Fox, new CW form fall lineups
Brad Garrett’s return to domestic comedy and two new thrillers are among the few changes on the Fox network’s schedule for next fall.
Meanwhile, two weeks after its supposed series finale, the family drama “7th Heaven” is being revived as part of the first schedule by the fledgling CW network, which combines programming from the WB and UPN.
Garrett, who took a year off from TV after playing the put-upon brother on “Everybody Loves Raymond,” stars in ” ‘Til Death” as half of a long-married couple that tries not to let their cynicism infect the newlyweds next door.
Ming-Na of “ER” plays an FBI agent trying to solve a missing person case in the new serial “Vanished,” while “Standoff” is about two FBI crisis negotiators who are a team professionally and romantically.
Fox will premiere two other new shows in the fall: the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama “Justice,” about a team of lawyers with an expertise in forensics, and the comedy “Happy Hour,” about a suddenly single youth in Chicago.
Like this season, “24” will return in January and run uninterrupted, while “Prison Break” will take a long break in midseason. “The O.C.” will start after baseball in November and air with as little interruption as possible.
The long-running comedy “Bernie Mac” was canceled, as was “Stacked,” and Fox hasn’t decided whether the reality show “Unan1mous” will be back.
The first schedule for the CW (which will air on KSKN-22 in Spokane) melds the wrestling and black-oriented comedies of UPN with the youthful dramas of the WB.
It has only two new shows, including “The Game,” a spinoff of the comedy “Girlfriends” about the wives and girlfriends of National Football League players; and the drama “Runaway,” starring Donnie Wahlberg, about a family that establishes a new identity when its father is falsely accused of murder.
The surprise return of “7th Heaven” means the end of the WB drama “Everwood,” which was being considered for the same time slot.
The programming merger means the end of several other shows, including “Pepper Dennis,” “Bedford Diaries,” “Charmed,” “One on One,” “Half and Half,” “Eve,” “Related,” “South Beach” and “Love, Inc.” The comedy “Reba” is also off the schedule, although it could return.