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Not much new: Despite the networks' hype, the fall doesn't have much new to offer.(Fresno Bee (CA) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 8--Now that the Summer Olympics have started, you can count on hours of run- ning, diving and jumping. That will be interrupted often by promotional commercials for new and returning NBC shows. Trust me. You are going to see more of Molly Shannon and Selma Blair, stars of the new NBC series "Kath & Kim," than American swimmer Michael Phelps. NBC is not alone. All of the networks are hyping their lineups. They need this kind of heavy promotion because this is a very different fall TV season than those in years past. It is less than a month before the first new show of the 2008-2009 season launches -- the highly publicized "90210" on the CW Network on Sept. 2. TV critics have been shown fewer than half of the fall series. Of course, there are only 16 new shows. That's about half as many new programs as has been the norm in recent years. There are many reasons. ABC President of Entertainment Stephen McPherson says the way the networks brought back shows and scheduled so few new programs was certainly the result of the writers' strike. Fox President of Entertainment Kevin Reilly says, "Everybody tried to reposition after the strike and put the smiley face on it in the spring. But it was obviously damaging. I don't think you've seen as much product as you normally would." He's right. Last year, there were 29 new shows. And the year before, the networks added 24 programs to their lineups. The lower number of new shows opened the door for series that might have been canceled after one year to return. "Lipstick Jungle," "Eli Stone," "The Big Bang Theory," "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" were beneficiaries of the lower number of new offerings. They're all coming back. The writers' strike threw off everyone's timing. And the fear of an actors' strike could make it worse. The Screen Actors Guild is negotiating with studios for a new contract. The usual way of doing business is that the networks order pilots -- the first episode of a series -- in early spring. Not all pilots get a spot on the network schedule. But those that do start production in August. If an actors strike occurs, those new shows would be stopped soon after they have started. One way to avoid another long drought of new shows was to have returning series, such as "Bones" and "ER," go back to work early this year. Many returning shows have eight to 10 episodes already finished. That's enough original programming to get the series through the end of 2008 if the actors' strike happens. New shows could not get such a jump. There is some confusion about which shows have been canned and which are coming back. That's because the writers' strike stopped pro- duction of many series in midseason last year. ABC is bringing back "Pushing Daisies" despite the fact that only nine episodes aired its freshman year. The last new episode was broadcast Dec. 12. "Heroes" on NBC hasn't had a original program aired since Dec. 2. Both series developed cult followings. Now the networks have to wait and see if the magic is still as strong. Such concerns did result in a planned spin-off of "Heroes," called "Heroes: Origins" to be scrapped. "I think the focus was really on making sure 'Heroes' was as strong as possible, and that was definitely something that was a casualty of the strike," says Ben Silverman, co-chairmen of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. "That was a case where we were building momentum when that show was put into play. But we realized that to keep the 'Heroes' brand as pure as it needed to be, it required Tim Kring's attention all the time. It was more important that we get 26, 28 awesome episodes of 'Heroes' than try and launch a poten- tial franchise alongside." Delays even hurt one of the networks' primary means of promoting their new shows. The annual Television Critics Association meeting in July always has been the place where the networks would show critics their new programs and have the casts available for interviews. But this summer, CBS did not have a session for its new series "Gary Unmarried." NBC left "Crusoe" a mystery. Some of the delays were internal. The first episode of the ABC series "Life on Mars," an American version of the BBC series, could not be shown to critics because almost the entire cast from the pilot is being replaced. The first episode of the new Fox comedy "Do Not Disturb" also has been reshot. Because the writers were not working through most of the early months of this year, network executives opted to recycle previously made programs for their fall launches. NBC's "Kath & Kim" is based on a popular Australian series. Both "Life on Mars" and the CBS comedy "Worst Week" are based on British shows. The CBS series "The Ex-List" springs from a series that aired in Israel. Then there is the CW's "90210" and NBC's "Knight Rider." Both are based on old television series. The lower number of new shows even gave a doomed series new life. Last year was supposed to be the final season for the NBC comedy "Scrubs." The cast and creator even participated in interviews to talk about how the show would end. "I promise you, when you hear the name of the Janitor, that will be the last show," "Scrubs" creator Bill Lawrence said. "Scrubs" ended on NBC. But the Janitor's name was never revealed. That's be- cause "Scrubs" moves to ABC this year as a midseason replacement. This all goes together to make the 2008-2009 television year one of the most confusing. All that is certain is with the return of NBC's "Deal or No Deal" on Aug. 25 through the launch of the CW's "Surviving Suburbia" Nov. 2, the new fall television season will be like no other. 2008-2009 TV season series' start dates Aug. 25: "Deal or No Deal," 8 p.m., KSEE, Channel 24 (season premiere). Sept. 1: "Gossip Girl," 8 p.m., KFRE, Channel 59 (season premiere). "Prison Break," 8 p.m., KMPH, Chan-nel 26 (season premiere). "One Tree Hill," 9 p.m., KFRE, Channel 59 (season premiere). Sept. 2: "90210," 8 p.m., KFRE, Channel 59 (series premiere). Sept. 3: "America's Next Top Model," 8 p.m., KFRE, Channel 59 (sea- son premiere). "Bones," 8 p.m. Sept. 3, KMPH, Channel 26 (season premiere). Sept. 5: "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" 8 p.m., KMPH, Channel 26 (season premiere). Sept. 6: "Cops," 8 p.m., KMPH, Channel 26 (season premiere). "America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back," 9 p.m., KMPH, Channel 26 (season premiere). Sept. 8: "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," 8 p.m., KMPH, Channel 26 (season premiere). Sept. 9: "Fringe," 8 p.m., KMPH, Channel 26 (series premiere). "Street Patrol," 8 p.m., KAIL, Channel 53 (season premiere). "Privileged," 9 p.m., KFRE, Channel 59 (series premiere). "Jail," 9 p.m., KAIL, Channel 53 (season premiere). Sept. 10: " 'Til Death," 9 p.m., KMPH, Channel 26 (season premiere). "Do Not Disturb," 9:30 p.m., KMPH, Channel 26 (series premiere). Sept. 11: "Hole in the Wall," 8 p.m., KMPH, Channel 26 (season premiere). Sept. 11: "Kitchen Nightmares," 9 p.m., KMPH, Channel 26 (season premiere). Sept. 12: "Don't Forget the Lyrics," 9 p.m., KMPH, Channel 26 (season premiere). Sept. 16: "House," 8 p.m., KMPH, Channel 26 (season premiere). Sept. 18: "Survivor: Gabon," 8 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (season premiere). "Smallville," 8 p.m., KFRE, Channel 59 (season premiere). "Supernatural," 9 p.m., KFRE, Channel 59 (season premiere). Sept. 19: "Everybody Hates Chris," 8 p.m., KFRE, Channel 59 (season premiere). "The Game," 8:30 p.m., KFRE, Channel 59 (season premiere). "20/20," 10 p.m., KFSN, Channel 30 (season premiere). Sept. 21: "In Harm's Way," 7 p.m., KFRE, Chan- nel 59 (series premiere). "Valentine," 8 p.m., KFRE, Channel 59 (series premiere). "Easy Money," 9 p.m., KFRE, Channel 59 (series premiere). Sept. 22: "Dancing With the Stars," 8 p.m., KFSN, Channel 30 (season premiere). "The Big Bang Theory," 8 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (season premiere). "How I Met Your Mother," 8:30 p.m., Channel 47 (season premiere). "Two and a Half Men," 9 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (season premiere). "Heroes," 9 p.m., KSEE, Channel 24 (season premiere). "Worst Week," 9:30 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (series premiere). "Boston Legal," 10 p.m., KFSN, Channel 30 (season premiere). "CSI: Miami," 10 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (season premiere). Sept. 23: "Opportunity Knocks," 8 p.m., KFSN, Channel 30 (series premiere). "NCIS," 8 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (season premiere). "The Mentalist," 9 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (series pre- miere). "Without a Trace," 10 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (season premiere). "Law & Order: SVU," 10 p.m., KSEE, Channel 24 (season premiere). Sept. 24: "The New Adventures of Old Christine," 8 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (season premiere). "Knight Rider," 8 p.m., KSEE, Chan-nel 24 (series premiere). "Gary Unmarried," 8:30 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (series premiere). "Criminal Minds," 9 p.m., KGPE, Chan- nel 47 (season premiere). "CSI: NY," 10 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (season premiere). "Lipstick Jungle," 10 p.m., KSEE, Channel 24 (season premiere). Sept. 25: "Ugly Betty," 8 p.m., KFSN, Channel 30 (season premiere). "My Name Is Earl," 8 p.m., KSEE, Channel 24 (season premiere). "The Office," 9 p.m., KSEE, Channel 24 (season premiere). "Grey's Anatomy," 9 p.m., KFSN, Channel 30 (season premiere). "ER," 10 p.m., KSEE, Channel 24 (season premiere). Sept. 27: "48 Hours Mystery," 10 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (season premiere). Sept. 28: "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," 7 p.m., KFSN, Channel 30 (season premiere). "60 Minutes," 7 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (season premiere). "The Amazing Race," 8 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (season premiere). "The Simpsons," 8 p.m., KMPH, Channel 26 (season premiere). "King of the Hill," 8:30 p.m., KMPH, Channel 26 (season premiere). "Desperate Housewives," 9 p.m., KFSN, Channel 30 (season premiere). "Cold Case," 9 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (season premiere). "Family Guy," 9 p.m., KMPH, Channel 26 (season premiere). "American Dad," 9:30 p.m., KMPH, Channel 26 (season premiere). "Brothers & Sisters," 10 p.m., KFSN, Channel 30 (season premiere). "The Unit," 10 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (season premiere). Sept. 29: "Chuck," 8 p.m., KSEE, Channel 24 (season premiere). "My Own Worst Enemy," 10 p.m., KSEE, Channel 24 (series pre- miere). Oct. 1: "Pushing Daisies," 8 p.m., KFSN, Chan- nel 30 (season premiere). "Private Practice," 9 p.m., KFSN, Channel 30 (season premiere). "Dirty Sexy Money," 10 p.m., KFSN, Channel 30 (season premiere). Oct. 3: "Wife Swap," 8 p.m., KFSN, Channel 30 (season premiere). "Ghost Whisperer," 8 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (season premiere). "Friday Night Smackdown!" 8 p.m., KAIL, Channel 53 (season premiere). "Supernanny," 9 p.m., KFSN, Channel 30 (season premiere). "The Ex List," 9 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (series premiere). "Num- b3rs," 10 p.m., KGPE, Chan-nel 47 (season premiere). "Life," 10 p.m., KSEE, Chan- nel 24 (season premiere). Oct. 5: "America's Funniest Home Videos," 7 p.m., KFSN, Channel 30 (season premiere). Oct. 6: "Celebrity Expose," 8 p.m., KAIL, Channel 53 (season premiere). "Magic's Biggest Secrets Revealed," 9 p.m., KAIL, Channel 53 (series premiere). "Samantha Who?" 9:30 p.m., KFSN, Channel 30 (season premiere). Oct. 8: "Funniest Moments," 8 p.m., KAIL, Channel 53 (series premiere). "The Tony Rock Project," 9 p.m., KAIL, Channel 53 (series premiere). "Under One Roof," 9:30 p.m., KAIL, Channel 53 (season premiere). Oct. 9: "Kath & Kim," 8:30 p.m., KSEE, Channel 24 (series premiere). "Life on Mars," 9 p.m., KFSN, Chan-nel 30 (series premiere). "CSI," 9 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (season premiere). "Eleventh Hour," 10 p.m., KGPE, Channel 47 (series premiere). Oct. 14: "Eli Stone," 10 p.m., KFSN, Channel 30 (season premiere). Oct. 17: "Crusoe," 8 p.m., KSEE, Channel 24 (series premiere). Oct. 29: "Stylista," 9 p.m., KFRE, Channel 59 (series premiere). Oct. 30: "30 Rock," 9:30 p.m., KSEE, Channel 24 (season premiere). Nov. 2: "Surviving Suburbia," 7:30 p.m., KFRE, Channel 59 (series premiere). The reporter can be reached at [email protected] or (559) 441-6355. To see more of The Fresno Bee, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.fresnobee.com Copyright (c) 2008, The Fresno Bee, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. 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