The 2009–10 network television schedule for the five major English-language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers primetime hours from September 2009 through August 2010. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series canceled after the 2008–09 season.
Fox was the first to announce its fall schedule on May 18, 2009, followed by ABC and NBC on May 19, CBS and UPN on May 20, and The WB on May 21, 2009.
PBS is not included; member stations have local flexibility over most of their schedules and broadcasts times for network shows may vary. NBC stripped The Jay Leno Show weeknights at 10 p.m. Eastern/9 p.m. Central, but removed it after the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
New series are highlighted in bold.
All times are U.S. Eastern and Pacific Time (except for some live sports or events). Subtract one hour for Central, Mountain, Alaska and Hawaii-Aleutian times.
Note: From February 12 to February 28, 2010, all NBC primetime programming was pre-empted for coverage of 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Each of the 30 highest-rated shows is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.
Contents
- 1 Legend
- 2 Sunday
- 3 Monday
- 4 Tuesday
- 5 Wednesday
- 6 Thursday
- 7 Friday
- 8 Saturday
Legend[]
- Light blue indicates local programming.
- Gray indicates encore programming.
- Blue-gray indicates news programming.
- Light green indicates sporting events.
- Red indicates series being burned off and other regularly scheduled programs, including specials and movies.
- Light gold indicates programming produced outside of the United States.
- highlight Yellow highlights indicates the top-10 most watched programs of the season.
- highlight Cyan highlights indicates numbers 11-20 most watched programs of the season.
- highlight Magenta highlights indicates numbers 21-30 most watched programs of the season.
- highlight Highlights indicates that it falls in multiple of the above categories.
Sunday[]
| Network | 7:00 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | America's Funniest Home Videos | Extreme Makeover: Home Edition | Desperate Housewives (13/8.8) | Brothers & Sisters (23/7.0) | ||||
| Summer | Scoundrels | The Gates | |||||||
| CBS | Fall | 60 Minutes (17/8.4) | The Amazing Race (26/6.6) | Three Rivers | Cold Case (29/6.3) (Tied with Private Practice) | ||||
| Late fall | Various programming | Cold Case (29/6.3) (Tied with Private Practice) | Cold Case (R) | ||||||
| Winter | The Amazing Race (26/6.6) | Undercover Boss (8/9.8) (Tied with NCIS: Los Angeles) | Cold Case (29/6.3) (Tied with Private Practice) | ||||||
| Spring | Various programming | ||||||||
| Summer | Big Brother | Undercover Boss (R) | |||||||
| The WB | One Tree Hill (R) | Bobb'e Says | Dude, What Would Happen | Local programming | |||||
| Fox | Fall | Fox NFL (4:15 p.m.) | The OT | The Simpsons | The Cleveland Show | Family Guy | American Dad! | ||
| Winter | 'Til Death | ||||||||
| Late winter | 'Til Death | American Dad! (R) | Sons of Tucson | ||||||
| Spring | The Simpsons (R) | American Dad! | |||||||
| Late spring | Sons of Tucson | ||||||||
| Summer | Sons of Tucson | American Dad! (R) | Family Guy (R) | ||||||
| Mid-summer | American Dad! (R) | The Simpsons (R) | |||||||
| NBC | Fall | Football Night in America | NBC Sunday Night Football (8:15 p.m.) (continued to game completion) (5/11.3) | ||||||
| Winter | Dateline NBC | Various programming | |||||||
| Spring | Dateline NBC | Minute to Win It | The Apprentice | ||||||
| Summer | Law & Order: Criminal Intent (R) | America's Got Talent (R) | |||||||
Monday[]
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Dancing with the Stars (3/12.6) | Castle (24/6.9) (Tied with Lost) | ||||
| Mid-fall | Holiday specials | Find My Family | |||||
| Winter | The Bachelor (21/7.8) | ||||||
| Spring | Dancing with the Stars (3/12.6) | Romantically Challenged | |||||
| Summer | The Bachelorette | True Beauty | |||||
| Late summer | Bachelor Pad | Dating in the Dark | |||||
| CBS | Fall | How I Met Your Mother | Accidentally on Purpose | Two and a Half Men (12/8.9) | The Big Bang Theory (14/8.5) (Tied with Criminal Minds and The Good Wife) | CSI: Miami (18/8.1) | |
| Spring | Rules of Engagement | ||||||
| The WB | Fall | One Tree Hill | Gossip Girl | Local programming | |||
| Winter | Life Unexpected | ||||||
| Spring | Life Unexpected | Gossip Girl | |||||
| Mid-spring | One Tree Hill | ||||||
| Fox | Fall | House (22/7.5) | Lie to Me | ||||
| Winter | 24 (28/6.4) | ||||||
| Summer | Lie to Me | The Good Guys | |||||
| NBC | Fall | Heroes | Trauma | The Jay Leno Show | |||
| Winter | Chuck | Heroes | |||||
| Spring | Trauma | Law & Order | |||||
| Summer | Last Comic Standing | Persons Unknown | |||||
| Mid-summer | Dateline NBC | ||||||
| UPN | Local programming | ||||||
Tuesday[]
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Shark Tank | Dancing with the Stars (Results) (7/9.9) | The Forgotten | |||
| Mid-fall | V | ||||||
| Winter | Scrubs (R) | Better Off Ted (R) | Scrubs | Better Off Ted | |||
| Mid-winter | Lost (R) | Lost (24/6.9) (Tied with Castle) | |||||
| Spring | Dancing with the Stars (Results) (7/9.9) | V | |||||
| Summer | Wipeout | Downfall | Primetime | ||||
| Mid-summer | Shaq Vs. | ||||||
| CBS | NCIS (4/11.5) | NCIS: Los Angeles (8/9.8) (Tied with Undercover Boss) | The Good Wife (14/8.5) (Tied with The Big Bang Theory and Criminal Minds) | ||||
| The WB | Survive This | BrainRush | Local programming | ||||
| Fox | Fall | So You Think You Can Dance | |||||
| Winter | American Idol (1/13.7) | Various programming | |||||
| Mid-winter | American Idol (1/13.7) | ||||||
| Spring | American Idol (1/13.7) | Glee | |||||
| Late spring | Hell's Kitchen | ||||||
| Summer | Hell's Kitchen | MasterChef | |||||
| Late summer | Glee (R) | ||||||
| NBC | Fall | The Biggest Loser | The Jay Leno Show | ||||
| Spring | Parenthood | ||||||
| Summer | Losing It with Jillian | America's Got Talent | Law & Order (R) | ||||
| Mid-summer | America's Got Talent | ||||||
| UPN | 90210 | Melrose Place | Local programming | ||||
Wednesday[]
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Hank | The Middle | Modern Family | Cougar Town | Eastwick | |
| Mid-fall | Modern Family (R) | ||||||
| Winter | Ugly Betty | ||||||
| Late winter | Scrubs | ||||||
| Spring | Modern Family (R) | ||||||
| Late spring | The Middle (R) | Happy Town | |||||
| Summer | Castle (R) | ||||||
| CBS | Fall | The New Adventuresof Old Christine | Gary Unmarried | Criminal Minds (14/8.5) (Tied with The Big Bang Theory and The Good Wife) | CSI: NY (19/7.9) (Tied with Survivor) | ||
| Spring | Accidentally on Purpose | ||||||
| Summer | Big Brother | ||||||
| The WB | Fall | Destroy Build Destroy | The Beautiful Life | Local programming | |||
| Spring | Fly Girls | High Society | |||||
| Fox | Fall | So You Think You Can Dance | Glee | ||||
| Winter | Human Target | American Idol (2/13.3) | |||||
| Spring | Lie to Me (R) | ||||||
| Late spring | So You Think You Can Dance | ||||||
| Summer | MasterChef | ||||||
| UPN | America's Next Top Model | America's Next Top Model (R) | |||||
| NBC | Fall | Mercy | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | The Jay Leno Show | |||
| Spring | Minute to Win It | Mercy | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | ||||
| Summer | America's Got Talent (R) | America's Got Talent | |||||
| UPN | America's Next Top Model | America's Next Top Model (R) | Local programming | ||||
NOTES: On NBC, Parenthood was supposed to have started the night at 8–9, but it was delayed to midseason at the last minute and placed Mercy instead. On Fox, Our Little Genius was supposed to debut on January 10, 2010 but was cancelled and replaced with American Idol.
Thursday[]
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | FlashForward | Grey's Anatomy (11/9.0) | Private Practice (29/6.3) (Tied with Cold Case) | |||
| Winter | The Deep End | ||||||
| Spring | FlashForward | ||||||
| Summer | Wipeout | Rookie Blue | Boston Med | ||||
| Late summer | Head Cases | ||||||
| CBS | Fall | Survivor (19/7.9) (Tied with CSI: NY) | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (10/9.7) | The Mentalist (6/10.6) | |||
| Summer | Big Brother | ||||||
| The WB | The Vampire Diaries | Supernatural | Local programming | ||||
| Fox | Fall | Bones (27/6.5) | Fringe | ||||
| Winter | Past Life | ||||||
| Spring | Fringe | ||||||
| Late spring | Glee (R) | So You Think You Can Dance | |||||
| NBC | Fall | Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday | Parks and Recreation | The Office | Community | The Jay Leno Show | |
| Mid-fall | Community | 30 Rock | |||||
| Spring | The Marriage Ref | ||||||
| Summer | 100 Questions | The Office (R) | Parks and Recreation (R) | ||||
| UPN | UPN Thursday Night Movie | Local programming | |||||
Friday[]
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Supernanny | Ugly Betty | 20/20 | |||
| Winter | Shark Tank | ||||||
| Spring | Wife Swap | Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution | |||||
| Summer | Primetime | ||||||
| CBS | Fall | Ghost Whisperer | Medium | Numb3rs | |||
| Spring | Miami Medical | ||||||
| Summer | Medium (R) | Flashpoint | |||||
| Mid-summer | CSI: NY (R) | Flashpoint | |||||
| The WB | Smallville | The Othersiders | Local programming | ||||
| Fox | Fall | Brothers | 'Til Death | Dollhouse | |||
| Mid-fall | House (R) | Bones (R) | |||||
| Late fall | Dollhouse | ||||||
| Winter | House (R) | Kitchen Nightmares | |||||
| Spring | Past Life | House (R) | |||||
| Summer | Bones (R) | ||||||
| NBC | Fall | Law & Order | Dateline NBC | The Jay Leno Show | |||
| Spring | Who Do You Think You Are? | Dateline NBC | |||||
| Summer | Friday Night Lights (R) | ||||||
| UPN | WWE Friday Night SmackDown | Local programming | |||||
NOTE: On NBC, Southland would have to be aired 9–10, but it was cancelled at the last minute and it was picked up by TNT.
Saturday[]
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | ESPN Saturday Night Football (continued to game completion) | |||||
| Winter | ABC Saturday Movie of the Week | Castle (R) | |||||
| CBS | Fall | Crimetime Saturday | 48 Hours | ||||
| Summer | Three Rivers | Crimetime Saturday | |||||
| Mid-summer | The Bridge | ||||||
| Late summer | Crimetime Saturday | ||||||
| Fox | COPS | COPS (R) | America's Most Wanted | Local programming | |||
| NBC | Fall | Mercy (R) | Law & Order (R) | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (R) | |||
| Spring | Parenthood (R) | ||||||
| Summer | Persons Unknown | Law & Order: Criminal Intent (R) | |||||
