or


[05/12/03 - 12:00 AM]
NBC to Keep 'Ed,' 'Boomtown, 'Miami' as Upfront Approaches
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) - In one of its biggest schedule shakeups in years, NBC it set to make changes to all seven nights on its schedule when it unveils its fall 2003 lineup later today. At least three new comedies and three new dramas are also expected to make the cut as are struggling series "Ed," "Boomtown" and "Good Morning, Miami."

Here's a night-by-night breakdown of the latest developments:

-- The one night NBC wasn't expected to make changes to will feature some of the biggest changes of all: "Crossing Jordan," a Monday, 10:00/9:00c mainstay for its entire run, is expected to shift to Saturday nights at 10:00/9:00c. There's also an outside chance the series could be held altogether until midseason, as series star Jill Hennessy's pregnancy could delay production. In place of "Jordan" on Mondays, NBC will shift "Third Watch" back an hour to 10:00/9:00c. "Fear Factor" will kick off the night at 8:00/7:00c followed by newcomer "Las Vegas."

-- Tuesdays as expected will see the return of the Peacock's two-hour sitcom block with new comedies by Whoopi Goldberg ("Whoopi") and Tracy Morgan ("The Tracy Morgan Show") starting out at 8:00/7:00c and 8:30/7:30c respectively. "Frasier" will remain at 9:00/8:00c followed by "Good Morning, Miami," which will return regardless whether or not Heather Locklear signs on to the cast. Suzanne Pleshette however has opted out from returning for a second season. Tuesdays at 10:00/9:00c remain a mystery as either "Dateline NBC" will stay put or see the surprising switch of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" to the night.

-- Wednesdays have "The West Wing" remaining intact at 9:00/8:00c despite rumblings of a move to Sunday nights. "Law & Order" will stay at 10:00/9:00c and newcomer "The Lyon's Den," starring Rob Lowe, will open the night at 8:00/7:00c.

-- Thursdays see tentpoles "Friends," "Will & Grace" and "ER" remaining intact with "Scrubs" back for a third season at 8:30/7:30c and racy new comedy "Coupling" at 9:30/8:30c.

-- Fridays has the much talked about new dramedy "Miss Match" kicking off the night at 8:00/7:00c followed by fellow dramedy "Ed" at 9:00/8:00c. With "Law & Order: S.V.U.'s" possible move to Tuesdays, there's the outside chance "Boomtown" will get the Friday, 10:00/9:00c slot. If there's no move, expect "Boomtown" to stay put on Sundays.

-- Saturdays see a two-hour block of movies leading into the return of "Crossing Jordan" at 10:00/9:00c as previously mentioned.

-- Sundays have "Dateline NBC," "American Dreams" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" staying put in their current slots. The 10:00/9:00c slot remains fuzzy however with "S.V.U." and "Boomtown's" homes still up in the air. It's not clear what would air here should both series move to Tuesdays and Fridays respectively.

-- Midseason orders are also unclear however both the Christine Baranski-John Larroquette starrer "Happy Family" and drama "Homeland Security" are expected to receive pickups.

-- Set for the chopping block are: "Watching Ellie," "America's Most Talented Kid," "Hunter," "Kingpin," "Let's Make a Deal," "Hidden Hills," "A.U.S.A." and "Mister Sterling."

NBC formally announces its schedule at 4:00 p.m. eastern today.





  [may 2003]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· AMERICAN DREAMS (NBC)
· AMERICA'S MOST TALENTED KIDS (PAX)
· AUSA (NBC)
· BOOMTOWN (NBC)
· COUPLING (NBC)
· CROSSING JORDAN (NBC)
· DATELINE NBC (NBC)
· ED (NBC)
· ER (NBC)
· FEAR FACTOR (MTV)
· FRASIER (NBC)
· FRIENDS (NBC)
· GOOD MORNING, MIAMI (NBC)
· HAPPY FAMILY (NBC)
· HIDDEN HILLS (NBC)
· HOMELAND SECURITY (NBC)
· HUNTER (NBC)
· KINGPIN (NBC)
· LAS VEGAS (NBC)
· LAW & ORDER (NBC)
· LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT (USA)
· LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT (NBC)
· LET'S MAKE A DEAL (NBC)
· LYON'S DEN, THE (NBC)
· MISS MATCH (NBC)
· MISTER STERLING (NBC)
· SCRUBS (ABC)
· THIRD WATCH (NBC)
· TRACY MORGAN SHOW, THE (NBC)
· WATCHING ELLIE (NBC)
· WEST WING, THE (NBC)
· WHOOPI (NBC)
· WILL & GRACE (NBC)





[02/26/26 - 02:46 PM]
Netflix Declines to Raise Offer for Warner Bros.
"The transaction we negotiated would have created shareholder value with a clear path to regulatory approval. However, we've always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance's latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we are declining to match the Paramount Skydance bid," said co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters.

[02/26/26 - 02:19 PM]
"Live with Kelly and Mark" Soars to Season High with Best Audience in Over a Year
"Live" has now ranked as the No. 1 talk show in syndication for 157 consecutive weeks across all key measures.

[02/26/26 - 02:08 PM]
Britbox Unveils Spring Slate with "The Lady" Starring Mia McKenna-Bruce; Premieres March 18
Other highlights include the return of "Hope Street" and the debut of "Mudtown."

[02/26/26 - 01:36 PM]
Paramount Comments on Warner Bros. Discovery Board's Determination of Paramount's Proposal as Superior
David Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Paramount, said: "We are pleased WBD's Board has unanimously affirmed the superior value of our offer, which delivers to WBD shareholders superior value, certainty and speed to closing."

[02/26/26 - 01:16 PM]
Warner Bros. Discovery Board of Directors Determines Revised Proposal from Paramount Skydance Constitutes a "Company Superior Proposal"
Under the terms of the Netflix merger agreement, this notice triggers a four business day period during which Netflix has the right to propose revisions to the Netflix merger agreement so that the PSKY proposal would cease to constitute a "Company Superior Proposal."

[02/26/26 - 01:00 PM]
FOX Television Network Renews Hit Joel McHale Series "Animal Control" for Season Five
In addition, the first three seasons of the series are currently streaming on Netflix, and the show has been sold in territories around the world.

[02/26/26 - 10:31 AM]
More Stars Take the Stage to Present at the 98th Oscars
Javier Bardem, Chris Evans, Chase Infiniti, Demi Moore, Kumail Nanjiani and Maya Rudolph are among the featured talent.

[02/26/26 - 10:30 AM]
Video: AMC Networks Unveils Captivating Sneak Peek Scene from "The Vampire Lestat"
In the new rock and roll centric season, the Vampire Lestat goes on an electric multi-city tour while being haunted by "muses" from his wild and rebellious past.

[02/26/26 - 10:21 AM]
Feed the Children Teams Up with FOX's "Next Level Chef" to Put Child Hunger to Bed
The year-round campaign rallies the public alongside donors, volunteers, and partners to provide kids with the food and resources they need to rise and thrive every day.

[02/26/26 - 10:01 AM]
"Running Point" Season Two Returns April 23 on Netflix
Isla Gordon (Kate Hudson) is no longer the surprise choice to lead the Los Angeles Waves, she's the one everyone is watching.

[02/26/26 - 10:01 AM]
Season Three of the HBO Original Comedy Series "The Comeback" Debuts March 22
New episodes of the eight-episode season will debut weekly leading up to the series finale on Sunday, May 10.

[02/26/26 - 10:00 AM]
CBS Launches New Podcast "NCIS: Partners & Probies" Hosted by Series Stars Brian Dietzen and Diona Reasonover, Offering Fans an Inside Look at the #1 TV Franchise Worldwide
Premiering Tuesday, March 3, new episodes will roll out weekly.

[02/26/26 - 09:14 AM]
FOX Sports Assembles World-Class Broadcast Team for 2026 World Baseball Classic
Headlining FOX MLB's coverage of Team USA matchups and knockout rounds are highly acclaimed play-by-play announcers Joe Davis, Adam Amin and Kevin Kugler; expert analysts John Smoltz, A.J. Pierzynski and Adam Wainwright; and veteran reporters Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci.

[02/26/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art - "Sunny Nights" Starring Will Forte & D'Arcy Carden
After a critical acclaimed Australian debut, the darkly comedic crime drama starring Will Forte and D'Arcy Carden makes its U.S. debut on March 11 on Hulu.

[02/26/26 - 09:01 AM]
BritBox Announces April 7th Premiere for "A Taste for Murder"
The six-part crime procedural produced by Eagle Eye Drama and in association with ITV Studios stars Warren Brown, Phyllis Logan, and Cristiana Dell'Anna, and was shot on location in Croatia and Italy last year.