ABC Promises ‘Diverse and Ambitious’ Schedule

BURBANK/NEW YORK: ABC Entertainment Group’s president, Paul Lee, calls the network’s 2011-2012 grid "diverse and ambitious" with 13 new shows, including a Charlie’s Angels reboot and the 1960s-set Pan Am, joining several returning dramas and comedies.

“We’re thrilled to be launching a really diverse and ambitious schedule that balances the strength and stability of our returning hits with a slew of bold new shows,” said Lee.

The Monday schedule stays the same, with a two-hour Dancing with the Stars leading into the returning Castle. Tuesdays will see the introduction of two new comedies: Last Man Standing, with Tim Allen as a marketing director for a sporting goods company; and Man Up. The 9 p.m. slot goes to the Dancing with the Stars results show, leading into Body of Proof, which launched on ABC in midseason this year.

The Wednesday 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. comedy block has the returning The Middle, Modern Family and Happy Endings, plus the new pickup Suburgatory, about a single dad and his teen daughter. ABC will introduce a new drama at 10 p.m., Revenge. The ABC Studios production is set in the Hamptons, where a young woman has returned to seek revenge.

On Thursday, ABC is pairing the returning Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice with Charlie’s Angels. The update of the classic is set in Miami and stars Annie Ilonzeh, Minka Kelly and Rachael Taylor, with Ramon Rodriguez as Bosley. The reboot is written and exec-produced by Smallville duo Alfred Gough and Miles Millar.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is being relocated from Sunday to Fridays at 8 p.m., leading into Shark Tank and 20/20. On Sundays, meanwhile, the 8 p.m. slot is being filled by Once Upon a Time, in which fairytale characters are alive. Desperate Housewives returns to 9 p.m., leading into Pan Am, a 60s-set show with Tommy Schlamme as exec producer and a cast that includes Christina Ricci. Pam Am replaces the axed Brothers and Sisters.

Midseason orders are in for the Dallas-set prime-time soap Good Christian Belles, exec-produced by Darren Star; Missing with Ashley Judd, about a woman searching for her son; The River, exec-produced by Steven Spielberg, about a wildlife expert and TV personality who goes missing in the Amazon; Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers’ Scandal, about a professional crisis manager and her dysfunctional staff; plus the comedies Apartment 23 and Work It. Also returning for midseason are Cougar Town, The Bachelor and Secret Millionaire.

Axed shows, in addition to Brothers and Sisters, include Off the Map and No Ordinary Family.