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THE DREW CAREY SHOW ABC, 8-8:30 PM

Facing dipping ratings and a two season renewal, Drew is ''gonna get back to the roots of the show and not focus so much on stunts,'' says exec producer Clay Graham. Say goodbye to live episodes, trips to China, and Christa Miller's Kate, who'll be married off in the season's second episode. Coincidentially, Drew (Drew Carey) just happens to run into an old classmate (Titus' Cynthia Watros) who always had a crush on him. On the work front, Drew's department store is bought out by a dotcom (uh, is this a period piece?). So can Drew and Co. depose time-slot ruler The King of Queens? Laughs Graham, ''I like to call [King] the poor man's Drew Carey.'' You wish! (Sept. 9)

THE KING OF QUEENS CBS, 8-8:30 PM

We don't have any major changes,'' says exec producer Cathy Yuspa. ''It's the continued adventures of Fattie, Hottie, and Oldie.'' To wit: Fattie (Kevin James' Doug) can't sleep when Hottie (Leah Remini's Carrie) starts working the night shift at the law firm, so he winds up sharing his bed with Oldie (Jerry Stiller's Arthur). ''When Arthur's there, Doug can finally sleep because there's a warm body next to him,'' reports Yuspa. ''So basically, Doug has a brief affair with Arthur.'' Yowza! That probably explains why ''we're not adding a kid,'' says Yuspa. ''It's something we have a lot of interest in, but it's not time yet.'' Guess that means there won't be any Baby Bob crossovers. (Sept. 23)

BOSTON PUBLIC FOX, 8-9 PM

School's out for the departing Jessalyn Gilsig (English teacher Lauren Davis) and Rashida Jones (office assistant Louisa Fenn), while Jon Abrahams (Scary Movie) and New Kids on the Block alum Joey McIntyre join the faculty. Abrahams' science guy Zach Fischer is a Winslow High grad, ''a textbook bad boy who went to college, got his certification, and comes back to haunt the administration,'' says executive producer Jonathan Pontell. McIntyre will play student teacher Colin Flynn. Says Pontell, ''It's hard to tell whether he's a student or a teacher by the way he dresses and his lingo.'' For instance, he insists on referring to his old boy band as ''N.K.O.T.B.'' (Oct. 21)

THE PARKERS UPN, 8-8:30 PM

In last season's send-off, Nikki (Mo'Nique) and Professor Oglevee (Dorien Wilson) -- how should we put this? -- ''did the do,'' says exec producer Sara Finney-Johnson. ''Wow, there's going to be a whole bunch of stuff happening because of that one night.'' Producers are also hoping to wow viewers with two guest stars so famous they need only one name each: Shaq and Nelly. But don't hold your breath waiting for another mono-monikered celeb: There are no plans for Brandy, whose sitcom Moesha originally spun off The Parkers, to pop up this season. ''We'd love to have her back, but I don't know if she'd want to,'' says Finney-Johnson. Then again, as Brandy once sang, ''Never say never.'' (Sept. 23)

7TH HEAVEN THE WB, 8-9 PM

You won't see much of Camden kids Mary (Jessica Biel, who'll do only a few episodes) and Matt (Barry Watson, who's being treated for Hodgkin's disease). ''It kind of sucks, but if anyone can get through cancer and really beat it, it's Barry,'' says costar Stephen Collins. But the parsonage won't seem empty, what with quasi-surrogate son Robbie (Adam LaVorgna) living there, and Lucy (Beverley Mitchell) moving boyfriend Kevin (George Stults) into the garage apartment. ''She's all grown up, isn't she?'' Collins observes of his blossoming small-screen offspring. ''It's very disconcerting. I'm just like any other guy going, 'Oh my God!' Then there's part of me going, 'Run inside and change your clothes!''' Maybe we need an 11th commandment: Thou shalt not lust after thy TV daughter. (Sept. 16)

YES, DEAR CBS, 8:30-9 PM

In a move guaranteed to lock up the coveted 2-to-5 demo, the Wiggles will make a guest appearance. For anyone without toddlers, the Wiggles are an Australian musical group hugely popular with the post-Barney generation. ''My 2- and 4-year-old kids took a picture with the Wiggles, and it was like they met Elvis,'' says exec producer Greg Garcia. The band will gain another future fan when Kim (Jean Louisa Kelly) and Greg (Anthony Clark) welcome their second child at midseason. ''Having a baby on our show isn't a huge, huge event,'' says Garcia. ''It's not like Mad About You or Friends when every story is all of a sudden about being pregnant.'' Right, because that never boosts the ratings. (Sept. 23)

ONE ON ONE UPN, 8:30-9 PM

Jumping off the show's title, Flex (Flex Alexander) tries out for the L.A. Clippers. ''He attempts to make it into the NBA at 33 years old, which is a joke in itself,'' says exec producer Eunetta Boone. Good thing he can get his old sportscasting job back -- after a stint as the station's weatherman. The forecast is cloudy for Flex's relationship with daughter Breanna (Kyla Pratt), who'll turn 16, learn to drive, and go out on her first unchaperoned date. Not to be outdone, Flex gets a new girlfriend: his daughter's favorite teacher. Well, it worked on Gilmore Girls. (Sept. 23)

EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND CBS, 9-9:30 PM

Forget Friends -- could this be Raymond's last season? Ray Romano hasn't signed to continue the series, and creator Phil Rosenthal has long said that seven years seems like enough for any show. ''I'm Jewish, so there's nothing I love more than worrying about something way before it needs to be worried about,'' says Rosenthal. ''But this is a little soon to be worried.'' Meanwhile, Ray Barone's worries this season will include mediating a feud over thank-you notes between wife Debra (Patricia Heaton) and mama Marie (Doris Roberts), dealing with his kids' avalanche of homework, and bailing out dad Frank (Peter Boyle) after he's busted for shoplifting. Is Rosenthal concerned about Romano splitting his time between TV and his budding big-screen career (Ice Age and the upcoming Action Abramowitz)? Nope. ''As long as he's not late for rehearsal, he can do whatever he likes.'' And Romano's not the only cast member with extra-curricular projects: Heaton and Roberts recently inked publishing deals. Quips Rosenthal, ''I'm going to write a book called My Cast Is Writing Too Many Books.'' (Sept. 23)

THIRD WATCH NBC, 9-10 PM

Sean Young alert! The actress makes what executive producer Edward Bernero calls ''a very, very rare television appearance'' in the season's first episode as a wealthy Manhattanite who gets caught in the middle of a riot. In a not-so-rare television appearance, Roy Scheider returns as a Russian mobster who squares off with cop Sully (Skipp Sudduth). Paramedic Doc (Michael Beach) rebounds from his romance with the departed Dr. Morales (Lisa Vidal). Says Bernero: ''As most of us do, he goes down the wrong path first with a much younger woman.'' Speak for yourself, buddy. (Sept. 30)

GIRLFRIENDS UPN, 9-9:30 PM

Somebody is getting married,'' teases creator and exec producer Mara Brock Akil. ''I won't say who it is.'' Okay, let's try to figure it out. Joan (Tracee Ellis Ross) just ended two relationships -- probably not her. Maya (Golden Brooks) got caught cheating on her husband -- definitely not her. Lynn (Persia White) is busy meeting her birth mother -- nah. Toni (Jill Marie Jones) starts dating a shorter man -- aha, we've got our winner! But wait, we forgot all about William (Reggie Hayes). Determined to make partner at his law firm, says Akil, ''he gets with a woman he feels will help take him to the top.'' Damn, so close! (Sept. 23)

CROSSING JORDAN NBC, 10-11 PM

Preparing to do battle with fellow forensics drama CSI: Miami, ''we're amping up the show in terms of the kinds of stories we're doing,'' says creator and executive producer Tim Kring. ''We're trying to give the NBC promo department as much stuff as we can.'' Like a 90-minute season opener that takes Boston coroner Jordan Cavanaugh (Jill Hennessy) to L.A. on the trail of her mother's murderer; Jerry O'Connell's return as Jordan's detective colleague Woody; a quarantine episode; and a hostage situation at the morgue. Any Day Now's Lorraine Toussaint will become a regular as abrasive new medical examiner Elaine Duchamps. ''We brought her on because we found the morgue was a lovefest,'' says Kring. ''We needed somebody to mix things up.'' In other words, she'll be crossing Jordan. (Sept. 23)