Fox announced its lineup for 2005-06 this morning, and nearly gave me a stroke when I couldn't find 24 among the listings. Turns out the rundown I was reading had fall '05 and January '06 schedules, where Keifer and company reside.

THE NEW

Prison Break has already started airing promos. The show revolves around a guy who gets himself thrown into prison to bust out his brother, who's on death row. It's in 24's time slot for the fall, which may make Monday at 9 eastern the most violent time slot in television next season.

Bones is about forensic anthropoligist and author Dr. Temperance Brennan, whose skill is, you guessed it, looking at bones to figure out what happened to their former owner. It's billed as a "darkly amusing drama" and is apparently based on a real-life forensic anthropologist and author. The always-brooding David Boreanaz is cast as a special agent who finds himself working with the good doctor when the need arises, even though he's skeptical of science and scientists when it comes to solving crimes. Because, really, where did DNA testing get us?

This airs before House, which seems like a pretty good fit.

Head Cases is about a pair of lawyers who are both recovering from mental problems, played by Chris O'Donnell and Adam Goldberg. They create their own offbeat, slightly disturbed practice while O'Donnell's character tries to reconnect with his son and maintain a connection with a woman (played by Rachel Leigh Cook) he met at the "wellness center" he stayed at post-breakdown.

Lots of star power, which it'll need for its Wednesday at 9 eastern slot.

Reunion follows six people from their high school graduation to their 20th reunion. Each episode covers one year of their lives, but there is reference back to the current day, when the death of one of the friends is being investigated.

There's not that much star power here, which is a real problem with its Thursday at 9 eastern slot. I fear that, unless the death actually occurred in 1992, we may never learn what happened.

The Gate - which is still listed as a working title, concerningly - follows officers of the San Francisco Police Department's Deviant Crime Unit. The duo at the center are a cop who went AWOL for a year after the death of his partner and his new, by the book partner who may have a vested interest in making his return a failure.

The show reads kind of like it was made in the TV drama chem lab - a pinch of The X-Files, dashes of the various Law & Orders, etc. It's buried on Friday.

There are two new sitcoms. One, The War at Home, gets the Sunday slot between The Simpsons and Family Guy. Though I don't know why - it reads like a cross between Malcolm in the Middle (now airing Fridays after The Bernie Mac Show) and Grounded For Life.

The other new comedy is Kitchen Confidential, based on the great book by Tony Bourdain. My main concern here is that the show will in no way live up to the book, whose exploits, while often comical, can be a little too edgy for network TV.

Nicholas Brendon becomes the second Buffy alum to wind up on Fox, playing one of the chefs that Jack Bourdain hires when he's given a shot at turning around a top NYC restaurant - in 48 hours.

I'll probably watch, and will likely be slightly disappointed.

Midseason offers little - The Loop is about a guy who is the first of his circle of friends to land a serious job, but who also wants to keep up with their serious social lives. Free Birds is kind of a burnout variant of Ed, where a guy returns home after spending his college years partying. He may wind up with the hot girl from high schoo, or he may continue to drink his life away with a former high school BMOC.

THE OLD

A lot of surprises among sitcoms, as both Arrested Development and The Bernie Mac Show got picked up. The former is Kitchen Confidential's lead in on Mondays until House takes their spot in January to accomodate American Idol's normal Tuesday slot. The latter leads in to Malcolm on Friday.

Stacked got picked up as well, a rare mid-season success. There was no listing for The Simple Life, perhaps the only meaningful result to the Paris Holton - Nicole Richie feud. There's talk Paris will be back with Kimberly Stewart (who appears to be even more blonde and vacuous than Hilton), though if we all think happy thoughts, we might be spared.

Both Trading Spouses and Nanny 911 aren't scheduled, either, but are likely to return as holes need plugging.