On the heels of "Invasion" and "Lost," ABC is going to keep trying its luck in science fiction.

On the plate for the 2006-07 season is a new anthology series known as "Masters of Science Fiction." Receiving a four-episode commitment from ABC, the network could actually finish up with as many as 13 in its initial order, and give the show a summertime start to jump ahead of competition. It will feature work from Harlan Ellison, Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov.

IDT Entertainment and Industry Entertainment are producing the series, and look to be concentrating on stories like Ellison's "The Discarded" as well as Asimov's "The Last Question." Each piece of the anthology will be cut down to a one-hour airing.

This is the second in the "Masters" series being put together by the two production companies. They already have "Masters of Horror" on the air with Showtime, which is about to begin its second season.

Hopefully, Ellison has calmed down about how his stories should be adapted for the small screen. His battle with Gene Roddenberry over the original "Star Trek" episode "The City on the Edge of Forever," still remains one of the most famous behind-the-scenes battles on the series, prompting Ellison to demand that his name be taken off the finished project. Ellison would later write a book and include his original story about the topic, but some readers found it difficult to read a book that had more footnotes than actual substance.