ABC Planning 9 New Shows for Fall Lineup

ABC, seeking to rebuild its prime-time lineup, reportedly will schedule nine new shows in the fall, including a comedy starring Michael J. Fox, series based on the movies “Clueless” and “Dangerous Minds,” and a third news magazine to go up against NBC’s “ER.”

The network is also expected to renew a number of marginally rated first-year programs, among them “Murder One,” “High Incident” and “Second Noah”--all one-hour shows that have received critical praise but attracted relatively few viewers.

ABC, which will officially announce its fall schedule today, is trying to recover from a sudden ratings decline the network experienced this year after ranking first during the 1994-95 television season.

Two of ABC’s new shows are based on hit movies: “Dangerous Minds,” a one-hour adaptation of the Disney movie about a teacher in an inner-city neighborhood, starring Annie Potts in the Michelle Pfeiffer role; and “Clueless,” a comedy inspired by the Paramount feature about Beverly Hills teens.

“Dangerous Minds” will reportedly air after “Monday Night Football” on the West Coast, while “Clueless” will anchor a revised Friday lineup along with another new comedy, “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” with Melissa Joan Hart bringing the Archie Comics character to life.

ABC is seeking to broaden the appeal of its Friday-night comedy block, which with shows like “Family Matters” and “Step by Step” skews heavily toward children, commanding a large share of that audience while gradually losing teenagers and adults in recent years. “Family Matters,” “Boy Meets World” and “20/20” will round out the night, with “Step by Step” and “Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper” being held as backup series.

“Spin” marks Michael J. Fox’s return to series as New York’s deputy mayor and reunites the actor with “Family Ties” producer Gary David Goldberg. The show is said to have landed the coveted time period after “Home Improvement,” while “Life’s Work”--starring comedienne Lisa Ann Walter as a working mom--will follow “Roseanne” on Tuesdays.

Other new shows are “Relativity,” the latest hour from the creators of “thirtysomething,” starring Kimberly Williams (the bride in Disney’s “Father of the Bride” movies) as an engaged woman who meets another man while traveling abroad, penciled in for 10 p.m. Saturdays; “Townies,” a comedy about restless youths in a small town; and “Common Law,” featuring Latino stand-up comic Greg Giraldo as an irreverent lawyer in a large firm.

ABC has been under pressure to schedule a show featuring Hispanics by Latino watchdog groups, which at one point picketed the network, alleging it had failed to fulfill promises made along those lines.

Only one night on the ABC schedule, Sunday, is expected to remain wholly unchanged. Wednesday will also return largely intact, with “Townies” joining “Ellen,” “Grace Under Fire,” “The Drew Carey Show” and “Prime Time Live.”

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The network’s schedule is being monitored closely in Hollywood circles as the first assembled since the Walt Disney Co.’s $19-billion acquisition of parent Capital Cities/ABC. Disney chairman Michael Eisner, a one-time ABC executive, is said to have been deeply involved in the process.

Beyond that, executive changes are anticipated in the wake of the schedule-setting period, not only at ABC but throughout the television industry.

Of ABC’s nine new shows, only two--”Dangerous Minds” and “Life’s Work”--are produced by Walt Disney Television, the parent company’s production arm. Another project, “Spin,” comes from DreamWorks, the Steven Spielberg-led trio which has a production partnership with Capital Cities/ABC. DreamWorks also produces “High Incident.”

Other Disney programs remain contenders for backup orders, and ABC will also program a “Disney Movie,” though that weekly franchise apparently won’t be ready until January. “Second Noah” and “Coach” will thus move from their Monday and Tuesday slots to Saturday in the fall, with the Disney movie expected to fill the 8-10 p.m. block at mid-season.

“Murder One,” meanwhile, will likely receive a major face-lift when it returns. The premise of following a murder trial over multiple episodes will remain, but the cast could change considerably, with sources saying lead actor Daniel Benzali will be replaced.

Programs that won’t come back to ABC next season include “Hudson Street,” “The Faculty,” “The Dana Carvey Show,” “Buddies” and “Champs.”

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NBC has already picked up another ABC comedy, “The Jeff Foxworthy Show,” and made a deal with “Hudson” star Tony Danza for a new series in 1997.

In addition, CBS has ordered the canceled NBC military drama series “JAG” for next season, adding to this season’s practice of networks taking programs passed on by their rivals.

CBS will officially announce its prime-time lineup on Wednesday, while Fox Broadcasting will unveil its schedule Tuesday.