer to the alphabet net's friday night line-up. cbs canceled the jennifer love hewitt supernatural dramedy, but hope isn't lost for it. ghost whisperer has consistently been the number one show on friday nights and is owned by abc. they could easily pick it up and have a major incentive to do so: the show has been sold into syndication, which means the more new episodes abc studios makes, the more money the show brings in.

there's also a chance abc will pick up cbs' other big casualty, the new adventures of old christine. while julia louis-dreyfus survived the seinfeld curse with the series, it was just too expensive for cbs to keep. having been on five years, the show comes with a hefty price tag. and because abc doesn't own it, it's less likely to pick it up, even though the network has been eyeing the series for the past couple of years as its sat on cbs' cancelation bubble. an official word should be out by next week, but because abc has their schedule set, the new adventures could soon be old ones.

check back tomorrow for previews of cbs' new line-up. to see previews of the rest of abc's new shows, click here. abc has some sure-to-be-hits lined up for midseason, including a new medical drama from grey's anatomy creator shonda rhimes (off the map, starring meryl streep's daughter) and mr. sunshine, a new comedy starring matthew perry and allison janney.

and in returning abc show news, it looks like desperate housewives may have its new vixen. vanessa williams, fresh from the dearly departed ugly betty, will be filling the stilettos left behind by nicolette sheridan's edie brit on wisteria lane. it's genius casting, so hopefully they don't waste williams talents (a la alfrie woodard or this year's drea de mateo).