Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 29, 1994 TAG: 9405270083
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By TOM JICHA FORT LAUDERDALE SUN-SENTINEL
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It's a good thing this show was filmed before NBC released its fall schedule. His answer might have been different if it hadn't been. What the network has done to "Frasier," its most successful first-year series, is enough to send the TV shrink back out onto the ledge he was coaxed in from during "Cheers."
Each spring, love bugs go on kamikaze missions and the TV networks release their fall schedules. Neither makes sense. Suicides rarely do.
NBC seems especially self-destructive this year. Some of its moves defy logic in diminishing the life expectancy of its finest shows.
The shift of "Wings" and "Frasier" from Thursday to Tuesday will almost certainly result in "Wings" crashing and burning and "Frasier" losing valuable momentum.
"Wings" has been tried outside NBC's cozy Thursday cocoon before. It has barely been able to sustain itself. Now it is being asked to lead off a night against enduring hits "Full House" and "Rescue 911."
That "Wings" is nearing the end of its run anyway probably influenced NBC to take the gamble in a bid to establish a beachhead on a weak night for the network. However, rescheduling "Frasier" against "Roseanne" is the most ill-advised roll of the dice since 1979, when ABC tried to take down "All in the Family" with "Mork & Mindy," then the hottest show on TV.
A TV constant is that when one huge hit is moved against another, the time period incumbent wins. NBC has to know this. Network executives reminded every critic in America of it when Fox threw "The Simpsons" against "Cosby."
Bart hurt Bill, but "Cosby" won.
At least "The Simpsons" survived - "Mork & Mindy" never recovered. ABC recognized its mistake within six months and moved Robin Williams' delightful fantasy back to its original slot. However, the magic, and the old ratings, were gone. Hopefully, "Frasier," one of the bright spots of this past season, will be more resilient.
In shifting "Wings" and "Frasier" away from Thursday, NBC also might weaken "Seinfeld," which has been left to hang out there by itself, the lone established show between 8:30 and the late news.
It's difficult to assess who is to blame for another scheduling debacle on Thursday. NBC and CBS each has a new series about a Chicago hospital at 10 p.m. At most, only one will succeed, since they are pitching the same audience. With ABC's "PrimeTime Live" dominant in the time period, there won't be sufficient viewers for both to prosper. If they split the available audience, they could both fail.
This would be unfortunate, since each has the pedigree to be worthwhile. NBC's "E.R." is being written and produced by Michael Crichton of "Jurassic Park" fame. CBS' "Chicago Hope" is from David E. Kelley, creator of "Picket Fences."
NBC announced its lineup first, but CBS said its plans for "Chicago Hope" were well known within the industry, especially since Thursday is the only night on which it won't have a returning show at 10 p.m.
Most everyone assumed NBC was going to give "Homicide: Life on the Street" the Thursday slot being vacated by "L.A. Law," where "Homicide" flourished in a trial run this past winter. This superb police drama is all but certain to fail where NBC has placed it, Friday night at 10.
ABC's "20/20" owns this hour, and "Picket Fences," which will have the additional advantage of incumbency, has finally started to build on CBS.
Moreover, "Picket Fences" and "Homicide" appeal to the same audience. They are known as appointment viewers, people who don't watch a lot of TV but who make make a special effort to catch certain programs. Only viewers named Sybil can make appointments to be in two places at once, and how many of those are there?
All of this is enough to make you think that NBC shouldn't be scheduling Dr. Frasier Crane. It should be seeing him.
by CNB