New TV shows premiering this fall on the five commercial networks -- night by night

By bkrohn

September 06, 2009, 12:00AM

You regularly hear the gripe about reality shows taking over the broadcast networks' prime-time schedules. But that hardly reflects reality, at least during the first half of the season.

Take a look. The five commercial networks will field 22 rookie shows this fall -- 11 dramas, eight comedies, one musical comedy, one talk/variety program and only one reality show. Night by night, this is how the freshman class of 2009-10 rolls out:

SUNDAY (two new shows)

"The Cleveland Show" (8:30-9 p.m., Fox): Yes, the lead character in this "Family Guy" spin-off is named Cleveland Brown, but the animated comedy is not set in Northeast Ohio. Originally announced for last season, the series follows the amiable neighbor and deli owner as he moves with his family from Rhode Island to Stoolbend, a fictional Virginia town (like I had to tell you that). Writer-producer Mike Henry will continue to provide Cleveland's voice.

"Three Rivers" (9-10 p.m., CBS): It's a good thing that Australian actor Alex O'Loughlin doesn't faint at the sight of blood. Cast as a vampire in "Moonlight" (2007-08), he returns to the CBS prime-time fold as sarcastic Andy Yablonski, a workaholic surgeon leading an organ-transplant team. And as the title suggests, it's set in Pittsburgh. O'Loughlin's supporting players include Katherine Moennig, Daniel Henney, Christopher J. Hanke, Julia Ormond and Justina Machado.

MONDAY-FRIDAY (one new show)

"The Jay Leno Show" (10-11 p.m. NBC): The entire industry will be watching to see how Jay's act transfers to the prime-time realm. If he succeeds, NBC will have found a cheap alternative to the ultra-expensive dramas usually found at 10 p.m. (and don't think other networks won't take notice of that). If he fails, however, NBC will have sacrificed the No. 1 ranking for "The Tonight Show" and be left with five hours to fill. Expect less emphasis on guests and talk, more on jokes and sketches.

MONDAY (two new shows)

"Accidentally on Purpose" (8:30-9 p.m., CBS): Following "How I Met Your Mother" on the Monday lineup, this comedy could be subtitled "How I Became a Mother." Jenna Elfman ("Dharma & Greg"), one of several yesteryear sitcom stars returning this season, stars as Billie, a single San Francisco movie critic who becomes pregnant after a one-night stand with a younger man. Grant Show plays her charming boss, Jon Foster is "boy toy" Zack, and Ashley Jensen is her party-girl best friend.

"Trauma" (9-10 p.m., NBC): Yes, it's another medical drama, although this one merits a bit of a spotlight because it was fashioned by executive producer Peter Berg and his "Friday Night Lights" team. Derek Luke, Cliff Curtis, Anastasia Griffith, Aimee Garcia, Kevin Rankin and Jamey Sheridan star in this attempt to maintain a pulse-pounding action pace as viewers follow a team of first-responder paramedics through the streets of San Francisco. Can it keep barreling along like a Frisco trolley car?

TUESDAY (five new shows)

"Shark Tank" (8-9 p.m., ABC): This is the one new reality show, and it got an early start on Aug. 9, so you already know this is no think tank. Reality czar Mark Burnett ("Survivor," "The Apprentice") is the executive producer behind this American version of a Japanese competition show with entrepreneurs pitching dream ideas to the Sharks, five multimillionaire business tycoons. The Sharks can pass on an ineptly presented idea by saying, "I'm out!" ABC is gambling that viewers won't borrow the phrase.

"NCIS: Los Angeles" (9-10 p.m., CBS): The network spin doctors shouldn't have too much trouble hyping this spin-off series. It follows the durable "NCIS" on the Tuesday lineup, and it has Chris O'Donnell teaming up with LL Cool J to fight the bad guys. O'Donnell is chameleon agent "G" Callen, who can expertly transform himself to infiltrate the underworld for the Office of Special Projects' elite undercover team. LL Cool J is Sam Hanna, a former U.S. Navy SEAL and surveillance expert.

"Melrose Place" (9-10 p.m., the CW): The soap bubble hasn't yet burst for the CW, which reached back to the '90s and a familiar ZIP code last year for an updated version of Fox's "Beverly Hills, 90210." So following "90210" on the Tuesday lineup is an updated version of another '90s soap created by writer-producer Darren Star, "Melrose Place." Original stars Laura Leighton and Thomas Calabro are at the center of an ongoing murder mystery. Katie Cassidy and Colin Egglesfield are among the young stars.

"The Forgotten" (10-11 p.m., ABC): Christian Slater, trying to rebound from the failure of last season's quickly canceled "My Own Worst Enemy," has top billing in executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer's crime drama about a team of dedicated amateurs working on cases involving unidentified victims. His co-stars include Rupert Penry-Jones, Reiko Aylesworth, Michelle Borth, Bob Stephenson, Anthony Carrigan and Rochelle Aytes. The competition isn't fierce, so it shouldn't be forgotten as quickly as Slater's last show.

"The Good Wife" (10-11 p.m., CBS): Emmy winner Julianna Margulies ("ER") has the title role in this legal drama about lawyer Alicia Florrick, a wife and mother who must re-enter the work force when her husband (Chris Noth) is caught in a sex and political corruption scandal. The strong cast includes Josh Charles, Christine Baranski and Matt Czuchry. Margulies recently tried and failed with a legal drama, Fox's "Canterbury's Law," but filmmaking brothers Tony and Ridley Scott are on this team.

WEDNESDAY (eight new shows)

"Hank" (8-8:30 p.m., ABC): You can't blame Kelsey Grammer for trying another sitcom. Add up the time he spent on "Cheers," "Frasier" and "Back to You," and you realize he has spent 21 of his 54 years on sitcom stages. This time out, the five-time Emmy winner plays Hank Pryor, a high-powered Wall Street executive who loses his job and his money. He moves to small Virginia town, where he tries to reconnect with a wife and children he has rarely seen.

"Mercy" (8-9 p.m., NBC): First announced as a midseason show by NBC, this medical drama got a jump-start when Maura Tierney's illness delayed filming on the new version of "Parenthood." This hospital series puts the plot emphasis on three nurses. Taylor Schilling plays Veronica Callahan, just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq. Jamie Lee Kirchner plays the confident and outspoken Sonia Jimenez. And Michelle Trachtenberg plays naive newcomer Chloe Payne.

"The Middle" (8:30-9 p.m., ABC): Two-time Emmy winner Patricia Heaton, Grammer's co-star in Fox's short-lived "Back to You," stars in a family comedy that's being compared to "Malcolm in the Middle." The Bay Village native and former "Everybody Loves Raymond" star plays Frankie Heck, a middle-class mom in the middle of Indiana. Neil Flynn, best known as the janitor on "Scrubs," plays her husband, Mike. The concept was developed for Ricki Lake in 2006, but ABC thinks everybody loves Patty.

"Modern Family" (9-9:30 p.m., ABC): A mockumentary take on domestic comedy, this series features Youngstown native Ed O'Neill ("Married . . . With Children") as Jay, the patriarch of a family being followed by a Dutch documentary crew. Their lives are being chronicled for a reality television series that will air in the Netherlands. Sofia Vergara, Jesse Tyler, Ty Burrell and Julia Bowen also play key roles in the show from executive producers Steven Levitan ("Just Shoot Me") and Christopher Lloyd ("Frasier").

"Glee" (9-10 p.m., Fox): Set in the fictional William McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio, this antic mix of musical, comedy and drama got a sneak preview in May. One of the slyest, slickest and most stylish new shows of the season, it was co-created by Ryan Murphy, best known for his work as a writer and producer on "Nip/Tuck." Full of Ohio references, the promising new show stars Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester, a teacher who takes on the task of restoring a pitiful glee club to its former glory.

"The Beautiful Life: TBL" (9-10 p.m., The CW): Ashton Kutcher is one of the producers behind this drama about models sharing a New York residence while trying to navigate the cutthroat world of high fashion. Sara Paxton is the stunning beauty with the secret past. Benjamin Hollingsworth is the Iowa farm boy with killer good looks. Mischa Barton is the friend trying to regain her standing as a top model. Dusan Dukic is the agent. Elle Macpherson is the owner of a modeling agency.

"Cougar Town" (9:30-10 p.m., ABC): And yet another old friend from a yesteryear sitcom, "Friends" star Courteney Cox, takes part in ABC's attempt to build an instant comedy lineup and revamp its Wednesday schedule. She plays Jules, a recently divorced mother facing harsh truths about dating and aging in a youth-obsessed society. Christa Miller co-stars. It's a family affair. The executive producers are Cox and her husband, David Arquette, and Miller's husband, writer Bill Lawrence ("Spin City," "Scrubs").

"Eastwick" (10-11 p.m., ABC): First, there was the 1984 novel by John Updike. That was followed by the 1987 film version of "The Witches of Eastwick" with Jack Nicholson and Cher. Will this witch's brew work in a weekly series? Rebecca Romijn, Lindsay Price and Jamie Ray Newman play the three very different women whose powers are unleashed by the devilish Darryl Van Horne (Paul Gross). NBC and Fox both filmed pilots for this that didn't get picked up for series. Is the third time the charm?

THURSDAY (three new shows)

"Community" (8-8:30 p.m., NBC, though it premieres at 9:30 p.m. Sept. 17): This comedy could go to the head of the class. Set at fictional Greendale Community College, the bright freshman series stars Joel McHale as a fast-talking, ethically challenged lawyer whose degree has been revoked. He forms a study group, gaining insight and learning life lessons from a band of misfits played by Chevy Chase, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie and East Cleveland native Yvette Nicole Brown. It should be a classy addition to NBC's smart Thursday comedies.

"Flash Forward" (8-9 p.m., ABC): Executive producers David S. Goyer ("Batman Begins") and Canton McKinley High School graduate Brannon Braga ("24") adapted Robert J. Sawyer's novel about a mysterious worldwide event that causes everyone on the planet to black out. They wake up with glimpse into the near future -- a glimpse to be avoided or fulfilled. Joseph Fiennes, John Cho and Courtney B. Vance star. It's hard to glimpse into the future, but this is shaping up to be the best of the new fantasy dramas.

"The Vampire Diaries" (8-9 p.m., the CW): Well, television is a copycat medium -- or copybat, as the case may be. With the success of "Twilight" books and films, the CW is sinking its teeth into a series version of the young-adult horror novels by L.J. Smith. Written and produced by Kevin Williamson ("Scream," "I Know What You Did Last Summer"), it stars Nina Dobrev as Elena, the young woman torn between two vampire brothers (played by Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder).

FRIDAY (one new show)

"Brothers" (8-8:30 p.m., Fox): Fox is giving us the full Michael Strahan blitz. In addition to his work on "Fox NFL Sunday," the former New York Giants defensive end will star in this comedy about a recently retired NFL player with a bickering brother (Daryl "Chill" Mitchell). Strahan is armed with the best gap-toothed smile this side of David Letterman and some impressive co-stars. CCH Pounder ("The Shield") and Carl Weathers ("Rocky") play the brothers' opinionated parents.

Note: There are no new series on Saturday night.