The ABC television network today officially announced its fall schedule for the 2005-2006 season, confirming that both Desperate Housewives and its lead-out show Grey's Anatomy will stay put on Sunday nights.

"Through strong development and strategic marketing, we were able to make valuable strides this season," ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson said in a press release. "Our responsibility next season and beyond is to continue that forward movement." The network hopes to do so by messing as little as possible with its current hits, although Lost will be moved an hour to Wednesdays at 9:00pm, bumping Alias to Thursday. The entire Sunday line-up, including the 9:00pm timeslot of Desperate Housewives, will remain intact.

Some of the network's new shows will include the dramas Commander In Chief, in which female Vice President Mackenzie Allen (played by Geena Davis) must go against the dying wishes of the current President and of her entire party to become the first female President of the United States, and Invasion, in which aliens threaten the survival of the human race. On the sitcom friend, the network is banking on Hot Properties, dealing with four women selling real estate, and Freddie, in which the sister, sister-in-law, niece and grandmother come live in the bachelor pad of a young, successful chef.

Through January, ABC will be airing Wife Swap on Mondays at 8:00pm, followed by Monday Night Football. After that, it will debut a new Monday line-up consisting of The Bachelor at 8:00pm, new sitcom Emily's Reasons Why Not at 9:00pm, and Jake In Progress, which was launched in the post-Desperate Housewives timeslot earlier this season, at 9:30pm. And 10:00pm, they intend to close the night with a drama from Lost creator J.J. Abrams, What About Brian. The Alphabet's schedule for the rest of the week looks as follows:

• Tuesday
  8:00pm - According To Jim
  8:30pm - Rodney
  9:00pm - Commander in Chief
  10:00pm - Boston Legal

• Wednesday
  8:00pm - George Lopez
  8:30pm - Freddie
  9:00pm - Lost
  10:00pm - Invasion
  

• Thursday
  8:00pm - Alias
  9:00pm - The Night Stalker
  10:00pm - Primetime Live
  

• Friday
  8:00pm - Supernanny
  9:00pm - Hope & Faith
  9:30pm - Hot Properties
  10:00pm - 20/20
  

• Saturday
  8:00pm - ABC Movie Of The Week
  

• Sunday
  7:00pm - America’s Funniest Home Videos
  8:00pm - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
  9:00pm - Desperate Housewives
  10:00pm - Grey’s Anatomy

Even if some of the above new shows fail, ABC will have a back-up plan in place. Zap2It reported the network has an unusually strong line-up of mid-season shows, including the CSI-like dramas In Evidence and Justice, and the sitcoms Crumbs and Sons & Daughters.

For the full ABC press release, including full descriptions and cast info on all new shows, head over to the Futon Critic. More information on the network's midseason crop can be found at Zap2It.

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