A GUIDE TO THE NEW TV SEASON

Network mergers and threatened star holdouts don’t mean a thing once fall TV is in swing. This week marks the official start of the 1996-97 prime-time season, though some series already have premiered and others won’t appear until October. Scores of new programs are competing for your attention--39 on the six major broadcast networks and many more on cable, PBS and syndication.

This issue of TV Times will help guide you through the morass. And there is more television coverage in today’s Sunday Calendar, including interviews with Bill Cosby, Michael J. Fox, Brooke Shields and three of the medium’s most successful producers.

CONTENTS

Nightly Analysis Roundup: 3

Prime-Time Chart: 4

New Faces: 10

Returning Series: 12

Syndication: 13

Movies/Miniseries: 14

PBS: 16

Specials: 17