Operating on a calendar all its own, television is ready for its next push. March means change. It means new shows, returning shows and sometimes the introduction of odd shows.

That starts Wednesday with "Free Ride," which is both new and odd. It's a comedy without a script.

"I have attention-deficit syndrome," says Rob Roy Thomas, the show's creator. "And I have trouble sitting down and writing scripts."

So the actors improvise — just as actors do in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and the upcoming "Sons & Daughters." Somehow, it works.

That will be followed two days later by a much more traditional show, NBC's "Conviction." Then the avalanche begins.

Networks like to introduce midseason shows in January or March, when viewership is still high and competition is light.

NBC is less cautious because it has Olympics oomph. Today, it moves "The Apprentice" to Mondays and starts a weeklong rush of "Deal or No Deal."

Fox figures anything that follows "Idol" will be sampled, so it introduces "Free Ride." Josh Dean plays a college grad who moves home, stunning his parents (Allan Havey and Loretta Fox). Erin Cahill is his dream girl and Dave Sheridan is a guy whose soul remains rooted in high school.

Here's a sampling of the changes on broadcast networks, then key ones on cable and satellite: