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Fall TV Season (Excerpt)
Los Angeles Times - May 19, 1999
By BRIAN LOWRY
TIMES STAFF WRITER
CBS, which officially announces its revised prime-time lineup today, was keeping final scheduling plans close to the
vest. The network will add a half-dozen new series to its roster, renew more than a dozen existing shows, and cancel
the drama "L.A. Doctors" as well as more obvious ratings laggards such as "Payne," "Maggie
Winters" and "The Magnificent Seven."
"Ladies Man" features Sharon Lawrence--fresh off her run on "NYPD Blue"--as Molina's wife.
Another alumna of that series, Amy Brenneman, will star in CBS' "Judging Amy," a drama about a
single mom who moves in with her mother that could go up against "Blue" if CBS makes good on plans to
shift its Tuesday movie to Wednesday nights. Series veterans Betty White and Tyne Daly, respectively, will play the
grandmothers in those two shows.
The other new dramas are the sci-fi concept "Now and Again," from the creator of "Moonlighting,"
about a dead man brought back to life by the government in a new body; and "Family Law," another show
about lawyers, this time with Kathleen Quinlan as a woman who must start over after divorcing her husband and legal
partner.
CBS will finish the current TV season as the most-watched network, aided in part by its acquisition of NFL football
last year. The network agreed to pay $4 billion for those broadcast rights, hoping the games would serve as a
promotional vehicle to attract male viewers to its prime-time lineup. Men have proven an especially elusive group
for CBS, given the network's older, more female audience profile.
The results of that strategy have been mixed. While CBS made some competitive strides due to ratings declines by
competitors, the network remains fourth in terms of viewership among adults under 50, the principal currency used in
negotiating advertising rates. The demographic disparity is particularly significant from a bottom-line standpoint,
as evidenced by the roughly $1.25 billion in preseason ad sales CBS booked a year ago, about $900 million less than
prime-time leader NBC. This week's scheduling announcements, with Fox still to come, set off those negotiations for
the coming season.
CBS had previously announced plans to bring back more than a dozen of its current series, including "Touched by
an Angel," "Becker," "JAG," "Kids Say the Darndest Things" (hosted by Cosby),
"Nash Bridges," "48 Hours," "Martial Law," "Walker, Texas Ranger,"
"Chicago Hope" and both editions of "60 Minutes." "Candid Camera" which currently airs
Fridays, has been renewed as well but will likely be held as a backup, with the network to try pairing one of its
new comedies with "Kids Say."
The network is also planning a new drama from producer Steven Bochco, though that series--set in an inner-city
hospital populated by what will primarily be an African American cast--won't be available until January.
Copyright © 1999 Times Mirror Company. All rights reserved.
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