THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 5, 1996 TAG: 9611050038
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Larry Bonko
LENGTH: 102 lines
THE NOVEMBER SWEEPS - the networks' early Christmas present to an ever-shrinking number of viewers - arrive this year by luxury liner, airplane, bus and the 29th-century timeship Aeon. Another fast mover - J.R. Ewing - pops up Nov. 15 in the ``Dallas'' reunion on CBS.
Just when you thought you heard everything there was to hear about the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 - artifacts recovered from the steamer will be on display at Norfolk's Nauticus beginning Nov. 27 - here comes CBS with another revival. The miniseries ``Titanic'' airs Nov. 17 and 19 with Virginian George C. Scott playing the ship's captain.
If you are wondering why CBS is re-visiting a story known to virtually every person on the planet, you are not alone. Said Scott, ``At first, I asked `Why do this again?' But we did find fresh material, different viewpoints. The miniseries will be a great educator as well as a great entertainer.''
CBS during the sweeps again treads a familiar path come Nov. 24 when the miniseries ``In Cold Blood'' signs on. Anthony Edwards leaves behind the noble Dr. Mark Greene of ``ER'' as he plays one of two men who were hanged for murdering a Kansas farm family in 1959.
Thanks to Truman Capote's classic book about the murders - your humble columnist has read it three times - and a darn good 1967 movie in which Robert Blake starred, this story is almost as familiar as the sinking of the Titanic.
``I wanted to do something extreme,'' Edwards said in explaining why he took a role that is light years away from that of the good doctor who keeps order in the hectic emergency room on NBC Thursday nights at 10.
Star power. Death on the high seas. A crisis in the clouds. Cold-blooded murder in America's heartland. The networks will use all those devices and more to build an audience in November when advertising rates for next year are determined.
The sweeps arrive this November as prime-time viewing for the six networks is still dropping - down to 74 percent from 76 percent a year ago. If the Titanic, ``Lion King'' and the Ebola virus will bring the viewers back from cable and Blockbuster Video, then let's go for it, say the networks.
The November sweeps also inspire local stations to crank up their programming a notch or two. WGNT on Sunday devotes five hours to ``Gone With the Wind,'' starting at 2 p.m.
And the sweeps also mean it's time for local TV newsrooms to roll out the extras, special in-depth reports and stunts.
How would you save yourself if your car plunged into 20 feet of water? It's Andy Fox of WAVY's ``10 on Your Side'' to the rescue. That fool Fox risked his life to show how to scramble out of a car in deep water. There were anxious moments.
HE COULDN'T FIND THE HANDLE TO ROLL DOWN THE WINDOW!
Next report from Fox: surviving a car on fire.
Other sweeping programming from the networks from now until the rating period ends Dec. 1 with NBC's airing of ``Jurassic Park'':
Fasten your seat belts - NBC on Sunday breaks out its November miniseries, ``Pandora's Clock,'' which is about a jetliner full of holiday travelers who may be infected with a virus ``that makes Ebola look like the common cold.'' When word leaks out, no country dares allow the airliner landing space. ``Airport'' meets ``Ship of Fools.''
Pass the popcorn - Fox, which isn't much for long-form programming during sweeps, hopes to keep viewers hooked with two noisy, frantic movies - Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves and a runaway bus in ``Speed'' on Nov. 19, and Sly Stallone in ``Cliffhanger'' on Nov. 26. In that one, see John Lithgow in his villainous incarnation before ``3rd Rock from the Sun.'' On Nov. 17, Fox finally airs the season premiere of the ``Ned and Stacey'' sitcom.
Fox specials include ``When Animals Attack II,'' ``Close Call: Cheating Death'' and ``TV's All-Time Funniest Holidays'' on Mondays at 9 p.m.
Back in Alpha Quadrant - UPN has scheduled a two-part ``Star Trek: Voyager'' starting Wednesday. It's vintage science fiction in which Capt. Janeway and crew go back in time to 1996 Los Angeles. They're searching for the timeship Aeon which popped back in time all the way from the 29th century to 1996, and has fallen into the hands of an unscrupulous industrialist played by Ed Begley Jr.
It's a hoot to see the 24th-century Voyager crew introduced to 29th-century hardware by a dude from today who says he brought computer technology to the U.S. from the future. See Tuvok the Vulcan trying to blend in along the Venice Beach boardwalk.
Has it been on that long? - The NBC sitcom, ``Mad About You,'' marks its 100th episode on Nov. 12 with Carol Burnett and Carroll O'Connor - talk about your TV legends - joining the cast as Jamie Buchman's parents. All this, and Jamie's pregnant, too. Wow!
Punt, pass and kick - ABC isn't much for miniseries during the November sweeps because ``Monday Night Football'' is on the schedule and the network is reluctant to disturb its highly rated Tuesday night schedule (``Home Improvement,'' ``Spin City,'' ``NYPD Blue'') for Part 2 of a miniseries. Our big sweeps thing, said an ABC spokesman, is ``Lion King.'' The Disney blockbuster aired Sunday.
NBC, on the other hand, doesn't mind giving a Sunday and a Monday night to the miniseries ``Pandora's Clock,'' in which Daphne Zuniga, late of ``Melrose Place'' is in deeper water than Andy Fox as she plays a virologist working for the CIA.
Jo of ``Melrose Place,'' a doctor and a spy, too? Get serious, NBC. As for ``Melrose Place,'' Zuniga said she had one more year on her contract but decided to leave anyway.
``My character was finished,'' she said. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
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