ABC fall lineup includes return of Tim Allen

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- ABC announced its 2011/2012 fall primetime schedule Tuesday, introducing 13 new series including eight new dramas and five new comedies.

New ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee said he looked for a mix of ambition and comfort in the first new season schedule he presented to advertisers on Tuesday.

Sunday may be the boldest shift with "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" moving to Fridays and two new dramas -- "Once Upon a Time" and "Pan Am" -- being added to the night's lineup. "America's Funniest Home Videos" and "Desperate Housewives" will return to their 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. timeslots.

In "Once Upon a Time," from "Lost" executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, fairy tales and the modern-day collide. The show is based on a 10-year-old boy who believes his mother is Snow White and Prince Charming's missing daughter. According to his book of fairytales, they sent her away to protect her from the Evil Queen's curse, which trapped the fairytale world frozen in time and brought them into our modern world. "Once Upon a Time" stars Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison and Robert Carlyle.

"Pan Am" evokes "Mad Men" as a sexy throwback to the 1960s, with stewardesses and pilots replacing ad executives. There's passion, jealousy and espionage, with the pilots considered rock stars and the stewardesses are the most desirable women in the world. "Pan Am" stars Christina Ricci, Kelli Garner, Jonah Lotan and Michael Mosley.

Two new comedies have been added to the Tuesday night lineup, including a series starring former "Home Improvement" star Tim Allen. In "Last Man Standing," Allen plays a marketing director for an iconic outdoor sporting goods store. But while he's the king of the hill at work, he's the odd man out in a home dominated by women -- including three daughters. The comedy continues with "Man Up," about three men trying to redefine what it means to be a "real man."

"Dancing With the Stars: The Results Show" will air on Tuesdays, but between cycles of that competition ABC will air four comedies on Tuesday evenings. They will include the existing "Cougar Town," which won't reappear until midseason.

Wednesday's comedy night continues next fall with "The Middle," "Modern Family" and "Happy Endings" returning and "Suburgatory," a comedy about a single father who moves from New York City to the suburbs after finding a box of condoms on his 16-year-old daughter's nightstand, added to the 8:30 p.m. slot. However, ABC filled the 10 p.m. timeslot with a new drama "Revenge," about a young woman who moves into a wealthy Hamptons town on Long Island to get back at old neighbors for a reputation-ruining incident that happened to her family.

"Charlie's Angels" will debut for a new generation on Thursday nights, with Minka Kelly, Rachael Taylor and Annie Ilonzeh as the stars.

Lee said he hoped to re-establish Friday as a family night of television with "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" paired with "Shark Tank."

ABC is saving some of its more high-profile new series for midseason in the hope they won't get lost in a crush of new fall programming. They include "Missing," where Ashley Judd stars as a woman trying to hunt for a son who disappeared while studying in Europe; the supernatural series "The River"; the comedy "Work It" about two men who dress up as women to get jobs as pharmaceutical reps; and the Dallas-based campy drama "Good Christian Belles."

Other new series on ABC's schedule:

-"Scandal," written by "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes, is about a former media relations consultant to a president who opens her own damage control firm. It's set for midseason.

-"Apartment 23" is a comedy about two morals-deficient women roommates that also features actor James Van Der Beek of "Dawson's Creek" playing himself. A highlight reel of clips yielded a memorable line, an unprintable one related to sex and a birthday cake.

Fall premiere dates will be announced at a later time.

"Brothers & Sisters," "V," "Off The Map," "Mr. Sunshine" and "Better With You" were all canceled.

ABC's new fall schedule

Monday
8 p.m. - "Dancing With the Stars"
10 p.m. -"Castle"

Tuesday
8 p.m. - "Last Man Standing"
8:30 p.m. - "Man Up"
9 p.m. - "Dancing With the Stars Results"
10 p.m. - "Body of Proof"

Wednesday
8 p.m. - "The Middle"
8:30 p.m.- "Suburgatory"
9 p.m. - "Modern Family"
9:30 p.m. - "Happy Endings"
10 p.m. - "Revenge"

Thursday
8 p.m. - "Charlie's Angels"
9 p.m. - "Grey's Anatomy"
10 p.m. - "Private Practice"

Friday
8 p.m. - "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
9 p.m. - "Shark Tank"
10 p.m. - "20/20"

Saturday
8 p.m. - "Saturday Night College Football"

Sunday
7 p.m. - "America's Funniest Home Videos"
8 p.m. - "Once Upon a Time"
9 p.m. - "Desperate Housewives"
10 p.m. - "Pan Am"

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Get more Entertainment »

abc, television, entertainment

• Comment Now
• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•