JustTV Talk: May 2, 2005
The race for fifth is a tigh one this year with it going right down to the wire. Neither of these networks have had a great season, but it really hasn't been horrible either. What I'm wondering is two things: 1) WB, where did your ability go to create break-out dramas? Remember Dawsons Creek, Charmed, Smallville? and 2) UPN, where did your ability go to create break-out comedies? Remember Moesha, The Parkers, Girlfriends?
| WB |
UPN |
| What's
Renewed: 7th Heaven Blue Collar TV |
What's
Renewed: WWE Smackdown! America's Next Top Model Veronica Mars |
| What's Likely To Be: Gilmore Girls Everwood Smallville Reba One Tree Hill Living With Fran |
What's Likely To Be: Eve Half & Half Girlfriends Cuts One On One |
| On The Bubble: Charmed Steve Harvey's Big Time Summerland What I Like About You |
On The Bubble: Kevin Hill All Of Us |
Monday:
WB: Some old, same old.
UPN: The whole night is likely to stay as is unless the UPN can find a sitcom that it feels will break-out. Though ratings are down, the network could be doing worse.
Tuesday:
WB: Same old.
UPN: With "Veronica Mars" renewed, it's likely to stay at 10pm, but I really see "One On One" move back to anchor the night with "Eve" at 8:30pm.
Wednesday:
WB: With "Smallville" back at 8pm, the key is 9pm where nothing is working for the WB. It'll be a drama of course, but it has to be the right one.
UPN: With "Next Top Model" back at 8pm, the key is 9pm where nothing is working for the UPN. It'll be a drama of course, but it has to be the right one. "Kevin Hill," which showed alot of promise early in the season, is just not working.
Thursday:
WB: The WB really needs to go back to comedies on the night, and moving "Blue Collar TV" to 8pm was a good start. "Steve Harvey" at 9pm would be another smart move, with repeats at 8:30pm, or even a new show in the same vein. Nothing sit-commy.
UPN: The only night the network can count on all year long.
Friday:
WB: "What I Like About You" is a wild card at 8pm; it could be back, it could be cancelled. If "Living With Fran" continues strong for the rest of this season, I would say the likelihood of "WILAY" coming back is slim.
UPN: With "Enterprise" gone, it's back to the drawing board, and what the UPN is drawing is repeats of its other series. Sorry.
Sunday:
WB: Here's the disaster for the WB. It could bring back "Charmed," but that's no guarantee it'll stop losing viewers. I'm going out on a limb and saying that the WB has the next big drama up its sleeve and that it'll cancel "Charmed" and go with two new dramas on the night. It could always order 13 episodes of "Charmed" in case....
My stab at the WB's fall schedule:
| New
Series |
Moved
Series |
Scheduled
Repeats |
| 7:00 |
7:30 |
8:00 |
8:30 |
9:00 |
9:30 |
|
| Monday |
7th
Heaven |
Everwood |
||||
| Tuesday |
Gilmore
Girls |
One
Tree Hill |
||||
| Wednesday |
Smallville |
New
Drama |
||||
| Thursday |
Blue
Collar TV |
New
Comedy |
Steve
Harvey's Big Time |
|||
| Friday |
Living
With Fran |
New
Sitcom |
Reba |
New
Sitcom |
||
| Sunday |
Beginnings |
New
Drama |
New
Drama |
|||
My stab at the UPN's fall schedule:
| 8:00 |
8:30 |
9:00 |
9:30 |
|
| Monday |
Cuts
|
New
Comedy |
Girlfriends
|
Half
&
Half
|
| Tuesday |
Eve |
One On One | Veronica
Mars |
|
| Wednesday |
America's
Next Top Model |
New
Drama |
||
| Thursday |
WWE
Smackdown! |
|||
| Friday |
Repeats |
Repeats
|
||