TERRORISM DRAMA AMONG ABC’S NEW FALL LINEUP

Jerry Bruckheimer’s march into television continues, as the producer of such blockbuster films as “Armageddon” has placed yet another crime series on CBS, as well as a drama set around the porn industry, “Skin,” on the Fox network. CBS and Fox are scheduled to present their fall lineups today and Thursday, respectively, as part of the “upfront” presentations being held for advertisers here this week.

On Tuesday, meanwhile, the struggling ABC unveiled a lineup of eight new programs -- including “Threat Matrix,” a drama dealing with efforts to thwart terrorism -- that network executives said grows from some rebuilding efforts started this year.

One tool ABC doesn’t have is a series by Bruckheimer. His “Cold Cases,” about the Philadelphia Police Department’s cold-case unit, is one of five new dramas CBS is said to be adding as well as the producer’s fifth show for that network, joining the top-rated “CSI” and its spinoff, “CSI: Miami,” plus “Without a Trace” and the unscripted “The Amazing Race.” A seventh Bruckheimer-backed action series, “Fearless,” is slated to premiere this fall on the WB.

Sources say “Skin,” a “Romeo and Juliet” tale involving a romance between the children of an adult-entertainment kingpin and the district attorney investigating him, will air Mondays after reality programming, as Fox continues to use unscripted fare to launch scripted series. Similarly, “American Juniors” will precede “24” on Tuesdays through the fall, until the next edition of the original “American Idol.”

“Skin” is one of eight new programs Fox is expected to introduce, including a pair of Thursday-night dramas: “The O.C.,” about a tough teen who moves to an affluent section of Orange County; and “True Calling,” featuring Eliza Dushku as a woman who uses her ability to communicate with the dead to help people avert tragedies.

On Wednesdays, “Stan Hooper” -- starring Norm Macdonald as a New York TV personality who moves to a small town -- joins “That ‘70s Show,” “Bernie Mac” and “Cedric the Entertainer.”

“Boston Public,” meanwhile, is moving to Friday nights, following “Wanda at Large” and the new sitcom “Luis,” with Luis Guzman as a conservative shop owner living in Spanish Harlem.

Fox will also debut three Sunday programs this fall, beginning with a Japanese “reality” show titled “Bonzai” before “King of the Hill” and “The Simpsons.” New sitcoms are expected to sandwich “Malcolm in the Middle”: “The Ortegas,” a concept imported from British television and then developed at NBC, mixing sitcom and talk show, with Cheech Marin; and “Arrested Development,” about a wealthy Southern California couple (Jason Bateman and “Ally McBeal’s” Portia de Rossi) who lose their fortune and move to Arizona.

Current programs failing to make the cut include the Friday tandem of “Fastlane” and “John Doe,” while the nostalgic comedy “Oliver Beene” is expected to survive as a midseason replacement.

CBS’ new dramas include a “JAG” spinoff with a “CSI” twist, starring Mark Harmon as a naval investigator; “The Handler,” with “The Sopranos’ ” Joe Pantoliano training undercover operatives; and “Joan of Arcadia,” involves a modern young woman who receives cryptic messages from God.

The remaining hour is producer David E. Kelley’s “The Brotherhood of Poland, N.H.,” about three brothers (one played by Randy Quaid) in a fictional small town. That means Kelley will have series on three networks, joining Fox’s “Boston Public” and “The Practice,” which won an 11th-hour renewal at ABC.

CBS’ comedy additions are “Two and a Half Men,” starring Charlie Sheen as a playboy who takes in his divorced brother (Jon Cryer) with a young son; and “The Stones,” about grown kids dealing with the divorce of their parents (Robert Klein and Judith Light) after a 25-year marriage.

Among the cancellations, notably, is “My Big Fat Greek Life,” the series adaptation of the blockbuster independent comedy film “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” which premiered with blockbuster ratings that since have fallen.

As for ABC, the network is seeking to jump-start its lineup after a season that prompted late-night host Jay Leno to quip at NBC’s presentation Monday that ABC is “now behind Al Jazeera in the ratings.”

ABC Entertainment Television Group Chairman Lloyd Braun returned to a gardening metaphor to insist the network has made progress this year, saying the goal was to “plant new seeds all over our schedule, and they’ve taken root.”

The latest crop includes an additional hour of the newsmagazine “Primetime” after “Monday Night Football” and a quartet of new sitcoms, as the network revives the Friday “TGIF” franchise it aired for more than a decade. However, those initials stand for “Thank Goodness It’s Funny,” meaning anyone anticipating a throwback to the days of “Full House” and “Family Matters” should expect somewhat racier fare.

“Primetime Monday” will include new installments of two past ABC news series, “State v.,” which is an inside look at court cases, from pretrial through verdicts, and “24/7,” which will document around-the-clock activity at the New York Police Department.

Separately, ABC News said “20/20” investigative reporter and controversial commentator John Stossel will join Barbara Walters as co-anchor of the program, replacing John Miller, who left to join the LAPD.

“Threat Matrix” draws its title from the daily memo the president receives about possible threats. The project underscores how the major networks have embraced programs that address such topics, with CBS’ “The Agency” and Fox’s “24” both tackling terrorist plots that occasionally echo that day’s headlines.

The other ABC newcomers also have law-enforcement themes, with “Karen Sisco” starring Carla Gugino as the marshal Jennifer Lopez played in the movie “Out of Sight,” while “10-8” focuses on the L.A. Sheriff’s Department’s trainee program, with Ernie Hudson among the cast.

Daytime host Kelly Ripa and “Murphy Brown” alum Faith Ford star in “Hope and Faith,” one of the new comedies, while “I’m With Her” -- about a regular guy dating a celebrity -- joins the Tuesday lineup. Breckin Meyer recovers from his “Inside Schwartz” experience to star in “Back to Kansas” as a New Yorker who marries into a large Midwestern family, and “It’s All Relative” finds a young couple caught between gay and highly conservative parents.

ABC also confirmed plans to shift “The Wonderful World of Disney” to Saturday nights. Although overall TV viewing then is considerably lower than its current home on Sundays, ABC Entertainment President Susan Lyne noted that Disney’s core audience of kids and parents is home Saturdays in numbers commensurate with Sundays.

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ABC’s fall lineup

New shows are in boldface type; existing shows that are in new time periods are in italic.

Sunday: “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “10-8,” “Alias,” “The Practice”

Monday: “Monday Night Football,” “Primetime Monday”

Tuesday: “8 Simple Rules,” “I’m With Her,” “According to Jim,” “Less Than Perfect,” “NYPD Blue”

Wednesday: “My Wife and Kids,” “It’s All Relative,” “The Bachelor,” “Karen Sisco”

Thursday: “Threat Matrix,” “Extreme Makeover,” “Primetime Thursday”

Friday: “George Lopez,” “Back to Kansas,” “Hope and Faith,” “Life With Bonnie,” “20/20”

Saturday: “Wonderful World of Disney,” “L.A. Dragnet.”