"Bones" Replaces "New Amsterdam" on Fall Sked

Maybe there's a curse on immortal-detective shows this season. Maybe it's some kind of David Boreanaz/"Angel" mojo.

CBS' "Moonlight," about a vampire private eye, has been playing musical showrunners for weeks now, most recently shedding former "Angel" honcho David Greenwalt in favor of former "Millennium" honcho Chip Johannessen. Several supporting roles have been recast too, reportedly. And now Fox's "New Amsterdam," about an immortal detective in New York City, has been pushed back to midseason, as Fox handed over its time slot to Boreanaz and "Bones" in a schedule reshuffle.

"Bones," starring Boreanaz as an FBI agent and Emily Deschanel as a forensic anthropologist, will now air on Tuesdays at 8, right before the ratings juggernaut and critical favorite "House." The summer sort-of -hit/"Singing Bee" clone "Don't Forget The Lyrics" will take the Thursday 9 p.m. slot, while Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares" will move from that slot to the old "Bones" time period, Wednesdays at 9 p.m.

It's all part of Fox's attempt to strengthen its fall schedule, which has generally languished in recent years while the network got all its ratings punch with the arrival of "American Idol" and "24" in January. Some mild erosion for those shows - including a drubbing from fans and critics for this season of "24" - suggest Fox is smart to concentrate on building a season-long strategy instead of abandoning the fall to the baseball playoffs and repeats as in the past. After all, no one lives forever.