Joan and Amy dropped as CBS unveils fall lineup

CBS, television's No. 1 network, unveiled a fall lineup Wednesday that contains as many new shows as NBC, the No. 4 network. Two comedies, including one by the makers of Frasier, and four dramas, one involving paranormal activity and another about extra-terrestrials, will join the schedule.

Receiving their walking papers: Judging Amy, Joan of Arcadia, Listen Up and, in another blow to CBS News, 60 Minutes Wednesday. They join the previously canceled shows JAG, Center of the Universe, Dr. Vegas and Clubhouse.

The axing of 60 Minutes Wednesday was due to poor ratings, said CBS chairman Les Moonves. It had nothing to do with last fall's reporting scandal involving President Bush's military service.

"This was a ratings call, not a content call," he said.

The reporting scandal involved Dan Rather, who stepped down as anchor of the CBS Evening News in March. Rather will continue to report for the Sunday edition of 60 Minutes.

None of Wednesday's cancellations was unforeseen, but the firing of Joan of Arcadia was mildly surprising. Series creator Barbara Hall introduced a God versus Satan story line in April, setting up what promised to be an interesting third season.

Perhaps CBS' most surprising move was to keep its borderline comedies Yes, Dear and Still Standing. That may say more about the sad state of the genre, in general, than anything specific about the shows or the network.

Coming this fall:

• Close to Home, a legal drama featuring a young mother as a prosecutor played by Jennifer Finnigan (The Bold and the Beautiful).
• Criminal Minds, a drama about an elite squad of FBI profilers. Mandy Patinkin, Thomas Gibson and Shemar Moore star.
• Ghost Whisperer, about a young newlywed who can speak with the spirits of the dead. Jennifer Love Hewitt stars.
• How I Met Your Mother, a comedy about a young man (Josh Radnor) in search of true love. He gets sometimes outrageous guidance from a friend (Neil Patrick Harris). Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan also star.
• Out of Practice, a comedy about a dysfunctional family of physicians. Christopher Gor- ham, Stockard Channing, Henry Winkler, Ty Burrell and Paula Marshall star. Frasier creators Joe Keenan and Christopher Lloyd are executive producers.
• Threshold, a drama that kicks off with the discovery of an extraterrestrial craft in the mid-Atlantic. Carla Gugino, Charles S. Dutton and Brent Spiner star. Interesting.

FALL SCHEDULE

Monday
7 p.m. King of Queens (new time)
7:30 p.m. How I Met Your Mother (new)
8 p.m. Two and a Half Men
8:30 p.m. Out of Practice (new)
9 p.m. CSI: Miami
Tuesday
7 p.m. NCIS
8 p.m. Amazing Race
9 p.m. Close to Home (new)
Wednesday
7 p.m. Still Standing (new time)
7:30 p.m. Yes, Dear
8 p.m. Criminal Minds (new)
9 p.m. CSI: NY
Thursday
7 p.m. Survivor
8 p.m. CSI
9 p.m. Without a Trace
Friday
7 p.m. Ghost Whisperer (new)
8 p.m. Threshold (new)
9 p.m. Numb3rs
Saturday
7 p.m. Reruns
9 p.m. 48 Hours Mystery
Sunday
6 p.m. 60 Minutes
7 p.m. Cold Case
8 p.m. Movie
HoustonChronicle.com - Joan and Amy dropped as CBS unveils fall lineup