THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 7, 1995 TAG: 9511070063
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Larry Bonko
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
THE ABC BRASS owes us an apology. They canceled a show of high quality that touched the hearts of millions, ``My So-Called Life,'' and replaced it with an empty drama, ``Charlie Grace,'' about a private eye in Los Angeles.
``Charlie Grace'' is already history.
``Life'' had to go, said ABC, because its ratings were low. ``Charlie Grace'' with Mark Harmon in the lead would do better, said ABC. Attract more viewers ages 18 to 49, whom advertisers love.
It never did.
``Charlie Grace'' averaged a 6.3 rating and 10 share on Thursday nights at 8 p.m. That was less than ``My So-Called Life'' , which lives on in reruns on MTV Saturday nights at 9.
MTV is running all 19 episodes.
``The Monroes,'' another new ABC drama which was given a Thursday night timeslot that could have gone to ``My So-Called Life,'' also failed to survive past October.
It a scandal that ABC ditched ``My So-Called Life'' for trash like ``The Monroes'' and ``Charlie Grace.'' Even ABC's expensive and highly praised new series from Steven Bochco, ``Murder One,'' isn't pulling the ratings of ``My So-Called Life'' when it peaked.
When he met with TV writers in Los Angeles before the fall season began, the executive producer of ``Charlie Grace'' sounded apologetic for taking the ``Life'' timeslot.
``I feel bad when any new drama goes down,'' said Robert Singer.
He doesn't feel half as bad as the fans of ``My So-Called Life'' here who continue to call to ask if the series might be revived on another network or evolve into two-hour TV films. There are no plans to bring back the series in any shape or form now that Claire Danes has launched a successful film career.
The fall season launched in September has been a disappointment if not a disaster for the producers of new series. NBC's ``The Single Guy'' and ``Caroline in the City'' are in the Top 10 not because they are fresh and wonderful sitcoms - how many ways can TV explore the single life? - but because they are on NBC the same night America sets the dial for ``Seinfeld'' and ``ER'' and doesn't switch.
CBS has attracted a cult following for ``American Gothic'' on Friday nights, but its other new shows, from ``Central Park West'' to ``Dweebs'' to ``Courthouse,'' have been largely rejected by viewers. ``The Bonnie Hunt Show,'' produced by David Letterman's company, was to propel Hunt into the sitcom stratosphere with Brett Butler, Ellen DeGeneres and Roseanne.
CBS pulled it last week.
So, is anybody in Hampton Roads watching the new shows, and if so, which are the favorites of viewers here in America's 40th largest TV market?
Sandy O'Gorman in Chesapeake says she never misses ``Murder One,'' ignoring ``ER'' over on NBC to stay with the courtroom drama. Same story with Pat Tipton in Norfolk.
``I'm totally addicted,'' she said of ``Murder One.''
O'Gorman and Tipton were among 50 Infoline callers who responded when I asked them to vote for their favorite new programs. The majority of the votes, 23 percent, went to Foxworthy's show, reflecting the appeal of his redneck humor here. (My Infoline number is 640-5555, Category 3333).
``Murder One'' was the second most popular new show among the Infoline callers (11 percent), followed by ``American Gothic'' with 8 percent. There was far less support for ``Dweebs,'' ``Naked Truth'' and ``Central Park West.''
A caller named Liz on the Peninsula sized up the new season in these bite-sized comments:
``Murder One,'' awesome; ``American Gothic,'' really good, ``Central Park West,'' needs work; ``Caroline in the City,'' really pathetic; and ``Dweebs,'' really, really pathetic.
For this, the networks sacrificed ``My So-Called Life''? Shame on ABC. by CNB