BY DAVID KRONKE >TV CRITIC

ABC kept its upfront presentation unveiling its fall 2008 schedule short and sweet on Tuesday, mainly because the network didn't have many new shows to introduce.

In introducing a schedule with so few changes, network entertainment president Stephen McPherson touted ABC's "incredibly stable schedule, a schedule that dominated in the fall. We were winning (in the ratings) until the strike."

Only two new shows will join the schedule come fall. "Life on Mars," an adaptation of the British series about a police detective who, after an automobile accident, finds himself back in the 1970s, where swaggering machismo is the order of the day in the police precincts, is the lone scripted addition. "Opportunity Knocks," a reality series created by Ashton Kutcher in which a game show is taken into the streets for contestants in a neighborhood to play, was also added.

New midseason shows include "The Goode Family," an animated series from Mike Judge ("King of the Hill") about a stringently politically correct albeit inept family, and an untitled beauty-pageant reality series from Kutcher and Tyra Banks. ABC has also scheduled the medical comedy "Scrubs," which heretofore had aired on NBC, for midseason. "Lost," "The Bachelor," "According to Jim" and ABC News' "Primetime" will all also join the schedule at a later date.

McPherson stated that additionally, the network has 17 more pilots that are still in development, some of which will appear some time in 2009, but he didn't elaborate on what they might be. "We don't feel comfortable picking stuff up until it's been fully developed," he said.

That "Boston Legal" and "Eli Stone" are returning was considered something of a surprise, since neither show was expected to return.

"According to Jim" also returns despite anemic ratings - it was almost canceled last year, as well. Their returns can be attributed to fallout from the writers strike, which prevented more new shows from being developed in a timely manner.

Departing series include "Big Shots," "Men in Trees," "Miss Guided," "Cashmere Mafia," "Carpoolers" and "Cavemen."

ABC's fall 2008 schedule (* indicates new show; ** indicates new time slot):

Monday 8 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars"

9:30 p.m. "Samantha Who?"

10 p.m. "Boston Legal" **

Tuesday 8 p.m. "Opportunity Knocks" *

9 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars, the Results Show"

10 p.m. "Eli Stone" **

Wednesday 8 p.m. "Pushing Daisies"

9 p.m. "Private Practice"

10 p.m. "Dirty Sexy Money"

Thursday 8 p.m. "Ugly Betty"

9 p.m. "Grey's Anatomy"

10 p.m. "Life on Mars" *

Friday 8 p.m. "Wife Swap" **

9 p.m. "Supernanny" **

10 p.m. "20/20"

Saturday 8 p.m. "Saturday Night College Football"

Sunday 7 p.m. "America's Funniest Home Videos"

8 p.m. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"

9 p.m. "Desperate Housewives"

10 p.m. "Brothers & Sisters"

David Kronke, (818) 713-3638

david.kronke@dailynews.com

www.insidesocal.com/tv/