8:00 TO 9:00:

For the first time in years, Friday nights are once again competitive with scripted programming.  In fact, each of the Big Five has at least one hour of scripted programming to share.  During this first hour of the night, NBC relocates LAW & ORDER to the hour, while CW relocates SMALLVILLE.  CBS goes with the solid GHOST WHISPERER again, while FOX offers up newbie comedy BROTHERS with returning (WHY????) 'TIL DEATH.  The only reality in the hour is SUPERNANNY.

FIRST: GHOST WHISPERER (CBS)

SECOND: LAW & ORDER (NBC)

THIRD: SUPERNANNY (ABC)

FOURTH: SMALLVILLE (CW)

FIFTH: BROTHERS/TIL DEATH (FOX)

9:00 TO 10:00:
This hour is even more interesting than the 8 pm hour.  THREE shows are relocated to this time period: ABC's dwindling UGLY BETTY, NBC's dwindling SOUTHLAND, and the NBC to CBS drama MEDIUM. Staying put in the hour is the surprise return of DOLLHOUSE, though with an anemic comedy (TIL DEATH) leading into it, I dont expect the DOLLHOUSE ratings to improve any over this season's.
FIRST: MEDIUM (CBS)
SECOND: SOUTHLAND (NBC)
THIRD: UGLY BETTY (ABC)
FOURTH: DOLLHOUSE (FOX)

10:00 TO 11:00:
Same as last year: 20/20 on ABC and NUMBERS on CBS. The only new threat is JAY LENO, which I think will have some terrific numbers in the hour, despite what critics are saying.
FIRST: NUMBERS (CBS)
SECOND: JAY LENO (NBC)
THIRD: 20/20 (ABC)

TOTAL HOURS I WILL WATCH: TWO (DOLLHOUSE and UGLY BETTY)

8:00 TO 9:00:

Other than Saturday and Sunday, Tuesday nights in the fall look the weakest, for me as a viewer at least.  There is an overdose of reality on the night, with ABC's THE SHARK TANK kicking things off. That will compete with the first hour of THE BIGGEST LOSER and the first hour of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. TANK will be the obvious loser, and DANCE and LOSER will duke it out.  That leaves the hour wide open for the hit scripted show NCIS on CBS, and the CW drama 90210. Both those scripted shows lead in to two highly-anticipated shows at 9.
FIRST: NCIS (CBS)
SECOND: DWTS (ABC)
THIRD: BIGGEST LOSER (NBC)
FOURTH: SYTYCD (FOX)
FIFTH: 90210 (CW)

9:00 TO 10:00:
At 9, CBS goes with NCIS: LOS ANGELES, which I think will be the biggest hit of the season, now that it follows NCIS and takes over THE MENTALIST's slot. Another show set in LA is competitor MELROSE PLACE, which is a nice fit following 90210. These are two perfect scheduling decisions. Realtiy continues with the second hours of LOSER and SYTYCD. And ABC has the DWTS results show.
FIRST: DWTS (ABC)
SECOND: NCIS: LOS ANGELES (CBS)
THIRD: THE BIGGEST LOSER (NBC)
FOURTH: SYTYCD (FOX)
FIFTH: MELROSE PLACE (CW)

10:00 TO 11:00:
Competing against LENO are two newbies: THE FORGOTTEN on ABC and THE GOOD WIFE on CBS.  I dont expect stellar ratings for either show, especially THE FORGOTTEN. As for THE GOOD WIFE, it takes the doomsday slot that has led to the demise of CANE, 3 LBS, WITHOUT A TRACE, and so on. But without much competition, it will the hour, though a weak win at that.
FIRST: THE GOOD WIFE (CBS)
SECOND: THE FORGOTTEN (ABC)
THIRD: JAY LENO SHOW (NBC)

TOTAL HOURS I WILL WATCH: One (MELROSE PLACE)

MIDSEASON: Looks more promising.  SCRUBS and BETTER OFF TED return on ABC. NBC has 100 QUESTIONS, and FOX has PAST LIFE.

8:00 TO 9:00:
Once again, Monday night is a brutal battlefield, especially in the 8 pm hour.  ABC continues it's run of DANCING WITH THE STARS, though one has to wonder how long this ratings juggernaut will last.  With ratings continuing to slide cycle to cycle, look for even greater audience erosion to set in for the fall edition. Over at CBS, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER time-shifts to 8 PM, which will give new Jenna Elfman series ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE a nice lead-in.  HIMYM had its best year, and I believe next season it will hit it's ratings peak before starting to slide a bit in the ratings. That's good news all-around for a show now entering it's fifth season. NBC takes a chance by leading the night off with the fading HEROES, though one has to consider how much of an impact Zachary Quinto might add to the show now that his Spock is smacking the box office.  As for drama, HOUSE is also fading, and I am kind of thinking that next year will see continued audience erosion.  THE CW has season 3 of it's buzzy GOSSIP GIRL.  I think its smart the network didnt pick up LILY, for that could have diluted GG's numbers.
FIRST: DANCING WITH THE STARS (ABC)
SECOND: HOUSE (FOX)
THIRD: HIMYM/ACCIDENTALLY (CBS)
FOURTH: HEROES (NBC)
FIFTH: GOSSIP GIRL (CW)

9:00 TO 10:00:
The second hour of DANCING continues on ABC, which is always higher than hour 1. And CBS' top comedy TWO AND A HALF MEN leads into the hysterical BIG BANG THEORY, which will raise THEORY's profile significantly. After that I think it's going to be a battle between NBC's promising TRAUMA and the fading LIE TO ME on FOX. ONE TREE HILL, which has been reliable at CW, is going to start hemmhorging viewers with the loss of Chad Michael Murray.
FIRST: DANCING WITH THE STARS (ABC)
SECOND: TWO AND A HALF MEN/BIG BANG (CBS)
THIRD: LIE TO ME (FOX)
FOURTH: TRAUMA (NBC)
FIFTH: ONE TREE HILL (CW)
NOTE: It's going to be a close call for first between DWTS and the CBS comedies, and will also be a close call for third between LIE TO ME and TRAUMA.

10:00 TO 11:00:
No contest here.  CSI: MIAMI will rule the hour, but ABC's CASTLE will do surprisingly better in its second season. JAY LENO will start out strong before tapering off around November.  When the others are in repeats, JAY LENO's ratings will spike. I predict having LENO every night of the week wont be the massacre that others are saying. Yes, it will be a drop for the network, but when compared to other shows in that hour in the past that cost a lot of money (JOURNEYMAN, STUDIO 60 and MY OWN WORST ENEMY), NBC will have played the hour right. Plus, LENO is a comedy alternative to all the death, murder and mayhem (which I dont watch)
FIRST: CSI: MIAMI (CBS)
SECOND: CASTLE (ABC)
THIRD: JAY LENO SHOW (NBC)

WHAT I WILL BE WATCHING ON THE NIGHT: HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE, TWO AND A HALF MEN, BIG BANG THEORY, TRAUMA and (from time to time) JAY LENO SHOW.

TOTAL HOURS: THREE

THE SCI-FI/FANTASY/THRILLER GENRE is ALIVE AND WELL:

Viewers may have lost PUSHING DAISIES and REAPER (not to mention BATTLESTAR GALACTICA on SyFy), but come fall a whole slew of new shows will join the old reliables already on the Big Five nets.  Here's what's coming (and returning) at each network:

NBC:

HEROES (FALL)

CHUCK (MIDSEASON)

DAY ONE (MIDSEASON)

ABC:

EASTWICK (FALL)

FLASH FORWARD (FALL)

LOST (MIDSEASON)

V (MIDSEASON)

CBS:

GHOST WHISPERER (FALL)

MEDIUM (FALL)

FOX:

FRINGE (FALL)

DOLLHOUSE (FALL)

PAST LIFE (MIDSEASON)

HUMAN TARGET (MIDSEASON)

THE CW:
SMALLVILLE (FALL)
SUPERNATURAL (FALL)
VAMPIRE DIARIES (FALL)
THAT'S 16 HOURS IN ALL.  NICE!  Plus, the new STARGATE series  and the new pre-BATTLESTAR series make their debuts on SyFy, and TRUE BLOOD is back on HBO. 

THE CW network was the fifth and final major network to announce it's fall schedule to advertisers today.  The new fall shows are MELROSE PLACE, VAMPIRE DIARIES and BEAUTIFUL LIFE. At midseason comes PARENTAL DISCRETION ADVISED.

MONDAYS: The combo of GOSSIP GIRL and ONE TREE HILL remain intact.

HOURS OF CW PROGRAMMING I WILL WATCH: Zero

TUESDAYS: 90210 gets paired with MELROSE PLACE, which was one of my favorite soaps from the 90s.

HOURS OF CW PROGRAMMING I WILL WATCH:  One (MELROSE PLACE)

WEDNESDAYS: AMERICAS NEXT TOP MODEL gets paired with model companion drama BEAUTIFUL LIFE.

HOURS OF CW PROGRAMMING I WILL WATCH: One (BEAUTIFUL LIFE)

THURSDAYS: Vampires rule (TRUE BLOOD and TWILIGHT), so here comes THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, which is followed by the awesome SUPERNATURAL.

HOURS OF CW PROGRAMMING I WILL WATCH: Two (VAMPIRE and SUPER)

FRIDAYS: SMALLVILLE airs its ninth, and maybe final, season, followed by ANTM encore.

HOURS OF CW PROGRAMMING I WILL WATCH: Zero

NUMBER OF CW PROGRAMMING I WILL WATCH IN THE FALL: Four Hours

MIDSEASON:PARENTAL DISCRETION ADVISED

HERE, IN ORDER, ARE THE NEW SHOWS I AM MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING:

MELROSE PLACE (9)

VAMPIRE DIARIES (8)

BEAUTIFUL LIFE (7)

HERE, OVERALL, ARE THE SHOWS I AM MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO WATCHING:

MELROSE PLACE

SUPERNATURAL

VAMPIRE DIARIES

BEAUTIFUL LIFE

MISSING PILOTS: The 80s set GOSSIP GIRL spin-off didn't make the cut.

OVERALL OUTLOOK: THE CW has some hot, though teen-skewing, dramas on slate. Compared to season's past, the 2009-2010 CW line-up looks like its most promising yet. I will definitely be checking them out come fall. I give the sked an A-

CBS presented a (yawn) stable schedule of shows today, filled with the usual death and mayhem that the network has succeeded with over the last half of a decade.  In fact, all of it's new dramas deal with crime drama or hospital medical drams or law firm drama.  Missing from the line-up are the exciting chances the network had taken the last three years, such as JERICHO, SWINGTOWN, and HARPER'S ISLAND. Instead, the fall newbies are NCIS: LOS ANGELES, THE GOOD WIFE, THREE RIVERS and comedy ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE. For Midseason, its MIAMI TRAUMA, THE BRIDGE, UNDERCOVER BOSS and ARRANGED MARRIAGE. BLECH!

MONDAYS: I'll be honest up front: this is the ONLY night of television that I will be watching coming from the Eye network.  And what a night it is!  Two of my favorite comedies, plus a solid Charlie Sheen hit and a newcomer with Jenna Elfman, will all cheer me up. HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER kicks off the night, followed by ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE with Elfman. Then its a solid hour of Chuck Lorre comedy with TWO AND A HALF MEN and THE BIG BANG THEORY. Cheese ends the night with CSI: MIAMI.  With no other competition, I have delegated the last hour of the night to THE JAY LENO SHOW.

TOTAL HOURS OF CBS PROGRAMMING THAT I WILL WATCH: Two (all four comedies)

TUESDAYS: NCIS returns, followed by the spin-off in LOS ANGELES. New Julianna Marguiles drama THE GOOD WIFE ends the night. Guess that means a second night of LENO for me.

TOTAL HOURS OF CBS PROGRAMMING THAT I WILL WATCH: Zero

WEDNESDAYS: Boring comedies NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE and GARY UNMARRIED return. I gave CHRISTINE a second chance last year by watching it for the first time since it debuted. It was still blah. And dont get me started on the seriously unfunny GARY. Bloody crime shows follow with the returns of CRIMINAL MINDS and CSI: NY.

TOTAL HOURS OF CBS PROGRAMMING THAT I WILL WATCH: Zero

THURSDAYS: SURVIVOR and CSI are back. Then the night closes with the transplanted THE MENTALIST.

TOTAL HOURS OF CBS PROGRAMMING THAT I WILL WATCH: Zero

FRIDAYS: Once a dumping ground for last-leg tv shows and reality, Friday nights return in the fall with scripted programming on all the major networks, which will give GHOST WHISPERER and NUMBERS some much-needed competition. The transplanted MEDIUM switches from NBC to CBS and is sandwiched between GHOST and NUMBERS.

TOTAL HOURS OF CBS PROGRAMMING THAT I WILL WATCH: Zero

SATURDAYS: Crime repeats for the first two hours, followed by 48 HOURS MYSTERIES

TOTAL HOURS OF CBS PROGRAMMING THAT I WILL WATCH: Zero

SUNDAYS: Another blah night: 60 MINUTES, THE AMAZING RACE, newcomer THREE RIVERS and COLD CASE.

TOTAL HOURS OF CBS PROGRAMMING THAT I WILL WATCH: Zero.

TOTAL NUMBERS OF CBS PROGRAMMING I WILL WATCH IN THE FALL: Sadly, just two hours.

MIDSEASON: The only show midseason I will watch will be the comedy RULES OF ENGAGEMENT. Otherwise, its boring as usual with THE BRIDGE, MIAMI TRAUMA, UNDERCOVER BOSS and ARRANGED MARRIAGE.

HERE IS THE NEW SHOW I AM MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING:

ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE

HERE ARE THE OVERALL SHOWS I AM MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING:

THE BIG BANG THEORY

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE

TWO AND A HALF MEN

MISSING PILOTS: There was a Jason Biggs pilot that looked interesting, but evidentally CBS chose the suckful GARY and CHRISTINE over it.

OVERALL OUTLOOK: Personally, I find CBS' schedule an EXTREME BORE.  I also think the network is going to continue bleeding the 18 to 49 age demo. CBS may have the most total viewers, but it's sorely low on the buzz radar. Further, by not taking any chances, CBS is gambling that the viewing audience is still hungry for the tried and true that the network specializes in. One day, tastes WILL change, and I believe that day is coming.  When it does, CBS is going to find themselves hurting..big time!  I'm not saying that change will come in 2009-2010, but in the next couple years, don't expect CBS to still be #1 with overall viewers. I give the schedule, as it stands right now, a B (as viewed by ratings and safety). But, personally, as far as shows that appeal to me and my tastes, I give the CBS fall sked a D.