Tom Maurstad

For some of the broadcast networks trumpeting their new (or not so much) seasons at the TCA press tour, spring has become the new fall as they announce post-strike plans to shift the premiere of new shows from the traditional launching-pad of the fall season of September/October to spring and January/February (and maybe March). But on Saturday, the CW unveiled another calendar recalibra- tion: summer as the new fall.

Instead of springing forward, the CBS-owned network is falling back and premiering its new fall lineup in the last couple of weeks of summer. Returning shows One Tree Hill and cult-pop phenom Gossip Girls will debut Sept. 1, while the Tyra Banks-hosted reality hit, America's Next Top Model, starts Sept 3. In between, a spinoff of that inescapable '90s smash Beverly Hills 90210 – this time dubbed simply 90210 – will kick off Sept. 2 with a two-hour premiere.

A week later, another new soapy drama focusing on the young and the rich, Privileged, will debut Sept. 9, and the following week Smallville and Supernatural return Sept. 18. There are a couple of exceptions to the earlier rollout – Everybody Hates Chris and The Game return Oct. 3; the new fashion-reality show Stylista debuts Oct. 28.

"This won't be a one-time maneuver," said Dawn Ostroff, the CW's president of entertainment. "We plan on starting earlier in the summer from now on ... It allows us to premiere outside the clutter of the fall season."

The move can also be seen as the latest reaction from broadcast networks to the ongoing and broadening success of cable networks with original programming, many of which use summer as an uncontested fly zone for fledgling series.

"Sure, we looked at cable," Ms. Ostroff said. "They launch a lot of shows in the summer, and it works for them. And we looked at what broadcast puts on in the summer. I think it's a real open opportunity for us."

For now, summer may soon look like an overbooked hotel during a holiday rush – no vacancies.

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