Published: May 20, 2009 12:51 pm      

TELEVISION: Who's in and who's out for 2009-10?

A reprieve for many of the major network TV shows that were on the bubble this past season and the return of many familiar faces highlight the 2009-10 TV schedules announced this week.

Among the shows on the fence, Only CBS’ “Without a Trace, Fox’s “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” and NBC’s “My Name is Earl” got the ax, meaning that fans of marginal shows such as “Friday Night Lights,” “Chuck” and “Cold Case” will live to see another season.

Replacing some of these canceled programs are new efforts by sitcom vets Courteney Cox, Kelsey Grammer, Patricia Heaton and Ed O’Neill for ABC; the return to television of Jenna Elfman and Julianna Margulies for CBS; and Jerry Seinfeld’s first major dip into television in more than a decade for NBC.

Following is a truncated glimpse of what the four major networks will have to offer come fall.

ABC

IN: • Courteney Cox returns to the sitcom realm in “Cougar Town,” a recently divorced woman looking to get back into the dating world.

• “The Deep End” will follow first-year law associates at a high-profile L.A. firm. Matt Long, Ben Lawson and Billy Zane star. The show will debut midseason.

• “Eastwick” is based on the film “The Witches of Eastwick” and follows three women drawn together by the powers drawn out of them by a mysterious man. Rebecca Romjin, Lindsay Price and Jamie Ray Newman will be the witches.

• “Flash Forward” starts with an event forcing the entire world to black out, and mankind is forced to contemplate how far it will go to stop the future from happening. Joseph Fiennes, John Cho and Courtney B. Vance star.

• Jerry Bruckheimer introduces yet another crime drama in “The Forgotten,” which follows amateurs devoted to solving crimes upon which the police have given up. Rupert Penry-Jones and Reiko Aylesworth star.

• Kelsey Grammer resurfaces in “Hank,” a sitcom about an industrial titan who’s suddenly out of work looking to connect with the family for whom he never had time.

• “Happy Town” follows a small Minnesota community that’s been without crime for seven years after a string of unsolved kidnappings. Dart truths begin to emerge, though, as bad things start seeping back into town. The show will debut midseason.

• Patricia Heaton stars as a mother of three in “The Middle,” a sitcom about a middle class Indiana family looking to stay above water.

• Ed O’Neill of “Married ... With Children” fame finally returns to comedic television in “Modern Family,” a mockumentary about family life in the 21st century.

• “Shark Tank” is a reality series that will see wanna-be tycoons try to convince multi-millionaires part with some cash to back their high-shooting dreams.

• Aliens with an unknown agenda is the premise behind “V,” which sees humanity struggle to uncover whether the visitors are genuine or hiding a more devious plan. The show will debut midseason.

OUT: • “Cupid.”

• “In the Motherhood.”

• “Life on Mars.”

• “Samantha Who?”

• “The Unusuals.”

DIFFERENT: • “Ugly Betty,” once the network’s darling, has been exiled to Friday nights, where the show will likely languish for a season (or less) before getting the boot.

CBS

IN: • Jenna Elfman returns to TV comedy in “Accidentally on Purpose,” about a women who decides to raise the baby conceived after her one-night stand.

• The reality series “Arranged Marriage” will air midseason and will see three romantically challenged adults leave the fate of their nuptials in the hands of friends and family.

• “The Bridge” will be a midseason drama about a police officer who reluctantly takes the head job with his union, compelling him to fight corruption from within the force as well as outside.

• Julianna Margulies will head “The Good Wife,” a drama about a women forced back to work after her husband is sent to prison.

• “Miami Trauma” follows a team of surgeons charged with saving patients given less than hour to live. This show will debut midseason.

• Christopher O’Donnell and LL Cool J will star in an “NCIS” spin-off that will be set in Los Angeles.

• “Three Rivers,” starring Julia Ormond, follows surgeons, donors and recipients involved with organ donations.

• “Undercover Boss” is a reality show in which a company executive wears a disguise to work alongside his employees. This show will debut midseason.

OUT: • “11th Hour.”

• “The Unit.”

• “Without a Trace”

DIFFERENT: Freshman sensation “The Mentalist” will switch to Thursday nights, taking the 10 p.m. slot behind “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”

Fox

IN: • Whether Michael Strahan can act remains to be seen, but the former New York Giants star will be the lead in “Brothers,” a comedy about a former NFL hotshot who moves back in with mom to reorganize his life.

• After originally being slated to begin this season, “The Family Guy” spin-off “The Cleveland Show” is finally set to debut next season; the series will follow secondary character Cleveland Brown as he moves with his son back to his hometown in Virginia.

• “Glee” is a musical comedy featuring an ensemble cast of aspiring singers seeking stardom in the high school chorus.

• “Human Target” will debut in winter and is based on the comic book of the same name; McG is an executive producer of this series, which follows a private contractor (Mark Valley) who will stop at nothing to keep his clients alive.

• “Past Life” will also debut in the winter and will feature Kelli Giddish as a psychologist who works with a former police detective (Nicholas Bishop) to explore mysteries that must be solved in both the past and present.

• “Sons of Tucson” will be a midseason premiere and will follow a charming schemer (Tyler Labine) who is hired by three brothers whose father is in prison.

• “The Wanda Sykes Show” (working title) will see the funnywoman put behind the talk show desk Saturday nights.

OUT: • “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader?”

• “Don’t Forget the Lyrics.”

• “King of the Hill.”

• “Prison Break.”

• “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.”

DIFFERENT: • “So You Think You Can Dance” will move to the fall for its sixth season; the previous five aired during the summer.

• “Fringe” will get the call-up to the big leagues in its second season, as the sci-fi mystery serial will shift to 9 p.m. Thursdays, opposite CBS’ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.”

NBC

IN: • “100 Questions” is a sitcom about a young woman (Sophie Winkleman) seeking romance with the help of Internet dating sites and a counselor.

• “Community” will see Chevy Chase return to television in this sitcom about college misfits. Joel McHale and Gillian Jacobs will also star.

• “Day One,” which begins just after a mysterious catastrophe decimates the globe’s infrastructure; Adam Campbell and Catherine Dent will head this effort which is set to debut after the Winter Olympics.

• Jerry Seinfeld will produce the reality series “The Marriage Ref” on Sunday nights after the Winter Olympics. The show will see independent arbiters determine who’s “right” in a series of arguments between married couples.

• “Mercy,” the first “ER” replacement that chronicles the good deeds of nurses; Taylon Schilling and Jamie Lee Kirchner star.

• “Parenthood,” another remake of the 1989 movie that was also a short-lived series in the 1990s; Peter Krause and Maura Tierney will star.

• “Trauma,” the second “ER” replacement that will follow the actions of San Francisco paramedics; the cast includes Derek Luke and Aimee Garcia.

OUT: • “Deal or No Deal.”

• “Medium.”

• “My Name is Earl.”

DIFFERENT: • Several returning shows, such as “Heroes” and “Chuck,” will air in the continuous format made famous by Fox’s “24” and ABC’s “Lost.” The network sees the Winter Olympics as the perfect midpoint break to separate series.

• “The Jay Leno Show” will air at 10 p.m. weeknights and will see the former “Tonight Show” host shift to primetime in an effort to boost the fourth-place network’s ratings.

• For a second season, NBC will air a handful of “SNL Weekend Update Thursday” shows at 8 p.m. Thursdays in the fall. Last year’s multi-episode run that aired just before the presidential election drew huge ratings and helped the late-night skit show rebound.

• Talks are under way with both Fox and ABC to pick up “My Name is Earl,” “Medium” was promptly picked up by CBS and will air Friday nights.

Contact Paul Laneat 693-1000, ext. 116.