ABC Renews ‘Castle,’ Cancels ‘FlashForward,’ Launches Seven New Fall Shows

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CHICAGO – ABC continues to look for another “Lost” or “Modern Family” this fall with seven new shows announced today at their 2010 upfronts presentation. The network will see changes on four nights of the week but will bring back the sometimes on-the-bubble “Castle” in its Monday night timeslot while saying goodbye to “FlashForward,’ “Scrubs,” and “Better Off Ted”.

Stephen McPherson, president, ABC Entertainment Group, said this morning via press release, “Our passion for great storytelling is at the core of everything we do. Finding and supporting writers, directors, producers and actors who share that passion is critical to our success. Our shows are the product of these collaborations, and we are thrilled to add 10 new series to our schedule next year.” (Seven will premiere in the fall with three more reserved for midseason.)

ABC returns sixteen programs from the 2009-2010 season including “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “The Bachelor,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Castle,” “Cougar Town,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Middle,” “Modern Family,” “Private Practice,” “Saturday Night College Football,” “Supernanny,” “V” and “20/20.”

New programs include dramas “No Ordinary Family,” “Detroit 1-8-7,” “The Whole Truth,” “My Generation,” “Body of Proof,” comedy “Better Together,” and reality show “Secret Millionaire.”

ABC Fall 2010 Schedule (All Times CST)

MONDAY
7pm “Dancing With the Stars”
9pm “Castle”

TUESDAY
7pm “No Ordinary Family”
8pm “Dancing With the Stars the Results Show”
9pm “Detroit 1-8-7”

WEDNESDAY
7pm “The Middle”
7:30pm “Better Together”
8pm “Modern Family”
8:30pm “Cougar Town”
9pm “The Whole Truth”

THURSDAY
7pm “My Generation”
8pm “Grey’s Anatomy”
9pm “Private Practice”

FRIDAY
7pm “Secret Millionaire”
8pm “Body of Proof”
9pm “20/20”

SATURDAY
7pm “Saturday Night College Football”

SUNDAY
6pm “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
7pm “Extreme Makeover Home Edition”
8pm “Desperate Housewives”
9pm “Brothers & Sisters”

New Show Descriptions

“Body Of Proof”

Body Of Proof - Geoffrey Arend, Windell Middlebrooks, Jeri Ryan, Dana Delany, Nic Bishop, Sonja Sohn, John Carroll Lynch Photo credit: Donna Svennevik/ABC

Dr. Megan Hunt (Dana Delany) was in a class of her own, a brilliant neurosurgeon at the top of her game. Her world is turned upside down when a devastating car accident puts an end to her time in the operating room. Megan resumes her career as a medical examiner determined to solve the puzzle of who or what killed the victims. Megan’s instincts are sharp, but she’s developed a reputation for graying the lines of where her job ends and where the police department’s begins. It turns out her career isn’t the only thing that will need to be rebuilt; Megan’s family has taken a backseat to her ambition, and now she’ll discover there’s a lot of work to do when it comes to dissecting her relationships with the living.

Dana Delany stars as Dr. Megan Hunt, Jeri Ryan as Dr. Kate Murphy, Geoffrey Arend as Dr. Elliot Gross, John Carroll Lynch as Detective Bud Morris, Windell Middlebrooks as Dr. Curtis Brumfield, Nic Bishop as Peter Dunlap, and Sonja Sohn as Detective Samantha Baker.

“Body of Proof” is from ABC Studios. Christopher Murphey wrote the pilot, which was directed by Nelson McCormick. Murphey and Matt Gross serve as executive producers.

“Detroit 1-8-7”

Detroit 1-8-7 - D.J. Cotrona, Jon Michael Hill, Aisha Hinds, Michael Imperioli, James Mcdaniel, Shaun Majumder, Natalie Martinez Photo credit: Craig Sjodin/ABC

What does it take to be a detective on America’s most dangerous streets? Get ready to be part of the action when a documentary crew rolls with some of Detroit’s finest, offering an insider’s glimpse behind the curtain of a Homicide Unit. The cameras unearth the crisis and revelation, heartbreak and heroism of these inner city cops - moments of raw exposure when they address us directly, as well as private moments when they forget they’re being filmed.

There’s the damaged, but driven, Detective Louis Fitch, a wily homicide vet who is the most respected — and misunderstood — man in the division; Detective Damon Washington, Fitch’s new partner, who finds the first day on the job is a trial by fire, complicated by the imminent birth of his first child; Detective Ariana Sanchez, sexy, edgy and beautiful, has emerged from a rough background to become a rising star in the department; Narcotics undercover cop John Stone, a streetwise smooth talker, clever and quick with a smile made for the movies, is teamed with Sanchez — a combustible pairing rife with conflict and sexual tension; Sergeant Jesse Longford, a 30-year veteran struggling with his impending retirement from the force and the city he loves, and with his partner Detective Aman Mahajan — a fully Americanized son of Indian immigrants, they are an amusing mismatch of experience and enthusiasm, intellect and instinct, old school and new world, whose combined skills have never encountered a case that couldn’t be cleared; and all are headed by Lieutenant Maureen Mason, a strong-willed single mom struggling to balance home and work.

The men and women of Detroit Homicide are as smart and tough as they come. They have to be, working the neighborhoods of the once and future Motor City, a rebounding bastion of middle America still saddled with the highest murder rate in the country.

“Detroit 1-8-7” stars Michael Imperioli (“The Sopranos”) as Detective Louis Fitch, Jon Michael Hill as Detective Damon Washington, James McDaniel (“NYPD Blue”) as Sergeant Jesse Longford, Aisha Hinds (“True Blood”) as Lieutenant Maureen Mason, Natalie Martinez as Detective Ariana Sanchez, D.J. Cotrona as Detective John Stone, and Shaun Majumder as Detective Aman Mahajan.

The series is produced by ABC Studios. The pilot was written by Jason Richman and the executive producers are Richman, David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman, as well as executive producer David Zabel. Jeff Nachmanoff directed the pilot.

“My Generation”

My Generation - Keir O’donnell, Michael Stahl-David, Sebastian Sozzi (On Ground), Anne Son, Kelli Garner (On Ground), Jamie King, Daniela Alonso, Julian Morris, Mehcad Brooks Photo credit: Vivian Zink/ABC

What a difference ten years can make. In 2000, a documentary crew follows a disparate group of high schoolers from Greenbelt High School in Austin, TX, as they prepare for graduation in the year 2000 and revisits these former classmates ten years later as they return home to rediscover that just because they’re not where they planned doesn’t mean they’re not right where they need to be.

Each of these students couldn’t wait to graduate and head out into the real world. But the world they were entering got very real, very fast. As these classmates return home to revisit their old hopes for their future, they’ll discover that even if you don’t get exactly what you thought you wanted out of life, it’s not too late to get what you need.

“My Generation” stars Michael Stahl David as Steven, Kelli Garner as Dawn, Jaime King as Jacqueline, Keir O’Donnell as Kenneth, Sebastian Sozzi as Falcon, Mechad Brooks as Rolly, Anne Son as Caroline, Daniella Alonso as Brenda and Julian Morris as Anders.

“My Generation” was created and written by Noah Hawley (“The Unusuals,” “Bones”), who is also an executive producer along with Warren Littlefield, Henrik Bastin, Patrick Magnasson and Martin Piersson. Craig Gillespie directed the pilot. The project is from ABC Studios.

“No Ordinary Family”

No Ordinary Family - Tate Donovan, Romany Malco, Jimmy Bennett, Julie Benz, Michael Chiklis, Kay Panabaker, Christina Chang, Autumn Reeser Photo credit: Craig Sjodin/ABC

The Powells are about to go from ordinary to extraordinary. After 16 years of marriage, Jim and Stephanie’s relationship lacked the spark it once had, and their family life now consists of balancing work and their two children; leaving little time for family bonding. During a family vacation set up by Jim in an attempt to reconnect, their plane crashes into the Amazon River. But this is where the fun starts for the Powells as they soon discover that something’s not quite right. Each of them now possesses unique and distinct superpowers. But saving and savoring their family life will be equally important as they try to find purpose for their new power and embark on a journey to find out what defines and unifies them. The Powells are a totally relatable family that happens to be a little bit amazing.
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Michael Chiklis (“The Shield”) stars as Jim Powell, Julie Benz (“Dexter”) as Stephanie Powell, Romany Malco (“The 40-Year-Old Virgin”) as George St. Cloud, Tate Donovan (“Damages”) as Mitch McCutcheon, Autumn Reeser as Katie Andrews, Christina Chang as Yvonne Cho, Kay Panabaker as Daphne Powell, and Jimmy Bennett as JJ Powell.

The pilot was written and executive produced by Jon Feldman and executive produced by Greg Berlanti, Morgan Wandell and David Semel, who directed the pilot. Joe Hartwick, Jr. serves as producer and the series is produced by ABC Studios.

“The Whole Truth”

The Whole Truth - Anthony Ruivivar, Christine Adams, Rob Morrow, Joely Richardson, Sean Wing, Eamonn Walker Photo credit: Bob D’Amico/ABC

This unique legal drama chronicles the way a case is built from the perspective of both the defense and prosecution. Showing each side equally keeps the audience guessing, shifting allegiances of guilt or innocence until the very final scene.

Kathryn Peale, the product of a New England background and a sheriff father, is the Deputy Bureau Chief in the New York State District Attorney’s office. Jimmy Brogan, born and raised in Hell’s Kitchen and a friend of Kathryn’s since their days at Yale Law School, is one of New York’s rising criminal attorney stars. Buoyed by their respective teams, these evenly matched lawyers — each with a strong streak of competitiveness, a fervent belief in their clients and an equally intense passion for the law — go about creating two different stories from the same set of facts. As this up-close, behind-the-scenes look at the legal process mirrors the excitement of a great championship match, it becomes evident that truth has nothing to do with innocence or guilt — at the end of every trial, the only thing that matters is what the jury believes.

“The Whole Truth” stars Rob Morrow (“Numb3rs”) as Jimmy Brogan, Joely Richardson (“Nip/Tuck”) as Kathryn Peale, Eamonn Walker (“Oz”) as Sr. ADA Terrence “Edge” Edgecomb, Sean Wing as Chad Griffin, Anthony Ruivivar as Alejo Salazar and Christine Adams as Lena Boudreaux.

The series is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Warner Bros. Television. The pilot was written and co-executive produced by Tom Donaghy and the executive producers are Jerry Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman, while Alex Graves was an executive producer and director for the pilot, and KristieAnne Reed serves as a co-executive producer.

“Better Together”

Better Together - Jake Lacy, Joanna Garcia, Debra Jo Rupp, Jennifer Finnigan, Kurt Fuller, Josh Cooke. Photo credit: Bob D’Amico/ABC

Maddie and Ben have been dating for nine years. They know each other inside and out, a relationship marked by contentment and affection, seeing their commitment to one another as a “valid life choice,” something they proclaim often — and, often, loudly. Maddie’s younger sister, Mia, has been dating Casey for seven weeks. With a shared c’est la vie attitude, Mia and Casey are smitten with each other, and thrilled to explore the oh so many things they don’t know about each other yet. But when they announce they are getting married and having a baby, it’s news that completely throws Maddie for a loop. Surprisingly, the girls’ parents, Vicky and Joel, couldn’t be more pleased. Married 35 years, they have recently adopted a carpe diem type of attitude, much like Mia’s, mostly due to getting older and losing a good portion of their savings when the economy tanked. With three very different relationships tightly intertwined in one family, will it be free thinkers versus over-thinkers, or will each couple begin to see things a little bit differently?

“Better Together” stars JoAnna Garcia as Mia, Jennifer Finnigan as Maddie, Josh Cooke as Ben, Jake Lacy as Casey with Kurt Fuller as Joel and Debra Jo Rupp as Vicky.

The series is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Silver and Gold Productions and Warner Bros. Television. Shana Goldberg-Meehan is executive producer and writer. The pilot was directed by James Burrows.

“Secret Millionaire”

Secret Millionaire. Photo credit: ABC

“Secret Millionaire” is a one-hour alternative series that follows some of America’s wealthiest people for one week as they leave behind their lavish lifestyles, sprawling mansions and luxury jets, conceal their true identities, and go to live and volunteer in some of the most impoverished and dangerous communities in America. Surviving on welfare wages, their mission is to discover the unsung heroes of America - deserving individuals who continually sacrifice everything to help those in need. Throughout this incredible experience, the Secret Millionaires will attempt to remain undiscovered, coming face to face with extraordinary and amazing people battling the odds every day of their lives. On the final day, in an emotional and dramatic climax, they reveal their true identities. Ultimately, the millionaires will each give away at least $100,000 of their own money, changing lives forever.

Executive Producers of “Secret Millionaire” include Grant Mansfield, Claire O’Donohoe and Leslie Garvin. Co-executive producer is Paul Osborne and it is directed by Bruce Ready. It is an RDF USA Production.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com