THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 31, 1996 TAG: 9601300054
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: LARRY BONKO
DATELINE: PASADENA, CALIF. LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
HERE'S THIS WEEK'S TV buzz from the land of 400,000 facelifts and tummy tucks:
More Louie - Comic Louie Anderson, who already has a cartoon show on Fox, ``Life With Louie,'' extends his reach to prime time tonight (Wednesday) at 8:30 when he stars on CBS in a new sitcom, ``The Louie Show.'' This one is set in Duluth, Minn., where walleyed pike is gourmet dining, natives share the mutual bond of frostbite and kitchen chic means a four-slice toaster.
What took them so long? - The producers of ``America's Most Wanted'' on Fox hosted by John Walsh have been digging up files for years about interesting crimes and criminals, only to see the stories end up as the movie of the week on some other network. Starting next Tuesday, the ``Most Wanted'' producers will keep it in the family, doing some of the stories in two-hour movie form for Fox. First up is ``If Looks Could Kill: From the Files of America's Most Wanted.''
If at first you don't succeed - ``Champs,'' the first sitcom from a new studio (DreamWorks) headed by Steven Spielberg, is bombing on ABC. But that hasn't stopped the network from ordering another series, a cop show called ``High Incident,'' from DreamWorks. Look for it to air Mondays at 9 before ``Murder One'' starting in March.
I don't know about you, but this news breaks my heart - The low point of the recent Television Critics Association semi-annual schmooz with TV executives was the day word leaked out that the very excellent ``The Larry Sanders Show Starring Garry Shandling'' will be all re-runs in 1996. That's because Shandling is too busy working on a movie to do new shows for HBO. He'll be back in 1997. This year, there will be 13 new episodes of ``Tales from the Crypt'' on HBO. That's something.
Is her fantasy to be a widow? - Network executives couldn't wait to tell TV writers that three of the most popular sitcoms ever - ``Roseanne,'' ``Seinfeld'' and ``Murphy Brown'' - will be back for another season. One season too many, say some critics as all three shows show signs of sagging. Roseanne's TV hubby, John Goodman, will not return. She's undecided on how he'll leave. Thinking ahead to the end of her sitcom, Roseanne is working on a late-night series for Fox.
He hates to see it go, too - You are not alone in mourning the loss of ``Mystery Science Theater 3000'' on Comedy Central. Joel Hodgson, who created and starred in the series that talks back to bad movies, says it broke his heart when the new bosses at the cable channel dropped ``MST3000,'' now seen in reruns but not for long. Hodgson has a new show coming on Comedy Central called ``The TV Wheel.'' It's sketch comedy, magic and special effects all in one and staged on a 32-foot turntable.
They'll always be there for a price - When ``Friends'' is sold into syndication in 1998, the show that has helped make NBC the most-watched network is expected to bring in $4.5-million per episode. That's a record. Overseeing that sale, and all other Warner Brothers' syndication deal making, is local boy Dick Robertson, whose pop was a big name on radio with WTAR.
Enough of the sexual innuendo, already - It was bad enough when the cast of ``3rd Rock From the Sun'' on NBC did a breast joke every five minutes. But did the actors on another NBC show, ``Mad About You,'' have to do all those tasteless missiles-in-a-silo bits about making babies in the same week? It was too much, said NBC Entertainment president Warren Littlefield, who apologized when he spoke to TV writers. ``We had complaints. They were warranted. We went over the line on those shows.''
More TV buzz: ``Sliders'' is coming back to Fox soon. ``Central Park West'' has been given an overhaul, and will return to CBS. NBC is moving its show about Navy lawyers, ``JAG,'' from Saturday to Wednesday night starting in March. by CNB