The question going into this television season was whether America would allow some of its lesser film stars to come slinking back to series television.
The answer, two months into the annual ratings tournament, is a qualified yes. After meager-to-middling movie careers, Bill Cosby, Ted Danson and Michael J. Fox have turned themselves back into weekly friends, and America seemingly needn’t worry about a “Leonard Part 7.”
Unfortunately, we needn’t worry about a sequel to “Pretty Baby” or “Endless Love,” either. The most successful of the migrating movie personages has been famous eyebrow cultivator Brooke Shields, currently giving her plucky, pratfalling all to the small screen as a self-chronicling magazine columnist in NBC’s paraphrasing) “Dullardly Susan.”
Sooner or later, NBC will get around to testing the proposition that it can make a hit out of a show featuring a tube of toothpaste, a sawhorse and mold spores in the 8:30 p.m. Thursday spot, where “Susan” resides between “Seinfeld” and “ER,” TV’s Top Two.
In the meantime, we’ve got Shields flopping about like an upside-down stink bug and viewership numbers that reward this behavior. “Susan” was the most watched of the new series and in third place in the Nielsen ratings through the season’s first ten weeks.
Michael J. Fox’s far superior new sitcom, ABC’s “Spin City,” is similarly aided by being on between “Home Improvement” and “NYPD Blue.” But its inside look at urban politics is so much sharper than the broad “Home Improvement” that its eighth-place ranking through Nov. 24 (the most recent available numbers) feels more of an accomplishment.
Over on CBS, the new, so-so Cosby vehicle, “Cosby,” ranked 13th, while Danson’s “Ink,” which got a late start and hasn’t been much to look at yet, was a less-impressive, but not humiliating, 32nd.
TV seasons being what they are, 1996-97 has, of course, also answered many questions that weren’t necessarily asked going into it. Some of them follow:
Is it a good thing Kelsey Grammer is not an airline pilot? It is a very good thing. The “Frasier” star and perennial best-comedy-actor Emmy winner banged up his car and went into substance-abuse rehab again. The Tuesday night show, though, continues to sparkle with humor both sophisticated and slapstick, and is running 15th for the year, despite going head to head with “Home Improvement” (No. 6).
What has been the season’s biggest surprise? Many candidates suggest themselves, starting with the appearance of a handball wall not 20 feet from Monroe Harbor in the first episode of “ER.”
Also: The ability of NBC’s “Caroline in the City” to post respectable ratings numbers despite being moved out of the “ER”-“Seinfeld” hammock and going head to head with “Spin City” on Tuesdays. The title character of “Roseanne”–imagine the luck!–winning the lottery (and losing viewers). The title character of “Ellen”–imagine the luck!–teasing revelations about her true nature (and failing to gain viewers).
“Touched by an Angel” becoming a Top 10 show with its move to 7 p.m. Sundays. The success of “3rd Rock from the Sun” (No. 16) at 7 p.m. Sundays.
But the real surprise–and if you’ve watched the show, you know what I’m talking about–is the emergence of ABC’s “The Drew Carey Show” as a sophomore hit. Some appealingly kicky opening production numbers can’t disguise that this Rust Belt version of “Friends” is uninspired in both writing and playing, and features one of prime time’s most obnoxious go-to characters, the bawling Mimi from the planet Blue Eyeshadow. “Carey” was ranked 14th for the year, higher than any of its established ABC Wednesday-night compatriots.
Which Chicago newspaper is most likely to win an Emmy? Though it shows limited range, the Sun-Times does have a featured role in “Early Edition,” the highest-rated (35th) new drama series, Saturdays on CBS. Its protagonist starts each day by getting the next day’s Sun-Times, then sets about to right some of the wrongs detailed therein, typos not included.
Why isn’t anybody watching “Everybody Loves Raymond”? To a large subset of the population, laughter, apparently, is not even a pretty good medicine. The funniest new sitcom, though, does have a pledge of support from CBS, which airs it Fridays.
Which of the series canceled thus far would you like to have kicked in the tush on the way out the door? Good riddance to Fox’s “Party Girl,” the inept adaptation of an overrated independent movie; to CBS’ “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” a self-consciously cutesy spy drama as bland as the characters’ names; ABC’s “Common Law,” purchased, on clearance, from the Sitcom Factory Outlet Mall; ABC’s “Second Noah,” a second-year family drama that was the television equivalent of Lladro figurines; and CBS’ “Public Morals,” a sitcom from the House of Bochco as stupid and inexacting as the producer’s “NYPD Blue” and “Murder One” are smart and precise.
Which do you wish had gotten more of a chance? Fox’s “Lush Life,” an uneven sitcom that at least offered fresh characters; Fox’s “Love and Marriage,” an attempt at a blue-collar sitcom that showed some creative spark; CBS’ “Almost Perfect,” an appealing second-year sitcom that started the year by foolishly booting its male lead, then flailed creatively until CBS pushed its head under; and the most recent victim, NBC’s fourth-year “The John Larroquette Show,” which had moments of dark brilliance in its herky-jerky existence.
Which do you hope return soon? CBS’ “EZ Streets,” the moody, complex, riveting, first-year police drama that lasted two episodes before going on hiatus; and ABC’s “Coach” (also on hiatus), the dependable veteran sitcom that had some of its best moments last year as the title character and his wife tried to adopt a baby.
What about the WB and UPN? What about them?
Is the truth out there? Fox’s “The X-Files,” which made the bold move from Friday nights to 8 p.m. Sundays, has established itself as a Top 10 hit in the coveted 18- to 49-year-old age group. Its Friday replacement, “Millennium,” from the same producer, has been a creative muddle but is the highest-rated new drama in that demographic (29th).
Is there trouble on the horizon for Brooke Shields? Unconfirmed reports hold that before the season ends, her show will be moved to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays to make way for Tea Leoni’s “The Naked Truth,” rescued from ABC’s schedule last year, at 8:30.
Has Sherry Stringfield ever met Shelley Long? I don’t think so, but maybe she’ll get a chance to now that she’s voluntarily left the cast of “ER.” Why do you ask?
