16 Maj 2000
By Kimberly Potts
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It's beginning to look a lot like, well, other networks over at the WB for next season.
The Michigan J. Frog network is taking a page from HBO scheduling, as well as a couple of shows from ABC and Fox, to retool a schedule that finds five new comedies, one new drama and a unique programming ploy that means fewer reruns for viewers. The big, and good, news from the WB's new schedule announcement this morning: fan support - and lots of Tabasco sauce - apparently holds a little more clout than ratings this year at the WB, as on-the-bubble shows Felicity, Roswell, Popular and Jack & Jill all return to the network's schedule. The catch: Felicity and Jack & Jill have to share a spot in the lineup. Much like cable net HBO's strategy of scheduling shows - The Sopranos, Oz and Sex and the City, for example - for eight to 13 episode runs, the WB will air 11 new episodes of Keri Russell and pals at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays. Jack & Jill, the romantic dramedy starring Amanda Peet and Ivan Sergei, will then step up and run for 13 straight weeks with new eps, followed by another 11 brand-spankin' new installments of Felicity. The move - which not only offers fans fewer reruns but allows the network to avoid those huge ratings dips rerun season brings - are settling well with the shows' actors, too. One Jack & Jill cast member, who spoke to E! Online on the condition of anonymity following the WB's presentation today, says the new schedule allows for the best of both worlds: "We get to do the show, which we all love, we get to at least tie up the cliffhanger from last season, and we have time to pursue other work," the cast member said. "And, hey, I don't like reruns either, so it's all good, all the way around!" And for those new shows ... two are actually recycled from other nets. Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, which has been in the middle of ABC's "TGIF" Friday night teen schedule since debuting in 1996, will now kick off the WB's youth-friendly Friday night block, while executive producer Eddie Murphy's claymation series The PJs got the heave-ho from Fox and lands at the WB, where it will lead the net's Sunday night programming. Among the truly new programs in the WB's lineup, Grosse Pointe, a half-hour comedy from Sex and the City and Melrose Place producer Darren Star, looks the most promising. A brief look at the WB's new series: Gilmore Girls: Stars Edward Herrmann and Lauren Graham (Conrad Bloom) in a drama about a thirtysomething single mom raising her teenage daughter in a small town in Connecticut. Grosse Pointe: Spoof of behind-the-scenes happenings at a fictional nighttime soap opera, starring Lindsay Sloane (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) and Kyle Howard (House Arrest), with guest spots by stars like William Ragsdale (Herman's Head) and Joely Fisher (Ellen). Hype: Described as an "edgy" improvisational sketch comedy series from MAD TV alumni. Stars Jennifer Elise Cox (The Brady Bunch Movie), is written by former Saturday Night Live star Terry Sweeney and is executive produced by Brian Robbins (Varsity Blues). Nikki: Executive producer Bruce Helford's (The Drew Carey Show) sitcom about a Vegas showgirl (Unhappily Ever After's Nikki Cox) who marries a professional wrestler. Hmmm ... showgirls, wrasslin' and Nikki "Mrs. Bobcat Goldthwait" Cox ... yep, sure sounds like a recipe for success. Looking even further into their crystal ball for midseason shows, the WB is giving the green light to a variety show hosted by network star Jamie Foxx; Dead Last, a comedic drama by High Fidelity scribes (and friends o' John Cusack) Steve Pink and D.V. DeVincentis that's described by insiders as a mix between Scooby Doo, The Sixth Sense and Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!; and The Oblongs, another Bruce Helford-produced comedy. The Oblongs, based on a book by supervising producer Angus Oblong, follows the adventures of a family who suffers physical and emotional abnormalities because of toxic conditions. Uh, yeah ... that ... sounds, um, funny. The net also reiterated plans to launch two summer 2000 series, including the Dawson's Creek spinoff Young Americans, which debuts in the post-Dawson slot (Wednesdays at 9 p.m.) on July 12, and Baby Blues, an animated family comedy based on the comic strip of the same name, scheduled tentatively for July. The following is a night-by-night look at the network's 2000-01 fall schedule:
MONDAY: 7th Heaven, Roswell |