Come fall you may be searching high and low for your favorite shows on ABC and The WB. Both networks are shaking up their schedules and moving several shows to new time slots.
In announcing its fall lineup yesterday, ABC made the most changes to Tuesday and Wednesday nights, shifting "Spin City" to 8 p.m. Tuesday and putting "Dharma & Greg" on at 9 p.m. that same night.
"The Hughleys," "The Norm Show" and "It's Like, You Know..." return in new time slots, while the new romantic drama "Once and Again" premieres at 10 p.m. Tuesday before making way for "NYPD Blue." With four newsmagazines continuing to clog the network's schedule (and three 10 p.m. time slots), ABC hasn't yet found a regular home for "Once and Again" beyond October when "Blue" returns.
ABC wisely placed David E. Kelley's new detective drama, "Snoops," on Sunday at 9 p.m., so it will air just before Kelley's "The Practice." That bumped Sunday's installment of "20/20" to 8 p.m. Monday. After a one-year trail run at 8 p.m., "Monday Night Football" returns to 9 p.m.
As expected, ABC canceled "Two of a Kind," "Brother's Keeper" and "Vengeance Unlimited." "America's Funniest Home Videos" may return at midseason.
The WB is using established one-hour shows to introduce new dramas five nights of the week, consolidating its sitcoms on Friday, a night the network had previously not programmed.
"Felicity" moves to Sunday at 8 p.m. with "Charmed" trying to cast a spell that will make viewers channel surf away from NBC at 9 p.m. Thursday.
Once again The WB's new shows are aimed squarely at teen and twentysomething viewers, including two new shows set in high schools ("Roswell" and "Popular").
The WB canceled "Rescue 77," "The Wayans Bros." and "Smart Guy" but ordered additional episodes of "Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane" as a midseason replacement.
New shows for midseason include "D.C." (drama about interns in Washington from "Law & Order" producer Dick Wolf) and "Baby Blues" (an animated comedy based on the comic strip).
Here's ABC's fall schedule and descriptions of the network's new programs:
SUNDAY
7 p.m. "The Wonderful World of Disney"
9 p.m. "Snoops" -- The private-eye genre has been dead in recent years, but uber-producer David E. Kelley will attempt to reinvigorate it with this series set in Los Angeles. Gina Gershon stars as the head of the agency who looks at the Bill of Rights more as suggestions than actual law. She has two young snoops on staff, but her latest hire (Paula Marshall, "Cupid") is a by-the-book former police detective. Kelley won't write for this show as much as he will "The Practice," "Chicago Hope" and "Ally McBeal."
10 p.m. "The Practice"
MONDAY
8 p.m. "20/20"
9 p.m. "Monday Night Football"
TUESDAY
8 p.m. "Spin City"
8:30 p.m. "It's Like, You Know..."
9 p.m. "Dharma & Greg"
9:30 p.m. "Sports Night"
10 p.m. "Once and Again" (prior to "NYPD Blue" season premiere) -- "thirtysomething" producers Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick usher in this dramatic pseudo-"Brady Bunch" as two divorced parents fall in love despite squabbles among their children. Sela Ward ("Sisters") and Bill Campbell ("The Rocketeer") star.
WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place"
8:30 p.m. "The Norm Show"
9 p.m. "The Drew Carey Show"
9:30 p.m. "Oh Grow Up" -- An ensemble comedy about three friends who live together. Hunter (Stephen Dunham) is successful and selfish, Norris (David Alan Basche) is an aspiring artist, and Ford (John Duncey) just realized he's gay but remains friends with his ex-wife (Rena Sofer).
10 p.m. "20/20"
THURSDAY
8 p.m. "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"
8:30 p.m. "Then Came You" -- Billie (Susan Floyd) chucks her married, suburban life for a chance at true passion, but the 34-year-old didn't expect it would involve love with a 24-year-old (Thomas Newton) who works in the hotel where she lives.
9 p.m. "Wasteland" -- ABC gives this series from Kevin Williamson ("Scream," "Dawson's Creek") the wasteland time slot against NBC's "Frasier." The one-hour drama focuses on six twentysomethings living in New York after college. Dawnie (Marisa Coughlan) is a 27-year-old virgin who still pines for the campus stud (Brad Rowe) who dumped her because she wouldn't sleep with him. Rebecca Gayheart ("Earth 2") plays one of her friends.
10 p.m. "20/20"
FRIDAY
8 p.m. "The Hughleys"
8:30 p.m. "Boy Meets World"
9 p.m. "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch"
9:30 p.m. "Odd Man Out" -- The co-writers of "There's Something About Mary" tackle a battle of the teen-age sexes in this sitcom about a high schooler (Erik von Detten) living in a house of women -- his mom, his aunt and his three sisters. Markie Post ("Night Court") also stars.
10 p.m. "20/20"
SATURDAY
8 p.m. "The ABC Saturday Night Movie"
Here's The WB's fall schedule and descriptions of the network's new programs:
SUNDAY
7 p.m. "7th Heaven: Beginnings"
8 p.m. "Felicity"
9 p.m. "Jack & Jill" -- A one-hour romantic comedy about 23-year-old Jacqueline "Jack" Barrett (Amelia Heinle) and aspiring toy designer David "Jill" Jillefsky (Ivan Sergei). The show also stars former MTV VJ Simon Rex.
MONDAY
8 p.m. "7th Heaven"
9 p.m. "Safe Harbor" -- Finally a suitable companion to "7th Heaven" from the same creator, Brenda Hampton. Gregory Harrison ("Trapper John, MD") stars as a widower sheriff raising four teen-age sons. The family lives in a Florida beachfront hotel owned and operated by their eccentric grandmother, played by Rue McClanahan ("The Golden Girls").
TUESDAY
8 p.m. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
9 p.m. "Angel" -- This "Buffy" spin-off takes good vampire Angel (David Boreanaz) to Los Angeles where he'll be joined by snobby Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and his new mentor, Doyle (Glenn Quinn, Becky's husband on "Roseanne").
WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. "Dawson's Creek"
9 p.m. "Roswell" -- Teens are hot. Sci-fi is hot. Why not merge the two? That must be the thinking behind this drama of teen alienation (pun intended). Three high school students who look human are really aliens orphaned on Earth after the infamous 1947 crash of their spaceship in Roswell, N.M. The show has some smart pedigree in both genres, including writer/executive producer Jason Katims ("My So-Called Life"), director/co-executive producer David Nutter ("The X-Files") and Number One himself, executive producer Jonathan Frakes ("Star Trek: The Next Generation").
THURSDAY
8 p.m. "Popular" -- An outcast (Carly Pope) strives for acceptance but finds turmoil when her mom gets engaged to the single father of Jacqueline Kennedy High's head cheerleader (Leslie Bibb).
9 p.m. "Charmed"
FRIDAY
8 p.m. "The Steve Harvey Show"
8:30 p.m. "For Your Love"
9 p.m. "The Downtowners" -- Two former producers of "The Simpsons" created this new animated comedy about a 24-year-old hipster (voice of Wallace Langham, "Veronica's Closet") who has to take care of his teen brother when their parents move to Wyoming.
9:30 p.m. "The Jamie Foxx Show"
