CTVglobemedia has set the bar high for 2008/09, and with the two primetime schedules unveiled on Monday hopes to move its newly rebranded A-Channels — now called simply ‘A’ — into second place among Canadian broadcasters, right behind its main network.

‘You have to dream big,’ said CTV boss Susanne Boyce of the lofty goal, talking to Playback Daily after the upfront presentation at Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

The main network’s schedule looks largely unchanged from last year, bolstered by returning U.S. series Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, the CSI franchise and Law & Order: SVU, while Dancing with the Stars and American Idol lead the reality contingent.

Three new Canadian-made shows found a spot on the main network, with cop drama Flashpoint — from Pink Sky Entertainment and Avamar Entertainment — airing Fridays at 10 p.m. in simulcast with CBS. As previously announced, it will be airing during the summer, starting July 11.

The Listener from Shaftesbury Films, on the other hand, will debut at some point in the fall, getting a boost from the Housewives in the Sunday 10 p.m. spot. The paranormal drama will also air on NBC, though no airdate has been set. Both series are set in Toronto.

Reality spin-off So You Think You Can Dance Canada, hosted by Leah Miller, will air Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

Also new to CTV is Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a series of half-hour cartoons based on the hit franchise from George Lucas. Clone Wars will air Sundays at 7 p.m., followed by Degrassi: The Next Generation.

CTV is looking to attract eyeballs to A with the buzzed-about sci-fi mystery Fringe, from producer J.J. Abrams, Tuesdays at 9 p.m., and breakout hit Private Practice, which moves from the main network, airing Wednesdays at 9 p.m. in simulcast with ABC.

‘We want to show that we have confidence in the channel,’ says Boyce about Fringe and Practice, adding that the A schedule is meant to complement that of the main network. (CTVglobemedia acquired the six stations, in B.C. and Ontario, from CHUM last year.)

The decision was ‘tough,’ she adds. ‘What helped us was saying we want two conventional stations…we don’t want a specialty network, so we’re going to have quality hits on both.’

Also on A are the sophomore seasons of quirky drama Pushing Daisies, nighttime soap Dirty Sexy Money and teen drama Gossip Girl. New programs include the crime drama The Mentalist, starring Simon Baker (Smith), and mystery series Eleventh Hour, based on the British miniseries.

CTV also announced that Corner Gas creator Brent Butt is working on a pilot for a new comedy series. Butt and the cast of Gas, who are currently filming the last season of the hit comedy, were on hand at Monday’s upfront to bid an emotional farewell.

Meanwhile, Marilyn Denis, who recently announced her departure from CityLine on Citytv, is working on a new daytime series for CTV. The Marilyn Denis Show is set to premiere later this year, as is Spectacle, a music-talk series hosted by Elvis Costello.