THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 29, 1996 TAG: 9605290047
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Larry Bonko
LENGTH: 262 lines
FOX IS MOVING ``The X-Files'' to Sunday night, NBC is giving Brooke Shields' new sitcom the cushy time slot between ``Seinfeld'' and ``ER'' on Thursday night, ABC is bringing back ``The Drew Carey Show,'' and on CBS, Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad have been reunited in a new comedy.
That, dear couch potatoes, is some of the movin' and shakin' taking place in prime time television.
Are you ready for ``Homeboys in Outer Space'' on United Paramount?
Ready or not, it will be there Tuesday nights at 8:30. Life in the 'hood in the 23rd century.
CBS for the fall has scheduled ``Cosby'' - the comic plays a curmudgeon coping with retirement - at 8 p.m. Monday just before Ted Danson's ``Ink.'' In that sitcom, Danson and wife Mary Steenburgen play a divorced couple who work together on a New York newspaper.
CBS also gave a new series to old TV heads Rhea Perlman of ``Cheers,'' Scott Bakula of ``Quantum Leap'' and Gerald McRaney of ``Major Dad.''
I guess Estelle Getty is busy elsewhere.
``Due South'' is not on the new CBS schedule. Sorry, you ``Due Southers'' out there who have been bugging me on Infoline (640-5555, press 2486) to help save the show about a flesh-and-blood Dudley Do-Right.
Theo from the old Cosby show on NBC will be back in a sitcom, too. Malcom-Jamal Warner and Eddie Griffin play roommates on UPN who live atop a bar in Kansas City in ``Malcom and Eddie.''
CBS is hoping that star power will pull it up from No. 3 in the 1996-97 season. CBS is not alone in hustling after marquee names.
ABC has Michael J. Fox in ``Spin City,'' in which he plays a deputy mayor. Annie Potts is back in prime time in ``Dangerous Minds.'' She is cast as a teacher in an inner-city school. Melissa Joan Hart, who had the lead in ``Clarissa Explains It All'' on cable for five seasons, is back with ``Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.''
ABC is returning ``Murder One'' to its schedule - on Thursday night at 9 - but without its star, Daniel Benzali.
NBC, in the big-name department, has signed Mel Harris of ``thirty-something'' for a family sitcom about newlyweds with children from previous marriages (``Something So Right''); gave Shields' the Thursday night dream time slot for her new sitcom, ``Suddenly Susan''; and put Rob Schneider, formerly of ``Saturday Night Live,'' in a sitcom, ``Men Behaving Badly.'' Justine Bateman, who played Fox's sister on ``Family Ties,'' returns to prime time in the Schneider sitcom.
Small world.
Shields proved she can handle light comedy with a nice guest turn on ``Seinfeld.''
Remember Sherman Hemsley from ``The Jeffersons''? United Paramount gave him a new show, ``Goode Behavior.'' He lives with his dad, an ex-con. That should be good for a bunch of laughs.
Would you believe that Molly Ringwald is doing a series? Once upon a time, she was the hottest of the hot Brat Pack movie stars. Now she has to settle for ``Townies'' on ABC. Think of it as ``Friends'' in New England.
Hey, wasn't Michael J. Fox a pretty big movie star himself?
The bad news for fans of ``Hope & Gloria,'' ``Brotherly Love'' and ``In the House'' on NBC is that the Peacock Network canceled those shows. The good news for LL Cool J devotees is that United Paramount picked up ``In the House.'' Warner Brothers snapped up Joey, Andrew and Matthew Lawrence in ``Brotherly Love,'' and the word is that ``Hope & Gloria'' will end up on cable with Lifetime.
Jeff Foxworthy's sitcom flopped on ABC, but who's crying now? NBC picked up ``The Jeff Foxworthy Show'' and will play it on Monday nights at 8. ``Somebody up there likes me,'' Foxworthy said, looking to the heavens, when he chatted with David Letterman the other night.
Warner Brothers adds a third night of programming on Monday with ``The Parent 'Hood'' at 8, a show starring comic Steve Harvey, and ``Savannah'' at 9. That soap is moving from Sunday night, one of several major adjustments made by the networks.
``The X-Files'' on Fox goes to Sunday night at 9 as Fox strives to keep the large male audience delivered to it by the National Football League games. After establishing itself as a ratings winner on Sunday at 8 p.m., NBC's ``Mad About You'' will go back into the Nielsen jungle at 8 Tuesday night. CBS is relocating ``Touched by an Angel'' to Sunday night at 8.
Here's a capsule review of the new fall schedules:
NBC
There was more tinkering here than you would expect of NBC's prime time powerhouse, with 40 percent of the schedule altered. NBC has a few soft spots, notably Saturday night. There have been wholesale changes there.
Gone are ``Brotherly Love,'' ``The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,'' ``Home Court,'' ``Hope & Gloria,'' ``JAG,'' ``Malibu Shores,'' ``Sisters'' and the Wednesday edition of ``Dateline.'' CBS has penciled in ``JAG'' as a midseason replacement.
NBC reworked its Saturday night lineup with three new dramas - ``Dark Skies,'' in which Earth is invaded by aliens not as funny as the gang on ``3rd Rock from the Sun''; ``Pretender'' (a computer genius goes after a secret, sinister organization); and ``Profiler,'' which features an FBI forensic psychologist on the trail of a serial killer.
The new sitcoms include Foxworthy's show, ``Mr. Rhodes,'' about a young prep school teacher; ``Something So Right''; ``Suddenly Susan,'' with Shields in the lead; and ``Men Behaving Badly.'' Yes, fans of ``The Single Guy,'' that sitcom has been renewed and will air Thursday at 8:30 p.m. In her sitcom, Shields plays a twentysome-thing woman just ending a long relationship.
ABC
After a ratings' spurt in April, ``Murder One'' was renewed by ABC but without Benzali. Two other shows with marginal ratings, ``High Incident'' and ``Second Noah,'' were also returned to the schedule. ``High Incident'' is a cop show set in the suburbs, and ``Second Noah'' is a family drama with animals that had lots of support among TV watchdog groups.
There will be eight now shows on the ABC schedule, including the sitcoms from big names Fox and Hart plus the drama in which Potts stars. ``Clueless'' is a steal from the film of the same name with Rachel Blanchard taking over the Alicia Silverstone role. ``Relativity'' follows a couple through the growing up years.
``Life's Work'' is about an assistant state's attorney in Baltimore. ``Common Law'' follows the adventures of a recent law school graduate.
``Roseanne'' stays at 8 p.m. Tuesday in its last season on ABC. ``The Drew Carey Show,'' which had wide support from the beer and bowling crowd, follows ``Grace Under Fire'' on Wednesday night at 9:30. ``Turning Point,'' a newsmagazine, comes back to ABC Thursday night at 10. It's as good as anything to put up against ``ER.''
Shows definitely not returning include ``Maybe This Time'' and ``The Faculty.'' Missing from the fall schedule are ``Hangin' With Mr. Cooper,'' ``Step by Step,'' ``The Naked Truth'' and ``Muppets Tonight!'' Look for these shows to be back at midseason.
CBS
CBS president Les Moonvies made wholesale changes in the prime time schedule. He is bringing on 10 new shows, including the Cosby and Danson sitcoms and an edgy ``dramedy,'' ``Public Morals,'' from Steven Bochco, who is the TV producer with the golden touch. As for moving things around, ``Cybill'' will again follow ``Murphy Brown'' at 9:30 on Monday, and ``Touched by an Angel'' heads for Sunday at 8, to be replaced by ``Early Edition'' Saturday at 9 p.m. Cute angle here. In the fantasy drama, a man gets his newspaper delivered one day early. He knows the lottery numbers before they're picked!
Also new on CBS is ``Everybody Loves Raymond,'' a sitcom about raising kids. Now there's a novel idea. The Bochco show is being billed as a funny ``NYPD Blue.'' Don't look for laughs in ``EZ Streets'' as cops go against mobsters.
In ``Maloney,'' Peter Strauss is a police psychologist. Bakula is back in ``Mr. and Mrs. Smith,'' which co-stars Maria Bello. Man and wife detectives travel the world looking for cases. Hasn't that been done already? Perlman plays a widow who gives college a try in ``Pearl,'' and ``Home of the Brave'' is a spinoff from ``Touched by an Angel'' in which McRaney stars.
Shows that were dropped by CBS include ``Due South,'' ``Good Company,'' ``Murder, She Wrote,'' ``Picket Fences,'' ``John Grisham's The Client,'' ``Bonnie,'' ``Can't Hurry Love'' and ``Rescue 911.''
Fox
Since this network doesn't program from 10 to 11 p.m., there is less patching and filling on Fox. The big news is switching ``The X-Files'' to Sunday night to bring new viewers to the spooky adventures of agents Mulder and Scully.
Fox has dropped ``Profit,'' ``Kindred: The Embraced,'' ``America's Most Wanted,'' ``Strange Luck,'' ``The Crew'' and ``Space: Above and Beyond.'' Yes, ``Sliders'' was spared. The surprise is that ``Most Wanted'' is gone.
``L.A. Firefighters,'' which is getting a preview airing June 3, is one of five new shows on the Fox schedule. The others are ``Party Girl,'' about the New York happenin' scene; ``Lush Life,'' in which Lori Petty and Karyn Parsons play Manhattan roommates; ``Millennium,'' a show from the creator of ``The X-Files'' about a former FBI agent striving to save the world from evil forces - don't they always? - and, finally, ``Come Fly With Me.'' Blue-collar sitcom. Parents. Three kids, The usual TV mix. ``Married With Children'' moves to Saturday night at 9.
Warner Brothers
The big news here is that WB adds a third night of programming (Monday) and moves ``Savannah'' to that night at 9, perhaps to catch the ``Melrose Place'' crowd. ``Brotherly Love'' was picked up by WB when NBC dropped the show. That will make the fifth new show on WB.
Others include the Steve Harvey sitcom on Monday night. He plays a former musician teaching school. Another show set in a school is ``Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher.'' The teachers are as rebellious as the students. ``The Jamie Foxx Show'' is about an actor looking for his big break in Los Angeles.
Here's wholesome programming: ``7th Heaven.'' Stephen Collins and Catherine Hicks play parents of five kids. He's a minister. Lots of crises. On ``Life With Roger,'' the hero is about to marry a girl whom he hates when Roger shows up to rescue him. The new odd couple. On Sunday night's schedule, only ``Kirk'' and ``Unhappily Ever After'' are returning shows.
``Due South'' dies and ``Kirk'' survives? There is no justice.
Departing shows on WB include ``Simon,'' ``First Time Out,'' ``Cleg-horne!'' and ``Pinky and the Brain.'' The latter could be back in January.
United Paramount
It's an all-new Monday night on UPN with ``In the House'' at 8 followed by ``Malcom and Eddie,'' ``Goode Behavior'' and ``Sparks, Sparks and Sparks.'' All comedies with the urban feel. Both WB and UPN go for the young crowd.
``Star Trek: Voyager'' has been moved to Wednesday at 9 before ``The Sentinel.'' Gone is ``Minor Adjustments,'' ``Paranormal Borderline,'' ``Nowhere Man'' and ``Swift Justice.'' Other new shows from UPN include ``Homeboys in Outer Space'' and ``The Burning Zone,'' which features an agency that deals with deadly viruses.
Last year, the fall schedules had clones of ``Friends'' on almost every night. This year, no trend and not many copycat shows. Diversity is the rule. ILLUSTRATION: WHAT'S NEW THIS FALL
DRAMA
``The Burning Zone.'' An agency deals with deadly viruses. UPN.
``Dark Skies.'' Aliens invade. NBC.
``Dangerous Minds.'' Annie Potts (``Designing Women'') as
inner-city teacher. ABC.
``Early Edition.'' One man's paper always comes a day early.
Sci-fi. CBS.
``EZ Streets.'' Cops vs. mobsters, starring Ken Olin
(``thirtysomething''). CBS.
``Home of the Brave.'' A spinoff from ``Touched by an Angel,''
starring Gerald McRaney (``Major Dad''). CBS.
``L.A. Firefighters.'' Action in a Los Angeles firehouse.
Previews June 3. FOX.
``Life's Work.'' An assistant state's attorney's trials in
Baltimore. ABC.
``Maloney.'' Peter Strauss (``Rich Man, Poor Man'') as a police
psychologist. CBS.
``Millennium.'' Sci-fi about a former FBI agent striving to save
the world. FOX.
``Mr. and Mrs. Smith.'' Scott Bakula (``Quantum Leap'') and Maria
Bello as detectives and spouses. Light drama. CBS.
``Pretender.'' Computer genius goes after secret, sinister
organization. NBC.
``Profiler.'' FBI forensic psychologist on the trail of a serial
killer. NBC.
``Public Morals.'' A ``dramedy'' from Steven Bochco, billed as a
funny ``NYPD Blue.'' CBS.
``Relativity.'' A couple evolves through the growing-up years.
ABC.
COMEDY
``Clueless.'' A small-screen version of the teen hit. ABC.
``Come Fly With Me.'' Blue-collar sitcom, with the usual family
formula. FOX.
``Common Law.'' Hispanic comedian John Alvarez joins an Anglo law
firm. ABC.
``Cosby.'' Bill Cosby as a curmudgeon, reunited with Phylicia
Rashad. CBS.
``Everybody Loves Raymond.'' Comic Ray Romano as a '90s father.
CBS.
``Goode Behavior.'' Sherman Hemsley (``The Jeffersons'') bunks in
with his ex-con dad. UPN.
``Homeboys in Outer Space.'' Life in the 'hood in the 23rd
century. UPN.
``Ink.'' Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen as a divorced couple who
work together on a New York newspaper. CBS.
``The Jamie Foxx Show.'' An actor seeks the big break in Los
Angeles. WB.
``Life With Roger.'' A new odd couple. WB.
``Lush Life.'' Lori Petty (``A League of Their Own'') and Karyn
Parsons (``The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'') as roommates. FOX.
``Malcom and Eddie.'' Malcom-Jamal Warner (``The Cosby Show'')
and Eddie Griffin living atop at Kansas City bar. UPN.
``Men Behaving Badly.'' Rob Schneider (``Saturday Night Live'')
stars with Justine Bateman (``Family Ties''). NBC.
``Mr. Rhodes.'' Adventures of a young prep school teacher. NBC.
``Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher.'' Rebellious teachers and kids.
WB.
``Party Girl.'' Adventures of a Holly Golightly-like character,
starring Christine Taylor (``The Brady Bunch'').
``Pearl.'' Rhea Perlman (``Cheers'') as a widow who gives college
a try. CBS.
``Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.'' The comic book comes to life with
Melissa Joan Hart (``Clarissa Explains It All''). ABC.
``7th Heaven.'' Life in the minister's family, starring Stephen
Collins and Catherine Hicks. WB.
``Something So Right.'' Newlyweds blending their families,
starring Mel Harris (``thirtysomething''). NBC.
``Sparks, Sparks and Sparks.'' James Avery and Robin Givens
(``Head of the Class'') in a comedy with an urban feel. UPN.
``Spin City.'' Michael J. Fox (``Family Ties,'' ``Back to the
Future'' movie series) as a deputy mayor. ABC.
``The Steve Harvey Show.'' Harvey as a former musician teaching
school. WB.
``Suddenly Susan.'' Brooke Shields as a young single. NBC.
``Townies.'' Twentysomethings in New England, with Molly Ringwald
(``Pretty in Pink'' on the big screen). ABC. by CNB