ABC Announces Fall '09 Lineup

In an overhaul attempt to save its falling ratings, ABC has launched 11 new shows for its fall 2009 prime-time lineup. While most of them feature completely new casts, some are relying on TV veterans like Kelsey Grammer and Courteney Cox to propel them to the top in the viewership game.

Nielsen Co. data says that ABC's viewership has declined 4.5 percent to 8.42 million viewers a night and 5.9 percent to 3.49 million in the 18-to-49 age group coveted by advertisers.

ABC has therefore launched a new reality series, Shark Tank, which will involve business pitches. Running on Wednesdays will be comedies Cougar Town, about a single mother looking for love, starring Courteney Cox; Hank, with Kelsey Grammer and Modern Family, with Ed O'Neill.

New dramas will include Eastwick, based on The Witches of Eastwick - a book by John Updike and a movie of the same name. Legal drama Deep End, small-town mystery Happy Town and V, a sci-fi alien invasion series complete the round up.

Another big drama being added to the list is the already hyped Flash Forward - a record of what happens when every human being on the Earth blacks out for a few minutes and sees a few moments of his or her future.