Fixing
the Line-Ups
With the season more than
half over
and February sweeps bombaring us at every turn, I've decided to take a
look at each network and try to fix them. Mind you, some don't need
fixing,
but hey, I've got to write something.
NBC
What works: Monday,
Tuesday 10pm, Wednesday 10pm, Thursday, Friday 8pm, 10p, Sunday 7-10pm.
What't not: Tuesday
8-10, Wednesday 8pm, Friday 9pm, Saturday, Sunday 10pm.
Some ideas:
Since
Sundays
at 10pm is going to "Crossing Jordan" in March, there's nothing to say
there. As for Tuesday.... NBC has got to prep something to take over
for
"Frasier," and "Scrubs" ain't it. What is? Well, "Whoppi" is looking
good.
NBC's problem? Not enough shows to lead off a night. What would best
lead-off
Tuesday at 8pm? Not "Whoppi." As for Wednesday at 8pm, hey, NBC, ya
ever
think of "American Dreams" ? Or maybe Fridays at 9pm. A "Dateline" in
either
slot would do better than what's going on now. As for Saturdays, dump
"Tracey
Morgan" and go all "Law & Order." it worked last year.
ABC
What works: Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, Thursday 9-11pm, Friday 10pm, Saturday, Sunday
What't not: Mondays,
Thursday 8pm, Friday 8-10pm. All of the above.
Some ideas:
What's
ABC's
problem? No break-out shows. Against the onslaught of "American Idol,"
CBS is doing fine, the WB okay, and even the UPN isn't hurting that
much.
But ABC is gasping for air. Unfortuantely, there's not much that can be
done. It has no magic rabbit to pull out of its hat. None. But there
are
somethings that can be fixed. ABC has better develope a slate of series
for Mondays next season, because nothing it's airing movie-wise is
doing
anything. While dumping it is really not an option at this point,
keeping
it for next season would be stupid. As for Thursday at 8pm? There's
really
not much of an audience out there, well, not much of one that's not
watching
NBC, CBS, or the UPN. As for Fridays, yes, it is working, but I still
stand
by switching "George Lopez" and "Hope & Faith." ABC, I know you
have
fears, but "Hope" is a hit and "George" needs a later timeslot. Sundays
is doing okay now with "Home Edition" airing at 8pm, but "The Practice"
is not what it should be.
UPN
What works: Mondays,
Tuesdays, Thursdays
What't not: Wednesdays,
Fridays
Some ideas:
It's
a shame
"Model" has to end, because it's the UPN's savior. It's going to go
down
as the top rated series of the year on either the UPN or the WB,
something
the UPN hasn't accomplished since the height of "Smackdown!" That said,
trying out various reality series Tuesday at 9pm is a good idea. But
for
Fridays, it's time to get rid of the movies. Heck, stop programming on
Fridays alltogether and go for Sundays, it's higher rated. My idea?
Program
comedies on Fridays. You do it well, UPN, so why not?
What they do? Talk
about it on the
message
board!
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