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CBS offered humor from Neil Patrick Harris and a song by LL Cool J. Fox brought in the kids from “Glee.” NBC staged a stand-up comedy showcase.
For viewers, however, the big news that emerged from last week’s fall schedule announcements — the “upfronts,” at which the broadcast networks present their new shows to advertisers with the goal of selling commercial time in advance — wasn’t about arrivals. It was about departures.
CBS canceled long-running favorites “The Unit” and “Without a Trace” but picked up “Medium,” canceled by NBC. Nobody rode to the rescue of “My Name Is Earl,” though.
Fox broke hearts by dropping “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” ABC killed off “Samantha Who?” The CW wiped out its entire comedy slate, dropping “Everybody Hates Chris” and “The Game.”
But this year’s schedules also carried an unusual amount of good news. NBC’s “Chuck” will return, thanks to a deal with Subway. “Law & Order” will see a 20th season.
ABC will bring back “Better Off Ted,” one of the most promising comedies to come around of late. Fox offered a surprise renewal to “Dollhouse.”
Network by network, here’s a look at what’s renewed, what’s canceled and what’s new for fall.
ABC
Renewed: “The Bachelor,” “Better Off Ted,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Castle,” “Dancing With the Stars,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Lost,” “Private Practice,” “Scrubs,” “Supernanny,” “Ugly Betty,” “Wife Swap.”
Canceled: “Cupid,” “Dirty Sexy Money,” “Eli Stone,” “In the Motherhood,” “Pushing Daisies,” “Samantha Who?,” “Surviving Suburbia,” “The Unusuals.”
New for fall: Dramas “Eastwick,” a new spin on “The Witches of Eastwick”; “Flash Forward,” a thriller in which a mysterious event causes the entire world to black out, giving a glimpse into the near future; and “The Forgotten,” a procedural from Jerry Bruckheimer in which amateurs work cases involving unidentified victims.
Comedies “Cougar Town,” with Courteney Cox as a recently divorced single mother; “Hank,” with Kelsey Grammer as a business executive who finds himself out of work; “The Middle,” a comedy with Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn as husband and wife; and “Modern Family,” starring Ed O’Neill.
ABC also has the reality series “Shark Tank.”
The legal drama “The Deep End,” mystery “Happy Town” and sci-fi thriller “V,” a new take on the 1980s miniseries about an alien race, were picked up for midseason.
CBS
Renewed: “The Amazing Race,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Cold Case,” “Criminal Minds,” all three “CSIs,” “Gary Unmarried,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “The Mentalist,” “NCIS,” “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” “Numb3rs,” “Rules of Engagement,” “Survivor,” “Two and a Half Men.”
Canceled: “Eleventh Hour,” “Flashpoint,” “Harper’s Island,” “The Unit,” “Without a Trace,” “Worst Week.” Note: “Harper’s Island” continues airing on Saturdays.
New for fall: “Three Rivers,” a medical drama starring Alex O’Loughlin of “Moonlight” fame; “The Good Wife,” a legal drama with Julianna Margulies as a lawyer whose husband (Chris Noth), a crooked politician, goes to prison; “Accidentally on Purpose,” a comedy with Jenna Elfman.
At midseason, CBS will bring back “Rules of Engagement” and debut the dramas “Miami Trauma” and “The Bridge” and reality shows “Undercover Boss” and “Arranged Marriage.” “Flashpoint,” a Canadian drama, is expected to return next summer.
NBC
Renewed: “30 Rock,” “The Biggest Loser,” “Celebrity Apprentice,” “Chuck,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Heroes,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Southland.”
Canceled: “Kath & Kim,” “Kings,” “Knight Rider,” “Life,” “Lipstick Jungle,” “Medium” (moves to CBS), “My Name is Earl.” Note: “Friday Night Lights” returns after a run on DirecTV. NBC and the USA network haven’t yet announced plans for “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”
New for fall: “Trauma,” a drama about first responders; “Parenthood,” an ensemble dramedy based loosely on the movie; and “Community,” a comedy set at a community college. “The Jay Leno Show” will air Monday-Friday at 10 p.m. EDT.
For midseason, NBC ordered “Mercy,” a drama about nurses; “Day One,” a limited-run thriller about a global catastrophe; and “100 Questions,” about a young woman looking for Mr. Right.
Fox
Renewed: “24,” “American Dad,” “American Idol,” “Bones,” “Dollhouse,” “Family Guy,” “Fringe,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “House,” “Kitchen Nightmares,” “Lie to Me,” “The Simpsons,” “Til Death.”
Canceled: “King of the Hill,” “Prison Break,” “Sit Down, Shut Up,” “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.”
New for fall: “Brothers,” with Michael Strahan as a recently retired NFL player and Daryl “Chill” Mitchell as his brother, in a wheelchair; “The Cleveland Show,” Seth MacFarlane’s animated “Family Guy” spinoff featuring the Cleveland character; and “Glee,” the musical comedy about a high school glee club, previewed last week after “American Idol.”
For midseason, Fox picked up the dramas “Past Life” and “Human Target” and the comedy “Sons of Tucson.” “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Kitchen Nightmares” are not yet scheduled.
CW
Renewed: “90210,” “America’s Next Top Model,” “Gossip Girl,” “One Tree Hill,” “Smallville,” “Supernatural.”
Canceled: “Everybody Hates Chris,” “The Game,” “Privileged,” “Reaper.”
New for fall: “Melrose Place,” revisiting the classic prime-time soap; “The Beautiful Life,” produced by Ashton Kutcher, about two teenage models, and featuring the TV return of Mischa Barton (“The O.C.”); and “Vampire Diaries,” about orphaned teens and vampire brothers.
