Global Television hopes female-driven dramas like 90210 and Melrose Place will give it audience traction at 10 p.m. this fall amid the arrival of The Jay Leno Show, weeknights on the rival Citytv stations, and CTV’s continuing dominance of that time-slot with investigative crime dramas.

‘The competition has changed at 10 p.m.,’ said Barbara Williams, SVP of programming at Canwest Global Communications, as Leno leaves David Letterman behind to compete at 10 p.m. with CSI: Miami and CSI: New York.

Global’s fall schedule, which she revealed in Toronto on Wednesday, has a fourth season of ABC’s Brothers and Sisters on Mondays at 10 p.m., the rookie CBS drama The Good Wife on Tuesdays, CW’s Melrose remake on Wednesdays, and the second season of CW’s 90210 on Thursdays at 10 p.m.

Few U.S. series have emerged as break-out hits at 10 p.m. in recent years, barring CTV’s CSI and Law & Order franchises.

As it targets the gals over the guys, Global’s only crime drama at 10 p.m. is CBS’ Numb3rs on Friday nights, which will go up against Flashpoint on CTV.

Global has also anchored its fall schedule with mostly returning U.S. series after cash-strapped parent Canwest bought sparingly at the recent Los Angeles Screenings.

Fox’s House returns on Mondays at 8 p.m, and Global will simulcast the CBS lineup on Tuesday nights with NCIS at 8 p.m., followed by the spin-off drama NCIS: Los Angeles at 9 p.m.

The returning Bones will anchor Wednesday nights, followed by the Fox musical-comedy series Glee at 9 p.m. Survivor: Samoa, that franchise’s 19th installment, leads off Thursdays primetime at 8 p.m., before NBC’s The Office at 9 p.m. and SNL Weekend Update at 9:30 p.m.

The only other big fall purchase at Global is the Fox animated series The Cleveland Show added to a Sunday night filled with Fox cartoon sitcoms.

‘It’s a stable, reliable schedule, and there’s nothing people want more than that,’ said Williams, adding that Global offers consistency to viewers and advertisers who are increasingly migrating to niche channels and the internet.

The programming task at Canwest Global was made easier this year by scheduling only one network, as the five E!-branded channels continue in limbo on the auction block.

‘Running one network is the way to go. We won’t be running E! this fall,’ Williams said.

On the Canadian programming front, Global has The Guard on Fridays at 8 p.m., and Project Runway Canada migrating to Global this fall on Saturdays at 10 p.m.

Other Canadian shows set to be wedged into the Global schedule either in the fall or mid-season are Producing Parker, which bowed on TVtropolis, Bob and Doug, and the crime drama Copper, which awaits a simulcast slot on ABC stateside.