|
|
Providence smiles on 'Judging Amy'
Dallas Morning News - October 1, 1999
By Ed Bark / The Dallas Morning News
The sleeper hit of the new season is upon us. It's CBS' quietly affecting Judging Amy, which outdrew ABC's acclaimed, heavily promoted Once and Again in their second head-to-head matchup
Tuesday night.
The ratings represent a sharp turnaround from the previous week, when Once and Again drew 16.8 million viewers and Amy, 13.5 million, according to Nielsen Media Research. The latest numbers put
Amy on top with 15.7 million viewers while Once and Again slipped to 13.5 million.
Amy, starring former NYPD Blue regular Amy Brenneman as rookie judge Amy Gray, is similar in tone and theme to last season's surprise success, NBC's Providence. Both dramas focus on disaffected
young women who relocate from big cities to quieter climes in hopes of rediscovering roots and rekindling family ties.
In Amy's case, she's gone from corporate law in Manhattan to judicial robes in Hartford, Conn. Tyne Daly co-stars as her opinionated mother.
Judging Amy's victory over Once and Again has an intriguing back story. Seven Septembers ago, in the controversial premiere episode of NYPD Blue, Ms. Brenneman became the first actor to bare her
behind on a prime-time broadcast network series. The occasion was a steamy love scene with David Caruso.
In Tuesday's Once and Again, which is temporarily airing in NYPD Blue's time slot, actor Billy Campbell gave viewers an unobstructed view of his butt during bedroom activities with Sela Ward.
Bottom line: Ms. Brenneman won again, this time without disrobing.
Copyright © 1999 Dallas Morning News. All rights reserved.
|
