Fall TV Schedules Aim at the Young and Restless : Fox: Upstart Network to Pit Its Champ, ‘The Simpsons’ Against ‘Cosby’.

In a daring move, the Fox Broadcasting Co. announced Tuesday that it will challenge NBC’s “The Cosby Show” head-on with its biggest hit, “The Simpsons,” in the new fall TV season.

In disclosing its 1990-91 schedule, the young network said it will also expand its programming from three to five nights a week--Thursday through Monday.

Peter Chernin, president of Fox Entertainment Group, said in an interview that the network, founded in 1986, hopes to become a full, seven-night operation by the end of 1991.

Fox’s scheduling of “The Simpsons,” an animated series, against the Bill Cosby sitcom strikes at the very foundation of NBC’s ratings leadership. NBC has finished first in the ratings for five consecutive seasons, thanks to “The Cosby Show,” which debuted in 1984. “Cosby” leads off NBC’s most successful night, Thursdays, which also features “Cheers” and “L.A. Law.”

Fox, on the other hand, is risking its No. 1 show against “Cosby.” “The Simpsons,” teamed with “Married . . . With Children” and now “In Living Color,” has given the growing network a major presence on Sundays, TV’s most-watched night of the week.

Of Fox’s move to take on “Cosby,” NBC Entertainment President Brandon Tartikoff said: “ ‘The Cosby Show’ is the strongest half-hour comedy on television. We knew we’d be facing ‘The Simpsons’ somewhere, so why not on our home field of Thursday night? When I told Bill Cosby of his new competition next fall, he said: ‘Well, we’ve got the whole summer to get new haircuts.’ ” (Several members of “The Simpsons” cartoon family have colorful hair styles.)

In addition to its challenge to “Cosby,” Fox performed radical surgery on its current lineup and introduced nine new series--five comedies, three dramas and a “reality” show.

Gone from the fall lineup are series that helped put Fox on the map--”21 Jump Street,” “Booker,” “Alien Nation,” “The Tracey Ullman Show” and “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show.” Also gone are “The Outsiders,” “Beyond Tomorrow,” “Open House” and “The Reporters,” which a Fox spokesman said may return after retooling.

Among new shows on the youth-oriented network will be “True Colors,” a comedy about a black man and white woman who marry.

Another new series, “American Chronicles,” is a half-hour nonfiction entry from “Twin Peaks” creators David Lynch and Mark Frost. The network describes it as a “video/novel of our country’s most extraordinary people, places and events.”

Fox’s other new series are:

* “Babes,” a comedy about three hefty sisters who share a cramped New York apartment. It will follow “The Simpsons.”

* “Class of Beverly Hills,” an hourlong drama about a Midwestern family that moves to Beverly Hills.

* “D.E.A.,” an hour drama about the Drug Enforcement Administration.

* “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose,” a sitcom about “the coolest kid in high school.” It stars Corin (Corky) Nemec, who won praise in the NBC drama special “I Know My First Name Is Steven.”

* “Get a Life,” a sitcom with David Letterman regular Chris Elliott as a 30-year-old paper boy who still lives with his parents.

* “Good Grief,” a sitcom about two brothers-in-law who are undertakers.

* “Against the Law,” an hour drama with Michael O’Keefe as an unorthodox attorney.

The network will also have a 10th new series, “Fox Video Hour,” when two of five half-hour contenders for the 60-minute Saturday slot are chosen. One of the contenders is the current series “Totally Hidden Video.”

Explaining Fox’s move to pit “The Simpsons” against “The Cosby Show,” Chernin said: “We felt strongly that we had to move ‘The Simpsons’ (now seen at 8:30 p.m. Sundays). We felt it was an 8 o’clock show. We discussed nights and, when we got to Thursday, our people got excited.

“Because of ‘Cosby,’ the other networks have not been as competitive as they should be against it. The heart of our schedule is counter-programming, and we felt this was the best place to counter-program. Our feeling is that if we could get past ‘Cosby’ and survive it, we have great opportunities at 8:30 and 9.”

And what about the risk if “The Simpsons” fails against Cosby?

“We don’t think it’s going to fail,” Chernin said. “It’s a show that’s just at the beginning of its growth. I don’t think there’s a disaster scenario here. If it doesn’t work, we’ll move it. We believe that risk is what this network is all about.”

Fox’s night-by-night schedule:

Thursday: “The Simpsons,” “Babes,” “Class of Beverly Hills.”

Friday: “America’s Most Wanted,” “D.E.A.”

Saturday: “Fox Video Hour,” “Cops,” “American Chronicles.”

Sunday: “True Colors,” “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose,” “In Living Color,” “Get a Life,” “Married . . . With Children,” “Good Grief,” “Against the Law.”

Monday: “Fox Night at the Movies.”