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ABC, CBS Expected to Go Neck and Neck on Wednesdays

Wednesday looks to be a night to watch, come the fall broadcast network season.

While Fox should once again take the lead when American Idol returns in January, the No. 2 slot is likely to be hotly contested, writes Media Life. Media buyers believe ABC will edge out CBS, based on a lineup that includes Private Practice - a spinoff of its highly successful Grey’s Anatomy.

ABC is also expected to be the No. 1 network until American Idol airs, with CBS in second place, followed by NBC, Fox and the CW.

The ABC-CBS race will be a close one, with a lot riding on the success of Private Practice. Spinoffs don’t have a good recent history, but Grey’s Anatomy is ABC’s strongest scripted program and the show may do well.

ABC’s Wednesday night opens with Pushing Daisies, a drama about a man who can bring dead things back to life, followed by Practice and new legal drama Dirty Sexy Money. Practice is expected to be solid for ABC, with Shari Anne Brill, senior vp and director of programming at Carat, saying she believes there will be “a lot of sampling for it.” Dirty Sexy Money is not expected to do as well, and in January it will likely leave the schedule for the return of Lost.

CBS will air Kid Nation at 8, followed by returning Criminal Minds at 9 and CSI: NY. Kid Nation is not expected to do well.

NBC will air Deal or No Deal at 8, the remake of Bionic Woman at 9 and a drama about a detective who was wrongly convicted, Life, at 10.

The CW will likely lag in the 18-49 demo again, but is expected to win with younger viewers, particularly with its new show Gossip Girl which has been receiving positive buzz since the network’s upfront presentation.