Wednesday, May 16, 2001
ABC, WB shift shows to fit
By John Kiesewetter
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The big question this fall won't be: Who wants to be a millionaire?
It will be: Where have they moved my favorite show?
Dharma & Greg, NYPD Blue, 20/20, Once and Again and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire move to new times as ABC Tuesday revamps five of seven nights.
The WB did the same Tuesday, changing five of six nights.
ABC's lineup features only five new series (two comedies and three dramas). It doesn't include 20/20 Downtown, a Sunday Millionaire to protect The Practice, or Barbara Walters' popular 20/20 during November sweeps.
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ABC FALL LINEUP
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Sunday: 7, Wonderful World of Disney; 9, Alias; 10, The Practice.
Monday: 8, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire; 9, Monday Night Football.
Tuesday: 8, Dharma & Greg; 8:30, What About Joan; 9, Bob Patterson; 9:30, Spin City; 10, Philly.
Wednesday: 8, My Wife and Kids; 8:30, The Dad; 9, Drew Carey Show; 9:30, The Job; 10 20/20 (until November), then NYPD Blue.
Thursday: 8, Whose Line It It Anyway?; 9, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire; 10, PrimeTime Thursday.
Friday: 8, The Mole II; 9, Thieves; 10, Once and Again (until December); then 20/20.
Saturday: 8, movie.
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WB FALL LINEUP
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Sunday: 7, Lost in the USA; 8, Steve Harvey Show; 8:30 Men, Women & Dogs; 9, Nikki; 9:30, Off Centre.
Monday: 8, 7th Heaven; 9, Angel.
Tuesday: 8, Gilmore Girls; 9, Smallville.
Wednesday: 8, Dawson's Creek; 9, Felicity.
Thursday: 8, Popstars 2; 8:30, Elimidate Deluxe; 9, Charmed.
Friday: 8, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch; 8:30, Maybe I'm Adopted; 9, Deep in the Heart; 9:30, Raising Dad.
Saturday: No programming
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ABC's hide-and-seek schedule has 20/20 at 10 p.m. Wednesday for September and October, until NYPD Blue moves into the slot opposite NBC's popular Law & Order. Sela Ward's Once and Again will air at 10 p.m. Friday through November, with 20/20 returning to Friday in December.
Canceled by ABC were Andre Braugher's Gideon's Crossing; Norm Macdonald's Norm; The Geena Davis Show; Two Guys and a Girl; The Trouble with Normal, Madigan Men and Dot.Comedy.
ABC's new series are:
Bob Patterson: Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) stars in a sitcom about a motivational speaker whose personal life is a mess.
Philly: Kim Delaney (NYPD Blue) stays at 10 p.m. Tuesday in a Steven Bochco drama about a Philadelphia defense attorney. Cincinnati native Diana-Maria Riva (a k a Diana Uhlenbrock) and Kyle Secor co-star.
The Dad: Jim Belushi and Courtney Thorne-Smith (Ally McBeal, Melrose Place) star in a domestic comedy.
Thieves: John Stamos (Full House) plays a slick thief hired by the FBI to recover stolen government property.
Alias: Think of this as Felicity, the Spy: A college student (Jennifer Garner, Dude, Where's My Car?)can't tell her boyfriend that she's a CIA spy being pursued by terrorists, in a drama from Felicity creator J.J. Abrams.
When the NFL season ends in January, ABC will premiere two series to replace Monday Night Football: Sally Field (ER) as a U.S. Supreme Court justice in The Court, and a reality pursuit game show called The Runner.
On WB, fans of Angel and Gilmore Girls are being asked to change their habits. Angel moves from Tuesday to 9 p.m. Monday, while Gilmore Girls moves from Thursday to the 8 p.m. Tuesday slot vacated by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which moves to UPN.
The network did not renew Roswell, Popular, Grosse Pointe, The PJs, The Oblongs, Jack & Jill, Hype and Jamie Foxx.
The WB will debut five sitcoms, a drama and two game shows. They are:
Lost in the USA: Four teams compete in a scavenger hunt-style competition without cash.
Elimidate Deluxe: The Dating Game meets Temptation Island in a game show filmed at romantic spots around the world.
Smallville: In this Superman: The Teen-age Years,Tom Welling stars as a coming-of-age Clark Kent.
Men, Women & Dogs: MTV's Bill Bellamy stars in a Sunday buddy comedy.
Off Centre: Another buddy comedy, from Paul and Chris Weitz (Antz, American Pie).
Maybe I'm Adopted: A 15-year-old girl (Reagan Dale Neis) clashes with her wacky parents (Fred Willard, Julia Sweeney).
Deep in the Heart: Country singer and Broadway star Reba McEntire makes her sitcom debut as a Texas soccer mom.
Raising Dad: Bob Saget (Full House) again plays a widower raising daughters in a comedy developed by the Family Friendly Forum's script development fund started by P&G's Bob Wehling.
Not on WB's fall lineup is The Misadventures of Fiona Plum created by Norwood native Jill Murray and producer Jonathan Prince, though Mr. Prince says WB may order the series for midseason.
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