New Series Include “Betty the Ugly,” “Big Day,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Day Break,” “Help Me Help You,” “In Case of Emergency,” “Greg Behrendt’s Wake-Up Call,” “Just for Laughs,” “Let’s Rob…,” “Men in Trees,” “The Nine,” “Notes from the Underbelly,” “Set for the Rest of Your Life,” “Six Degrees” and “Traveler”
Returning Series Include “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Lost,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Boston Legal,” “The Bachelor,” “Supernanny,” “What About Brian,” “According to Jim,” “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “American Inventor,” “George Lopez” and “Wife Swap”
“Grey’s Anatomy” Moves to Thursday
“ABC Saturday Night College Football” Also Joins Fall Primetime Lineup
Prince Lorenzo Borghese Takes Throne as the New Bachelor
Scheduled to debut next season are six new comedy series — “Betty the Ugly,” “Big Day,” “Help Me Help You,” “In Case of Emergency,” “Let’s Rob…” and “Notes From the Underbelly,” along with six new drama series — “Brothers & Sisters,” “Day Break,” “Men in Trees,” “The Nine,” “Six Degrees” and “Traveler.” Alternative series debuts will include “Set for the Rest of Your Life,” “Just for Laughs” and “Greg Behrendt’s Wake-Up Call.”
In addition to the new series, ABC has ordered season renewals for “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Lost,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Boston Legal,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “George Lopez,” “Supernanny,” “What About Brian,” “According to Jim,” “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “American Inventor,” “The Bachelor” and “Wife Swap.”
“Our success has been driven by great storytelling and memorable characters that audiences have fallen in love with,” said Mr. McPherson. “We set out to develop a diverse group of shows that will continue in that vein and also to grow our audience. We want viewers making appointments with ABC Television every night of the week.”
During the 2005-06 TV Season, ABC is up more in ratings than any other broadcaster in Adults 18-49 (+8%) and Total Viewers (+8%). It is the only network to grow its audience in the key demographic of Adults 18-49 from the same point a year ago. In just two years, since the end of the 2003-04 TV Season, ABC’s primetime delivery has surged by 25% in Adults 18-49 and 21% in Total Viewers. The network is delivering its most-watched season and the highest-rated among Adults 18-49 in five years – since the same point in the 2000-01 TV Season.
Also joining the fall schedule is “ABC Saturday Night College Football.” Beginning SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2006 (8:00 p.m., ET), ABC Sports will televise 12 games, concluding with the Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship game on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2 (8:00 p.m., ET).
ABC also announced the new Bachelor, Prince Lorenzo Borghese, a handsome 33-year-old cosmetics entrepreneur. Prince Borghese has been selected to star in the ninth edition of “The Bachelor,” ABC’s popular romance reality series, which returns to the network this fall. Once again the series will be set outside the United States in one of the most glamorous, romantic capitals of the world – Rome!
Hosted by Chris Harrison, “The Bachelor” is produced by Next Entertainment in Association with Warner Horizon Television. Mike Fleiss and Lisa Levenson are the executive producers. David Bohnert is the co-executive producer.
Click below to view a pdf of ABC’s complete 22-hour fall primetime schedule.