Ellen Gray: On ABC, it's drama, drama, drama

NEW YORK - Following up on the successful launch of three-quarters of a two-hour comedy block on Wednesday nights - including the best new sitcom in several seasons in "Modern Family" - ABC yesterday unveiled a 2010-11 schedule before advertisers at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall that's nearly all about the drama.

One new comedy, "Better Together," will join the Wednesday lineup in the fall, as "The Middle" moves out of the middle to anchor the night at 8, while the network that's about to say goodbye to "Lost" after six seasons has scheduled five new hourlong shows, only one of which appears to involve a plane crash with supernatural overtones.

Biggest laugh on a wet afternoon: Jimmy Kimmel calling "V" "Five."

Biggest applause: For cast of "Modern Family," brought in to introduce comedies that don't yet look as funny as theirs, the pilot of which was shown in its entirety at last year's presentation.

Outta here: "Lost," "Better Off Ted," "Scrubs," "FlashForward," "Eastwick," "Happy Town," "Hank," "Ugly Betty," "Romantically Challenged," "The Forgotten," "The Deep End."

Returning shows, some of which won't be back until midseason, include: "America's Funniest Home Videos," "The Bachelor," "Brothers & Sisters," "Castle," "Cougar Town," "Dancing with the Stars," "Desperate Housewives," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "Grey's Anatomy," "Private Practice," "Supernanny," "The Middle," "Modern Family," "V" and "20/20."

New dramas include: "No Ordinary Family," which stars Michael Chiklis ("The Shield") and Julie Benz ("Dexter") and is about a family whose plane crashes in the Amazon during a vacation, leaving both parents and children with superpowers; "Detroit 1-8-7," a cop show filmed like a pseudo-documentary whose stars include Michael Imperioli ("The Sopranos") and James McDaniel ("NYPD Blue"); "My Generation," another documentary-influenced scripted show about a group of high school classmates from Austin, Texas, who were filmed as they graduated and revisited 10 years later; "The Whole Truth," a legal series starring Rob Morrow ("Numbers") and whoever is hired to replace Joely Richardson (who left after the pilot, reportedly for family reasons) as former Yale Law classmates on opposite sides - he's a defense attorney, she's a prosecutor; and "Body of Proof," which stars Dana Delany as a surgeon who, after a car accident, becomes a medical examiner.

Also, for midseason: "Off the Map," a show about young doctors in a South American medical clinic. Created by "Grey's Anatomy" writer Jenna Bans, its stars include Mamie Gummer, Caroline Dhavernas and Jason George.

On the comedy front: "Better Together," about three related couples - representing two generations - with different approaches to life.

Also, for midseason: "Happy Endings," a sitcom starring Elisha Cuthbert ("24") and Zachary Knighton as a couple whose breakup complicates their friends' lives; and "Mr. Sunshine," which stars "Friends'" Matthew Perry - who co-wrote the pilot - as a self-centered type who's thinking about change as he hits his 40s.

"I want to watch this show every friggin' week."

This capsule review of Fox's new cop comedy, "The Good Guys" (8 tonight, Channel 29), is brought to you by my husband, whose TV criticism is generally limited to complaints that there are too many "new" shows on TV Land.

He'd asked to see the pilot because Fox's "24," one of the few prime-time shows he's ever been willing to watch with me, was going off the air. Based on the network promos he'd seen, he thought an audition to take its place was in order.

Fox must have had similar thoughts, because after tonight's special pre-"American Idol" premiere, the show won't return until June 7, when it will move to 9 p.m. Mondays - Jack Bauer's old stomping grounds - for the summer. (Already picked up for next season, it's scheduled to move to Fridays this fall.)

But where "24" has been a comic book masquerading as a serious drama, "The Good Guys," from "Burn Notice" creator Matt Nix, is unapologetically played for laughs. And the laughs come fast and furiously from the odd-couple teaming of Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks, who play Dallas police detectives Dan Stark and Jack Bailey.

The show's third star is Whitford's mustache, which seems to have freed the former "West Wing" actor from all inhibitions, resulting in a performance so over the top you may need a taller screen to capture it. Hanks, whom I haven't seen do much comedy before, is more subtly hilarious and seems to have inherited his father's timing. Together, well, they're just silly and in a way that made me feel a lot happier than anything on "24" has made me feel in a long, long time.

Send e-mail to graye@phillynews.com.