• by Wayne Friedman , April 23, 2009

ABC announced a good chunk of its schedule for the 2009-2010 season with the usual suspects in tow and new hopefuls left behind.

Among the 11 shows given the go-ahead for next year are big hitters such as "Grey's Anatomy," "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost." The list include stalwart players "Private Practice," "The Bachelor," "Brothers & Sisters," "America's Funniest Home Videos," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "Ugly Betty," "Supernanny" and "Wife Swap," all of which got the nod in early pick ups for next year.

Not on the list is 2-year-old comedy "Samantha Who," which has been suffering at its 8:30 Tuesday nighttime slot. Recently, it took in a 1.5/5 among 18-49 viewers. Last year, before the writers' strike, the show was earning strong 3 and 4 ratings in the big 18-49 demographic.

A bunch of midseason shows also didn't yet make the cut -- "The Unusuals," "Better Off Ted," "Scrubs," "Cupid," "In the Motherhood" and "Castle." Of these, only "Castle" appears to have a chance of returning.

Of the shows that made it, there were no real surprises, although early on "Ugly Betty" was considered in danger. But recently, Steve McPherson, ABC entertainment president, gave his thumbs up on the show after trying out other series.