The Safe House - Expositions

LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- Will "The X-Files be back on the case in the fall? How many times a week will "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire " run? Will "Three Sisters" see a sophomore season?

Those a only a few of the questions being mulled in TV circles this week as network executives hunker down in pilot screening rooms in preparation for next week's fall schedule unveilings in New York.

Now that the threat of a writers strike has passed, network brass are moving full speed ahead on picking pilots and setting their fall schedules. The buzz on fall scheduling moves is starting to build, but, as ever, network executives caution that it's too early to make any definitive calls.

NBC on Monday is the first network to greet Madison Avenue's finest, and, as such, there are always speculative NBC schedules that float around town in the days leading up to the peacock's presentation. One making the rounds this week had the new quiz show "Weakest Link" airing Sunday and Monday at 8 p.m.

Speculation is that NBC's Thursday lineup will stay mostly intact, with the pilot "Inside Schwartz" possibly landing the coveted post-"Friends" Thursday 8:30 p.m. berth. Other strong comedy pilot contenders are said to be the Emeril Lagasse starrer "Emeril" and the hospital comedy "Scrubs," possibly in Tuesday slots. The midseason comedy "Three Sisters" also is said to be likely to return to a Tuesday slot.

As for dramas, the Jill Hennessy starrer "Crossing Jordan" is being eyed for 10 p.m. Monday. The new dramas set to take the place of NBC's telefilm slot from 9-11 p.m. Sunday are believed to be the spinoff "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and the police drama "Undercover."

One of the big questions at ABC is how many installments of "Millionaire" will air next season. There's talk that it will be scaled back to three hours a week -- possibly Sunday, Monday and Friday.

As for new pickups, on the drama side ABC is known to be high on "Alias," starring Jennifer Garner as a college student who moonlights as a secret agent, the Steven Bochco-Kim Deney legal vehicle "Philly," the John Stamos adventure dramedy "Thieves" and the Sally Field-led Supreme Court ensemble "The Court."

Comedywise, ABC is said to be bullish on its Jim Belushi family comedy, being eyed as a companion for its midseason Damon Wayans hit "My Wife and Kids." The Jason Alexander starrer "Bob Patterson" also is said to have a good shot at getting on the air. Other comedy contenders are believed to be "Born in Brooklyn," "Me & My Needs" and two from writer Peter Tolan: "HMO" and "The Web."

The sitcoms "Two Guys and a Girl" and "Norm" are not expected to return to ABC's primetime lineup next year, nor is the critically praised drama "Gideon's Crossing".

At CBS, the crystal ball on new comedy pickups is still murky, but the standouts are Ellen DeGeneres' "Ellen, Again," the talking baby vehicle "Baby Bob," "Late Boomers" and the Randy Quaid starrer "The Kennedys." Daniel Stern's "Community Center" also might still be in the running.

CBS' dramatic moves are expected to include Richard Dreyfuss' "The Education of Max Bickford," the John Wells-Lydia Woodward drama starring James Cromwell, the Chris Keyser-Amy Lippman medical dramedy "The Heart Department" and the inside-the-CIA vehicle "The Agency."

"Bickford" and "The Agency" are rumored as potential companions for "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" on Thursday, while the Wells-Woodward drama is said to be considered for 10 p.m. Monday or 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The Jerry Bruckheimer-produced reality-adventure series "The Amazing Race" also is said to have a shot at a fall slot but could also run over the summer. As for renewals, CBS is said to be leaning toward picking up the drama "Family Law" for a third season, but eye network veterans "Nash Bridges" and "Diagnosis Murder" are still on the fence.

The hot property at Fox this week on the drama side is "24" starring Keifer Sutherland as a government agent who has 24 hours to stop an assassination attempt against a presidential candidate. "Ball & Chain," a high-concept dramedy about a couple with superhero powers, has been talked about as a companion for "Dark Angel" on Friday.

"Emma Brody," about an American expatriate in London, and the dark-edged family soap "Pasadena" are said to have a fair shot. Fox also is considering a pickup of one of its two low-budget serials: "In the Weeds" and "American Soap."

The other big drama at Fox is whether "X-Files" will return for a ninth season with creator Chris Carter at the helm. Sources said 20th Century Fox TV has been negotiating a new deal with Carter for weeks and are optimistic that it will be settled by the time Fox unveils its fall firepower Thursday.

On the comedy side, the Andy Richter sitcom is believed to be a sure thing, as is "Greg the Bunny," which is said to have secured the post-"Simpsons" Sunday 8:30 p.m. time slot. The domestic vehicle starring comedian Bernie Mac is known to be a contender, along with the college ensemble "Undeclared" and Chuck Lorre's "Nathan's Choice."

Fox is understood to be mulling the possibility of running four comedies Tuesday or Wednesday. Richter's sitcom is being eyed as a companion for "That '70s Show" on Tuesday. And the midseason entry "Grounded for Life" is expected to be back for a sophomore year Wednesday, which might be anchored by "Malcolm in the Middle."

After losing "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer," the word is that the WB Network will probably keep the show's spinoff, "Angel."

The young-Superman high school series "Smallville" looks like a shoo-in on the drama side, with "Murphy's Dozen" and Kevin Williamson's "Glory Days" are considered to have a shot.

Front-runners on the comedy side are understood to include "Maybe I'm Adopted," "Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star," "The (Mis)adventures of Fiona Plum" and the "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" spinoff "Witchright Hall." The Dan Staley-Rob Long sitcom "Men, Women and Dogs" also is said to be in the mix.

Riding high on the recent "Buffy" acquisition, UPN is eyeing another potential WB drama import, "Roswell," in case the frog network passes on the 20th Century Fox TV alien series.

The hottest new project at UPN, which is working hard on landing the new "Star Trek" series, is known to be the Anthony Michael Hall-starring drama "The Dead Zone."

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