LOS ANGELES (AP) -- There will be moles, but no rats, on ABC's reality shows this fall, network executives said Sunday.
"The Mole II," "The Runner" and two weekly editions of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" are among the reality programs ABC has set for the new season.
They will be unlike NBC's "Fear Factor," a show in which contestants brave rat-filled pits and other ordeals for prize money, ABC's Stu Bloomberg said.
"You won't see 'Fear Factor' on ABC," he said.
Observers have condemned NBC's reality fare, including "Spy TV" and quiz show "Weakest Link," as mean-spirited.
Bloomberg and Lloyd Braun, co-chairmen of ABC Entertainment Television Group, told the Television Critics Association they had high hopes for the second season of "The Mole" and for "The Runner."
"The Runner," set to debut next January and produced by actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, puts a contestant on the road with a set of challenges to meet and the risk of being caught by the public.
The show is "a monumental undertaking," but is coming together, Braun said.
Although "Millionaire," with host Regis Philbin, is being cut to two episodes a week, Bloomberg and Braun said that does not mean they have less confidence in it.
The quiz show, which was an unexpected smash hit when in debuted in summer 1999 and became a mainstay of the ABC schedule, has seen an erosion in the young audience favored by advertisers.
"It's still a great, fun show," Bloomberg said.
Having it on four nights was "an enormous luxury" that allowed the network to put time and attention into developing comedy and drama series, Braun said.
Now, Bloomberg said, ABC can preserve the quiz show's "specialness" by halving the episodes. Monday night's "Millionaire" will feature stunt programming like the all-athletes edition Sept. 10, which is tied to the first regular season game of "Monday Night Football."
On Thursdays, the quiz show will continue to feature non-celebrity contestants.
The ABC executives defended their decision to shake up their schedule, including the move of "NYPD Blue" from Tuesday to Wednesday. Series producer Steven Bochco has publicly criticized the change, although his new series "Philly" will get the old "NYPD Blue" slot.
"It's really competitive out there" and no network gets a free ride on any night, Braun said. "NYPD Blue," which will face NBC's popular "Law & Order," will make ABC more competitive on Wednesday, Bloomberg said.
ABC also announced that author Stephen King will write and produce a network series, "The Kingdom," drawn from a Swedish miniseries. The drama is planned for the 2002-03 season.
The longtime King-ABC relationship has led to several miniseries including "The Stand" and "Storm of the Century."
