Mark your calendars: On Sat., Sept. 5, ABC will officially debut its 2009 fall TV schedule, launching a full month's worth of series premieres ('Cougar Town'; 'The Middle'; 'Flash Foward'), along with the return of favorites like 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Desperate Housewives' and the much-anticipated 9th season of 'Dancing With the Stars.'Want to know when to save the date? Check out ABC's full schedule, including show titles, times and dates, listed below.
Sat., Sept. 5
8-11:30PM: 'Saturday Night Football'
Fri., Sept. 11
10-11PM: '20/20'
Mon., Sept. 21
8-10PM: 'Dancing With the Stars'
10-11PM: 'Castle'
Tue., Sept. 22
8-10PM 'Dancing With the Stars' (special two-hour episode)
10-11PM: 'The Forgotten'
Wed., Sept. 23
8-9PM: 'Dancing With the Stars: The Results Show' (special day and time)
9-9:30PM: 'Modern Family'
9:30-10PM: 'Cougar Town'
Thu., Sept. 24
8-9PM: 'Flash Forward'
9-10PM: 'Grey's Anatomy'
Sun., Sept. 27
7-9PM: 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' (two-hour premiere)
9-10PM: 'Desperate Housewives'
Tue., Sept. 29
8-9PM: 'Shark Tank'
9-10PM: 'Dancing With the Stars: The Results Show' (at its regular day and time)
Wed., Sept. 30
8-8:30PM: 'Hank'
8:30-9PM: 'The Middle'
Sun., Oct. 4
7-8PM: 'America's Funniest Home Videos'
Fri., Oct. 9
8-10PM: 'Ugly Betty' (two-hour premiere)
Fri., Oct. 16
8-9PM: 'Supernanny'
Top TV Headlines
Sackhoff Clocks in for '24'
'Battlestar Galactica' alum Katee Sackhoff is joining the cast of '24.' The Hollywood Reporter says Sackhoff will play CTU expert analyst Dana Walsh, who is reportedly involved with agent Davis Cole, played by the recently cast Freddie Prinze Jr. With all the recent cast announcements, next season's '24' is sure to be a star-studded day. (Jun. 9)
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Letterman Eyeing New Deal
David Letterman is set to renew his contract with CBS, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The new deal would extend his stay as host of the 'Late Show With David Letterman' for an additional two years, keeping the show on through the 2011-12 season. Looks like Conan still has some work cut out for him. (Jun. 9)
CBS
TBS May Save 'Earl'
NBC's 'My Name Is Earl' may not be canceled after all. The Emmy-winning comedy series is in talks to be picked up by TBS, says Variety, under a new 13-episode order. The network currently airs 'Earl' in repeats, setting itself up for an even bigger dose of good karma. (Jun. 9)
NBC
Tony Awards Hits a High Note
Sunday night's Tony Awards telecast posted its best performance since 2006, reports Variety. The show, hosted by 'How I Met Your Mother' star Neil Patrick Harris, averaged 7.5 million viewers total -- a million more than last year's audience. Great news for the Tonys, but mostly bad news for Bret Michaels. (Jun. 9)
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'Kendra' Strikes Ratings Gold
E!'s new reality series, 'Kendra,' is off to a huge start. According to Broadcasting Cable, the show, which follows ex-'Girls Next Door' Playmate Kendra Wilkinson, brought in 2.6 million viewers on Sunday, making it the network's second highest series premiere behind 'The Anna Nicole Show' in 2002. We're not sure if that's a good or bad thing. (Jun. 9)
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'Rachael Ray' Renewed
CBS is cooking up three more years of 'Rachael Ray.' The daytime talk show will stay on the air through the 2011-12 season, reports Variety, bringing its grand total to six seasons. Sounds like a recipe for success. (Jun. 9)
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Marini Books 'Brothers & Sisters'
Gilles Marini is dancing his way back onto ABC. The 'Dancing With the Stars' runner-up has signed on for a multi-episode gig on 'Brothers & Sisters,' reports Variety, where he will play Rachel Griffith's potential new love interest. So, should we expect lots of dirty dancing? (Jun. 8)
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Fichtner, Caan Form 'Entourage'
'Entourage' is lining up more guest stars for its upcoming sixth season. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Scott Caan and 'Prison Break''s William Fichtner have landed multi-episode roles on the Emmy-winning series. Caan will play the trash-talking manager Scotty Lavin, who views Kevin Connolly's E as a threat. Meanwhile, Fichtner will play a suave TV producer who wants to remake a '90s teen series with Drama (Kevin Dillon). 'Entourage' premieres Sun., Jul. 12, 10:30PM on HBO. (Jun. 8)
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'Notice,' 'Pains' Draw Big Numbers
USA Network appears to have another hit on its hands. The newbie series 'Royal Pains' premiered to a strong 5.6 million viewers on Thursday, holding onto nearly all of 'Burn Notice''s 6 million lead-in audience. This marks 'Burn''s highest performance ever for a season premiere, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Good notices all around. (Jun. 8)
USA Network
Melvin Joins 'Heroes'
Emmy-nominated soap star Rachel Melvin is about to get schooled. The former 'Days of Our Lives' co-star has landed a guest spot on 'Heroes,' playing Claire's (Hayden Panettiere) second college roommate. They'll share a dorm room "and maybe more" with the previously cast Madeline Zima ('Caifornication'), according to the Hollywood Reporter. And by "more," we assume pillow fights and hair-braiding sessions. (Jun. 8)
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Reader Comments (26)
colormebrandy12 at 10:01PM on Jun 10th 2009
Where is Brothers & Sisters? Good shows always get left behing.
Rodney at 2:53PM on Jun 10th 2009
I'll watch football & Castle... Maybe Flash Forward & Forgotten to see what they are like but that's all the ABC shows that I will be watching this fall. They should have kept some they canceled because I did watch some of them... None of the others, though.
Donald R. Dressler at 6:51PM on Jun 10th 2009
Never did like Letterman. Like him less since his coments about Gov Palin
GARY MCCULLOUGH at 4:09PM on Jun 10th 2009
Thumbs UP for the return of 'CASTLE'!
pat at 7:28PM on Jun 10th 2009
THEY SHOULD GET RID OF DAVID LETTERMAN SHOW , (GARBAGE IN BARBAGE OUT)....BRING BACK LENO......CONAN IS A MORON.....BRING BACK LENO .....LETTERMAN IS DOPEY....
Izzy at 5:32PM on Jun 10th 2009
They're going to kill "Ugly Betty," with it's new time slot...It's bad enough it was moved to Friday, but the fact it's on at 9:00 pm (though it says the first will be on for 2 hours at 8), Who's going to stay home to watch it?
lisa at 5:26PM on Jun 10th 2009
YAY!!!!!!!! I LOVE "Castle"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Denise at 5:59PM on Jun 10th 2009
Moving ugly Betty will kill the ratings. It was perfect the way it was. Love castle, happy it is back. Thursday nights were perfect, why must they always have to change things that do not need to be changed. It seems that they make these moves to get the shows cancelled.
Sue H. at 6:29PM on Jun 10th 2009
I was hoping for a miracle in that perhaps "Life on Mars" would have been slated for a return. What a fabulous, out-of-the-box show that was. Sure wish ABC would re-consider.
Sue Macko at 6:01AM on Jun 11th 2009
I'm so happy that Castle will return in the fall. It seems like whenever I really like a new show, the kiss of death, it gets cancelled. spm