‘Peaks,’ ‘China Beach’ Make Prime-Time Cut : Programming: ABC takes another innovative step by scheduling Steven Bochco’s ‘Cop Rock.’ Five other new series will be in the fall lineup.

ABC renewed two of its ratings-troubled but prestigious series, the cult soap opera “Twin Peaks” and the Vietnam War drama “China Beach,” as it announced its fall prime-time lineup Monday.

The network also took another step in enhancing its reputation for innovation by scheduling the Steven Bochco musical police drama, “Cop Rock,” an hour series that is the latest of the producer’s breakthrough efforts, which have included “Hill Street Blues” and “L.A. Law.”

In addition, ABC finally found a companion show for its hit series “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” It is “America’s Funniest . . . Part II,” described as a “cross-country comedy tour” that seeks out people telling jokes, doing impersonations and demonstrating “their unique talents.” Both shows are from producer Vin Di Bona, and they each finished among the top three programs in last week’s national TV ratings.

In scheduling six new series--four comedies and two dramas--that make up four hours of new programming, ABC also canceled several other series that attempted the unusual. “Brewster Place,” which stars Oprah Winfrey in a half-hour drama about an inner-city black community in the 1960s, did not make the fall lineup. Nor did “Anything But Love,” a witty romantic comedy starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Richard Lewis.

ABC previously yanked “Elvis,” a critically praised ratings failure about the early days of Elvis Presley’s career. Another praised series, “The Marshall Chronicles,” a Woody Allen-ish comedy about a teen-age boy’s adventures in New York City, did not make the fall lineup either.

Despite the steadily sinking ratings of “Twin Peaks,” which attracted only 17% of the national audience last week, ABC was virtually certain to bring back the show because of the phenomenal praise from critics and word-of-mouth generated by the show.

“China Beach,” which stars Emmy-winner Dana Delaney, reportedly was a closer call, but ABC has been under pressure to renew the series by the grass-roots organization Viewers for Quality Television, among other admirers.

ABC clearly is trying to make an event of the weekly outings of “China Beach” and “Twin Peaks” by pairing the two shows back-to-back from 9 to 11 p.m. Saturdays. However, they also will run up against NBC’s all-powerful Saturday comedy lineup that includes “The Golden Girls,” “Empty Nest” and the new Carol Burnett series, “Carol & Company.”

Beside “Cop Rock” and “America’s Funniest . . . Part II,” ABC’s new fall series are:

--”Baby Talk,” a comedy based on the hit movie “Look Who’s Talking”’ and starring Connie Sellecca as a single mother trying to raise her child and find him a perfect father. The baby’s thoughts will be expressed by Tony Danza, star of “Who’s the Boss?,” which will precede “Baby Talk” on Tuesdays.

--”Married People,” a sitcom about three generations of couples who share a New York brownstone. The cast includes Bess Armstrong, Jay Thomas, Ray Aranha and Barbara Montgomery.

--”Going Places,” a comedy about four young people who move to Los Angeles to work on a “candid video” series. Astonishingly, “Going Places” gives producers Tom Miller and Bob Boyett four half-hour sitcoms that will run back-to-back on ABC’s Friday schedule. The others are “Full House,” “Family Matters” and “Perfect Strangers.” The cast of “Going Places” includes Heather Locklear and Jerry Levine.

--”Gabriel’s Fire,” an hour drama starring James Earl Jones as an ex-convict who becomes an investigator for a defense attorney (Lalla Robins) who gets him released from jail.

ABC also renewed another prestigious series with less-than-spectacular ratings, “Life Goes On,” which deals with a family that has a son (Chris Burke) with Down’s syndrome.

But the network’s casualties included the “ABC Saturday Mystery Movie,” a rotating series that included Peter Falk in a revival of “Columbo,” Burt Reynolds in “B.L. Stryker,” Telly Savalas in a new version of “Kojak” and Jaclyn Smith in “Christine Cromwell.” Reports were that “Columbo,” the most successful of the shows, might return as a series of specials.

Also dropped from the fall schedule were “Equal Justice,” an admired series about a group of young prosectors, and “Head of the Class,” a successful sitcom--but ABC said both shows will continue in production as backup entries.

Other ABC series failing to return from this season are “Capital News,” “Free Spirit,” “Living Dolls,” “Mr. Belvedere,” “Mission: Impossible,” “H.E.L.P.,” “Homeroom,” “Just the Ten of Us” and “Sunset Beat.”

Along with “Twin Peaks,” “Cop Rock” clearly marks an attempt by ABC to present a new kind of television. The music for the pilot was written by Randy Newman, and the network describes the series as “part opera, part rock concert and part intense drama.” It will be broadcast from 10 to 11 p.m. Wednesdays, and the cast includes Ronny Cox, Barbara Bosson, Larry Joshua and Annie Marie Bobby.

In “Cop Rock,” Los Angeles police deal with “the constant trial of street crime,” says ABC. A description from Bochco’s office Monday said that the show “uses musical scenes as it follows the activities of the Los Angeles Police Department and its interactions with the city’s political and criminal justice systems.”

With “Twin Peaks,” ABC has attracted the young audience desired by sponsors and is presenting the unique vision of one of the world’s hottest directors, David Lynch. Known for such films as “Blue Velvet,” “Elephant Man” and “Eraserhead,” his latest motion picture, “Wild at Heart,” on Monday won the Golden Palm award at the Cannes film festival.

The mixture of humor and horror in “Twin Peaks,” which has revolved around the murder of a young woman in a small town in the Northwest, has been hailed as a TV work that looks like no other. Seen in the past on Thursdays, the season finale will be broadcast Wednesday at 10 p.m., and ABC obviously hopes the renewal of the series--and interest in whether the murder will be solved--will attract a large audience and build the audience in the fall.

An ABC spokesman said that “Twin Peaks” has become “almost symbolic” of what the network’s entertainment president, Bob Iger, “wants to bring to the company. It represents a whole new look for a particular program.”

Here is the night-by-night schedule:

Sunday: “Life Goes On,” “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “America’s Funniest . . . Part II,” “ABC Sunday Night Movie.”

Monday: “Monday Night Football,” “MacGyver.”

Tuesday: “Who’s the Boss?,” “Baby Talk,” “Roseanne,” “Coach,” “thirtysomething.”

Wednesday: “The Wonder Years,” “Growing Pains,” “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” “Married People,” “Cop Rock.”

Thursday: “Father Dowling Mysteries,” “Gabriel’s Fire,” “PrimeTime Live.”

Friday: “Full House,” “Family Matters,” “Perfect Strangers,” “Going Places,” 20/20.”

Saturday: “Young Riders,” “China Beach,” “Twin Peaks.”