Upfronts 2009: ABC Takes Another Shot at Comedy
Four new comedies highlight 2009-10 schedule as ABC's McPherson looks to "get back into the family business"
By Marisa Guthrie -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/19/2009 7:52:36 AM
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It's no secret that ABC has struggled to build solid comedy franchises, though it hasn't been for lack of trying. The network will attempt to push that rock up the hill again next Fall mounting a comedy night on Wednesday that includes four new sitcoms: Hank, The Middle, Modern Family and Cougar Town.
Eastwick--which ABC Entertainment Group president Steve McPherson described as "a re-conceptualization" of the big screen adaptation of John Updike's novel The Witches of Eastwick--will close out the night at 10 p.m.
Hank stars Kelsey Grammer as a corporate titan who is forced to reconnect with his wife and kids when he loses his job. The Middle is a recession comedy with Patricia Heaton as an Indiana mom of three trying to make ends meet. Modern Family is presented mockumentary-style, with Ed O'Neill as the patriarch of an eclectic, blended family. And Cougar Town stars Courteney Cox as a recently divorced single mom re-entering a dating world that favors the young.
McPherson described the gamble on five new shows on Wednesday night as the network's "biggest risk" as well as its "biggest opportunity." He added that thematically, the comedies will help to get ABC "back into the family business."
The Wednesday night lineup is part of a new fall slate that also includes six new dramas and the reality entry Shark Tank from Mark Burnett.
Returning series include Scrubs and Better Off Ted, which will be paired together most likely during midseason, according to McPherson. ABC has ordered 18 episodes of Scrubs, with series star Zach Braff committed to appear in at least six episodes. Ted was given a 13 episode order.
The remaining new dramas are The Deep End, Flash Forward, Happy Town, V and the Jerry Bruckheimer crime procedural The Forgotten.
Bruckheimer's crime franchises on CBS, said McPherson, "beat up on me every week, so it's good to have him on our team."
The Shonda Rhimes drama Inside the Box, starring Kim Raver as a hard-charging Washington D.C. television news producer, has been sent back into development.
"We were surprised by how the test audiences reacted to it," said McPherson, adding that with Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, he did not want to put added pressure on Rhimes to rush the new show on to air.
McPherson also said he thinks NBC's decision to program Jay Leno at 10 p.m. will help his network and CBS.
"I think Leno is a different audience," said McPherson. "I think it's an older audience. We think it's an opportunity for both us and CBS."
He also reacted to Fox's decision to run midseason reality competition So You Think You Can Dance in the fall to help shore up a flagging first half, a scheduling move that puts Fox's dance entry in direct competition with ABC's hit Dancing With the Stars.
"It will be interesting to see how [So You Think You Can Dance] performs," mused McPherson. "I believe it trailed off at the end of last season."
ABC also handed out pickups to Castle and reality series True Beauty. They join previously announced pickups for America's Funniest Home Videos, The Bachelor, Brothers & Sisters, Dancing With the Stars, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Private Practice, Supernanny, Ugly Betty, Wife Swap and ABC News' 20/20.
Samantha Who has been canceled. The Christina Applegate comedy was a relatively solid performer when it debuted in 2007, but it never regained its footing after the writers' strike.
"I feel really responsible for that," said McPherson. "It was really frustrating."
Below is ABC's 2009-2010 schedule:
MONDAY: 8:00 p.m. "Dancing With the Stars" (two-hours)
10:00 p.m. "Castle"
TUESDAY: 8:00 p.m. "Shark Tank"
9:00 p.m. "Dancing With the Stars the Results Show"
10:00 p.m. "The Forgotten"
WEDNESDAY: 8:00 p.m. "Hank"
8:30 p.m. "The Middle"
9:00 p.m. "Modern Family"
9:30 p.m. "Cougar Town"
10:00 p.m. "Eastwick"
THURSDAY: 8:00 p.m. "Flash Forward"
9:00 p.m. "Grey's Anatomy"
10:00 p.m. "Private Practice"
FRIDAY: 8:00 p.m. "Supernanny"
9:00 p.m. "Ugly Betty"
10:00 p.m. "20/20"
SATURDAY: 8:00 p.m. "Saturday Night College Football"
SUNDAY: 7:00 p.m. "America's Funniest Home Videos"
8:00 p.m. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
9:00 p.m. "Desperate Housewives"
10:00 p.m. "Brothers & Sisters"
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