NBC may have made a wise move in the way it’s using “Friends” to combat CBS’ “Survivor: The Australian Outback” during the February sweeps, but it missed an opportunity to foster some needed goodwill with another of its longstanding comedies.
The network is reportedly extending “Friends ” (WMAQ-Ch. 5) episodes by an additional 10 minutes in an attempt to blunt “Survivor II,” which is airing against it starting Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. on WBBM-Ch. 2.
NBC also is reported to be filling the remaining 20 minutes of that half-hour segment with live editions of “Saturday Night Live,” at least for the first few weeks of sweeps. Call this a reward for the sketch comedy series’ celebrated skits involving the election of George W. Bush.
NBC has pulled “The Weber Show,” which normally airs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, for the month of February. “Seinfeld’s’ Jason Alexander and Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon will make separate stops on “Friends” next month.
“We are looking at some exciting possibilities,” new NBC entertainment chief Jeff Zucker said when asked what the network would do after CBS penciled in “Survivor II” on Thursdays to do battle with NBC’s “Must-See TV” powerhouse.
The move is certainly innovative, but possibly a more prudent approach would have been to put new episodes of “Frasier” on after “Friends.”
The comedy is still packing in good numbers on Tuesdays after it was switched from Thursdays at the beginning of the season, a good indication that its fans will likely follow it wherever it goes.
But more important, “Frasier’s” producers are still hurt by NBC’s kicking the show out of its Thursday slot in favor of “Will & Grace.” It’s that lingering ill will that might be the deal-breaker, now that “Frasier’s” contract with NBC is up after this season, freeing it to go to another network — say, CBS, which, like “Frasier’s” producer, Paramount, is owned by Viacom.
A little love on NBC’s part wouldn’t have hurt.
Ratings-a-boogaloo: The news is somewhat mixed for ABC as it completes the time shifting of three of its dramas, with “Gideon’s Crossing” settling into the 9 p.m. Monday slot earlier this week.
Preliminary estimates show Andre Braugher’s doctor series was seen by 8.1 million viewers Monday, down from the 9 million viewer average it had when it was on Wednesdays.
The new occupant on Wednesday, “Once and Again,” had 9.4 million viewers in its debut there on Jan. 10. That’s higher than “Gideon’s” previous average, and up 8 percent from what “Once” was doing when it was on Tuesdays.
Meanwhile, when “NYPD Blue” made its season premiere Jan. 9, it was seen by 16.4 million viewers, down from its season premiere a year ago, but that was when it had “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” leading the night. In other news, the WB’s “Popstars” increased the network’s 8 p.m. Friday time slot by 19 percent in its Jan. 12 debut, and Ken Burns’ “Jazz” doubled PBS’ usual prime-time rating with an average 5.6 million viewers during its first three episodes.
Will “Practice” make “Gideon” perfect? ABC is hoping “Gideon’s” numbers will go up with a planned crossover between it and “The Practice,” which could happen sometime in March. “Gideon” is also having Marlee Matlin and Kathy Baker, former co-stars from another David E. Kelley series, “Picket Fences,” as guests, as well as Billy Dee Williams.
Incidentally, “The Practice,” TV’s second highest-rated drama after “ER,” was renewed through the 2003-04 season.
Cast it: Kenan Thompson, the partner of Chicago’s Kel Mitchell on Nickelodeon’s “Kenan & Kel,” joins the WB’s “Felicity” in a recurring role.
– Charlotte Ross wasn’t out of work for long. The co-star of Showtime’s recently canceled “Beggars and Choosers” will become the new partner of Diane Russell (Kim Delaney) on “NYPD Blue” next month. Chances are she’ll be the prime female detective next season, when Delaney leaves “Blue” to star in Steven Bochco’s legal drama “Philly.”
– Kathryn Erbe (“Oz”) plays a detective, and Courtney B. Vance (“Law & Order”) is an assistant district attorney in the new “Law & Order” spinoff “Criminal Intent.”
– Kevin Sorbo (“Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda”) comes between ABC’s “Dharma & Greg” during a two-part episode next month.
Hey, didn’t we write a series about this? Director Rob Reiner is hosting “The Essentials,” a new Turner Classic Movies wraparound series on why certain classics are important as well as little-known facts about said flicks. It’s set for April.
Morgan’s back: PBS has set April 4 as the return of “American High,” the Fox reality series about engaging wild child Morgan Moss and 13 other students at north suburban Highland Park High School.
Fox only showed four episodes before pulling the plug on this involving documentary in August; PBS will air the entire 13-episode run, including updated footage.
(Here’s some irony: Fox quickly pulled the plug on “High,” but has no problem running tawdry reality series “Temptation Island” in “High’s” old time period.)
“American High” is part of PBS’ high school high: Also on tap for the fall is “Senior Year,” which, like “High,” looks at students’ last year of class, this time at a Los Angeles high school, and “High School,” a 1968 documentary about a Philadelphia school that has done the art house thing and makes its TV debut this summer.
