Fox, CW get jump on fall TV

Just because Labor Day has long been considered the unofficial end of summer, that doesn't necessarily mean anyone's ready for fall. Especially fall TV.

But that hasn't stopped Fox and The CW from rushing headlong into autumn, unveiling all but a sliver of their new lineups long before Sept. 22, the official start to the 2008-09 season.

It all kicks off Monday with the two-hour return of "Prison Break" (8 p.m., KVVU-TV, Channel 5) and the season premieres of "Gossip Girl" (8 p.m., KVCW-TV, Channel 33) and "One Tree Hill" (9 p.m., Channel 33).

The early start includes special two-hour premieres of "Bones" (8 p.m. Wednesday, Channel 5) and "America's Next Top Model" (8 p.m. Wednesday, Channel 33). Even the hit series "House" (8 p.m. Sept. 16, Channel 5) is getting in on the act.

And by the middle of next week, the only new fall shows getting any buzz at all -- The CW's "90210" and Fox's "Fringe" -- already will have debuted.

It's not an entirely new idea. Fox has launched a few of its series a week or two early each year to try to build momentum before the baseball playoffs interrupt its schedule, and other shows occasionally will try to get a head start on the competition. But it's a new and risky strategy to start this many series this early since the ratings don't really count until Sept. 22.

If you think Labor Day is early, though, wait until next year, when The CW is looking at launching its "fall" season in early August or even July.

"The idea is to just get out of the fray," The CW's entertainment president Dawn Ostroff says, "and be able to launch at a time when we can bring viewers in when there's not as much competition."

Here's a look at the new shows:

• "90210" (8 p.m. Tuesday, Channel 33) -- A brother and sister arrive from the Midwest and are shocked by the excesses of West Beverly Hills High School. If that sounds pretty vague -- not to mention familiar -- it's because The CW refused to let the press or even its advertisers see the two-hour premiere in advance, calling it a "strategic marketing decision" and insisting "we're not hiding anything."

• "Fringe" (8 p.m. Sept. 9, Channel 5) -- In the latest drama from J.J. Abrams ("Lost," "Alias"), an FBI agent (Anna Torv), an institutionalized genius (John Noble) and his estranged son (Joshua Jackson) investigate all sorts of deadly phenomena that can be traced to fringe science and a mysterious corporation. Think "The X-Files" with a touch of Ken Russell's "Altered States."

• "Privileged" (9 p.m. Sept. 9, Channel 33) -- When a young journalist (JoAnna Garcia) is fired, she becomes the live-in tutor for rebellious twin socialites in opulent Palm Beach, Fla. The drama, created by "Everwood" show runner Rina Mimoun, is based on the book "How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls."

• "Do Not Disturb" (9:30 p.m. Sept. 10, Channel 5) -- At one of New York's hottest hotels, Neal (Jerry O'Connell) is in charge of the pretty people upstairs while Rhonda (Niecy Nash) oversees the somewhat-less-pretty people downstairs. They clash. Alleged hilarity ensues.

• "Hole in the Wall" (8 p.m. Sept. 11, Channel 5, with sneak previews at 8 p.m. Sept. 7 and 9:35 p.m. Sept. 9) -- In the latest Japanese reality import, two teams of three contestants try to contort their bodies to squeeze through oddly shaped openings in the barriers speeding toward them. It's tough to explain, but if you're curious, there are plenty of clips all over YouTube.