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| → ABC is in some serious trouble. After making the incredibly myopic blunder of "Millionaire" times four (it would still be a hit one night a week), ABC ended up in fourth place. Only three shows were picked up for their second season: "Alias," "George Lopez" (a midseason replacement exce produced by Sandra Bullock) & a surprise to me, "According To Jim"), they need to make some serious progress with this 2002 fall sked. If not, they could be in danger of slipping behind the netlets (UPN & the WB) Luckily for ABC, they can (and have been) heavily promoting their entire lineup via Disney sister ESPN. ABC Sunday is the only night unchanged with the 2-hour "Wonderful World of Disney," "Alias" starring new It girl Jennifer Garner & the slipping "The Practice." ABC Monday brings "Drew Carey" & "Whose Line Is It Anyway" followed by "Monday Night Football." I expect this to be the last season for "Drew" & "Whose Line..." Sorry, Drew. ABC Tuesday looks pretty good (relatively speaking) with "8 Simple Rules..." and "Life with Bonnie" leading off. The problem is Tuesday 8pm is the most competitive slot in Prime Time. ABC Wednesday has the comedy block of "My Wife & Kids" and "George Lopez." The second iteration of "The Bachelor" will have an uphill climb is in what I think is the second most competitive slot, Wednesday 9pm. It's also ABC's best chance to make some kind of dent in that slot. "MDs" is going to be lost next to "Presidio Med" and Top 4 contender "Law & Order." "Dinotopia" was supposed to lead ABC Thursday's lineup and was just pushed back to a Thanksgiving debut due to production difficulties; "Monk" (from USA) takes its place in a reverse repurposing deal. (Recently, broadcast nets have gotten additional runs (and most importantly, dollars) out of their fare by sending them to cable nets such as USA, TNT, FX, etc. This deal works in reverse with a first-run show on USA coming to ABC for an instant rerun. ABC had originally passed on the series.) Whatever ABC throws in there isn't going to have much of a chance against "Friends" and "Survivor: Thailand." "Push, Nevada," even against "CSI" and "Will & Grace," could make some headway if people find out about it. It's got a "Twin Peaks" feel about it, as long as it doesn't confuse away the viewers a la "Murder In Small Town X." ABC Friday starts with "America's Funniest Home Videos" (this has aired since the first Bush administration) followed by one of two "go back in time" series this season, "That Was Then." I am looking forward to seeing how "That..." does -- I have a weakness for anything time-travel related. It seems to "get it" more than the WB's "Do Over" and is in a slot that it could succeed in. "20/20" brings up the 10p hour (debuted during the Carter Administration!). ABC Saturday is completely turned over to the "ABC Big Picture Show." ABC, overall, doesn't seem to be in for as bad of a time as last season. They are a season removed from the "Millionaire" fiasco and have had a lot of ESPN promotion. |
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