A&E;, Discovery Channel Get Real for Fall

If “Cops,” “Unsolved Mysteries,” “American Detective,” “Rescue 911” and other such network programs haven’t given you your fill of so-called “reality” shows, take heart: Cable TV is jumping into the act too.

Both the Arts & Entertainment Network and the Discovery Channel announced plans this week to include reality series in their prime-time schedules this fall.

A&E; said Tuesday that, beginning Sept. 16, it will fill an hour of its Wednesday night lineup with “American Justice,” a half-hour series about “crimes that changed the legal system,” and “Spies,” a half-hour that will use dramatizations and archival film to show “the shadowy world of the saboteur, the code-breaker, the traitor and the spy.”

Joining Discovery’s fall schedule, meanwhile, will be “Justice Files,” an hourlong series hosted by ABC News correspondent Forrest Sawyer in which “real-life crime stories that were first reported on ABC News’ ‘20/20’ ” are reconstructed, and “Heart of Courage,” a half-hour series about “real-life stories of normal everyday folks who become heroes when they are thrust into crisis situations,” hosted by Alex Trebek.

Other new series also were announced by the two cable networks.

A&E; will add “The Real West,” a documentary series about the American frontier during the 1800s; “Travelquest,” a weekly travel show hosted by Alan Thicke, and “Rave,” described as a performing-arts showcase.

The new A&E; season also will include two documentary miniseries: the four-part “Charlton Heston Presents the Bible” and the eight-part “Pole to Pole,” in which former “Monty Python” member Michael Palin travels from the North Pole to the South Pole.

Discovery’s new entries will include “Those Incredible Animals,” a magazine series about zoos, animals and conservation, hosted by Loretta Swit; “The Next Step,” a science and technology series based in California’s Silicon Valley; “Secret Weapons,” with John Palmer hosting a look at the development of modern military technology, and “Skybound,” a series about the various ways humans have taken to the air.

There also will be 10 to 12 new installments of the anthology series “Discovery Journal,” including documentaries about capital punishment, the Tsavo National Park in Kenya and the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War in Kuwait.