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Looking Ahead: Tuesday Night on the Networks (Excerpt)
Mediaweek - April 4, 2000
By Marc Berman
ABC:
Although "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" has been a huge feather in ABC’s
Tuesday cap, talk points to the possibility of shifting this edition of "Millionaire" to
another night in place of a return of the network’s perennial two-hour sitcom slate.
If that happens chances are we’ll see new comedies at 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.,
respectively. And if "Millionaire" on Tuesday stays intact, look for a new comedy
at 9:30 p.m. sandwiched between "Dharma & Greg" and "NYPD Blue" (or
perhaps "Once and Again" in 4th quarter). A less likely scenario would point to
"Sports Night" returning and remaining in the Tuesday 9:30 p.m. time period.
CBS:
Replacing the Tuesday night movie franchise with "60 Minutes II" and "Judging
Amy" has paid off for CBS this season and there is no reason to believe the
network will make any changes on this night. Then again, if CBS really wants to
shore up Thursday or Friday, it could use "Judging Amy" as a potential building
block.
NBC:
Although the Peacock network has successfully repositioned "Just Shoot Me" at
9:30 p.m. between "Will & Grace" and "Dateline," it’s back to the drawing board
again from 8-9 p.m. Although "3rd Rock from the Sun" will be back, another time
period shift is a given due to the sitcom’s inability to anchor the night.
Fox:
With three live-action comedies at its disposal—"Malcolm in the Middle,"
"That’70s Show," and "Titus"--Fox could end up using one of them to anchor its
struggling Tuesday. Luckily, don’t expect to see any repackaged series a la last
fall’s "Ally." It didn’t work once and it won’t work again.
Copyright © 2000 Mediaweek. All rights reserved.
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