Comedy is key as nets plot slots for fall season.(ANALYSIS)

In the DVR era, auds may indeed be more inclined to watch shows on their own timetables--but schedules and timeslots are still important.

As the broadcast nets continue to pick up new shows for the fall, a key determining factor in how each will perform is where it lands on the primetime sked. It may sound old-fashioned, but the best way to maximize a show's potential is to schedule it behind an established hit.

CBS, with the most hit shows, will be looking to use them to funnel viewers to its frosh fare, which figures to be heavy on comedy.

ABC, meanwhile, has more holes but will likely zero in on a couple of key nights, while Fox's priorities include finding a new signature drama and a live-action comedy hit.

And NBC, with fewer building blocks than its rivals, figures to focus on the 10 o'clock horn, where no new big hit show on any net has emerged for years and the competish isn't as intense. (And there certainly are good 10 p.m. slots available at the Peacock following this season's "Jay Leno Show" failure.)

Overall, comedy appears to be more of a priority for the Big Four than recent years, coming off a season in which most of the new successes--led by "Glee" and "Modern Family"--made auds chuckle. But …