or


[05/26/04 - 12:00 AM]
2004 Broadcast Upfront Presentations Wrap-Up, Part 3
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- Plans change. Nothing is set in stone. That's more or less what one should keep in mind when looking at the broadcast networks' upfront presentations. In recent years this has become especially evident as shuffling the deck chairs over the summer and even during the season itself is quickly becoming a spectator's sport.

A perfect example of this was FOX last season as their fall 2003 schedule announced last May was significantly different from what would eventually make it to air:

FOX'S FALL 2003 SCHEDULE
(as originally announced on May 16, 2004)

Mondays
8:00/7:00c - "Joe Millionaire 2"
9:00/8:00c - "Skin" (New Series)

Tuesdays
8:00/7:00c - "American Juniors 2"
9:00/8:00c - "24"

Wednesdays
8:00/7:00c - "That '70s Show"
8:30/7:30c - "A Minute With Stan Hooper" (New Series)
9:00/8:00c - "The Bernie Mac Show"
9:30/8:30c - "Cedric the Entertainer Presents"

Thursdays
8:00/7:00c - "Tru Calling" (New Series)
9:00/8:00c - "The O.C." (New Series)

Fridays
8:00/7:00c - "Wanda at Large"
8:30/7:30c - "Luis" (New Series)
9:00/8:00c - "Boston Public"

Saturdays
8:00/7:00c - "Cops" (1)
8:30/7:30c - "Cops" (2)
9:00/8:00c - "America's Most Wanted"

Sundays
7:00/6:00c - "Oliver Beene"
7:30/6:30c - "King of the Hill"
8:00/7:00c - "The Simpsons"
8:30/7:30c - "The Ortegas" (New Series)
9:00/8:00c - "Malcolm in the Middle"
9:30/8:30c - "Arrested Development" (New Series)

FOX'S FALL 2003 SCHEDULE
(as it would finally appear)

Mondays
8:00/7:00c - "Joe Millionaire 2"
9:00/8:00c - "Skin" (New Series)

Tuesdays
8:00/7:00c - (Various Programming)
9:00/8:00c - "24"

Wednesdays
8:00/7:00c - "That '70s Show"
8:30/7:30c - "A Minute With Stan Hooper" (New Series)
9:00/8:00c - "The O.C." (New Series)

Thursdays
8:00/7:00c - "Tru Calling" (New Series)
9:00/8:00c - (Various Programming)

Fridays
8:00/7:00c - "Wanda at Large"
8:30/7:30c - "Luis" (New Series)
9:00/8:00c - "Boston Public"

Saturdays
8:00/7:00c - "Cops" (1)
8:30/7:30c - "Cops" (2)
9:00/8:00c - "America's Most Wanted"

Sundays
7:00/6:00c - (Various Programming)
7:30/6:30c - "King of the Hill"
8:00/7:00c - "The Simpsons"
8:30/7:30c - "The Bernie Mac Show"
9:00/8:00c - "Malcolm in the Middle"
9:30/8:30c - "Arrested Development" (New Series)

And that was just the beginning of FOX's schedule meddling last season: "Wonderfalls," which was originally set to inherit "Joe Millionaire's" Monday, 8:00/7:00c slot in January 2004, wound up bowing in March on Friday nights; both "The Ortegas" and "Still Life" never made it to air; "Cedric" would never burn off its final installments as previously planned; and "Banzai," originally ordered for midseason 2004, would flounder that summer and never return.

With that in mind, looking at FOX's recently released three-tiered schedule (June-October, November-January and January-June), one can't help but be slightly skeptical that at this time next year said plans will hold true.

Such changes aren't limited to FOX however as virtually all the broadcast networks made adjustments to their 2003-04 season plans:

-- "Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital" was originally slated for Thursdays at 9:00/8:00c by ABC come January 2004 however the network opted to run the series Wednesdays at 10:00/9:00c starting in March 2004. Interestingly enough ABC would go on to move it back to Thursdays at 9:00/8:00c after its floundering in the Wednesday slot.

-- The WB's fall 2003 schedule put the Rachael Leigh Cook drama "Fearless" after "Gilmore Girls" on Tuesdays. By July however, the Frog decided to move up its midseason entry "One Tree Hill" to take its place while "Fearless" wound up never moving beyond the pilot stage.

-- By that same token, the majority of the WB's midseason plans announced at its upfront presentation went the way of "Fearless": the untitled "Gilmore Girls" spin-off, "Make My Day" and "The Mayor" wouldn't find their way to the airwaves.

-- Some projects even underwent title changes between their announcement in May and their premiere dates: UPN's "Eve" was originally titled "The Opposite Sex," ABC's "Married to the Kellys" began as "Back to Kansas," CBS' "Navy N.C.I.S." was initially referred to as "Navy C.I.S.," and the WB's "Tarzan" originally featured "and Jane" in its title.

-- Wednesday comedy "The Stones" was originally set to bow in the fall following "King of Queens" however CBS would opt to run the sixth season of "Becker" in its place. "The Stones" would go on to bomb quickly in said slot in the spring.

Overall, only NBC's 2003 upfront remained in check with its actual schedule. So the lesson learned from all this: like everything else in television, don't believe it until you actually see it. Undoubtedly over the course of the summer you'll see more than one change to what was announced last week in New York City.

Click here to read ABC's original 2003 upfront presentation press release.

Click here to read CBS' original 2003 upfront presentation press release.

Click here to read FOX's original 2003 upfront presentation press release.

Click here to read NBC's original 2003 upfront presentation press release.

Click here to read UPN's original 2003 upfront presentation press release.

Click here to read the WB's original 2003 upfront presentation press release.





  [may 2004]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· 24 (FOX)
· AMERICAN JUNIORS (FOX)
· AMERICA'S MOST WANTED (LIFETIME)
· ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (NETFLIX)
· BANZAI (FOX)
· BECKER (CBS)
· BERNIE MAC SHOW, THE (FOX)
· BOSTON PUBLIC (FOX)
· CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER PRESENTS (FOX)
· COPS (FOX NATION)
· EVE (UPN)
· FEARLESS (WB)
· GILMORE GIRLS (CW)
· JOE MILLIONAIRE (FOX)
· KING OF QUEENS, THE (CBS)
· KING OF THE HILL (HULU)
· LUIS (FOX)
· MAKE MY DAY (TV LAND)
· MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE (FOX)
· MARRIED TO THE KELLYS (ABC)
· MAYOR, THE (WB)
· MINUTE WITH STAN HOOPER, A (FOX)
· NCIS (CBS)
· OC, THE (FOX)
· OLIVER BEENE (FOX)
· ONE TREE HILL (CW)
· ORTEGAS, THE (FOX)
· SIMPSONS, THE (FOX)
· SKIN (FOX)
· STEPHEN KING'S KINGDOM HOSPITAL (ABC)
· STILL LIFE (FOX)
· STONES, THE (CBS)
· TARZAN (WB)
· THAT '70S SHOW (FOX)
· TRU CALLING (FOX)
· UNTITLED GILMORE GIRLS PROJECT (WB)
· WANDA AT LARGE (FOX)
· WONDERFALLS (FOX)





[09/01/25 - 08:02 AM]
Video: "Dan Da Dan" Season 2 - Official Trailer 3 - Netflix
The mystery around Jiji's family boils over as Momo, Okarun and Turbo Granny investigate the strange hot spring town and its even stranger secrets.

[09/01/25 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "House of Guinness" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Dublin, 1868. The Guinness family patriarch is dead, and his four children - each with dark secrets to hide - hold the brewery's fate in their hands.

[09/01/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Canelo vs. Crawford" - Special Trailer - Netflix
Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford clash in a mega-fight for boxing's unified super middleweight crown live from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

[09/01/25 - 03:00 AM]
Warwick Davis Comes Back to Hogwarts in HBO Original "Harry Potter" Television Series
Davis will return as Professor Filius Flitwick, marking his homecoming to the wizarding world in a role he originated for the film series.

[09/01/25 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "Platonic: Blue Moon Hotel" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When a suave stranger with a hidden agenda checks into the Blue Moon Hotel, chaos and raunchy romance ensnare the two unhinged sisters who work there.

[08/31/25 - 11:31 AM]
Video: "Inside: USA" - Official Trailer - Netflix
Twelve creators. One week. A cash prize of $1,000,000. All these Insiders have to do is survive the challenges and not blow the money. Easy, right?

[08/31/25 - 09:02 AM]
Video: "Portobello" - Official Teaser - HBO Max
The series, by Marco Bellocchio and starring Fabrizio Gifuni as Enzo Tortora, will premiere the first two episodes at the 82nd Venice Film Festival.

[08/30/25 - 08:12 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - Hulu's "Chad Powers"
Hulu's new six-episode comedy series starring Glen Powell will premiere September 30 with two episodes.

[08/29/25 - 10:46 AM]
National Geographic Documentary Films Announces Global Acquisition of Streaming Rights to Werner Herzog Documentary "Ghost Elephants" Following Venice World Premiere
The documentary will make its U.S. premiere at the Telluride Film Festival this weekend.

[08/29/25 - 10:08 AM]
"Prison Break" Turns 20: Executive Producer Dawn Olmstead Curates Episode Collections on Hulu
It's been 20 years since Michael Scofield entered Fox River State Penitentiary on a mission: break brother Lincoln out.

[08/29/25 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "French Lover" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When a jaded actor meets a down-on-her-luck waitress in Paris, their unexpected love story begins - but will it survive the glare of the spotlight?

[08/29/25 - 08:02 AM]
Video: Prime Video Unveils Paris Trailer and New Cast for the Final Episodes of "The Summer I Turned Pretty"
Joining the series in recurring roles are Corinna Brown, Fernando Cattori, Isaline Prevost Radeff, and Jahz Armando.

[08/29/25 - 05:43 AM]
"Sounds of Summer" - Feel-Good, Music-Packed Movie About Swedish Pop Icons Gyllene Tider Makes Exclusive US Debut Thursday, September 18, 2025 on Viaplay
Directed by Per Simonsson and named after the band's most enduring hit, "Sounds of Summer" is a breezy, very inspiring 97-minute ride that follows Gessle from small-town outsider to pop trailblazer.

[08/29/25 - 03:01 AM]
Video: "RIV4LRIES" - Official Trailer - Netflix
At a middle school in Pisa, no one has ever challenged the cool kids - until new girl Terry arrives with bold ideas and the rivalries begin.

[08/29/25 - 02:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind: UK" Season 2 - The Reunion - Official Trailer - Netflix
Who's saying "I still do?" Emma and Matt host this season's couples and special guests as tea is spilled and secrets are revealed in a fiery reunion.