Friday, January 28, 2000
NBC delays private-eye comedy
BY JOHN KIESEWETTER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Seinfeld fans will have to wait until fall — or longer — to see Michael Richards' new NBC private-eye situation comedy.
NBC executives had talked last fall about putting Mr. Richards' new comedy on the air in March, with other spring try-out series. But the sitcom has been delayed until fall.
“We have the script, but Michael wanted to wait until fall. And I think he's right,” says Garth Ancier, NBC Entertainment president.
“He wants to take his time and do it right,” Mr. Ancier says.
Two former Seinfeld writers have done the script, says Rick Ludwin, the NBC senior vice president who supervised Seinfeld (1989-98). Mr. Ludwin, a 1970 Miami University graduate, also is the executive in charge of Jay Leno's Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Twenty One and Saturday Night Live.
Mr. Richards will play a bumbling Los Angeles detective, not Cosmo Kramer, for Castle Rock Entertainment, the studio that produced Seinfeld. Castle Rock also is developing a sitcom with Phil Morris about lawyer Jackie Chiles from Seinfeld and Honda TV commercials.
SEINFELD NOTE: Jerry Seinfeld, by the way, provides the voice of Comp-U-Comp, an arrogant super-computer, on UPN's Dilbert cartoon Feb. 22 (9:30 p.m., Channel 25).
KIESE-WATCHING: Did you notice Martin Sheen's coffee cup in the Oval Office on Wednesday's episode of The West Wing? It was a white “Think TV” mug from Dayton's WPTD-TV (Channel 16).
Mr. Sheen, the Dayton native who plays President Josiah Bartlet, was sent the cup from his brother, John Estevez, Channel 16's corporate development manager.
PET PROJECT: WKRC-TV will showcase pets needing a home on the fourth annual Adopt-A-Pet Fund program 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday on Channel 12. Harold Dates from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will be joined by Channel 12's Cammy Dierking, John Lomax, Mike Buresh and Layne Mason.
SEE YA LATER: VH1 personality Cynthia Garrett has signed a 13-week deal to host NBC's Later (1:35 a.m., Channel 5), the first permanent host since Greg Kinnear left the show in October 1996.
The frequent Later sub has drawn “the highest ratings on the show that we've had in a number of seasons,” Mr. Ancier says.
Ms. Garrett has hosted VH1's Grammy specials. The single mother has a law degree. She's also fluent in Italian.
Bob Costas started the 30-minute Later show in 1988.
NBC STARS: With Brooke Shields' Suddenly Susan and Kirstie Alley's Veronica's Closet sitcoms slowly sinking to the bottom of the Nielsens, NBC has signed a long list of stars for sitcom pilots.
To name a few: Tim Meadows and Colin Quinn from Saturday Night Live; former SNL cast members Chris Elliott and Jim Breuer; James Garner; Tony-winner Kristin Chenowith from You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown; Marlon Wayans and David Allen Grier both from In Living Color.
For dramas, NBC has Steven Spielberg developing Semper Fi about the U.S. Marines; a Miami FBI drama from Tom Fontana (Homicide: Life on the Streets); and dramas from Rob Burnett (Late Night with David Letterman, Everybody Loves Raymond),Yvette Lee Bowser (For Your Love) and Dick Wolf (Law & Order).
VIVA VARIETY: The successful revival of game shows this year prompts veteran TV executive Fred Silverman to predict that variety shows may be next.
“I think and hope that some form of variety will come back. I think it's long overdue,” says Mr. Silverman, former programmer at ABC, CBS and NBC. He oversaw such programs as Roots, Charlie's Angels, All in the Family, M*A*S*H, The Waltons, Kojak, Hill Street Blues, Shogun, St. Elsewhere, Fame and Laverne & Shirley.
Mr. Silverman, executive producer of NBC's Twenty One game show revival, cites the success of Jay Leno, David Letterman, MTV and Comedy Central's The Daily Show for his theory.
“Using today's production techniques ... one of the networks will try it,” he says. “If they do it well, and they have the right people in front of and behind the camera, it can be a big hit.”
SCHULZ TRIBUTE: Walter Cronkite will host Good Grief, Charlie Brown: A Tribute to Charles Schulz, a one-hour retrospective on the cartoonist and his CBS animated specials on Feb. 11 (8 p.m., Channels 12, 7) two days before publication of the last Peanuts comic strip.
AROUND THE DIAL: Dixie Chicks fans, listen up! The Chicks appear back-to-back on Austin City Limits (9 p.m., Channel 14) and Sessions at West 54th (10 p.m., Channel 14).
VH1 premieres Rock 'n' Roll Record Breakers, strange but true tales from concert tours about most shows in a day, world's highest rooftop concert, and longest hotel bans. (The Who have been banned from Holiday Inns worldwide since Keith Moon's 1967 birthday bash in Flint, Mich.)
Fugitive sought in killing
Parks won't pay for deck
Warm-up coming, but get your shovel
Auf Wiedersehen to a Zinzinnati institution
Tristaters: Clinton packed a punch
Area Republicans pan president's proposals
Text of State of the Union address
War 'blood brothers' want to reunite
Wrongful birth suit uncharted territory
Police hoping for stricter seat-belt law
School board accused of caving
Taft appointments more diverse
Woman who copped cruiser to get mental exam
Queen City's moments to shine reflected in book
14 ideas for the 14th
GET TO IT
Getting married? Be in our 'Love Story'
NBC delays private-eye comedy
Sundancers abuzz about films online
Trucks Band a few songs behind Allmans
AROUND THE COMMONWEALTH
Auditor to review Lebanon buyouts
Boy accused of groping 10-year-olds at school
Burglar-molester gets 29 years
Businesses see group growing
Butler County has new funeral carriage new for officers
Food agencies want Y2K leftovers
Glenn mission results in
Hit-skip driver sought
Inmate comes to court via TV
Miamitown salvages river relic
Minority students to get aid
Monroe plans to study fire status
Montgomery woman has new career: Mom
Ohio fights to reserve contracts for minorities
One arrested, one sought in shooting and robbery
Republicans sign up to support Roeding
School bets on reading emphasis
Sheriff goes after grants
TRISTATE DIGEST
Truck ban suit is topic of meeting
UV light to be used at plant
Visalia water plan resurfaces
Water rate raised to pay legal bills
