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”).

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