| my take on Thursday |
| A lot of new tenants on Thursday, including what is probably the most anticipated move in quite some time. Reality, head-to-head comedy, medical dramas, a game show, sci fi, soaps and relationships are what Thursday night has to offer. Who needs 500 channels on a night like this? There is clearly something for everyone on the biggest advertising night of the week.
ABC opens the evening with the fish-out-of-water, Ugly Betty. America Ferrara will handle the role with grace, but I don't see it making any impact here. The oversexed doctors of Grey's Anatomy make one of the biggest moves in recent television history: against the CSI mothership. One of the few moves of this magnitude that I can remember was when Fox moved its upstart cartoon (they weren't called 'animated series' yet), The Simpsons to Thursday against NBC's then-juggernaut, The Cosby Show. ABC is taking a chance, but with the move and Six Degrees following it, they could become a Thursday night player for the first time (excluding the Who Wants to be a Millionaire blip) since the days of Barney Miller.
CBS isn't blinking with ABC's move, there's no reason to. They begin the night with the latest rev of Survivor, but time they broke the tribes up based on ethnicity. Some folks are incensed. Why is it any different than men vs. women? Whatever, folks. The CSI mothership is in its customary berth at 9, but has bonafide competition for the first time. The James Woods legal drama, Shark has the nifty post-CSI slot. It's going to be very interesting to see which new entrant (Shark or Six Degrees) holds more viewers from its lead-in.
The CW makes Thursday its sci-fi night by bringing the WB series, Smallville and Supernatural together on the same night. Another excellent CW pairing that will most likely bring all of each show's faithful viewers.
Fox Thursday is a staggered start. Brad Garrett's 'Til Death leaves the gate first, followed by the crude, but funny Happy Hour. It's followed at 9 by the post-Marisa The O.C. Oddly, The O.C. (bitch) doesn't have the shrink wrap removed until November 2...and reports are that Fox reduced the order from 22 to 16. Never a good sign.
NBC Thursday is shell of its former self, but there are some small signs of hope. Last season's hit, My Name is Earl gets things started at 8 followed by what I like to call a half-hour of pure Costanza with the folks at Dunder-Mifflin in The Office. For the start of the season, this slot is the only sitcom v. sitcom matchup with the kids over at Fox. While I'm not a fan based on the history of NBC Thursday, it's perfect counterprogramming to place another edition of Deal or No Deal at 9. NBC: Don't be ABC and Millionaire this one. The old warhorse ER keeps plugging along at 10. No one from the original cast is left, but they've done it incrementally over time, so it doesn't quite seem that way. We'll see if they can take back any ground lost to Without A Trace.
My continues its stripped run of Desire and Fashion House.
Thursday's Top 3 are CSI, Survivor and Grey's Anatomy. |
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