ABC didn’t dilly-dally in unveiling its fall schedule: 8 a.m. Tuesday telephone press conference (7 a.m. for us sleepyheads in St. Louis) followed by the announcement to advertisers at Lincoln Center in New York.

As reported Monday, “Boston Legal” and “Eli Stone” were renewed. In fact, so much was renewed that ABC only had room for two new shows — one scripted (”Life on Mars,” based on a BBC series about a police detective mysteriously transported back to 1973) and one unscripted, “Opportunity Knocks,” from Ashton Kutcher.

“Scrubs” joins ABC’s lineup in midseason. “Women’s Murder Club” and “October Road” were canceled.

Also renewed were (in alphabetical order) “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Dirty Sexy Money,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Pushing Daisies,” “Samantha Who?,” “Supernanny,” “Ugly Betty,” “Wife Swap” and “20/20.”

“According to Jim,” “The Bachelor,” “Lost” and “Primetime: What Would You Do?” return at midseason, along with a new scripted entry, “The Goode Family,” and an untitled reality series from Kutcher and Tyra Banks.

One surprise is that there won’t be a second edition of “Oprah’s Big Give.” ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson said the network was enthusiastic, but Oprah said no.

“We’re returning our dominant core group of shows from last fall,” McPherson said. “The few openings we had we’ve filled with the kind of quality programming viewers have come to expect from ABC, and we have a very strong bench. As always, our focus is on delivering the best stories and most memorable characters on TV every day of the week, every week of the year.”
ABC describes its new series this way:

* “Life on Mars” is based on the BBC series created by Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan and Ashley Pharoah. The series revolves around Sam Tyler, a modern-day police detective who, after a car crash, mysteriously finds himself transported back to 1973 and still working as a detective.
“Life on Mars” stars Jason O’ Mara as Sam Tyler, Rachelle LeFevre as Annie Cartwright, Colm Meaney as Gene Hunt, Stephanie Jacobsen as Maya, Lenny Clarke as George Randall, Patrick Wenk-Wolff as Colin Raimes and Richard Benjamin as Milton Kornboll.
The series is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television and ABC Studios. Josh Applebaum, Andre Nemec, Scott Rosenberg, Jane Featherstone, Stephen Garrett and David E. Kelley are the executive producers. The pilot episode of “Life on Mars” was executive-produced by David E. Kelley, Tommy Schlamme, Bob Breech, Jane Featherstone and Stephen Garrett, and was produced by David E. Kelley Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television.

* “Opportunity Knocks” breaks the mold of typical game and reality shows. We will be showing up on America’s doorstep and testing how well they know their family. Our mobile team will arrive at “Anywhere, America” in a semi-truck that is full of flat screen TVs, new furniture and big cash prizes that the family can win right there. We will take the action of a game show directly into our contestants’ homes, setting up shop in a family’s front lawn. The instant our host, JD Roth, knocks on the front door, the game will begin. Hollywood will invade a suburban neighborhood, and each week one lucky family will play the game of a lifetime in front of all their friends and neighbors.

Here’s ABC’s fall schedule:
SUNDAY: “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Brothers & Sisters.”
MONDAY: “Dancing with the Stars,” “Samantha Who?,” “Boston Legal.”
TUESDAY: “Opportunity Knocks,” “Dancing with the Stars” results show, “Eli Stone.”
WEDNESDAY: “Pushing Daisies,” “Private Practice,” “Dirty Sexy Money.”
THURSDAY: “Ugly Betty,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Life on Mars.”
FRIDAY: “Wife Swap,” “Supernanny,” “20/20.”
SATURDAY: College football

For midseason, ABC has the animated comedy “The Goode Family,” from Mike Judge, creator of “King of the Hill.” The Goodes are “obsessed with doing the “right” thing, whether it’s environmentally, politically or socially. Unfortunately their efforts often have unintended comic consequences.”

The Kutcher/Banks project is described as “a beauty pageant unlike any you’ve ever seen.”