Just like last year

Television execs this fall are doing what they do best — bringing us new series just like the old ones we love so much.

Comedies haven’t fared well the past few years, and this season proves no different. There are just six new comedies among the more than two dozen new shows, and fewer than 20 non-animated half-hour sitcoms in total. That’s barely more than half as many as were on the small screen just five years ago.

Instead, we’re seeing more genre shows. A slew of science-fiction-inspired series follow “Heroes,” one of last year’s few freshman hits. It also may be the season for soaps, with some guilty pleasures modeled on the success of “Desperate Housewives” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Monday nights used to mean must-see sitcoms on CBS, such as “Everybody Loves Raymond” and the just-departed “The King of Queens.” On Sept. 24, CBS brings back “Two and a Half Men,” “How I Met Your Mother” and “Rules of Engagement” and adds one new sitcom to the mix: “The Big Bang Theory,” about two brainiacs who live across from an attractive blonde.

NBC, meanwhile, has its own geek that night in “Chuck,” about a computer-geek-turned-secret-agent, at 8. “Heroes” is next, followed by one of those “Heroes”-inspired shows, “Journeyman.” Kevin McKidd (“Rome”) is a journalist who travels through time. Meeting his former fiancee causes trouble with his wife.

Fox is programming its own dramas against CBS’ comedies and introducing them a week sooner, on Sept. 17. “K-Ville,” a police drama set in post-Katrina New Orleans, airs at 9, following “Prison Break.”

ABC, meanwhile, has a new comedy of its own, starting Oct. 15. In “Samantha Who?” Christina Applegate (“Married … With Children”) stars as a woman with amnesia.

Tuesdays mostly feature old drama favorites: CBS’ “NCIS” and “The Unit,” Fox’s “Bones” and “House,” NBC’s “Law & Order: SVU” and ABC’s “Boston Legal.” Add one of the most promising new dramas to the mix: CBS’ “Cane,” premiering Tuesday. Jimmy Smits stars as the heir to a Cuban-American family’s rum and sugar empire.

On Sept. 25, the CW premieres one of its new series, “The Reaper,” which is about a young man who discovers his parents sold his soul to the devil, played by the busy Ray Wise (“24” and “The Closer”). Another bows Oct. 1: Premised on the culture shock that ensues when a Wisconsin family gets a Muslim exchange student, “Aliens in America” caused a lot of controversy among television critics who saw it earlier in the summer.

ABC has the comedy “Cavemen,” based on those ubiquitous Geico commercials, and “Carpoolers,” about a group of men who are just that. They bow Oct. 2.

On Wednesdays starting Sept. 26, CBS brings back “Criminal Minds,” with Joe Mantegna replacing Mandy Patinkin early on, following the controversial reality show “Kid Nation.”

The other networks have new offerings as well, including ABC’s most promising new series, starting Oct. 3. “Pushing Daisies” is a romantic series with science-fiction elements: It features a man who can bring people back from the dead and co-stars Broadway darling Kristin Chenoweth. “Private Practice,” a “Grey’s Anatomy” spinoff, is next, followed by “Dirty Sexy Money,” which was pitched as “Six Feet Under” meets “Dynasty.” It stars former “Six Feet Under” star Peter Krause as the reluctant lawyer for a powerful Manhattan family. Those two start Sept. 26, as does NBC’s “Bionic Woman” remake and its “Life,” about a cop who returns to the job after serving time in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

Fox and the CW premiere their Wednesday-night lineup on Sept. 19. Fox has the most highly anticipated new comedy with “Back to You,” starring “Frasier’s” Kelsey Grammar and “Raymond’s” Patricia Heaton as television news anchors. The CW brings “Gossip Girl” from the pages of young-adult novels to the small screen. It’s a “Sex and the City” for the set that shouldn’t be having sex yet.

Thursdays will remain mostly the same on all networks. CBS has its ratings hits “Survivor” (this time in China), “CSI” and “Without a Trace.” NBC brings back comedies “My Name Is Earl,” “The Office,” “30 Rock” and the last season of “Scrubs” as well as the drama “ER.” Fox keeps it unscripted with “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” and “Don’t Forget the Lyrics.” The CW has “Smallville.”

ABC does have a premiere, though, following returning favorites “Ugly Betty” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” “Big Shots,” bowing Sept. 27, is intriguingly described as an “outrageous drama about four dysfunctional CEOs who will do anything to stay on top.” Even more intriguing than the bedroom-meets-boardroom scenario is the cast: Dylan McDermott (“The Practice”), Michael Vartan (“Alias”), Christopher Titus (“Titus”) and Joshua Malina (“The West Wing”).

Fridays see a few new offerings aiming to keep you on the couch instead of a bar stool. Fox goes musical with the new Simon Fuller reality series, “The Next Great American Band,” and the docu-soap “Nashville,” which starts Sept. 14. Two weeks later, CBS premieres “Moonlight” between “Ghost Whisperer” and “Numb3rs.” It stars Alex O’Loughlin as a vampire private investigator. That night, Tom Selleck joins the cast of NBC’s “Las Vegas,” while a week later, “Friday Night Lights,” which didn’t kill in the ratings last season, gets a second chance to find an audience.

Oct. 12, ABC debuts “Women’s Murder Club” between “20/20” and “Men in Trees.” Ex-“Law & Order” prosecutor Angie Harmon stars as a San Francisco detective who assembles a secret all-female team of experts in this series based on the best-selling novels by James Patterson.

The CW is hoping to attract a young audience on Sunday nights. “CW Now” is a new pop-culture-trends show, and “Online Nation” features the best Internet videos. Both bow Sept. 23. That’s the same night most of Fox’s animated sitcoms return: “The Simpsons,” “King of the Hill” and “Family Guy.” “American Dad” comes back a week later.

Also on the 23rd, CBS premieres “Cold Case” and “Shark.” James Woods’ turn in the latter as an evil-defense-attorney-turned-do-gooder-prosecutor was last season’s greatest new star turn.

Almost a month later, CBS airs its most optimistic new offering. “Viva Laughlin,” which bows Oct. 18, is a remake of the BBC series “Viva Blackpool.” The casino-set series may have Hugh Jackman as an executive producer and sometimes guest star, but its combination of drama and music might not tempt viewers still smarting from 1990’s musical flop “Cop Rock.”

The CW’s “Life Is Wild,” premiering Oct. 7, revolves around a New York City family transplanted to South Africa.

All those new offerings should keep you planted on your couch. And that doesn’t even include the midseason shows, some of which could bow sooner if any of the fall shows turn out to be duds. Some of us can’t wait for the rivalry between “Sex and the City’s” Darren Star’s “Cashmere Mafia” on ABC and original “Sex” writer Candace Bushnell’s “Lipstick Jungle” on NBC.