New dramas will fill slots vacated by departing fall shows

ABC has filled in more of its midseason schedule, finding homes for new dramas "Castle," "Cupid" and "The Unusuals" -- albeit probably at the expense of a couple of the network's current shows.

"Castle," a light mystery drama starring Nathan Fillion ("Firefly," "Drive"), will be first out of the gate at 10 p.m. ET Monday, March 9. It will take over the spot currently held by " Boston Legal," whose series finale is next week (the unscripted show "True Beauty" will occupy the hour starting in January).

"Cupid" is a remake of creator Rob Thomas' 1998 series about a man (Bobby Cannavale, "Will & Grace") who believes he's the titular god; it debuts at 10 p.m. Tuesday, March 24. "The Unusuals," an ensemble cop drama featuring Amber Tamblyn ("Joan of Arcadia") and Harold Perrineau ( "Lost") will premiere at 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 8. ABC has also announced that " Primetime: What Would You Do?" will return to the schedule Tuesday, Jan. 6.

The Tuesday and Wednesday timeslots are currently occupied by "Eli Stone" and " Dirty Sexy Money," both of which are reportedly on the verge of cancellation. A network spokesperson says that at least for now, the last original "Eli Stone" is scheduled for Dec. 16, while "Dirty Sexy Money" and fellow sophomore "Pushing Daisies" will end their seasons the next night.

Another first-year show, " Life on Mars," will move to 10 p.m. Wednesdays in late January; "The Unusuals" will then take over toward the end of the season.

ABC has yet to schedule new comedies "Better Off Ted," " The Goode Family" and "In the Motherhood." The network previously announced that "Scrubs" will return Jan. 6, and "Lost" will begin its season on Jan. 21. Finally, " Private Practice" will move to Thursdays starting Jan. 8.