We can hardly believe it has been four months since Rachel surprised Ross at his wedding! Whew. And Gary has been waiting for his next Early Edition of the daily paper for 14 weeks. With a whole summer of short skirts and short fuses, who knows what sort of trouble Ally McBeal has gotten herself into. Enough waiting: Let the new season begin. With 60 returning prime-time network shows - not to mention cable and syndicated series - it's set to start with a bang!
Although there are plot twists aplenty that even we don't know yet (just how is Bobby Simone going to leave NYPD Blue, and will it really break Det. Diane Russell's heart?), our Returning Favorites issue is packed with tons of must-know info. Night by night, we make sure you're up on the new time slots for shows that moved (check out Tuesday's sitcom switcheroo). Plus, TV Guide critic Matt Roush weighs in with a prescient preseason pronouncement on each returning show's prospects for the fall.
So consider this a must-read, your back-to-prime-time primer. And it's actually just chapter one in our September fall classic. Next week: a look at all the new series ready to bow in the upcoming weeks.
STARTED: July 27
THE BIG NEWS: "It's going to be all-about-Amanda year," says executive producer Charles Pratt Jr. of star Heather Locklear. "She's the reason that people tune in." Fittingly, almost all the major characters will move into Amanda's apartment complex and/or work for her.
WHO'S OUT: Andrew Shue, Alyssa Milano, Lisa Rinna, Brooke Langton, Linden Ashby.
WHO'S IN: Josie Bissett returns as Jane Mancini. Fresh faces include Rena Sofer (General Hospital) as Eve, Amanda's friend; and Steve Wilder (Days of Our Lives) as Alex, a man from Jane's past.
FLASH!: Melrose's 200th episode on September 14 is a flashback-filled show ignited by the return of a former cast member and a secret-stuffed diary.
MATT SAYS: Melrose was always best when everyone lived in the same building, getting in each other's faces. If anyone can stir some bubbles back into these tired suds, it's Locklear.
