ALOYSIUS McBARBER
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Get ready for something different "on" this network. This hour-long romantic dramedy follows the adventures of a young professional as he forges a professional and personal identity... only with a twist. Because Aloysius McBarber is set in the Yorkist era of England, circa 1483.

Recently returned from Oxford where he has been trained in the medieval art of barbering, the sensitive, learned Aloysius (David Conrad) is still reeling from his beloved Margaret's (Devon Odessa) betrothal to another man. Moving to London to escape memories of their childhood romance in York, he runs into her on the streets, and discovers he is employed by her new husband, Master Barber Edward (Tate Donovan).

Temptation, humor, and medical trauma all conspire to keep his life interesting. Little does Alyosius realize his life is about to become more complex, as his girlfriend Elizabeth Woodville (Brooke Theiss) seeks refuge from Richard III and drags him into the political intrigue between the Houses of York and Lancaster.

What's more, Aloysius must deal with an upstart barber trained in the mysterious arts of the Orient (Lauren Tom) whose abrasive nature rubs him raw. And a best friend, Rous of Northumberland (Curtis Armstrong) may not be as politically neutral as he appears.

Aloysius's innermost turmoil - reconciling his scientific barber training with the Christian teachings instilled by his beloved mentor, the canticleer Friar Thomas (Dom DeLuise) - is humorously illustrated by a traveling troupe of morality players. Aloysius truly is Everyman!

Can a barber survive the treacherous politics and plague of fifteenth century England with his sanity intact? We sure hope so... and we think you will too!

Fully endorsed by the Society for Creative Anachronism for historical accuracy, the series boasts actual cockfighting, bear-baiting dogs, a dog- baited bear, foxes, hinds and hounds, specially trained horses comprising a real draw-and-quarter team, and a thriving gray rat colony. Flea wranglers can't give an accurate population estimate for their tiny charges, but, in a break from historic accuracy, their trained vermin don't actually carry the yersinia pestillus bacterium.

GHOST COPS
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The high-tech wizards at James Cameron's Digital Domain ("Titanic") and Dick Wolf, producer of gritty urban dramas (New York Undercover, Law & Order) team up for a special-effects laden drama about crime, punishment... and redemption.

Det. Steve Mankiewicz (Max Gail) was an ace cop finishing off his long career by investigating New York's organized crime families. Just days from retirement, he was killed by hired thugs working for New York crime boss Salvatori Coppa (Paul Sorvino).

But Mankiewicz's story doesn't end there! He awakens from what he thought was eternal slumber only to find that he's now part of the City That Never Sleeps' most important weapon in the war on crime: the Ghost Cops!

The Ghost Cops are a cadre of NYPD veterans who, like Mankiewicz, were killed just days before leaving the force. Now deprived of their new boats, Boca Raton vacation homes, and the joyous smiles of their grandchildren, they spend their time haunting the criminals of New York City -- and putting them behind bars!

Other members of the Ghost Cops group include the buddy team of Pinkerton and Sanders (John Diehl, Martin Ferrero), two vice cops killed in a drug raid gone horribly wrong; Seamus McBride (David Kelly, the star of the acclaimed "Waking Ned Devine"), a whimsical and wise Irish cop killed in a police precinct shooting while filing his retirement papers; and the brilliant Mary Kendall (Farrah Forke), a high-tech police criminologist whose triumphant invention of a new method of DNA analysis was cut short when she was mysteriously killed in her own crime lab.

The Ghost Cops are aided by Todd Collier (Wayne Brady), a green uniformed officer who, after being hit on the head by one of Coppa's goons (Peter DeLuise), now has the unique ability to communicate with the Ghost Cops. Though his partner (Charlie Robinson) and girlfriend (Christine Elise) think he's crazy, Collier puts his credibility on the line to give the Ghost Cops the information they need.

Combining high tech with high action, Ghost Cops is an adventure that will chill your soul -- and warm your heart.

WITNESS!
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Howie Mandel returns to series television in the role that fits him like a glove -- as a tough-as-nails public defender fighting the system in this gritty, hard-edged drama from Dick Wolf.

Mandel is Johnny Schwartz, the best court-appointed lawyer in the Maricopa County public defender's office. With the help of his dedicated legal aid, Billy (Richard Brooks), Schwartz takes on the cases of Phoneix's wrongly accused, the distressed and disempowered who can't afford their only attorney and need the court to provide one for them. But it's not just the system Schwartz battles -- he also locks horns with a headline-seeking District Attorney (Chris Noth), who's out for revenge, and crooked Judge Ezra Wallington (George Dzundza), who's out for himself.

"The concept of defending those accused for crimes they didn't commit, that's a part of the criminal justice system that intrigues me," said Wolf, who also produces the highly anticipated Ghost Cops on this network. "And when you talk about 'intriguing,' you're talking Howie Mandel."

Helping Schwartz and Billy in their one-man quest for justice is the head of the Public Defender's office, Dennis Winslow (Michael Moriarty) -- a world- weary barrister who's seen it all. Schwartz's wife, Gretchen (Jill Hennessey), tries to understand her husband's passion for defending twice-convicted felons accused of arm robbery, but wonders if the spark has finally gone out of their marriage.

Nail-biting courtroom drama and poignant human interest stories we can all relate to? You'll find Witness! guilty... of being good television, that is! And this network is your accomplice!