San Francisco -With the five broadcast networks having released their new television schedules last week, some trends are evident, some battles are brewing and some time shifts are of note. But there's only one clear, overriding theme: familiarity.

Last year at this time ABC had the most talked-about series heading into the new season: "FlashForward." It had a big-screen cinematic approach and a complicated puzzle at its core-everybody in the world blacked out at the same time and most had revealing "flash forward" visions of their futures. This was going to be one of those "event" type series, a la "Lost."

Except it tanked. And this season there's a noticeable scaling back of ambition and a return to comfortable, close-ended procedurals that viewers are familiar with. No long-term commitments, no preposterous or impenetrable premises. There's also a rash of relationship series-both comedies and dramas. A staple of television for generations, the notion that it's hard to connect with others and find love and happiness is back. Mainly for laughs.

In many ways, the 2010-11 season, on network television at least, will be a return to passive viewing. Sit on the couch, turn on the TV, get entertained, call it a night. Only three series-ABC's "No Ordinary Family," NBC's "The Event," and Fox's "Terra Nova" - seem willing to try something different. "No Ordinary Family" stars Michael Chiklis ("The Shield") as the leader of a family that finds they've developed super powers after crashing in the Amazon. If you're thinking "The Incredibles" meets "Heroes" well, probably not. Nothing is going to be as cool as "The Incredibles" in a live-action setting, and ABC is looking for laughs and learning in this series, not mythology. NBC's "The Event" is about a normal guy whose fiancé goes missing and he begins to "expose the biggest cover-up in U.S. history." Whether audiences are in the mood for serialized dramas anymore is debatable. "Terra Nova" is a back-in-time series (with dinosaurs) from Steven Spielberg. None of them seem especially fresh.

For most of the other offerings, you might as well slip on your pajamas and relax. You're not going to be challenged much.

Here's a look at some of the trends and notable decisions now that the ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and the CW have all announced their schedules:

Remake fever didn't really heat up: Yes, CBS remade "Hawaii Five-O" and the CW remade "La Femme Nikita" into merely "Nikita," but both shows have received favorable early reaction, which is good news for both networks (and we can only hope the full episodes are good). NBC not remaking "Rockford Files" and "Prime Suspect" (though they still might) is the best news yet.

Safe, predictable, procedurals remain strong: CBS, king of procedurals, has "Hawaii Five-O," "The Defenders," a legal series; "Blue Bloods," about a multigenerational family of cops; and "Criminal Minds 2" at midseason. ABC has "Body of Proof" about a medical examiner; "Detroit 1-8-7," a cop series; "The Whole Truth," a legal drama; and "Off the Map," a medical drama (at midseason). NBC has "The Cape," a cop series; "Chase," about U.S. Marshals; "Outlaw," a legal series; "Harry's Law," another legal series; and "Law & Order: Los Angeles." Fox has "Ride-Along," a cop series. That's a whole lot of "been there, seen that."

The "different" shows are also familiar: Fox has "Lonestar," a soap about big Texas oil. ABC's "My Generation" is a documentary-like drama about a group of Texas teenagers who graduated in 2000 and who are revisited a decade later. NBC's "Undercovers" is a spy series. Compared to cops, doctors and lawyers, that's revolutionary. Only not.

The comedy boom continues: Five from NBC; four from Fox; three from ABC; two from CBS.

Once again, you'll need a DVR with a lot of memory because counter-programming rules: Viewers hate it, but the networks have plenty of head-to-head battles next season, forcing tough choices. Especially crowded is the 10 p.m. block, now that NBC is back in the fray. Take Mondays for example: "Castle" vs. "Hawaii Five-O" vs. "Chase." Or Tuesdays at 10 as well: "Detroit 1-8-7" vs. "The Good Wife" vs. "Parenthood." Thursdays at 8 p.m. has "Big Bang Theory" vs. "Community" vs. "My Generation." On and on it goes-and that's not factoring in cable.

On the plus side, this is the time of year when the future is bright and everything seems like a hit. No "FlashForward" has yet to crash and burn. No cult show is canceled. There's love in all those relationship series. And we know that if a cop shoots a criminal who turns out to be innocent, he can always find a lawyer and a fair trial after his successful surgery.