New two-part special Thin Ice airs on ABC Friday, March 19 at 8 and Sunday, March 21 at 7:

THE WORLD'S GREATEST PRO FIGURE SKATERS COMPETE LIVE ON "THIN ICE," AIRING OVER TWO NIGHTS IN MARCH 2010 ON ABC

Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Kurt Browning Co-Host; Kristi Yamaguchi and Dick Button Are Among the Judges

Emmy Award-winning talk show host Elisabeth Hasselbeck ("The View") and Kurt Browning, four-time world champion Canadian figure skater, co-host "Thin Ice," a new competition for the world's greatest pro figure skaters, live from the MGM Grand at Foxwoods (Connecticut), airing FRIDAY, MARCH 19 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) and SUNDAY, MARCH 21 (7:00-8:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

The lineup was announced by Joseph C. Jimenez, senior vice present, Foxwoods Resort Casino and Terry O'Neil, CEO, O'Neil Entertainment. Two of the judges will be Kristi Yamaguchi, 1992 Olympic gold medalist and Season Six champ of "Dancing with the Stars," and Dick Button, two-time Olympic gold medalist and the voice of figure skating on American television for 45 years. The judging will be split between viewer votes on www.abc.com (50%) and a panel of judges (50%). Confirmed competitors so far include:

Shizuka Arakawa, Japan, 2006 Olympic gold medalist

Shae-Lynn Bourne, Canada, 2003 World Champion

In total, 12 competitors will come from four skating disciplines -- ladies, men, pairs and dance -- and the competitors will be paired as six couples. No pairs or dance skater will be coupled with his or her current partner. Skating programs will be limited to two minutes. "In the Olympic Games," said O'Neil, "there are more than 300 pages of rules and regulations. In Thin Ice,' the entire judging criteria are summarized in two words -- entertain us. And the viewer-vote is a wonderful interactive feature. After years of controversial scoring, we can finally say to the television viewer: this time you judge the skaters."

Competition will be staged in the Premier Ballroom of the MGM Grand at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut. At 50,000 square feet of unobstructed space, it is the largest column-free ballroom in the northeast U.S. "It will be a remarkable setting," said Mr. Jimenez. "We'll build an ice rink 75'x140' and still have room for 3,000 spectators. The room will have great ambience, and elegant chandeliers hang from a 26-foot ceiling. Spectator seating will be darkened to give the feel of a cabaret or nightclub."

Prize money for the event totals $250,000:

1st Place - $60,000 per couple

2nd Place - $50,000 per couple

3rd Place - $45,000 per couple

4th Place - $35,000 per couple

5th Place - $30,000 per couple

6th Place - $30,000 per couple

The executive producer of "Thin Ice" is Terry O'Neil. It is a production of O'Neil Entertainment.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Mountain Time and Pacific Time ONLY
7:00PM MT/8:00PM PT The Middle (R)
7:30PM MT/8:30PM PT Modern Family (R)
Full Dec. 1 details: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showpost.php?p=4335818&postcount=492
NOTE: If the Presidential Address ends before 8:50PM ET, eastern and central time zones will get a repeat of Modern Family already in progress.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009
8:00PM A Charlie Brown Christmas/Charlie Brown Christmas Tales (one-hour)
(Holiday episode repeats of Modern Family and The Middle are no longer scheduled in this hour on this date.)
Updated list of holiday specials: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showpost.php?p=4310255&postcount=180

From Scrubs Writers room twitter page:
We're currently making 13 episodes, possibly more if enough people watch SCRUBS on ABC TOMORROW NIGHT, December 1 at 9pm!

I think ABC should not run a new CASTLE next week when a big Football game is gonna preempt it in major markets.

It's turning into a really good player for them now and It's more important to them for after Jan. Also why waste a new eps in december especially when its gonna be preempted and lower their finals scores. If they increase their order to 24 and dont run next week, they can run 6 uninterrupted new eps from Jan 4th until the Olympics start. That would then leave them 8 to run during the 11 week DWTS run. Since they always premiere Bachelorette the last week, they'll only be out of orginals for 2 weeks. Either way they should not run a new one next week. I dont get why they are running 11 eps of this show when none of the other scripted shows are running more than 10.

WBAY 2 will air Castle will air Castle at 1:35 am CT Time

As announced in September, Charles Gibson will be retiring from ABC News this season. His last day as anchor of “ABC World News with Charles Gibson” will be Friday, December 18, 2009.

Please see below a blog posted on the “World Newser” from Jon Banner, Executive Producer of ABC’s World News with Charles Gibson:

It’s that time of year in this great country of ours when we give thanks for family and friends and focus on the things that matter most to us. It’s no different here in the newsroom, where we are preparing to see our very good friend and anchor off as he begins a new journey. We’ve known this day was coming; Charlie first told us of his desire to retire in early September. As he said then, it’s the right time for him and his amazing family. So today I wanted to let you know that Charlie’s last day as anchor of “World News” will be December 18. We’re going to spend a good deal of time during his final week on the air looking back at the stories Charlie covered, hearing again from some of the remarkable people he interviewed, and paying tribute to our friend and colleague, and the enormous contribution he has made to ABC News over the last three decades.

Charlie Gibson will be missed World News will not be the same with out him

As announced in September, Charles Gibson will be retiring from ABC News this season. His last day as anchor of “ABC World News with Charles Gibson” will be Friday, December 18, 2009.

Please see below a blog posted on the “World Newser” from Jon Banner, Executive Producer of ABC’s World News with Charles Gibson:

It’s that time of year in this great country of ours when we give thanks for family and friends and focus on the things that matter most to us. It’s no different here in the newsroom, where we are preparing to see our very good friend and anchor off as he begins a new journey. We’ve known this day was coming; Charlie first told us of his desire to retire in early September. As he said then, it’s the right time for him and his amazing family. So today I wanted to let you know that Charlie’s last day as anchor of “World News” will be December 18. We’re going to spend a good deal of time during his final week on the air looking back at the stories Charlie covered, hearing again from some of the remarkable people he interviewed, and paying tribute to our friend and colleague, and the enormous contribution he has made to ABC News over the last three decades.
Charlie is my favorite national news anchor. Katie and Brian are boring IMO. I hope Diane is able to fill in well! :)

THRFeed is reportung Betty is moving to Wednesdays (but no date given yet):

'Ugly Betty' moving to Wednesdays


"Ugly Betty" is being rescued from Friday nights -- again!

Sources say "Betty" is moving to Wednesdays, likely taking over the slot most recently held by "Eastwick."

Back in 2006, ABC shifted "Betty" from a planned Friday night series debut to high-profile Thursdays after critics loved the pilot. After a modestly successful run in the slot, ABC downshifted the show to Fridays this fall, for real this time, once ratings fell off. But "Betty" lost more viewers in its new time period than any other returning show. Plus, adding "Betty" could make Wednesday an all-comedy lineup, presuming the sitcom block remains in place.

ABC had no comment, though sources say the move will likely happen very soon.

Receiving a network pardon from a Friday slot is rare. The evening have become a night where broadcasters put shows on their last legs. "Betty" has received some rave reviews this season, however.

Now the next question is: What show will go into the "Betty" Friday slot? One possibility is struggling procedural drama "The Forgotten," but wouldn't that create another hole?

variety is saying ST is going to Friday. While i am thrilled that Betty is going to wed i cant belive they are wasting ST on Fridays. couldnt they just put wife swap there

Shark Tanks has never has the luxury of following a decent lead in or airing at 10pm against less competition. It has done quite well considering it aired againts the #1 show on tv. If its as high with large income households as they say why dont they give it a decent slot. Its a waste on Friday.

from Variety:

'Ugly Betty' moving to Wednesday
ABC hopes schedule change will boost series
By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER

ABC is set to make its long-rumored "Ugly Betty" move to Wednesday nights.

Schedule shift could give "Betty" a boost, as it would now air behind the highly compatible half-hour "Cougar Town."

"Ugly Betty" fills the void left by "Eastwick," which was not picked up for a full season.

Scheduling move shifts "Betty" from what had been a lonely Friday night slot, sandwiched between the reality series "Supernanny" and the newsmag "20/20."

Airing in that rough slot, "Ugly Betty" had been a Nielsen also-ran -- most recently, during the holiday weekend, posting just a 0.9 rating/3 share among adults 18-49.

With "Ugly Betty" moving off Friday, ABC plans to return to a completely non-scripted lineup on the night, replacing the 9 p.m. hour with the reality series "Shark Tank."

ABC has five more episodes in the can of "Shark Tank"; no word yet on what the network plans to do there once those segs complete their run.

Moves are effective this January.

I'm not going to comment until it is official, but I agree about Shark Tank. It would be more valuable during the week. If it does move to Friday, wonder what will fill the void Tuesday at 8?

I'm not going to comment until it is official, but I agree about Shark Tank. It would be more valuable during the week. If it does move to Friday, wonder what will fill the void Tuesday at 8?

Will Let's Dance be ready by January or has it been delayed for longer than that? Maybe it could go Tuesday 8pm. Or Wife Swap.

variety is saying ST is going to Friday. While i am thrilled that Betty is going to wed i cant belive they are wasting ST on Fridays. couldnt they just put wife swap there

I agree. It's a waste on Fridays. Supernanny/Wife Swap were a perfect combo on Fridays last season(far better than what's happening now) and they should be back together.

Betty on Wednesdays will be very interesting, I don't think it can get a better lead-in than Cougar Town.

THE FORGOTTEN got a 1.3 last night. Guess DWTS was really helping it. I am glad ABC didnt formally announce their winter sked yet, because LOST or no LOST this should not be on any night but Friday. Without another procedural in the hour it did worse than ever. I can't fathom a schedule with this on it Tues at 10 thru March and ST on Fridays.

I really hope they reconsider running those encores the next few weeks. If an original got a 1.3, I shudder to think what a rerun will get. I know Leno was off and BL was on 10-11p but come on a 1.3 - unacceptable.

By they way BL got almost a 4.0 in the 11pm hour - everyone that says DWTS cant air at 10pm, here's why it can, especially since it will have the reality audience to itself.

Pavan,

So it GREEN BAY and Milwakee preempting ABC this Monday? Are those big markets?

Green Bay and Milwaukee are preempting ABC primetime this Monday, but they are no where near as big as Boston. So it won't be down much as it was this week.

Thursday, December 31, 2009
10:00-11:00PM "Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2010"
11:30PM-1:06AM "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2010" (Part 1)
1:06AM-2:08AM "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2010" (Part 2)

It's official on Betty and Shark Tank:

Wednesdays, Effective Wednesday, January 6, 2010
10:00PM Ugly Betty
NOTE: Eastwick will end after its Dec. 30 airing (11 episodes would have aired)

Fridays, Effective Friday, January 8, 2010
9:00PM Shark Tank (Shark Tank will have its season finale on Feb. 5. It is unclear what will air starting Feb. 12.)
NOTE: Also, reminder that Shark Tank repeats will also air Saturdays at 5PM ET starting Jan. 9.

Thanks

Forgot to note, Shark Tank will have its season finale on Feb. 5. It is unclear what will air starting Feb. 12.

I could see them running the last 2 EASTWICK's maybe Jan 1st or 2nd, if not I guess it's the Summer

Some Station's like WGNO will be airing Dick Clark Rock and Eve from 11:35 pm until 1:05 am CT Time And 1:05 am until 2:05 am CT Time

I know the ratings are bad but after seeing tonights EASTWICK, i am really bummed ABC is givng the shot to FORGOTTEN ovet this. EASTWICK is creatively really great and fits ABC much better, plus as last night proved FORGOTTEN aint doing any better.

I know the ratings are bad but after seeing tonights EASTWICK, i am really bummed ABC is givng the shot to FORGOTTEN ovet this. EASTWICK is creatively really great and fits ABC much better, plus as last night proved FORGOTTEN aint doing any better.

I like Forgotten but I also like Eastwick a lot more and it is getting better every week. Very good writing and I find one of the best ABC show at the moment, but hey...I at least hope the show the remaining 2 episodes after dec 30th episodes.

Pavan, anu info on when ABC will officially announce all it's midseason plans?

I'm hoping tomorrow or Friday for the announcement.

Interesting to note, Better off Ted is all-new on Tuesday, Dec. 29. Not sure about Scrubs yet.

i saw that. the only thing interestung about it, is that it probably means they have no faith in it and i find that depressing, especially since they are running encores of THE FORGOTTEN which in addition to being less unique and critically acclaimed than BOT is gonna do worse or the same and hurt them more,

i saw that. the only thing interestung about it, is that it probably means they have no faith in it and i find that depressing, especially since they are running encores of THE FORGOTTEN which in addition to being less unique and critically acclaimed than BOT is gonna do worse or the same and hurt them more,

BOT is DOA, lol. Seeing how poorly Scrubs did on Tuesday (albeit with a decent demo), BOT is going to be even worse. The show could barely manage 2 million viewers during the summer. ABC knows they made a mistake renewing it for a 2nd season, and this is nothing more than burnoff.

Summer means nothing. It was paired with no other comedy then. And last spring Ted and Scrubs both did similar ratings and worked well with each other. Also, I think Prep & Landing is going to big on Tuesday so it should help the comedies.

Summer means nothing. It was paired with no other comedy then. And last spring Ted and Scrubs both did similar ratings and worked well with each other. Also, I think Prep & Landing is going to big on Tuesday so it should help the comedies.

Ted was still weaker than Scrubs. And Scrubs, although compatible, isn't exactly the best lead-in. Ted isn't going to be a breakout hit, by any means, but I do agree that Prep & Landing is going to do very well next week, so that could definitely help the comedies out.

I think Better off Ted will do well on Tuesday Night's at 8:30 pm CT Time.

Scrubs is the perfect lead in, in tone and style and they are both male skewing. SCRUBS was primarily renewed so ABC would have a sitcom to put BOT with . Bill Lawrence has even acknowledged that is part of it. and In terms of flow BOT was maybe a tenth or two off from SCRUBS when they aired in originals.

if Scrubs got a 2.0, Ted usually had a 1.9 or 1.8.

Also THE OFFICE had puny ratings its first year and even the 1st half of the second year it lost a huge chunk of MNIE. ABC was probably thinking with the critical acclaim we can grow this. The fact they are scheduling an ep dec 29th does have me worried about their faith in it, as that speaks volumes.

ALso I See Alan Sepinwall of NJ Star Ledger who loved it last year, doesnt love the new eps sent for screener, so I am now feeling very pessmisitic about it all, which is a shame because TED feels like it could/should break out.

with that FF promo saying MARCH 2010, sounds like order was cut big time and there's gonna be some major announcements tomorrow.

http://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/news-flash-abc-delays-return-drama-until-march-11204

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/rant.aspx?id=20091202_insidethebox

V back March 30th via hit fix daniel:

"V" returns to ABC on March 30. That's a Tuesday. At 10 p.m. Tell your alien friends

Whatever happened to Inside the Box? That was one of the few drama pilots I was looking forward to. It could have worked well on ABC. About Flash Forward - I think this is officially the beginning of the end for this drama. I'll have to see the ratings for tonight's episode, but so far, ratings have been going down with every episode. It's expensive to produce, and the audience is losing interest. ABC could have easily continued airing it in January, but it seems like they're now moving on and are willing to give another show a chance in the timeslot.

I'd like to see Happy Town or The Deep End, if ready to go, end up in the slot come January. Happy Town could work well paired with Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. If not, maybe Copper? Actually, it almost would have been wise to give Ugly Betty back the timeslot. It'll be interesting to see what they do here. And with V - if it returns March 30th, it'll be airing its finale out of May sweeps. My question is what are they going to fill the empty Tuesday timeslot with?

ABC wants to air FLASHFORWARD repeat free. Episode order is not cut or anything and they are still very high on it. Here is the ABC blurb on it tonight:

ABC will be announcing tomorrow that original episodes of FLASHFORWARD will return to ABC on Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 8:00PM and continue for 12 consecutive weeks (thru May 20). This was mentioned at the end of tonight's episode.

I think we'll have a two-hour return on March 4 and possibly another week where it airs for two-hours, since it will have 14 hours remaining to air in 12 weeks.

What will air in the Thursday at 8pm hour from Jan. 14-Feb. 25 will be announced tomorrow.

They'll proabably have a 2 hour finale. If there is a 2 hour opener on March 4th I really hope that means they arent running new GREYS during the OLYMPICS.

Maybe they'll be a one hour opener and one of those 3 weeks in April (when GA would be in reruns) will contain a 2 hour. I just hope there is no GA during Olympics. I hope its 5 consecutive weeks Jan 14th-Feb 11th and then 4 consecutive thru the month of March. then 3 weeks off, then final 4 weeks of season.

I just read sweeps ends May 26th this year. sounds like they still will need a week off for LOST, wonder if that will be during Olympics

actually this makes lots of sense regarding FF now. they have time to get the show in order, and then run straight for 12 weeks with no stops and starts which works better for serial shows. My guess is there are 2 two hour FF during the April weeks when GA would be in reruns, another good point for delaying til March

The way I see it. LOST will air its finale on May 18th. Then V will finish its 13th episode on May 25th following DWTS's finale. That works for both LOST and V.

FlashForward I think will most likely air a two hour premiere, and maybe the April 29th episode will be two hours making room for Grey's to air straight thru till the finale.

I am also thinking ABC will announce that Castle will finish up by March or so, and that maybe The Deep End will air for 7 weeks out of DWTS on Mondays, works seeing as Castle will have aired 11 of the 22 episodes already in 2009.

I hoping to see ABC put Happy Town in Brothers and Sisters slot in Mar/April (only 8 episodes).

They will need V to be 2 hours at some point so that could be a week when Lost is off because by starting March 30th, with 9 episodes left, it would bring V to March 25th and since they need a 3 hours Lost finale (recap and finale 2hours) AND a 2 hour DWTS finale, V needs a week off.

So, V finale would be on May 18th (1hr) along with the DWTS finale on the 18th (2hrs) with Lost finale 3 hours on the 25th.

They will need V to be 2 hours at some point so that could be a week when Lost is off because by starting March 30th, with 9 episodes left, it would bring V to March 25th and since they need a 3 hours Lost finale (recap and finale 2hours) AND a 2 hour DWTS finale, V needs a week off.

So, V finale would be on May 18th (1hr) along with the DWTS finale on the 18th (2hrs) with Lost finale 3 hours on the 25th.

True, but I don't see how V could go two hours at any point unless they move DWTS Results to Wednesday for one week. Maybe if Wednesday comedies end of the 19th of May, DWTS could air finale on the 26th and V's last two on the 25th. But still it is a long way off.. :).

I am also thinking ABC will announce that Castle will finish up by March or so, and that maybe The Deep End will air for 7 weeks out of DWTS on Mondays, works seeing as Castle will have aired 11 of the 22 episodes already in 2009.

I hoping to see ABC put Happy Town in Brothers and Sisters slot in Mar/April (only 8 episodes).
dont you think they way CASTLE is growing it would be smart to run it through May. I feel like they have buzz and momentum, dont replace it with anotehr new show. DEEP END could go Sunday maybe. I hear bad things about HAPPY TOWN everywhere. Plus we dont know what airing for 5 weeks on Thursdays at 9p, maybe DEEP END or reality show.

Amazing FLASHFORWARD tonight! One of my top 3 episodes of the series thus far behind the pilot and the heartwarming episode a few weeks ago. The promo for upcoming episodes was amazing!
And the two-hour Private Practice event was great as usual. The season has been excellent every episode so far.

Anyway, as far as scheduling goes...this is what I would do. Just a note, May 2010 sweep is April 29 - May 26, 2010. Memorial Day is May 31 (the latest it could be). Other key notes: Olympics Feb. 12-28; March Madness begins Thursday, March 18.

LOST - Series finale Tuesday, May 18, 9-11pm.
FLASHFORWARD season finale- Thursday, May 20, 8pm
Dancing with the Stars 10 finale - Tuesday, May 25, 8-10pm
V season finale - Tuesday, May 25 at 10pm

Notes:
FLASHFORWARD - two-hour episodes April 8 and 22.
V - special night and time on April 15 at 9pm (so it can fit all 9 episodes)
I like tvcrazed's Grey's Anatomy proposal. Episodes 11-15 (Jan. 14-Feb. 11); Episodes 16-20 (March 4-April 1); Episodes 21-24 (April 29-May 20). No two-hour season finale, unless they order a 25th hour.
I'd keep Castle on Mondays throughout the season. I see it breaking out.

Just what I would do with these particular series.

ABC is adding a third airing of Prep and Landing...on Christmas Eve, followed by comedy repeats. Also, Jennifer Hudson Christmas special will get a second airing now.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009
8:00PM JENNIFER HUDSON: I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS (encore)

Thursday, December 24, 2009
8:00PM DISNEY PREP & LANDING (second encore)
8:30PM THE MIDDLE (R, special night)
9:00PM MODERN FAMILY (R, special night)
9:30PM COUGAR TOWN (R, special night)
10:00PM GREY'S ANATOMY (R, special time)

Once again, updated list of holiday specials:
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showpost.php?p=4310255&postcount=180

dont you think they way CASTLE is growing it would be smart to run it through May. I feel like they have buzz and momentum, dont replace it with anotehr new show. DEEP END could go Sunday maybe. I hear bad things about HAPPY TOWN everywhere. Plus we dont know what airing for 5 weeks on Thursdays at 9p, maybe DEEP END or reality show.

I think CASTLE has been great this season so far and would love for it to fun through. I have seen HAPPY TOWN and it is not that great but I think it could work with DH's kind of soapy mystery elements.

Not sure where DEEP END will go, we will see though.

Pavan, like your ideas, the dates seem to work out but I would rather see, two hour FlashForward on March 11th (I know it is unlikely) but that would mean episodes 12/13 and I have heard that 13 has a reveal so big it was not suppose to happen until season 2 or 3. But if that cannot happen a two hour March 4th, and April 29th episode could work.

I know April 29 is a huge date for FF, but that is the first night of May sweep and I just don't see ABC preempting Grey's that night. I think a two-hour FF would be great on April 22 for hype for the following week.

I also think ABC will use Primetime: What Would You Do in Jan/Feb. Perhaps Tues at 8? They have many episodes of that ready, as it didn't air in August as previously planned.

Whatever happened to Inside the Box? That was one of the few drama pilots I was looking forward to. It could have worked well on ABC. About Flash Forward - I think this is officially the beginning of the end for this drama. I'll have to see the ratings for tonight's episode, but so far, ratings have been going down with every episode. It's expensive to produce, and the audience is losing interest. ABC could have easily continued airing it in January, but it seems like they're now moving on and are willing to give another show a chance in the timeslot.

I'd like to see Happy Town or The Deep End, if ready to go, end up in the slot come January. Happy Town could work well paired with Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. If not, maybe Copper? Actually, it almost would have been wise to give Ugly Betty back the timeslot. It'll be interesting to see what they do here. And with V - if it returns March 30th, it'll be airing its finale out of May sweeps. My question is what are they going to fill the empty Tuesday timeslot with?

Why do you believe FlashForward is expensive to produce? I just don't see that at all. Yes, alot of money was invested in the pilot but the regular series? I doubt it cost any more than any other first year series and the fact that ABC Studios sold the show in so many different foreign territories worldwide indicates that they can make up for any licensing fees from ABC TV.

They'll proabably have a 2 hour finale. If there is a 2 hour opener on March 4th I really hope that means they arent running new GREYS during the OLYMPICS.

Maybe they'll be a one hour opener and one of those 3 weeks in April (when GA would be in reruns) will contain a 2 hour. I just hope there is no GA during Olympics. I hope its 5 consecutive weeks Jan 14th-Feb 11th and then 4 consecutive thru the month of March. then 3 weeks off, then final 4 weeks of season.


Why are you so afraid of the olympics? Yes they will do well, but there is no reason to run from them. These are the WINTER Games, not the SUMMER games. ABC's big programs will continue to de well, including the Wednesday comedies, The Middle is the best of that bunch by the way.

What will air in the Thursday at 8pm hour from Jan. 14-Feb. 25 will be announced tomorrow.

Anything except Grey's Anatomy repeats, please!

Good notes, Pavan

I hope in light of the fact that there is an extra week of the season this year, that ABC still premieres DWTS March 8th. They can have 13 couples and a 12 week season. No results show first week. If starting the second week, you knock out just one couple at a time, you still have 3 for the finale (which they seem to prefer).

I also hope they give PP a 24 ep season (I thought both hours were excellent last night, the show really found itself this season) and the 2 weeks FF is 2 hours it can be followed by a new PP. I assume ABC will still have GREYS 2 hour finale (maybe I am wrong, but the seem to prefer) and if that is the case there will be another week GREYS is not in originals, so new eps of FF and PP will ease that burden.

Zedman, regarding not shceduling againts olympics, they are gonna run fresh eps of LOST against it, but all the other shows are gonna need weeks of reruns to get til the end of the season. If you're gonna have to be in reruns some weeks it makes sense to take off against Olympics. Just like Thanksgiving eve, I believe other shows on thoise nights will be down somewhat.

Pavan,

any way to find out if ABC had ordered more eps of PP, wed comedies, etc? Thanks

Hearing Jamie Oliver's healthy makeover show will launch in January on ABC, Thursdays at 8 for 6 weeks. Hopefully the schedule will come out in a few.

I'll try to inquire about the episode orders for MF, CT, Castle and PP. I think all of them will be 24.

I guess they are running reality there to take adavantage of the fact there is no SURVIVOR until Feb?. I hope the show is good. (Wonder if CBS might put UNDERCOVER BOSS there)

Thanks for trying to find out about additional episodes

I guess they are running reality there to take adavantage of the fact there is no SURVIVOR until Feb?. I hope the show is good. (Wonder if CBS might put UNDERCOVER BOSS there)

Thanks for trying to find out about additional episodes

I bet CBS will put Undercover Boss Thursdays at 8pm as well until Survivor returns. It's a shame ABC isn't deciding on original programming in the hour. Personally, I'd like to ABC switch it up a bit come March. Maybe once Betty ennds, they could move Brothers & Sisters to Wednesdays at 10pm, and try Happy Town Sundays at 10pm?

Meanwhile, Flash Forward is dead. The hiatus is only going to hurt it. It hit once again a season low last night, when for a fall finale, it should have done better. ABC should focus their efforts on V at this point - it has much more potential.

Julie, how is Jamie Oliver's series not original programming? It is totally new and is coming from Ryan Seacrest. Rascal Flatts are appearing on an episode I hear.

Anyway, while we wait for the schedule to come, here are Feb/March weekend updates:

Saturday, February 6, 2010
5:00PM ET Shark Tank (R)

Saturday, February 13, 2010
4:00-6:00PM ET ABC Movie: Anchorman (R)

Sunday, February 14, 2010
4:00-6:00PM ET ABC Movie: Princess Diaries (R)

Saturday, March 6, 2010
5:00PM ET Shark Tank (R)

Sunday, March 7, 2010
5:00PM ET All Star Tribute to the Movies

Sunday, March 21, 2010
5:00PM ET Shark Tank (R)

More could be added, stay tuned.

Sorry, meant to say scripted programming. I guess we'll just have to wait for their midseason schedule to come out to see what's going to happen.

We're not getting the full midseason schedule today, sorry. They decided to hold off. Only FF and V details are announced today:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/blog/2009/12/abc-announces-march-2010-return-dates.html

“FLASHFORWARD” AND “V” TO RETURN WITH ALL ORIGINAL EPISODES IN MARCH 2010

“FlashForward” Returns Thursday, March 4, and “V” on Tuesday, March 30

“FlashForward” and “V” will return to the ABC schedule in March 2010, allowing for both shows to air uninterrupted through the end of the season. After last night’s episode, “FlashForward” will return on Thursday, March 4, 2010 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET), and “V” on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET), moving to its new timeslot following “Lost.”

From 8:00-9:00 p.m. on Thursday, ABC freshman “FlashForward” is a dominant No. 1 in the hour with Adults 18-34 and also among hard-to-reach Men 18-34. “FlashForward” stands as TV’s No. 1 new drama this season among Adults 18-34 (tied with ABC’s ”V”). Additionally, “FlashForward” is drastically improving its time period year to year for ABC, growing the hour by 1.7 million viewers (11.1 million vs. 9.4 million) and by 23% in Adults 18-49 over the same point last season.

“FlashForward” stars Joseph Fiennes as Mark Benford, John Cho as Demetri Noh, Jack Davenport as Lloyd Simcoe, Zachary Knighton as Bryce Varley, Peyton List as Nicole Kirby, Dominic Monaghan as Simon, Brían F. O'Byrne as Aaron Stark, Courtney B. Vance as Stanford Wedeck, Sonya Walger as Olivia Benford and Christine Woods as Janis Hawk.

David S. Goyer, Brannon Braga and Jessika Borsiczky are executive producers. “FlashForward” is from ABC Studios.

Television’s number one new drama this season in the key Adult 18-49 sales demographic, “V” delivered substantial year-year-year improvement in Tuesday’s highly-competitive 8:00 p.m. hour, boosting ABC by 48% in the time period during its November Sweep run (4.3/11 vs. 2.9/7). Opposite established competition, including CBS’ time-slot veteran “NCIS” and NBC’s “Biggest Loser,” “V” finished No. 1 in its hour among Adults 18-34 and key Men (M18-34/M18-49).

"V" stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.
“V” is produced by The Scott Peters Company and HDFilms in association with Warner Bros Television. Scott Rosenbaum, Scott Peters, Steve Pearlman, and Jace Hall are executive producers.

We're not getting the full midseason schedule today, sorry. They decided to hold off.

What is the holdup? There had better be something shocking. :lol:

I think they are waiting to see what CBS does in Jan/Feb (particularly Thurs at 8 and during the Olympics). Fox released Jan-May, so that isn't a reason for the hold-up and NBC is the same pretty much in January/Feb with just Chuck added.

Just a note, last year ABC announced their March dates on Tuesday, Dec. 2. And most of their January stuff on Friday, Nov. 21. I think January 2010 is just about done except for Tues at 8 and Thurs at 8, unless they have some surprise moves. I don't think you'll see any of the new scripted series launching in January.

I have said it before, but I think V has the potential to be a big series for them, but that scheduling after LOST makes me nervous, since that has never worked before.

Also I hope the holdup involves them not leaving FORGOTTEN tuesdays at 10p

Jamie Oliver would have worked well Tuesdays at 8pm for January, leading into the comedies at 9pm and The Forgotten at 10pm. But ifi they're going to air that on Thursdays, what will air Tuesdays at 8pm? Perhaps comedy repeats? At least until Lost comes, where Scrubs/Better Off Ted could then move into the slot. Or don't they have Copper ready to go as well?

Fridays will also be open once Shark Tank comes. They could easily fill that gap with Wife Swap, or perhaps move The Forgotten there for its final episodes. Copper/Happy Town/The Deep End could then fill in for 7 or 8 episodes on Tuesdays until V returns. Perhaps Happy Town or The Deep End could be given the Sunday at 10pm slot, with B&S moving to Wednesdays, which I think would be a good fit for it.

It seems a majority of ABC mid-season shows are short orders (seven episodes), expect ABC to air them in January/February and then go to what has already been announced for March to May. So really no big things are going to happen in their announcement.

Julie, they are not going to air the Oliver series against American Idol. That will go after the same type of audience. Oliver's series would be the only reality option Thursdays at 8, unless CBS does something. It could do well in 18-49 there. Something like Primetime: What Would You Do would be better Tuesdays at 8. I don't think you'll see The Deep End or Happy Town in Jan/Feb. I honestly would be surprised if they aired any new series scripted programming in those two months. Romantically Challenged starts taping in January, so that is no where near ready to air. Copper is slated for summer, as far as I know. Remember they are going to have scripted programming in the summer which a launch the last week or so of the regular season.

As for episode orders, I checked, as of now Modern Family, Cougar Town and Castle have an order of 22 each. But they could order more easily for these 3, if need be. Private Practice has 23 so far, but they could have 24 if needed. The Middle will remain at 22. Castle is slated to air throughout the season and is staying put Mondays at 10. I am not sure how they will use The Deep End or Happy Town, as options are very limited right now since Brothers and Sisters is Sundays at 10, Castle is Mondays at 10, V Tuesdays at 10, Betty Wednesdays at 10, and Private Practice Thursdays at 10 (come to think of it, that is a decent 10pm lineup come March). Perhaps Betty or Brothers and Sisters will end their seasons earlier than normal, like April, and have The Deep End and Happy Town start late in the season and run into summer? ABC will not put those at 9pm since they have strong 9pm shows on every night (Sun-Thurs). And 8pm seems weird for these two dramas.

Julie, they are not going to air the Oliver series against American Idol. That will go after the same type of audience. Oliver's series would be the only reality option Thursdays at 8, unless CBS does something. It could do well in 18-49 there. Something like Primetime: What Would You Do would be better Tuesdays at 8. I don't think you'll see The Deep End or Happy Town in Jan/Feb. I honestly would be surprised if they aired any new series scripted programming in those two months. Romantically Challenged starts taping in January, so that is no where near ready to air. Copper is slated for summer, as far as I know. Remember they are going to have scripted programming in the summer which a launch the last week or so of the regular season.

As for episode orders, I checked, as of now Modern Family, Cougar Town and Castle have an order of 22 each. But they could order more easily for these 3, if need be. Private Practice has 23 so far, but they could have 24 if needed. The Middle will remain at 22. Castle is slated to air throughout the season and is staying put Mondays at 10. I am not sure how they will use The Deep End or Happy Town, as options are very limited right now since Brothers and Sisters is Sundays at 10, Castle is Mondays at 10, V Tuesdays at 10, Betty Wednesdays at 10, and Private Practice Thursdays at 10 (come to think of it, that is a decent 10pm lineup come March). Perhaps Betty or Brothers and Sisters will end their seasons earlier than normal, like April, and have The Deep End and Happy Town start late in the season and run into summer? ABC will not put those at 9pm since they have strong 9pm shows on every night (Sun-Thurs). And 8pm seems weird for these two dramas.

How many episodes does Betty have? Last I checked it was still 13. If so, or even if they order 5 or so more, it could easily end at the end of February, leaving Wednesdays at 10pm open for something else. I think if not, chances are we will see Happy Town/Deep End replace B&S/Ugly Betty in April. Since The Middle is now caught up with Modern Family/Cougar Town in number of episodes aired, it would make sense to order more for all 3 if thats what they plan to do. I'm guessing ABC will continue airing MF repeats until Romantically Challenged comes in March.

Betty never had 13. It is 22.

Betty never had 13. It is 22.

That I didn't know - I always assumed it was 13. If it runs repeat free, it could still easily end before April. Same goes for Brothers & Sisters, especially if they do another 2 hour movie "event" like they did last year, which seemed to spike up the ratings a bit.

Thanks for the info Pavan

After last night's FlashForward ratings, does anyone really believe it has any chance at all at lasting past this season? In the demo, it weas 4th in the hour - Community beat it, while Parks & Recreation tied it. It just made the 7 million mark. It may sound like I'm against this show, but I'm just pointing out the facts. I can just imagine how disappointed ABC must be in it at this point, especially since last night was the fall finale.

Why did ABC air a new episode of Ugly Betty last night? It was such a good episode and ABC is wasting it. They should have used that episode to launch the new time period in January. A better programming option would have been to repeat last weeks episode.

Pavan, do you happen to know what ABC plans are for Super Bowl Sunday? Are they planning another special Wipeout episode?

Why did ABC air a new episode of Ugly Betty last night? It was such a good episode and ABC is wasting it. They should have used that episode to launch the new time period in January. A better programming option would have been to repeat last weeks episode.

I didn't get that at all. The last 2 episodes both should have waited til it moved to Wednesdays, and it should be on Wednesdays at least in repeats far sooner. With Eastwick continuing to air they are training viewers not to watch the slot.

Oh and Flash Forward is DEAD! It absolutely has to move off Thursdays when it returns.

Well the next episode of Ugly Betty airing is Christmas-themed and has the aftermath of the Bahamas storylines. Would a holiday episode make sense on Jan. 13 if the Bahamas episode aired Jan. 6? If it wasn't a holiday episode, then I'm sure the Bahamas episode would have been used to launch the new night and time. That's why I think it would have been better to move it to Wednesday this coming week and have the Barbara Walters Special air Tuesday.

As for Wipeout Bowl, I think they will probably have it. But I'm not 100% yet.

Better off Ted returns this Tuesday, here is a my preview and review:
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/blog/2009/12/better-off-ted-season-2-premiere.html

So how would you schedule ABC midseason (keeping what they already have announced as it is)? Here is what I would do:

Mondays

Jan-Mar
8:00PM The Bachelor
10:00PM Castle

Mar-May
8:00PM Dancing with the Stars
10:00PM Castle

Tuesdays

Jan (State of the Union address is likely Tuesday, Jan. 26)
8:00PM Find My Family (they have an episode left) / LOST season five reruns
9:00PM Scrubs
9:30PM Better off Ted
10:00PM the forgotten (moves to Fridays at 9 starting Feb. 12)

Feb
8:00PM Scrubs
8:30PM Better off Ted
9:00PM LOST
10:00PM Primetime What Would You Do?

Mar-May
8:00PM Dancing with the Stars: The Results
9:00PM LOST
10:00PM Primetime What Would You Do?/V (starts Mar 30)

Wednesdays
Jan-Feb
8:00PM Comedy Repeats
8:30PM The Middle
9:00PM Modern Family
9:30PM Cougar Town
10:00PM Ugly Betty

Mar-May
8:00PM Romantically Challenged
8:30PM The Middle
9:00PM Modern Family
9:30PM Cougar Town
10:00PM Ugly Betty / The Deep End (starts in April)

Thursdays
Jan-Feb
8:00PM Jamie Oliver healthy makeover series
9:00PM Grey's Anatomy
10:00PM Private Practice

Mar-May
8:00PM FLASHFORWARD
9:00PM Grey's Anatomy
10:00PM Private Practice

Fridays
Jan-Feb
8:00PM Supernanny
9:00PM Shark Tank
10:00PM 20/20

Feb-Mar
8:00PM Supernanny
9:00PM the forgotten
10:00PM 20/20

Mar-May
8:00PM Wife Swap
9:00PM Supernanny
10:00PM 20/20

Sundays
7:00PM AFV
8:00PM Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9:00PM Desperate Housewives
10:00PM Brothers & Sisters / Happy Town (starts in April)

At this point, I think you have it down pat Pavan. Not much else I would change. Happy Town would have a real chance after Desperate Housewives. Not sure about Deep End after Cougar Town (isnt it a legal dramedy?), but I couldn't see it going anywhere else.

Even with what they have announced, here's what I would do, knowing full well they won't do this. These ideas are just based on things I have learned from the past (like no SCI FI show EVER works after LOST), plus giving better time slots to shows that in my opinion woiuld do better than what they have scheduled and give them a real shot to break out:

SHARK TANK - Tuesdays at 10p starting Jan 6th
DWTS results at 10p Tuesday, following LOST/At 8p they can encore the previous week's ep which last year got a 1.6 or 1.7 which is what everything put against IDOL gets
V - Wednesdays at 10p starting late March
THE DEEP END - Sundays at 10p (4 week tryout, if it works leave it there for full 8 weeks)
HAPPY TOWN - Summer - have not heard anyone saying this is good and considering all their deep mythology shows havent worked lately (and this trailer evens looks murky) I am worried about turning a high profile slot to this during season.

I have to say FF numbers concerns me now on a very competetive slot. I could be persuaded to have V Thurs at 8p and FF Wed at 10p

Bottom line is I think V could be a smash if scheduled correctly. I see either Wed at 10 or Thurs at 8p, the best slots to help it flourish and if not those even Sundays at 10p, just not Tuesday after LOST.

Oh and FORGOTTEN Friday or Sat at 10p and unless it all of a sudden turns around (highly unlikely), I'd cut that order and give more eps to CASTLE and wed comedies.

Even with what they have announced, here's what I would do, knowing full well they won't do this. These ideas are just based on things I have learned from the past (like no SCI FI show EVER works after LOST), plus giving better time slots to shows that in my opinion woiuld do better than what they have scheduled and give them a real shot to break out:

SHARK TANK - Tuesdays at 10p starting Jan 6th
DWTS results at 10p Tuesday, following LOST/At 8p they can encore the previous week's ep which last year got a 1.6 or 1.7 which is what everything put against IDOL gets
V - Wednesdays at 10p starting late March
THE DEEP END - Sundays at 10p (4 week tryout, if it works leave it there for full 8 weeks)
HAPPY TOWN - Summer - have not heard anyone saying this is good and considering all their deep mythology shows havent worked lately (and this trailer evens looks murky) I am worried about turning a high profile slot to this during season.

I have to say FF numbers concerns me now on a very competetive slot. I could be persuaded to have V Thurs at 8p and FF Wed at 10p

Bottom line is I think V could be a smash if scheduled correctly. I see either Wed at 10 or Thurs at 8p, the best slots to help it flourish and if not those even Sundays at 10p, just not Tuesday after LOST.

Oh and FORGOTTEN Friday or Sat at 10p and unless it all of a sudden turns around (highly unlikely), I'd cut that order and give more eps to CASTLE and wed comedies.

There's been some talk of how V would do well Thursdays at 8pm. At this point, I'd agree. I think ABC needs to officially FlashForward go. Let it run its 24 episodes, end it properly, and move on. But, I think V can still be seen as a longterm player, if, as you said, schedule correctly. It could work Thursdays at 8pm, but I would still like to see how it does on Tuesdays paired with Lost. If it breaks out Tuesdays at 10pm, I think Thursdays at 8pm could work for it next season.

This is interesting as it is how Robert Sawyer says the orginal plan for FF's scheduling was gonna happen. I dont know how authentic it is (although since he is writing an ep, it makes sense he'd be privy to the scheduling), because i really wonder whether they would have had a 2 hour finale May 13th, but according to this plan FF would have run against the Olympics taking breaks in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr. I really hope this isnt true, because if it is, it leads me to believe that ABC is planning on runnning GA during the Olympics and taking a break after 2 weeks in Jan, breaks in March and April. I really hope this is not true. If they just stay away from the 2 weeks in Olympics (which will defintely knock their numbers down, even a little) they can run 5 straight before that and 4 straight after that, which in my opinion makes far more sense.

To me this is like scheduling new eps on Thanksgiving eve (which convinces me that this is their actual plan) - scheduling new eps because it is sweeps even though your numbers will go down (whereas some kind of stunt will do okay enough for those 2 weeks), and then having extra unnecessary breaks as a result.

http://scifiwire.com/2009/12/flashforward-creator-defe.php

To me, after a 5 week break (or in GA's case 2 months) you come back and then after 2 weeks of new eps, take another break is far more destructive than not running those eps for 2 weeks in sweeps.

This is interesting as it is how Robert Sawyer says the orginal plan for FF's scheduling was gonna happen. I dont know how authentic it is (although since he is writing an ep, it makes sense he'd be privy to the scheduling), because i really wonder whether they would have had a 2 hour finale May 13th, but according to this plan FF would have run against the Olympics taking breaks in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr. I really hope this isnt true, because if it is, it leads me to believe that ABC is planning on runnning GA during the Olympics and taking a break after 2 weeks in Jan, breaks in March and April. I really hope this is not true. If they just stay away from the 2 weeks in Olympics (which will defintely knock their numbers down, even a little) they can run 5 straight before that and 4 straight after that, which in my opinion makes far more sense.

To me this is like scheduling new eps on Thanksgiving eve (which convinces me that this is their actual plan) - scheduling new eps because it is sweeps even though your numbers will go down (whereas some kind of stunt will do okay enough for those 2 weeks), and then having extra unnecessary breaks as a result.

http://scifiwire.com/2009/12/flashforward-creator-defe.php

To me, after a 5 week break (or in GA's case 2 months) you come back and then after 2 weeks of new eps, take another break is far more destructive than not running those eps for 2 weeks in sweeps.

Greys' Anatomy should be original against the Winter Olympics. It can stand up to it. ABC can't and shouldn't play dead. The Winter Olympics is nothing to be afraid of.

The Winter Olympics aren't nearly as high-rated as the summer either. I think ABC could easily show their big hits against it and hold up well.

My comment was merely because they are gonna have to break plenty around that. I think taking a 2 month hiatus then come back for 2 eps and air another rerun hurts a shows rating big time.

I'm not sure how accurate that FLASHFORWARD schedule is, because ABC announced it would air for 12 straight weeks (March 4-May 20).

A few news items:

This morning on “Good Morning America,” Diane Sawyer announced that she will step down as co-anchor of the program this Friday, December 11, 2009.

Diane will begin anchoring “ABC World News” on Monday, December 21, 2009. Much success as Diane transitions to her new role.

Portions of the transcripts from this morning telecast are noted below in an article posted on ABCNews.com http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/diane-sawyer-announces-last-week-good-morning-america/story?id=9265083 . Additionally David Westin’s remarks from September 2009 are also included:

Diane Sawyer Announces Last Week on 'Good Morning America'

After 10 Years on 'GMA,' Sawyer Will Anchor 'World News'
By SARAH NETTER
Dec. 7, 2009—

After 10 years on "Good Morning America," Diane Sawyer announced this morning that will step down as co-anchor this week.

"I've calculated -- 2,881 shows," Sawyer said. "Roughly." Sawyer, 63, will take over the "World News" anchor chair , succeeding Charles Gibson, who will retire Dec. 18.

"I hope you celebrate with us this week, laugh with us this week," Sawyer said. "It is so difficult," co-anchor Robin Roberts said today, calling Sawyer "my Thelma. Thank you, we are going to do all things just like you this week."

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly commented on Sawyer's departure today during a "GMA" appearance, telling her that "just for getting up -- you guys get a B+."

After Sawyer's on-air announcement today, her fellow "Good Morning America" anchors promised to highlight some of her greatest hits in the coming week, including her 2006 interview from North Korea in which North Korean Gen. Ri Chan Bok warned that war was inevitable.

"It is amazing, I think to all of us, what we've been able to see you do on this show," co-anchor Chris Cuomo told Sawyer today. "It makes us all proud."

But some of Sawyer's on-camera moments drew some gentle ribbing from her colleagues.

"This is not a perfect person, Diane Sawyer," Cuomo joked, introducing a video clip of Sawyer behind the wheel of a car, taking red lights as "suggestions. She has her flaws _ some of them, dangerous flaws."


ABC News President David Westin Praises Diane Sawyer
In a September statement announcing Gibson's retirement and Sawyer's move to "World News," ABC News President David Westin praised Sawyer's varied and accomplished career.

"Diane Sawyer is the right person to succeed Charlie and build on what he has accomplished," Westin said in the statement. "She has an outstanding and varied career in television journalism, beginning with her role as a State Department correspondent and continuing at '60 Minutes,' 'Primetime Live,' and most recently 'Good Morning America.'"

Sawyer's move to "World News" means two of the three major evening network news broadcasts will be anchored by women, a first in television history.

Sawyer joined ABC News in 1989 as co-anchor of "Primetime Live."



ABC Bowl Games:

Friday, January 1, 2010
1:00–4:30 PM ET/10:00 AM–1:30 PM PT
“Capital One Bowl” from Orlando, FL
Penn State vs. Louisiana State

4:30–8:30 PM ET/1:30–5:30 PM PT
“The Rose Bowl Presented by Citi” from Pasadena, CA
Oregon vs. Ohio State
(ABC primetime programming from 8:30-11PM is TBD)

Thursday, January 7, 2010
8:00PM-12:00 AM ET/5:00–9:00PM PT
2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game from Pasadena, CA
Texas vs. Alabama

I'm not sure how accurate that FLASHFORWARD schedule is, because ABC announced it would air for 12 straight weeks (March 4-May 20).

A few news items:

This morning on “Good Morning America,” Diane Sawyer announced that she will step down as co-anchor of the program this Friday, December 11, 2009.

Diane will begin anchoring “ABC World News” on Monday, December 21, 2009. Much success as Diane transitions to her new role.

Portions of the transcripts from this morning telecast are noted below in an article posted on ABCNews.com http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/diane-sawyer-announces-last-week-good-morning-america/story?id=9265083 . Additionally David Westin’s remarks from September 2009 are also included:

Diane Sawyer Announces Last Week on 'Good Morning America'

After 10 Years on 'GMA,' Sawyer Will Anchor 'World News'
By SARAH NETTER
Dec. 7, 2009—

After 10 years on "Good Morning America," Diane Sawyer announced this morning that will step down as co-anchor this week.

"I've calculated -- 2,881 shows," Sawyer said. "Roughly." Sawyer, 63, will take over the "World News" anchor chair , succeeding Charles Gibson, who will retire Dec. 18.

"I hope you celebrate with us this week, laugh with us this week," Sawyer said. "It is so difficult," co-anchor Robin Roberts said today, calling Sawyer "my Thelma. Thank you, we are going to do all things just like you this week."

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly commented on Sawyer's departure today during a "GMA" appearance, telling her that "just for getting up -- you guys get a B+."

After Sawyer's on-air announcement today, her fellow "Good Morning America" anchors promised to highlight some of her greatest hits in the coming week, including her 2006 interview from North Korea in which North Korean Gen. Ri Chan Bok warned that war was inevitable.

"It is amazing, I think to all of us, what we've been able to see you do on this show," co-anchor Chris Cuomo told Sawyer today. "It makes us all proud."

But some of Sawyer's on-camera moments drew some gentle ribbing from her colleagues.

"This is not a perfect person, Diane Sawyer," Cuomo joked, introducing a video clip of Sawyer behind the wheel of a car, taking red lights as "suggestions. She has her flaws _ some of them, dangerous flaws."


ABC News President David Westin Praises Diane Sawyer
In a September statement announcing Gibson's retirement and Sawyer's move to "World News," ABC News President David Westin praised Sawyer's varied and accomplished career.

"Diane Sawyer is the right person to succeed Charlie and build on what he has accomplished," Westin said in the statement. "She has an outstanding and varied career in television journalism, beginning with her role as a State Department correspondent and continuing at '60 Minutes,' 'Primetime Live,' and most recently 'Good Morning America.'"

Sawyer's move to "World News" means two of the three major evening network news broadcasts will be anchored by women, a first in television history.

Sawyer joined ABC News in 1989 as co-anchor of "Primetime Live."



ABC Bowl Games:

Friday, January 1, 2010
1:00–4:30 PM ET/10:00 AM–1:30 PM PT
“Capital One Bowl” from Orlando, FL
Penn State vs. Louisiana State

4:30–8:30 PM ET/1:30–5:30 PM PT
“The Rose Bowl Presented by Citi” from Pasadena, CA
Oregon vs. Ohio State
(ABC primetime programming from 8:30-11PM is TBD)

Thursday, January 7, 2010
8:00PM-12:00 AM ET/5:00–9:00PM PT
2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game from Pasadena, CA
Texas vs. Alabama

If ABC was truly being smart about scheduling, they would air a new episode of Better Off Ted right after the Rose Bowl. The demo would match the program and expose the show to a large compatable audience. At which point, I would move the show to Wednesday at 8pm to lead into The Middle effective January 6. Scrubs could be double pumped for its remaining episodes.

I like the Ted after Rose Bowl idea, but the only thing is, it wouldn't be directly after the Rose Bowl in Mountain/Pacific time zones.

I Know that I will be watching The Capital One Bowl on ABC on Friday, January 1, 2010 from 12:00 pm until 3:30 pm CT Timeand The Rose Bowl at from 4:00 pm until 7:45 pm. CT Time

So if I am understanding correctly ABC chose to air a new CASTLE last night, but jan 4th the night of the BACHELOR premiere they just scheduled a rerun.

Do not understand these scheduling decisions at all.

I really hope that at least it means there is no new DH and B&S Jan 3rd, when many people are first coming back from holidays, especially since it seems they will be running new eps against the Olympics.

Interesting, because they had the one with Alyssa Milano originally scheduled for there. So I guess DH/B&S will return on Jan. 10 now.

I am just assuming/hoping they are not new Jan 3rd, knowing the way ABC schedules somtimes I wouldnt be suprised if they are new jan 3rd, I just hope they are not

Originally they were new on Jan. 3. But there were no promos for both DH/B&S at the end of the fall finales like last year. So it makes me think they decided to start them up again on Jan. 10.

from Shonda Rhimes twitter page:

No hope. We loved it. ABC is crazy and or what. RT @Lulla_dnes Is there any hope left re Inside The Box pilot ? Is ABC crazy or what ?
about 23 hours ago from web
Reply Retweet

well ABC got really clobbered in the finals:

ABC aired the holiday special "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" (7.6 million, 2.5), down from last year, "Find My Family" (5.2 million, 1.5), which dropped a steep 25% this week, and "Castle" (7.8 million, 2.1), dropping 15% from its last original.

Sorry for beating a dead horse but why again was an orginal CASTLE wasted last night? These scheduling decisions continue to be baffling.

I think airing Castle was more of a test. It did decent last week for a repeat and this week did decently pretty much on its own. Castle will repeat better than any ABC drama this season I think. Especially with new viewers finding it after The Bachelor.

I think they will end up ordering an additional episode or two, to make it 23 or 24 episodes.

yes but knowing they were being preempted in markets for Football, plus knowing they have a better lead in come January and they can air more originals then, it made zero sense. the fact they had a 2.7 with no DWTS proved that they can stand on their own somewhat. It would make much more sense to have aired this on Jan 4th when CSI is in reruns than last night. It's another missed opportunity and all it does it enable people to say oh CASTLE isn't as hot it we thought it was 2 weeks ago. Granted it built nicely over lead in, but still it wasn't needed last night. Hell they are running reruns of Forgotten after 9 eps, it would have made more sense to run originals of those now, not soemthing more valuable like CASTLE and like I said they cap all their other shows at 10 eps, why waste an extra CASTLE. I get trying to stick up for them. I just think this decision made no sense and I say this as a huge fan of CASTLE and ABC. love the network, their scheduling is very lacking.
PLus I agree it will rerun better than their other shows, which is why a rerun would have been fine last night.

this is from THE TV ADDICT:
Irresponsible Speculation Alert! Does ABC's decision to air a repeat of THE FORGOTTEN demonstrate a lack-of-confidence in BETTER OFF TED?

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- ABC has locked in its scripted commitments for the 2009-10 season.

The news, which was confirmed to the site exclusively by network and studio sources, includes some adjustments to its previously indicated episode orders.

Newcomers "V" and "FlashForward" are set to film 12 and 24 total hours, respectively, both one episode shy of numbers reported earlier this fall. Come 2010 then the Alphabet will have eight new episodes of "V" (returning March 30) while "FlashForward" (returning March 4) will offer up 14 fresh installments.

At midseason, seven episodes of "The Deep End" and "Romantically Challenged" as well as eight hours of "Happy Town" are on tap.

As for its returning slate, "Grey's Anatomy" is set to film 24 episodes while "Desperate Housewives" and "Private Practice"* are booked for 23 hours.

The rest of its lineup - including "Castle," "The Middle," "Modern Family," "Cougar Town," "Ugly Betty" and "Brothers & Sisters" - currently have the standard full seasons of 22 episodes.

Rounding out the bunch then are "Lost" and "The Forgotten" with 18 episodes each and "Scrubs" and "Better Off Ted" with 13 episodes apiece.

Sources however were quick to note that the option still exists to order additional episodes of several of the aforementioned series.

* [UPDATE: An ABC spokesperson indicated 22 episodes of "Private Practice" are set to be shot however Shonda Rhimes's Twitter feed notes 23 actual hours will be filmed.]

Interesting to note, Better off Ted is all-new on Tuesday, Dec. 29. Not sure about Scrubs yet.

Scrubs is also all-new on Dec. 29. So it will have 6 episodes aired in December.

Following the Rose Bowl in the East/Central time zones on ABC:

Friday, January 1, 2010
4:30-8:30PM ET Rose Bowl coverage
8:30PM BETTER OFF TED
9:00PM SCRUBS
9:30PM BETTER OFF TED
Unclear right now what will air at 8pm PT/7pm MT. More to come.

Saturday, January 2, 2010
8:00PM DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (R)
9:00PM DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (R)
(Leading into previously announced Castle repeat at 10PM.)

Monday, January 4, 2010 at 10pm (preempting a scheduled Castle repeat):
Following the season premiere of “The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love,” five women take a shot at finding love when 30 men are given the chance to impress them as they pass by on a moving conveyor belt, on “Conveyor Belt of Love,” MONDAY, JANUARY 4 at 10:00 p.m., ET, on ABC.
In this hilarious and fast-paced one-hour special, one by one the 30 men are presented on the “Conveyor Belt of Love” to the five women and given 60 seconds to impress them. If a woman is interested in someone, that man will step aside and wait as the rest of the men go by. But if another man comes by on the belt who seems better than that woman’s first choice, she can swap out the man waiting off of the belt as many times as she wants until the last man has passed by. If two or more of the women are interested in the same man, the tables turn and the man on the conveyor belt gets to choose which one he would like to wait for. After all 30 men have made it through the “Conveyor Belt of Love,” each woman is left with her final choice as she embarks on a date in the hope of finding a true connection. Will these five women be happy with their choices?

I think you should say Approximate
Better Off Ted at Approximate 7:30 pm CT Time in the event of The Rose Bowl Runs Over

Following the Rose Bowl in the East/Central time zones on ABC:

Friday, January 1, 2010
4:30-8:30PM ET Rose Bowl coverage
8:30PM BETTER OFF TED
9:00PM SCRUBS
9:30PM BETTER OFF TED
Unclear right now what will air at 8pm PT/7pm MT. More to come.

Most excellent skedding move by ABC programmers! :happyface This could finally give 'Better Off Ted' the sampling it so richly deserves, and I'm now hoping that the ROSE BOWL matchup of Ohio State v Oregon delivers truly stratospheric ratings.

As to the PT/MT timezones, couldn't ABC just push ahead BETTER-SCRUBS-BETTER head to an 8:00 pm start and slide an encore of SCRUBS in at 9:30 pm?

“America’s Funniest Home Videos” is now scheduled to air on Tuesday, December 22, 2009 in the 8:00 PM ET/PT hour.
Therefore, “Jennifer Hudson: I’ll Be Home For Christmas” will not encore anymore in this slot, but it is still scheduled to air premiere on Monday, December 14, 2009 in the 8:00 PM ET/PT hour.

Following the Rose Bowl in the East/Central time zones on ABC:

Friday, January 1, 2010
4:30-8:30PM ET Rose Bowl coverage
8:30PM BETTER OFF TED
9:00PM SCRUBS
9:30PM BETTER OFF TED
Unclear right now what will air at 8pm PT/7pm MT. More to come.



Wow! This is exactly what I suggested. Now, I hope they move the show to lead off Wednesdays starting January 6 instead of burying it on Tuesdays to die.

http://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/abc-preps-deep-end-thursdays-11572

A few announcements:

THE DEEP END

ABC ANNOUNCES THE PREMIERE OF “THE DEEP END,”
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21 AT 8:00 P.M., ET


ABC announces the series premiere of new drama “The Deep End,” which brings to life the tragedies and triumphs of five earnest twenty-something first-year associates fighting to stay afloat in one of Los Angeles’ top law firms, THURSDAY, JANUARY 21 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

In a city where wealth and power rule, everyone strives to make it to the top. For five eager and attractive law associates, being accepted into one of Los Angeles’ most prestigious law firms is the first step on their way up. But as they soon realize, the law offices of Sterling are far more cutthroat than they could have ever imagined and they must fight for themselves and their clients to stay afloat in these shark infested waters. These young and impressionable associates are immediately thrown into cases and forced to deal with the emotional and ethical decisions that come with the job they’ve worked so hard for.

In the premiere episode, “Pilot,” Dylan (Matt Long, “Jack and Bobby”) is given an impossible pro bono custody case, Beth (Leah Pipes, “Sorority Row”) keeps mum when a 90-year-old man signs an agreement thinking that she’s his daughter, Liam (Ben Lawson, “Neighbours”) must get a client to sign with the firm under false pretenses, Addy (Tina Majorino, “Big Love”) finally gets some attention from her boss when she speaks her mind, and Malcolm (Mehcad Brooks, “True Blood”) gets off on the wrong foot when he’s hired outside of the firm’s traditional process.

While these five ambitious associates struggle to adjust their appetites and ideals to the fast-paced demands of their jobs, they’re faced with the warring partners at Sterling who hold the keys to their future, and a reluctant mentor, Rowdy (Norbert Leo Butz), who tries to guide them and the firm through the trenches. For Dylan, saving face with one partner in particular is much more difficult after he falls for the firm’s paralegal -- unbeknownst to him, she’s already in bed with firm partner Cliff Huddle (Billy Zane, “Titanic”), who is married to fellow partner Susan Oppenheim (Nicole Ari Parker) and fighting for the soul of the firm with its namesake, Hart Sterling (Clancy Brown, “Carnivale”).

“The Deep End” stars Matt Long as Dylan Hewitt, Billy Zane as Cliff Huddle, Clancy Brown as Hart Sterling, Norbert Leo Butz as Rowdy Kaiser, Leah Pipes as Beth Branford, Tina Majorino as Addy Fisher, Ben Lawson as Liam Priory, Nicole Ari Parker as Susan Oppenheim and Mehcad Brooks as Malcolm Bennet.

Guest starring are Rachelle LeFevre (“Twilight”) as Katie, Reggie Lee as Robert, Sarah Habel as Erin, Meredith Monroe as Molly, Maxwell Huckabee as Will, Abigail Marlowe as Lisa, William Schallert as Mr. Douglas, Timothy Omundson as Mr. Ollerman, Noa Tishby as Rachel, Richard Gant as Judge Cole and Kate Burton as Mrs. Graham.

“Pilot” was written by David Hemingson and directed by Michael Fresco.

The series executive producers are David Hemingson and Jan Nash. It is from Twentieth Century Fox Television.

“The Deep End” is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1-channel surround sound and Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning. A TV parental guideline will be assigned closer to airdate.


GMA

ABC is pleased to announce that George Stephanopoulos and Juju Chang will be joining “Good Morning America,” effective Monday, December 14th, 2009. In addition, Chris Cuomo will take over as co-anchor of “20/20” with Elizabeth Vargas.

David Westin’s announcement of the changes is below:

I’m pleased to announce that beginning Monday, our new anchor team at Good Morning America will be in place and on the air. George Stephanopoulos and Juju Chang will be joining Robin and Sam. Chris Cuomo will be promoted to co-anchor of 20/20 with Elizabeth Vargas and serve as ABC News’ Chief Law and Justice Correspondent. George will also take on the role of Chief Political Correspondent and he will continue to anchor This Week until we name his replacement.

In putting this new GMA team together, we’ve pursued one goal: How can we best serve our audience? How can we bring them what matters most to them – the day’s important news, engaging stories, useful information, and real expertise to help them improve their lives?

Robin and George are the right pair to lead our effort. As we’ve seen over time, Robin brings a warmth and intelligence to the morning that no one can match. Hers is a practical curiosity that brings the viewers’ questions to the fore. George complements Robin’s strengths with a deep knowledge of and commitment to news about the nation and the world. George is a formidable interviewer who brings the viewer a deeper understanding of the great issues of the day through his conversations with experts and newsmakers.

Sam Champion brings his knowledge and enthusiasm to weather, climate, and the environment. Juju, our new news anchor, has distinguished herself covering the news of every sort – from national and world events to the everyday experiences of parents and families.

Chris Cuomo has done it all – from newscasts in the morning, to covering major events from the field (around the country and around the world), to powerful primetime reporting. In addition to joining the team at 20/20, he will also step into the role of our lead reporter for all programs on major law and justice stories. And, he will continue to be one of the first people we turn to when news happens.

Eleven years ago next month, Diane Sawyer came to GMA for a temporary stint that at the time we expected to be a few months. Now, she will be taking over as anchor of World News on December 21, succeeding Charlie Gibson. One cannot describe all that she has done for GMA; nor can we fully express our gratitude. The best way to honor what Diane has done – and what Charlie did before and with her – is to continue the great tradition while building on the foundation they have laid. This new team will do just that. Each member individually contributes a great deal; the whole, however, will exceed even the large sum of the parts. Together with Jim Murphy and Tom Cibrowski we will redouble the program’s focus on the engaging stories and useful news and information that matters most to our audience, delivering the kind of reporting that most reflects the strengths of ABC News.

Please join me in congratulating all of our colleagues on their new assignments.

I'm a huge fan of legal dramas - The Practice, Boston Legal, Ally McBeal to name a few - but The Deep End sounds weak compared to them. I get the point - new lawyers are all fighting to make a name for themselves in a prestigious law firm, but still, how will they manage to keep viewers entertained each week?

I'll definitely be tuning in, though - wouldn't be surprised to see it do well on Thursdays at 8pm, especially with no Survivor.

So why is ABC announcing it's midseason schedule one show at a time, are they waiting for NBC and CBS to announce? All the announcement are late this year aren't they. If everybody waits for the other to do it, it will not happen...

SO with The Deep end starting January 21st and having 7 episodes, one won't air? Why not start it on the 14th? What is schedule on Jan 14th right now?

Thursday, January 14, 2010
8:00PM GREY'S ANATOMY (R)

If Deep End does well, who knows, we might see a two-hour finale.

considering they are running the last new GREYS on Christmas eve, this will be the 3rd run of this episode (assuming this is what is on a 8p). I know the Mark Sloan and Daughter which was introduced in ep 10 plays into the crossover, just wish it had a better lead in.

I assume they are not premiering TDE on jan 14th so they can use the GA/PP crossover to promote TDE. Still dont know why they dont run a GREYS special at 8p. Even a new recap special carries more cachet then a rerun.

if the leaked proposed FF schedule is accurate, it means after 2 weeks they will be in reruns on the 28th, with TDE out there by itself. It might have made sense to delay new GA/PP to the 21st if it meant all 3 shows would be in originals for 6 consecutive weeks. Well it's all guessing at this point, but I sure hope TDE isn't the only original on the 28th, although I guess if it didnt do well the first 2 weeks it wont make any difference by that point. But I am being optomistic and hoping it will do well, so I just hope its not the only original on the 28th.

That proposed schedule is not right because FF will end May 20 and air for 12 weeks and not 13. ABC is not going to have GA/PP new for only 2 weeks straight. I think you'll at least have it new on Jan. 14, 21 and 28.

Latest updates:

Sunday, January 24, 2010
8-10pm Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (all-new, two hours)

Thursdays, Effective Thursday, January 21, 2010 through and including Thursday, February 25, 2010
8:00PM The Deep End

Thursdays, Effective Thursday, March 4, 2010 through and including Thursday, May 20, 2010
8:00PM FLASHFORWARD

Thoughts: I think DH/B&S will return Jan. 3 as originally planned and will air Jan. 3, 10 and 17 in January, since we have EM: HE on Jan. 24. Plus, DH repeats are on Sat., Jan. 2.

yes, but it is likely they are in reruns jan 28th, i dont see them running 7 in a row.

well that means DH is new jan 3, 10 and 17th. once again i think its a mistake to launch jan 3rd, last year it was too early they came back with lower numbers because it was still a holiday weekend, plus this year NBC has a big football game that day. They would not have had any shows that get numbers in orginals, since dec 10th to promote it. Rose Bowl is excluded since it skews male. There will have been no female skewing shows that get numbers since Dec 10th to promote the return. Thanksgving weekend was lower and in that case they were only off a week, had the DWTS finale to promote new eps 5 days later. No one will be expecting DH to be new that night. What's even crazier is that the season ends a week later this year and DH has one less hour to program than last year since they are only doing 23, and yet they are launching a new ep Jan 3rd. just dont understand it.

I guess GA/PP could concievably run 7 in a row, but if they did they wont be able to run a new ep March 4th when FF returns and that will not help that show. Well i guess it's silly to speculate.

Grey's holiday episode is not airing on Dec. 24 at 10pm now. The third episode from this season will air instead (since the first two repeated Dec. 10 and 17). The holiday episode, which was the last one they aired new, will repeat Jan. 14 at 8pm leading into the second half return at 9pm.

Sundays are very busy in January through early March. Jan. 3 and 10 there isn't really anything special. A regular season NFL game on Jan. 3 doesn't mean anything for DH/B&S, as they have done well all season against it. Jan. 10 the only thing special is Chuck, and I don't think ABC has anything to worry about there. Jan. 17 is where it gets interesting. Golden Globes and 24 premiere. I don't blame ABC for scheduling a new DH there, since every Sunday through early March is very competitive. ABC won't air a new DH on Jan. 24 opposite the NFC Championship Game, as announced already EM: HE is two-hours that night. Then on Jan. 31 is the Grammy's, ABC could come back with a new episode here of DH. Feb. 7 is the Super Bowl, so nothing new there. Feb. 14 - the Olympics has its first Sunday, plus the NBA All-Star Game on TNT. Feb. 21 has the Olympics and Feb. 28 has the Olympic closing ceremonies. Then the following week are the Oscars on ABC. ABC Sunday is in a tough scheduling mode here in Jan/Feb. I would go ahead and schedule DH to be new on Jan. 3, 10, and 17. And then bring it back Feb. 14 and 21, but not against the Olympic closing ceremonies on Feb. 28. Then air all of March, except March 7 for the Oscars. Maybe one or twice in April as well. And finish out the season in May with 4 episodes.

I am aware of the scheduling scenarios facing Sunday.

My main complaint was to not launch Jan 3rd, its too early after being off for 4 weeks, people are still in holiday mode and they have had no place to place promos. plus Jan 3rd is a late season game so it pretty important, not just some october game. i said the same thing last year (and there was no football that night) and they came back low. No other network is bringing a hit show back this early. I think it's a mistake and like I said they have one less ep and one hour more to fill this year. I assume they are running them againts the Olympics but if i remember back to the closing cermony 2006, that was the weakest sunday out of the 3, since there was no actual competitions then. I believe ABC aired the 2 hour season finale of DWTS (which got something like an 8.7) and a new GA which I think approached a 10.

It just seems silly to me when come March and April there will need to be weeks of reruns and wasting one on jan 3rd makes zero sense to me.

I agree about Jan. 3, but I believe ABC wants to launch them early to give The Bachelor some promo time.

Program updates:

Thursday, December 17, 2009
8:00PM Grey's Anatomy (R) (replaces FLASHFORWARD (R))

Friday, January 1, 2010
8:00PM PT/7:00PM MT half-hour returned to local stations to program (ET/CT will have the end of the Rose Bowl live in this half-hour)
Better Off Ted, Scrubs, another Better off Ted, and 20/20 will follow in all time zones (8:30-11pm ET/PT / 7:30-10pm CT/MT)

I assumed it was for Bachelor, but I still woudnt waste a new DH then . they will have been promoting Bachelor since DWTS. PLus there wont be much comepetition for it that night. Football on FOX, reruns on CBS, CHUCK/HEROES on NBC. I appreciate your comments though. Thanks for the updated info.

I know that its not gonna happen but I was just thinking since NBC comedies are preempted for SNL next week and Fox is in reruns, it might have been cool for ABC to run reruns of the wed comedies from 8-10 on Thurs, maybe run the pilots of all and an extra MF. Maybe some of the NBC comedy people would try them out and they'd pick up some new viewers. GA could run at 10p. I know they need to run run GA and PP reruns to make back some money and I completely understand that they are premium shows too. Just was thinking an opportunity since NBC comedies arent on. JUst an idea, dont expect it to happen.

Just to note, Ted and Scrubs are all-new on Jan. 1. Some people asked me. So two new Ted's that night and one Scrubs. And for that week, three new Ted eps and two new Scrubs episodes since they are new on Dec. 29 too.

After watching that hilarious and great Ugly Betty holiday episode last night, they should encore it on Christmas Eve (Thursday, Dec. 24) at 10pm (instead of a regular Grey's repeat) after the encores of the sitcom holiday episodes. And maybe encore the Bahama's episode on Dec. 23 at 10 instead of two Cougar Town repeats?

I like your idea regarding UB on Christmas Eve, but I think CT could benefit from encores. Id be up for them encoring Bahamas on Tues 22nd instead of Forgotten.


Unless they start using Scrubs/Ted on wed, in some alternating fashion, and keep it on Tues they'll be done with ther orders mid Feb.

One good thing about the forgotten was that it did the same demo this week for a repeat as the previous week when it was new. I think ABC will keep any encore of this show this month on Tuesdays to get any new audience for it because they are committed to airing all 18 it seems.

After their Jan. 1 airings Scrubs will have 7 episodes aired already and 6 for Better off Ted. So both will be half done in December already, unless they order more Scrubs. Scrubs/Ted won't be on likely on Jan. 26 if the State of the Union (usually last Tuesday of Jan, from 9-11pm ET) is on that day and ABC already has an all Lost event on Feb. 2. If they keep the 13 episode orders and preempt them those two weeks, Scrubs will be done Feb. 23 and Ted on March 2. I can see them ordering a few more Scrubs though. If they preempt the forgotten those two weeks (Jan. 26 and Feb. 2), the forgotten will air its season finale on March 9...unless they mix in repeats and have it be extended to March 23, since V launches March 30.

Tuesday at 8pm is still unknown for January. Melissa Rycroft got married today. I just ABC hope airs a special out of that on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at 8pm. It would be perfect to air then, especially since The Bachelor premiere would air the night before. I'm guessing Primetime: What Would You Do? will take the hour though until Lost launches, when Scrubs/Ted would slide to 8. Funny that like two weeks ago Jamie Oliver's series was ready to go on Thursdays, but now I have no idea where ABC could schedule it in Jan/Feb...unless it will be used as counter programming against the Olympics.

Couple of things, Super-manny special is now on Friday, Jan. 22, 2010 at 8pm. The Deep End promo launches in primetime on Tuesday at 10pm during the forgotten. It will run 0:15, but 0:30 spots begin in primetime on Wednesday during Modern Family and Cougar Town. Also, on Tuesday, the first (I think the first one, at least) 1:00 promo of LOST airs during the forgotten.

The Deep End promos actually launches Monday night (0:30 ones) in late night during ABC late night/early morning programs (ABC World News Now and America This Morning) from 2am-5am, check local listings.

I dont think they will order more SCRUBS. I guess we will know midweek what they plan on doung tuesdays in Jan. Assuming State of the union is jan 26th there are only 3 tuesdays they need to worry about until LOST. Since they are running half the SCRUBS/TED this month I could see them usisng the remaining ones on wednesdays in some fashion or like you said they will just run them through Feb March. I dont see them using Jamie Oliver againts Olympics, so maybe March?

The Wednesday 8pm slot is a soft spot for all networks at the moment. Better Off Ted is the only logical sitcom ABC has to lead-off their night of Wednesday comedies expecially once American Idol begins airing. Milano's Romantically Challenged is a troubled show and won't succeed against Old Christine.

If we go back through this thread and last year's 2008-09 thread, the common theme is poor scheduling by ABC. Brothers & Sisters needed to move out of its protected Sunday slot but it didn't. Eastwick should have aired at least once; if not permanently behind Desperate Housewives, but it didn't; ABC should be airing Polar Express on Thanksgiving Eve or Day every year instead of new run regular programs but it doesn't; Samantha Who? would have been the perfect companion show for their Wednesday comedies but they cancel it instead (and they only needed to produce 6 episodes and not air originals in the summer to basically have a 1/2 seasons worth of shows); Wife Swap/Supernanny did well paired together and should have remained their Friday programming with Ugly Betty being held for mid-season.

I list the above examples because Better Off Ted is going to be another show whose potential to succeed is being wasted by tying it to the NEW Scrubs show.

Airing Better Off Ted on Wednesdays at 8pm, against American Idol and leading into The Middle, is really not a good idea. If it's getting crushed on Tuesdays now, airing against virtually nothing, then it's gonna do even worse on Wednesdays. ABC would be better off sticking to Modern Family repeats until Romantically Challenged comes.

They could air the Jamie Oliver series Tuesdays at 8pm until March. It's really just filler programming anyway, so I don't think American Idol or the Olympics are going to matter much at this point. If they don't air it there, that slot will still be open.

ABC doesnt see Jamie OLiver as filler programming and they shouldn't throw it against IDOL. He was the best personality on Oprah's Big Give and I am sure that it was what prompted ABC to give him his own show. He is also a popular personality and food/lifestyle makeover shows are hot. ABc is wise to want to give this show a shot to succeed. Honestly if they aired it on Tuesdays it might be cool to air at 10p which will never happen, but I am assuming this doesnt launch til March.

Zedman, I dont why you consider RC a troubled show. It just did some recasting as many shows do before they launch. B&S was also labeled troubled and they recast two parts including the lead. Here, it's still Alyssa's show they recast one of the male parts. They havent even started shooting yet so I wouldnt worry about it. James burrows is directing and if anyone knows his way around a multi cam sitcom its him. Pus Ricky Blitt is a well repescted comedy writer from family Guy and his Fox sitcom that was well reviewed a few years back. I honestly think the order was cut just for inventory reasons like CASTLE was last year to just 10 eps. That turned out okay.Also they dont have another muti cam to pair it with. I doubt theyll throw it up against IDOL. I am hoping they'll try it out for a few weeks after MF. I just dont want them to put in on Monday either before or after DWTS. ABC mondays work best when Dancing is 2 hours and lead into 10pm drama, preferably CASTLE, or 10p reality show. As we have seen when they schedule a 90 min reality show, a sitcom, a drama - The flow is all over the place, not to mention the fact that CBS comedy lineup is incredubly strong and TBBT is close to being the #1 show on TV. Last year CASTLE suffeered those 4 weeks DWTS didnt lead into it. Launching a comedy against that would be insane. No one else is doing reality on Mon night, they have that audience to themselves for 2 hours. To those that say its ratings have dropped, they have but a) last Springs was higher than last Fall and b) even whatever follows will drop those numbers i.e. FMF dropped to a 2.9 from a 4, so even at depressed levels it belongs at 2 hours In my opinion. Plus I aimagine ABc is gonna do its damndest to make sure DWTS is special this Spring.

I have to say I am little befuddled that ABC cut an hour of V. at week 4 against NCIS the #1 show and TBL it still got a 3.1 which are numbers any net would want after 4 weeks. Plus its hiatus now is as long as a normal summer hiatus, so youd think they'd have enough time to be able to produce 9 hours. I just think V has the potential to be ABC's biggest hit. Maybe they just wanna make sure those 8 hours will be as prefect as they can be so hopefully it can even grow and be a Tuesday option for them next Fall.

Romantically Challenged is going to be good. Everything was good in the original pilot but Eric Christian Olsen. And I agree Jamie Oliver's series is no filler. It was originally planned for Jan/Feb, because the Rascal Flatts episode was going to air in February. It would be a waste to air it against Idol (especially since Seacrest produces the show), but it would be good counter programming against the Olympics. If it were launching in January, we would know by now. They'll use filler (like WWYD) for those three weeks in January at 8pm until LOST launches (then the comedies would slide to 8).

I wouldn't put Better off Ted to lead a night off. It works best with Scrubs. Ted doesn't have a family vibe to it to lead off Wednesdays. It would work with Cougar Town maybe, but not leading into The Middle. I think Modern Family repeats or The Middle repeats at 8pm until March is the way to go. Romantically Challenged would be better off with Cougar Town as well, but I don't see them moving Modern Family.

As far as Brothers and Sisters goes, I think it was right not to move it. It is is perfect for Sundays and works well with Desperate. The only option would have been Wednesdays at 10, and there was no guarantee it would copy-paste its Sunday numbers on Wednesdays. The Sunday shows are more watched live than DVRed. That is a fact. If they move it now, it would be stupid.

I wouldnt mind if ABc ran V tuesdays at 10p starting March 2nd so the first 4 would run every week until the 30th when ep 5 would start, and all 12 could air consecutively inn the same slot.

Romantically Challenged is going to be good. Everything was good in the original pilot but Eric Christian Olsen. And I agree Jamie Oliver's series is no filler. It was originally planned for Jan/Feb, because the Rascal Flatts episode was going to air in February. It would be a waste to air it against Idol (especially since Seacrest produces the show), but it would be good counter programming against the Olympics. If it were launching in January, we would know by now. They'll use filler (like WWYD) for those three weeks in January at 8pm until LOST launches (then the comedies would slide to 8).

I wouldn't put Better off Ted to lead a night off. It works best with Scrubs. Ted doesn't have a family vibe to it to lead off Wednesdays. It would work with Cougar Town maybe, but not leading into The Middle. I think Modern Family repeats or The Middle repeats at 8pm until March is the way to go. Romantically Challenged would be better off with Cougar Town as well, but I don't see them moving Modern Family.

As far as Brothers and Sisters goes, I think it was right not to move it. It is is perfect for Sundays and works well with Desperate. The only option would have been Wednesdays at 10, and there was no guarantee it would copy-paste its Sunday numbers on Wednesdays. The Sunday shows are more watched live than DVRed. That is a fact. If they move it now, it would be stupid.

Brothers & Sisters would have worked on Wednesdays. I doubt its number would have been that much lower. What was the point of having the two hour episode last spring if not to test the show with viewers to determine if it was time-slot dependent or actually could succeed on its own. The ratings for those two hours proved that people actually show up for the show because they enjoy it and not because of the leadin Desperate Housewives provides. But like you said the opportunity is now lost.

Desperate Housewives numbers will be lower when the show comes back in January, this is a trend for the show for the past three seasons. I expect it to drop at least, if not more, another 5% of its demo, as it has in previous years, when it returns. This was basically ABC's last chance to launch a show behind Desperate Housewives, the only show, may I add on ABC's schedule that has accomplished this feat before.

Ugly Betty is done. I don't see it doing well on Wednesdays in a late time period to boot and I'm a fan of the show.

Modern Family may be getting all the accolades, but really, The Middle is the better program especially when comparing the past three to four episodes of each program and The Middle has the potential to grow and catch on with viewers. Modern Family is just going to turn into one of those "critic loved" shows with ordinary viewer numbers and maybe high mid-three demo. (aka The Office or 30 Rock type performance). Anything that airs after it won't succeed. Cougar Town is already trending downward, but I expect it to get a second season. due to the overall lack of comedies on the network.

Scrubs is a poor sequel to what was a declining comedy. Fans have tuned out and Better Off Ted is actually getting hurt by being tied to it.

ABC knew they had an open comedy slot and they still cut the order for Romantically Challenged and that's before production started. It leads me to believe that poor scripts are being handed in. (Basically Hank II is coming). Time will tell and I hope I'm wrong but from what I've read, I don't see success with this show.

There isn't enough room for Romantically Challenged to air for 13 episodes, that is why they cut it to 7. With it launching in March (that was their plan when they picked it up), it doesn't give it many weeks to air. Usually sitcoms launching in March get 6 episodes. It isn't a good idea financially to have 13 episodes of a midseason sitcom starting in March. This is not going to be a Hank II in quality. Hank was a generic family sitcom that was only picked up probably to please Kelsey Grammer or to have a family comedy to compliment The Middle. RC has the potential to be in the vein of HIMYM or Friends, so they will be patient with this one. I think they could have success with it more next fall. Episode order cuts before a show launches is not a bad thing. Castle was cut to 10 last midseason due to not enough weeks to air 13 as well.

I like The Middle and Modern Family, but Modern Family has already surpassed many people's expectations in the ratings (even the creators). This is not Arrested Development or 30 Rock ratings. The show does over 9 million and a 3.7 18-49, which is good for a comedy these days. The only way I see Ted working anywhere on the schedule is after Modern Family. It's one of those shows that has cult written all over it. Cougar Town is doing fine and it'll get more eyeballs come the Jan. 6 episode with Kudrow guest starring. This is only the first three months of ABC's new comedy night experiment. I think minus Hank, they have done very well. And have some good ones in development as well if they decide to have another hour of comedy on another night come next fall to join Comedy Wednesday.

One other thing these comedies have impressed in was coming back strong after the crazy decision of airing them on Thanksgiving Eve. The past two years the serialized dramas suffered the following weeks after airing that night, but these comedies came back strong due to the non-serialized nature of these shows.

There isn't enough room for Romantically Challenged to air for 13 episodes, that is why they cut it to 7. With it launching in March (that was their plan when they picked it up), it doesn't give it many weeks to air. Usually sitcoms launching in March get 6 episodes. It isn't a good idea financially to have 13 episodes of a midseason sitcom starting in March. This is not going to be a Hank II in quality. Hank was a generic family sitcom that was only picked up probably to please Kelsey Grammer or to have a family comedy to compliment The Middle. RC has the potential to be in the vein of HIMYM or Friends. Episode order cuts before a show launches is not a bad thing. Castle was cut to 10 last midseason due to not enough weeks to air 13 as well.

I like The Middle and Modern Family, but Modern Family has already surpassed many people's expectations in the ratings (even the creators). This is not Arrested Development or 30 Rock ratings. The show does over 9 million and a 3.7 18-49, which is good for a comedy these days. The only way I see Ted working anywhere on the schedule is after Modern Family.

Rules of Engagement aired, starting in March, with 13 episodes last season, and will probably do the same this season, and it seems to work for CBS. They could have cut the order to a simple 10 episodes, but they decided to cut it nearly in half, which seems to show that they dont have all that much hope for it (that, and aided by the fact that it was quietly picked up, after upfronts, in the first place).

I do agree with Zedman that The Middle is creatively a much better and funnier show. It's more entertaining to me, and it's the only ABC comedy I make time for to watch live. Still, I agree with you that Modern Family is doing very well in the ratings. I doubt ABC would move Cougar Town to make room for Better Off Ted, though. At this point, ABC has to have very little expectations for BOT, and probably doesnt see it having much of a future past these 13 episodes.

Julie, that's a poor comparison. Rules of Engagement launched its first season during mid-season with 7 episodes. And it has been on for four seasons now, so I think it deserves to have 13 episodes. It has proved itself already. It still has never gotten a full season, though. It's only being ordered as a back-up.

Freshman sitcoms launching in March get 6 episodes usually. There have been plenty of comedies launched at midseason with 6 episodes that had very big lives over the years, going as far as back with Three's Company and Perfect Strangers.

The buzz for Romantically Challenged during upfronts was good. I was shocked they didn't pick it up right away, but I knew they would pick it up. I think I mentioned it earlier in this thread (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showpost.php?p=4205817&postcount=44). They always liked the pilot except for Olsen, that is why they had to recast and they waited too long on Hank.

Julie, that's a poor comparison. Rules of Engagement launched its first season during mid-season with 7 episodes. And it has been on for four seasons now, so I think it deserves to have 13 episodes. It has proved itself already. It still has never gotten a full season, though. It's only being ordered as a back-up.

Freshman sitcoms launching in March get 6 episodes usually. There have been plenty of comedies launched at midseason with 6 episodes that had very big lives over the years, going as far as back with Three's Company and Perfect Strangers.

The buzz for Romantically Challenged during upfronts was good. I was shocked they didn't pick it up right away, but I knew they would pick it up. I think mentioned it earlier in this thread (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showpost.php?p=4205817&postcount=44). They always liked the pilot except for Olsen, that is why they had to recast.

I suppose you're right about Rules of Engagement. But still, it can't be that expensive to produce. If it's going to end with the other comedies, it'll have to start at the end of March. Unless the comedies are going to be ending in April and not May. Just seems like it would have been more reasonable to order 10 episodes, and not just seven.

I'm looking forward to it. I love Alyssa Milano, so it should be decent. Not sure how it'll do airing at 8pm and paired with The Middle, though.

They havent announced it is airing at 8p with THE MIDDLE. I'd honestly be shocked if thats where it ends up for a numbers of reasons:

I dont see them launching a show againts IDOL
Daylight Savings Time depresses the 8p hours starting first week in March. I dont see them launching a hopeful new show at this lower rated hour.

In all honesty the order for 7 eps screams that it'll be paired with DWTS which I personally hopes does not happen.

It's going to be hard to schedule Romantically Challenged. But it needs to air in Comedy Wednesday. Perhaps 9:30 with Cougar Town ending its season early? OR when Betty finishes up, they can air Cougar Town back-to-back at 10pm with a repeat at 10:30.

pretty good idea with RC in between MF and CT

from Tv Guide Magazine:

Question:Being a devoted fan of Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters, I am looking forward to the continuation of these sitcoms. When does the new season begin?—Anne

Matt Roush: I love that you refer to these shows, even Brothers, as sitcoms (and certainly Brothers has been laughable in many aspects lately), which isn’t how most hour-long shows prefer to be seen—even Housewives, which is intrinsically comic in nature. But to answer your question, these Sunday hits are merely on their scheduled holiday break, and won’t experience a long hiatus such as we’ll be getting for shows like Glee (boo!), V and FlashForward (good riddance to the latter). Look for Housewives and Brothers to be back right after New Year’s on Jan. 3, and I’m told they’ll air original episodes all month up to Jan. 31, when they’ll bow to the power of the Grammys on CBS.

Desperate is not on Jan. 24. Home Edition is two-hours that night from 8-10. Not sure if they would air a new B&S that night either.

It's going to be hard to schedule Romantically Challenged. But it needs to air in Comedy Wednesday. Perhaps 9:30 with Cougar Town ending its season early? OR when Betty finishes up, they can air Cougar Town back-to-back at 10pm with a repeat at 10:30.

I feel like the only place "RC" will work is 9:30pm Wednesdays - is it possible to give "Cougar Town" a 6 week break and bring it back for a few weeks to close the season?

I'd be quite pleased if that's the case because I'm intrigued by "RC" and "Cougar" is the only show of the 3 currently on that I don't like

I was wondering if someone could let me know what RC stans for.

Desperate is not on Jan. 24. Home Edition is two-hours that night from 8-10. Not sure if they would air a new B&S that night either.
I understand that you are going by ABC medianet and thats what they have there now, but a question like this Matt does ask an ABC rep for that answer before he prints that so I assume they are not new the 31st.

I assume ABC is premiering THE DEEP END the 21st so they can promote it during the GA/PP crossover, but in addition to there being no Surivivir on the 14th, VAMPIRE DAIRIES doesnt return until the 21st. VD gets around a 2 and is a force with young adults.

I assume ABC is running fresh eps againts Olympics , but I think they should take off the nights there is Women's figure skating. It's a highly rated event, plus ABC's target audience of women watch that. does anyone know the nights figure skating is on?

Usually the finals are on the 2nd Thursday(was in 2002 and 2006)

I assume ABC is running fresh eps againts Olympics , but I think they should take off the nights there is Women's figure skating. It's a highly rated event, plus ABC's target audience of women watch that. does anyone know the nights figure skating is on?

http://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/video-abcs-new-extended-trailer-lost-11775

http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/12/abcs-happy-town-trailer-.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+live_feed+%28The+Hollywood+Reporter+-+The+Live+Feed%29

Any guesses where Happy Town will air? I'd like to see it get a trial run after DH(like Grey's did in 2005) to cut down on B&S repeats in March/April. Plus, DH has been the best launching pad for new shows and ABC badly needs a new hit, and Sunday really needs new blood.

I think that's where you'll see it. It'll probably be only scheduled for 4 weeks, like Grey's was originally planned to to in spring 2005. And if it does well, maybe Brothers and Sisters returns on Wednesdays to finish off its season. If HT fails, B&S will be back to Sundays I am sure.

Not sure how else they could air this show, unless they launch it late in April/early May for summer.

I think that's where you'll see it. It'll probably be only scheduled for 4 weeks, like Grey's was originally planned to to in spring 2005. And if it does well, maybe Brothers and Sisters returns on Wednesdays to finish off its season. If HT fails, B&S will be back to Sundays I am sure.

Not sure how else they could air this show, unless they launch it late in April/early May for summer.

That's exactly where I think it'll end up as well. If ABC wants to give it any chance to succeed, it has to go after DH. I still think B&S would most likely replicate its audience on Wednesday's, if ABC were to ever take the risk and move it elsewhere. But, like you said Pavan, it does fit best on Sundays with DH.

Maybe ABc will use the March 7th Oscars to promote a 2 hour premiere of HT March 14th. Thye have 8 hours and maybe they'll run it in 6 weeks with 2 hour premiere and 2 hour finale.

ABC usually airs 5 DH and B&S over jan and Feb. Maybe they'll have a new B&H on jan 24th after 2 hour EM:HE. Maybe they'll take off both shows opposite the Grammys like TV GUIDE said. Maybe they'll take off one of the 3 Olympic weeks so B&S would air 16 (DH 15) eps Jan and Feb. ABC can air 4 new DH leading into the 4 HT that fall in between the 2 hour premiere and finale (DH eps 16,17,18.19). That leaves one week before sweeps starts - April 25th. That night can be the return of B&S with a 2 hour ep - eps 17 and 18.

The next 4 weeks would be May sweeps and can be DH episodes 20,21,22,23 and B&S episodes 19,20,21,22.

This way ABC Sundays from 9-11p is rerun free for the rest of the season from 9-11p. Unless HT is a complete bomb (which could happen) that's pretty cool.

Programming updates:

Tuesday, December 22, 2009
10:00pm "Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special" (R, 12/13/09, replaces the forgotten (R) )

Tuesday, December 29, 2009
10:00pm A Special Edition of 20/20 - "Blind Side: The True Story Behind The Movie" (replaces the forgotten (R) )

Saturday, January 2, 2010
4:00-6:00pm ET/2:00-4:00pm PT ABC Movie: Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (R)

Sunday, January 24, 2010
10:00pm Desperate Housewives (R)

FUTON CRITIC

January TCA schedule lists panels for HAPPY TOWN on ABC; UNDERCOVER BOSS, (fka) MIAMI TRAUMA on CBS; premiere dates presumably out soon

Eastwick was great again tonight! The next episode is the last scheduled one, airing Dec. 30. But originally they were supposed to show "Red Bath and Beyond," (11th one) which continues where we left off tonight. But now they will air "Magic Snow and Creepy Gene," which I believe is the 12th or 13th one and has guest star Jerry O'Connell. Which is odd because the promo at the end of tonight's episodes showed scenes from "Red Bath & Beyond." That episode's plotline is: Roxie's nightmares come true as she struggles to escape murderous Jamie; Joanna and Max fight for their lives; it appears that weakened Kat cannot keep her head above water. While "Magic Snow and Creepy Gene" has the following plotline: The ladies agree to never reveal what they did to Jamie; Joanna tries to help Penny find closure; sparks fly between Kat and her new neighbor (Jerry O'Connell), a single father with a dark secret.

So I guess the remaining two episodes will not air at all since they are skipping to the finale (I think "Magic Snow and Creepy Gene" is the finale at least, but either way they are skipping the real episode 11).

I agree it was really good. A shame it didnt connect. yes Jerry did the last 2 eps so they are definitely skipping. When its not an ABC studios show I belive the promos are built into the end of each ep, so I think that is why they had the wrong previews at the end of the ep. When its an ABC studios shows I think ABC cuts their own promo.

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/rant.aspx?id=20091217_olympics

The Middle will be a full hour will all-new episodes on Wednesday, January 6:

8:00PM The Middle: "The Jeans" (all-new)
Sue wants an expensive pair of jeans in order to fit in with her peers; Frankie and Mike let Brick take care of Aunt Edie and Aunt Ginny's dog for a few days
8:30PM The Middle: "The Neighbor" (all-new)
Sue has a confrontation with a neighbor's sons; Axl is asked to help Brick with a gym requirement

I know I will be looking forward to watching The Middle from 7:00 pm until 8:00 pm CT Time.

Eastwick was great again tonight! The next episode is the last scheduled one, airing Dec. 30. But originally they were supposed to show "Red Bath and Beyond," (11th one) which continues where we left off tonight. But now they will air "Magic Snow and Creepy Gene," which I believe is the 12th or 13th one and has guest star Jerry O'Connell. Which is odd because the promo at the end of tonight's episodes showed scenes from "Red Bath & Beyond." That episode's plotline is: Roxie's nightmares come true as she struggles to escape murderous Jamie; Joanna and Max fight for their lives; it appears that weakened Kat cannot keep her head above water. While "Magic Snow and Creepy Gene" has the following plotline: The ladies agree to never reveal what they did to Jamie; Joanna tries to help Penny find closure; sparks fly between Kat and her new neighbor (Jerry O'Connell), a single father with a dark secret.

So I guess the remaining two episodes will not air at all since they are skipping to the finale (I think "Magic Snow and Creepy Gene" is the finale at least, but either way they are skipping the real episode 11).
they aren't even going to air some episodes?

this is ridiculous...

Tuesday, January 5, 2010
8:00pm Scrubs (all-new)
8:30pm Better off Ted (all-new)

They will also be new in their regular 9pm hour airings on this night. So after this night, Scrubs will have 9 aired and Ted 8 aired.

i Bet they double up thru Jan and they are done with both before LOST is back, which bothers me much less than wasting the 10p slot on FORGOTTEN, since IDOL is gonna cream everything they put on from 8-10p, but they have a shot at 10p. Not to mention SCRUBS is doing better than original FORGOTTEN and they'll actually make money off of SCRUBS.

i Bet they double up thru Jan and they are done with both before LOST is back, which bothers me much less than wasting the 10p slot on FORGOTTEN, since IDOL is gonna cream everything they put on from 8-10p, but they have a shot at 10p. Not to mention SCRUBS is doing better than original FORGOTTEN and they'll actually make money off of SCRUBS.

thefutoncritic This just in: ABC to double run SCRUBS (8 & 9 ET), TED (8:30 & 9:30 ET) for the month of January (completing their 13-episode runs)

Tuesdays, Jan. 5 through Jan. 26, 2010
8:00pm Scrubs
8:30pm Better off Ted

This is in addition to their 9pm & 9:30pm slots.

Scrubs will be done by Jan. 19 if they don't do any repeats on Jan. 12 and 19. I think one repeat will be in there somewhere. I'm sure Jan. 26 will be the State of the Union from 9-11pm ET, with the final episodes of Scrubs and Ted on Jan. 26 from 8-9pm.

So i am guessing a 1.5 for ABC tuesdays in Jan, or is that too high?

Wonderful, ABC finally gets Wednesdays working and now IDOL moves to 9pm in jan. Great
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- FOX is already rethinking its midseason plans as "Human Target" and "American Idol" will now flip time periods on Wednesday nights.

Newcomer "Target" will still launch on Sunday, January 17 at 8:00/7:00c and get a post-"Idol" boost on Wednesday, January 20 at 9:00/8:00c.

Beginning January 27 however, "Target" will assume the 8:00/7:00c slot on Wednesdays with "Idol" following at 9:00/8:00c.

Said news, set to be formally announced later today, was confirmed to the site exclusively this morning.

To me that move is primarily to halt the growth of MF. With Glee out of the way, MF was poised for more growth. Both Glee and MF did better when the other wasnt on or in reruns.

Maybe ABC will move Modern to 8pm now? But I wouldn't do that.

More programming updates:

Saturday, January 9, 2010
8:00-10:00pm The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love (R, 1/4/10)

Saturday, January 16, 2010
8:00pm Grey's Anatomy (R, 1/14/10)
9:00pm Private Practice (R, 1/14/10)

I wouldnt do that either. They're gonna have to live with whatever it gets. I think best case scenario it still is gonna get cut down a few tenths but honestly a low 3 looks less impressive for them and media people will spin it as such. It sucks but what are you gonna do.

Maybe ABC will move Modern to 8pm now? But I wouldn't do that.

More programming updates:

Saturday, January 9, 2010
8:00-10:00pm The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love (R, 1/4/10)

Saturday, January 16, 2010
8:00pm Grey's Anatomy (R, 1/14/10)
9:00pm Private Practice (R, 1/14/10)

I have to believe they are gonna rerun the LOST finale. It never was relegated to sat nights but I have a feeling thats what's gonna happen now.

I'd try Scrubs, Better off Ted, and the Middle behind Modern Family to see if anything grabs attention for a week each. I think ABC has a great range of comedy this year, and it'd be sad to see Scrubs, Ted, and the Middle go if they are cancelled (Ted being the most likely).

8:00 - Modern Family
8:30 - The Middle
9:00 - Cougar Town
9:30 - Better off Ted (fall-January), Scrubs (Jan-May).

If all the comedies do make it, I think every comedy would grow with a schedule like this on Wednesday's!

I am actually more worried for CT and a less potent 9p hour will bring BETTY down somewhat. Its really too bad because both ABC shows and GLEE similarly targeted females and HUMAN TARGET is more of a male show. I think ABC shows really could have grown which is What I am sure FOX realized and made them move IDOL.

Sooner or later Idol will become an ordinary show. Maybe this will be the year.

For all the reports the FOX is doing so well this fall, the numbers are more due to the World Series and NFL runover. (see how poorly they do on Sundays without NFL runovers).

Maybe Idol will finally collapse. (I doubt it will, but I'm hoping).

I already think that the Idol ratings erosion will continue this year (Ellen and the exclusion of Paula will probably hurt it, not help it). So, I think ABC has to stand up to it and continue Modern Family/Cougar Town at 9pm. I really can't see them moving MF to 8pm - that would probably lower viewership even further. But, without Idol competition, I dont understand why theyd want to continue airing comedy repeats at 8pm. I liked your idea, Ryan, to try an episode each of Scrubs/Better Off Ted/The Middle after MF, to see if any catch on.

they shouldnt move any of the wed comedies and they wont. But IDOL is still far from an ordinary show. The lowest numbers it gets are 8's and nothing else on network TV except big sporting events get anything close. It also gets demos from kids to senior citizens. yes someday it will become a less potent show (probably when Cowell leaves) but not any time soon.

I'd try Scrubs, Better off Ted, and the Middle behind Modern Family to see if anything grabs attention for a week each. I think ABC has a great range of comedy this year, and it'd be sad to see Scrubs, Ted, and the Middle go if they are cancelled (Ted being the most likely).

The Middle is not even close to being canceled, not sure why you made that statement. I still think Scrubs will return for either more episodes this season or another season.

Since Idol is 9pm on Wednesdays, maybe they do air Romantically Challenged at 8 or 8:30pm now. I still liked the idea of it airing at 9:30pm, with Cougar Town at 10.

I have to believe they are gonna rerun the LOST finale. It never was relegated to sat nights but I have a feeling thats what's gonna happen now.

Maybe; if it happens it will be Jan. 30 I bet. Or maybe they won't air it at all. It's on DVD, abc.com, etc anyway. Plus WABC in NY has been airing repeats of Season 5 on Saturday late nights for the past few weeks from the beginning. I have been enjoying that as a refresher to season 6.

I don't know if this is just my affiliate but Tuesday night ABC is airing special Christmas episodes of The Monkees at 8 and The Partridge Family at 8:30! a pleasant surprise

Well the Zap2it listings say Monkees and Partridge Family but the Comcast listings say AFV. :(

Well the Zap2it listings say Monkees and Partridge Family but the Comcast listings say AFV. :(

Your local ABC affiliate is pre-empting network programming.

Well IDOL just set their complete schedule and I think Thurs Feb 25th, ABC shoudl not air originals because in addition to Figure Skating (most likely), AI is on at 8p.

Also I would imagine ABC will immediately change their plans to bring back FF March 4th since IDOL is on Thurs that night and March 11th.

Well IDOL just set their complete schedule and I think Thurs Feb 25th, ABC shoudl not air originals because in addition to Figure Skating (most likely), AI is on at 8p.

Also I would imagine ABC will immediately change their plans to bring back FF March 4th since IDOL is on Thurs that night and March 11th.

Glad to see Idol is doing the Thursday editions again. What they did last year was horrendous, and going back to all 24 performing in one week is what worked best. Aside from that, why and how would ABC change their plans to bring FF back March 4? It's already stretching to air its remaining episodes before sweeps is over. And they can't go airing 2 hour episodes throughout the month of April. I highly doubt it even matters - FF is just a show that can't be saved at this point.

Because of "American Idol", I suggest ABC to do that for the return of "Flash Forward" on March 4th :

8pm : "Flash Forward", one-hour recap
9pm - 11pm : "Flash Forward", 2-hour episode

Glad to see Idol is doing the Thursday editions again. What they did last year was horrendous, and going back to all 24 performing in one week is what worked best. Aside from that, why and how would ABC change their plans to bring FF back March 4? It's already stretching to air its remaining episodes before sweeps is over. And they can't go airing 2 hour episodes throughout the month of April. I highly doubt it even matters - FF is just a show that can't be saved at this point.
ABC is not gonna take FF off the air for 3 months as the ratings are dwindling only to return it to face IDOL. Trust me, they'll figure something out, but they're not gonna do that. The truth is a lot could change between now and then. Maybe THE DEEP END will do really well, who knows?

ABC is not gonna take FF off the air for 3 months as the ratings are dwindling only to return it to face IDOL. Trust me, they'll figure something out, but they're not gonna do that. The truth is a lot could change between now and then. Maybe THE DEEP END will do really well, who knows?

True. A 2 hour premiere 9-11pm could actually work I bet. If The Deep End does end up hitting in the hour, I wouldn't be surprised to see ABC extend the order and just keep it there (and by hit, I mean at least 10 million). What they'd do with FF, though, I have no idea. I think ABC still wants FF to work, but I think it's running out of time.

Scrubs is now a repeat on Tuesday, December 29 at 9pm and Tuesday, January 12 at 8pm. First two episodes of the season will repeat on these dates. Better off Ted will be new still whenever it airs.

So through Jan. 12 now, Scrubs will have 9 episodes aired and Better off Ted will have 10 episodes aired. I'm sure Ted will be two new episodes on Jan. 19 and one on Jan. 26 (or vice versa), so it should be done by Jan. 26. Not sure about Scrubs now. I think one new each will air on Jan. 19 and 26. And the final two could be used 8-9pm on Feb. 9 leading into LOST? Remember the State of the Union will be scheduled likely on Jan. 26 (or 19).

Wow ABC airing a Repeat of Scrubs

Conisdering that a rerun of AFHV beat both shows last night, it seems rather silly to run reruns and extend the run to feb

I gotta say I was really impressed ABC brought back BOT, but at this rate Tuesdays in Jan are gonna be at CW levels (especially when you add FORGOTTEN to the mix). Their ratings for last week were a full point behind the other nets. They were only 8 tenths of a point ahead of CW. They were closer to CW than the other nets. I dont get this close up shop in December every year attitude. Their overall averages for the season suffer greatly.

Ted will be over for sure Jan. 26. Scrubs will not be. It makes sense since they will need it on Feb. 9 in the 8pm hour. LOST encores can't air until Feb. 16, since the premiere is two-hours and it would make no sense just to air one of those at 8pm on Feb. 9 leading into a new episode. Especially since they will likely encore the entire night of Feb. 2 on Saturday, Feb. 6.

See today's blog for an explanation and my thoughts: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/blog/2009/12/abc-double-pumps-scrubs-and-ted-through.html

last year they encored the whole night on saturday and ran the second episode (for a third time) before the 3rd the next week. They dont need SCRUBS there

In all honesty if they care about ratings they will rethink Tuesday, because getting 1's in December againts reruns is one thing. Going up againts CBS orginals, NBC BIGGEST LOSER and IDOL and not even trying from 8-11p makes no sense. Hell those direct TV LOST specials would make more sense.

What a shame. Better Off Ted is actually a very good and funny show. I really just can't understand why it isnt doing better than it is. It failed to break 3 million viewers last night - that's beyond embarrassing for ABC and the show. Perhaps the January 1st airings will be able to pump some life into it? At this point though, I don't think anything can be done to save it. We'll just have to be content with our 26 episodes.

it is a real shame because it's a great show. tonally it doesnt fit at all with the wed comnedies but it might be cool of them to just try one week with them. Although its probably too late now because IDOL start Jan 13th there and the wed shows are all originals that night except for 8p, so I would have suggested they try MIDDLE at 8p and BOT at 8:30 but they cant now.

I don't see a problem having Scrubs just for one week into LOST. Scrubs does at least OK in 18-49. A third airing of the same LOST in a week would do way worse. With the way they are scheduling Scrubs, this is what they'll do I think (having it extended by one more week with two episodes). Those DirecTV LOST specials are just repeats of the recap episodes ABC has aired from the start.

I would have never tried Ted on Wednesdays. It doesn't fit with any of those comedies well (well, maybe except Cougar Town). I thought Ted would do numbers the same as last year out of Scrubs, but guess not. ABC only has to worry about Jan. 12 and 19 I think. Jan. 5, there is no Idol, so Scrubs will do decently in 18-49. Jan. 26 will be the State of the Union, so that's a wash. What else can they do on Jan. 12 and 19? Might as well air Scrubs and Ted.

Scrubs got a 1.3 last night and that was with no competition. Against FRESH CBS and NBC on Jan 5th they will get destroyed.
Last year's 3rd airing of LOST did better than a 1.3.

But you're right, one week of SCRUBS in Feb is not a big deal. I am more concerned for Jan.

With all due respect, Pavan, you said what else can they do - they are network programmers, they can come up with all sorts of scenarios even ones that will likely land them in 4th but maybe with a little less anemic ratings and they can also rerun LOST eps which in addition to makking money for them will help promote the retun of LOST. They came up with CONVEYER BELT rather quickly, there are other options. They could run SHARK TANK at 10p which will do better then FORGOTTEN. I love BOT and want the show to run its remaining episodes but the schedule they have set up from 8-11p for Tuesdays, in Jan, like I said, will brings them CW ratings.

You could have said what could NBC have done this past week. they put together THE SING OFF which did decently for them. We all put down NBC and their failings but honestly they will never just schedule 3 hours of TV that will gets 1's, which is what ABC is doing in Jan. Think about it, on their low rated Mon and Wed nights at least one show gets a 2.

I dont want to keep bringing up the same thing, but ending DWTS in Nov and basically knowing they will come in last for the month of Dec every year makes no sense to me. The numbers they got last week are so low (1.4) vs. every other net and its not just Football that helped the other nets including NBC. That should not be acceptable to them. Every other net finds a way not to have that happen. ABC is really smart and a great network. That should be unacceptable to them and it's not like it caught them off guard. We all knew it was gonna happen.

Scrubs won't do a 1.3 in January. Earlier this month it did a 2.0, 2.3, and 1.8. I'd expect a 1.8 or so on January 5 when TV viewing goes higher than a holiday infected Dec. 22. If Scrubs can do a 1.8 on Jan. 5, ABC will take it. Better off Ted is the problem in the ratings, which is too bad. ABC only has to worry about Jan. 12 and 19. Maybe they will do something about it. Maybe Primetime: What Would You Do. I would keep the line-up of Scrubs, Ted and the forgotten intact on Jan. 5. But...Jan. 12 and 19 I'm not so sure. WWYD at 8, the forgotten at 9, and Scrubs/Ted at 10 would be better scheduling. WWYD can do decent vs. Idol. Or like you said, maybe the best of season five of LOST from 8-10pm on Jan. 12 and 19. Keep Scrubs/Ted at 10 to finish their episode orders. I wish they would switch the forgotten and Shark Tank as well, but I think they are trying to be patient with the forgotten.

They shot that Conveyor Belt pilot in July. So it isn't anything new. It's just that they never announced it because they haven't picked it up as a series. If it does well on Jan. 4, I'm sure they'll pick it up as a series for summer maybe.

DWTS can't go into December. I'd love for that to happen, but think about the celebs. What happens that week of Thanksgiving? No one practices at all that week? They all have to be with their families. And plus then the fall version would be way longer than spring. Not fair. I don't mind DWTS ending in late November. I just wish they would schedule an episode or two of Grey's in December and another week of the comedies (instead of airing them on Thanksgiving Eve).

They can easily solve the December problem next year. Air holiday specials only on Mondays from 8-10pm. Have another comedy night on Tuesdays from 9-10pm, lead by Romantically Challenged. Have DWTS Results at 8, and then when only 6 or less couples remain they can launch a new comedy at 8:30pm (late October-early Nov). Then by December they can have comedies from 8-10 on Tuesdays with an encore of the highest rated one at 8pm leading into new episodes from 8:30-10. I hope V airs at 10pm.

You're right a 1.8 would be acceptable, although I am not nearly as optimistic as you are that they will get that. The 2.3 it got was a result of the 4.1 PREP and LANDING lead in gave them.

I am aware that Convey Belt was a pilot not used yet. My point was an off the cuff answer to your question about what could they do. Just like we didnt know about Converyer there might be other limited/last minute options that would get people talking.

I was for them being pateint with FORGOTTEN but it was clear from the last few airings that its just not gonna happen and if they have 2 other strong hours on the night and then are using 10p to be patient, okay. But when the whole night is not working, you have to try something. and yeah I dont get sacrificing ST to Fridays. (It woudl honestly make more sense to put FORGOTTEN there). That show never had a lead in like FORGOTTEN and there is far more potential because without a lead in it gets 1.9 and there is nothing like ST on TV, same cant be said for FORGOTTEN. ABC doesnt even own FORGOTTEN. If they tried ST even once after DWTS or even just at 10p with less competition, and it didnt do better, id say yeah I get it, but they never have. AT this point FORGOTTEN is getting EASTWICK numbers and EASTWICK at least has some passionate fans. All I hear re: Forgotten is apathy or silence.

I disagree re: DWTS. each season could and should be 12 weeks (and by the way last Spring was 11, this was 10). Any star signing up for the show greatly wants to be there. If they know firsthand that Thanksweek they have to sacrifice a little, for what it does for their career, i am sure theyd still get celebs to signup. Maybe their families could join them in LA for the week. at that point it would only affect 4 of them. Frankly it makes more sense to use a reality show than schedule an extra ep of scripted TV (which is far more expensive and valuable to them). Yeah if they were making 30 GREYS a year, I agree, but since they are only making 24 and 10 of them aired already, they really cant schedule any more of those.

ABC has now scheduled a repeat of Better off Ted on Jan. 1 at 9:30pm (repeat of season premiere with Taye Diggs) instead of a new episode. It will still be new at 8:30pm on that night. This is getting confusing to even me now...

SCRUBS
Tues at 9pm
Dec. 1 #1 and #2
Dec. 8 #3
Dec. 15 #4
Dec. 22 #5
Dec. 29 #1 (R)
Jan. 1 #6 (special night) -- Friday
Jan. 5 #7 (8pm) and #8 (9pm)
Jan. 12 #2 (R, 8pm) and #9 (9pm)
Jan. 19 #6 (R, 8pm) and #10 (9pm)
Jan. 26 #11 (8pm)
Jan. 27 #12 (8pm, special night) -- Wednesday
Feb. 3 #13 (8pm, special night) -- Wednesday

BETTER OFF TED
Tues at 9:30pm
Dec. 8 #1
Dec. 15 #2
Dec. 22 #3
Dec. 29 #4
Jan. 1 #5 (special night and time, 8:30pm) and #1 (R, special night 9:30pm) -- Friday
Jan. 5 #6 (8:30pm) and #7 (9:30pm)
Jan. 12 #8 (8:30pm) and #9 (9:30pm)
Jan. 19 #2 (R, 8:30pm) and #10 (9:30pm)
Jan. 26 #11 (8:30pm)
TBD #12 and #13

By the way, in case my above comments dont make it abundantly clear, I love ABC and think they are the most creative, most risk taking net on broadcast tv. I just want them to kick ass and do the best they can do ratings wise, which is why i sometimes questions scheduling, but I think they rock and am always rooting for their much deserved success!

Since a MODERN FAMILY rerun got a 1.9 last night, instead of running a SCRUBS rerun Tuesday night maybe ABC can run a MF rerun into BOT or run a MIDDLE or CT rerun at 9:30 and move that new BOT to Friday in place of the rerun.

ABC comedies repeated very well last night. I watched them all again and they have much better rewatchability than the big ABC drama guns like Grey's, LOST or Desperate. They need another comedy night next fall, on Tuesdays. Romantically Challenged can lead the pack for Tuesdays.

My Favorite The Middle Episode this year is with The Scratch when Patricia Heaton fround out that he once dated The Social Worker

ABC comedies repeated very well last night. I watched them all again and they have much better rewatchability than the big ABC drama guns like Grey's, LOST or Desperate. They need another comedy night next fall, on Tuesdays. Romantically Challenged can lead the pack for Tuesdays.

Pavan, is RC single or multi-cam? It would definitely work well with Cougar Town, but I'd like to see ABC get one night of multi-cams, maybe Tuesday like you said, and another night of single-cams, which they already have in Wednesdays. At this point, I think Modern Family and The Middle are shoe-ins for next season. The Middle is definitely growing, and has good repeat value. Cougar Town is on a decline, but I can't imagine ABC giving up on it just yet. I wonder if CBS gives up Old Christine, ABC will try to go for it yet again, lol.

Romantically Challenged is multicamera and stars Alyssa Milano and the very funny physical comedian Kyle Bornheimer, who was excellent last season on Worst Week. It has the Friends/How I Met Your Mother style vibe to it. It starts taping Jan. 28. I think unless it bombs terribly like Hank, which I doubt, it will get a second season and ABC can use that for another night, like Tuesdays. They need to fix the Tuesday problem from Dec-March, and having a comedy night will do that. They can have Romantically Challenged be the centerpiece of that block with a new comedy following it at 9:30pm. Dancing Results airs in the 8pm hour and they can cut it to a half-hour by late October/early November and launch another comedy at 8:30pm. This way they can be safe with regular programs from Dec-March. They can either double pump the new comedy from 8-9pm next December or comedy encores at 8pm on Tuesdays. But that is next season. I think we'll see Romantically Challenged launch once Ugly Betty finishes its 22 episodes in late March/early April. Question is will ABC launch it at 8:30pm (no Idol) or 9:30pm (after MF) and have Cougar Town temporary move to 10pm?

Cougar Town was airing out of its timeslot last night, but it is doing fine. And the Kudrow appearance will likely do pretty big. I'm guessing best since premiere ratings. I think it is safe to say The Middle, Modern Family and Cougar Town have secured a second season.

ABC has a lot of comedies in development as well, don't they? For this season, their safest bet would be to leave Modern Family at 9pm. They already know it has a good sized audience, and will be back next season regardless of how well it does against Idol. But for the rest of the night, it's a tossup. Honestly, the best bet may be to just leave Cougar Town at 9:30, with Romantically Challenged going to 8pm. At least for this season. At 10pm will most likely be Happy Town once Betty ends, which I'm also looking forward to.

Next season, they can always do some shifting around. Cougar Town could go to Tuesdays with RC, but I'd prefer they build a night of multi-cam comedies around RC instead. The DWTS results shows should definitely be cut to a half hour. They do good ratings, but they need to sacrifice. It could air at 8pm, be more of a priority to viewers, and help launch a successful comedy block. Seriously speaking, if CBS does end up dropping Old Christine, ABC should grab it up. It already has a built-in audience and could also be used to jump-start the night.

I love OLD CHRISTINE and it would have made sense for ABC to pick it up last season, but at this point it gets low 2's on CBS and you know its numbers wont be as high on ABC. ABC has a bunch of hits of their own at this point and it's not like a SCRUBS situation where they'll make money off it, it's a WB show. They dont need it as this point.

I love OLD CHRISTINE and it would have made sense for ABC to pick it up last season, but at this point it gets low 2's on CBS and you know its numbers wont be as high on ABC. ABC has a bunch of hits of their own at this point and it's not like a SCRUBS situation where they'll make money off it, it's a WB show. They dont need it as this point.

True. But, it is established, and ABC may need that to help start another night of comedy, especially of Romantically Challenged only does so-so ratings this spring. And, if CBS does pass on it, I'm sure WB will offer it to ABC at a reduced cost, just to get more episodes for syndication. That's still a ways away, though. No need to discuss it at this point.

ABC has a lot of comedies in development as well, don't they? For this season, their safest bet would be to leave Modern Family at 9pm. They already know it has a good sized audience, and will be back next season regardless of how well it does against Idol. But for the rest of the night, it's a tossup. Honestly, the best bet may be to just leave Cougar Town at 9:30, with Romantically Challenged going to 8pm. At least for this season. At 10pm will most likely be Happy Town once Betty ends, which I'm also looking forward to.

Next season, they can always do some shifting around. Cougar Town could go to Tuesdays with RC, but I'd prefer they build a night of multi-cam comedies around RC instead. The DWTS results shows should definitely be cut to a half hour. They do good ratings, but they need to sacrifice. It could air at 8pm, be more of a priority to viewers, and help launch a successful comedy block. Seriously speaking, if CBS does end up dropping Old Christine, ABC should grab it up. It already has a built-in audience and could also be used to jump-start the night.

It's still early in the development stage, but ABC has about 20 pilot scripts in development for sitcoms. 3 of those have been ordered to pilots. But no casting news on any of those. Matthew Perry has been headlined for a single camera project, but it hasn't been ordered to pilot just yet. I'm sure it will be, though. That could work on Wednesdays for them, if it is ordered as a series.

Just a thought, Sarah Michelle Gellar's HBO pilot from Brillstein Entertainment didn't make the cut. ABC should get her for Donald Todd's new sitcom pilot, which also comes from Brillstein. It is multi-cam, too, and would fit with Romantically Challenged. It's about a 30-something woman managing a bunch of 20 somethings at work. Just wondering if Sarah would do it.

Since ABC most certainly wont premiere FF Thurs March 4th (because of IDOL) I could see them premiering it the same week but at 10p Tues after LOST. By mid Jan they will already see that THE FORGOTTEN is not gonna work and I assume if they continue their plan to to air after LOST in Feb it wont provide much of a boost.

I could either see them leaving FF at 10p Tuesday and maybe moving V to Thurs or Wed ar 10p or if miraculously THE DEEP END does really well order more eps and put back into production (although I dont know if thats realistic this season)

OR

I could just seem them running FF for those 4 weeks til V premieres and then moving it to Thurs March 25th after an airing Tues March 23rd. That Thursday will be March Mardness and there will be no Survivor and after 4 airings after LOST it will have gotten the benefit of an larger lead in for a few weeks.

This way ABC can premiere it the same week they planned to and avoid IDOL.

I like your second option much better.

I really don't think to put "Flash Forward" in a new time slot will change something. Moreover, "Lost" is not a big lead-in : 8-10 million I guess, like last year. Don't forget the competion : "American Idol" during 7 weeks between mid-february and april 6th, The Biggest Loser and NCIS LA.

I reallty think the best option is the one I made before :
March 4th :
8pm : 1-hour recap
9pm : a new 2-hour episode

This way, ABC can promote the return of Flash Forward like a huge event with a 3-hour return and the new episode is not against Idol.

Morevoer, this is MY ABC Spring Schedule :

Sundays : EMHE / Desperate Housewives / Brothers & Sisters
Mondays : Dancing With The Stars (90 min) / Romantically Challenged / Castle
Tuesdays : New Reality Show / Lost / V
Wednesdays : The Middle / Dancing Results Show (30 min) / Modern Family / Cougar Town / Happy Town
Thursdays : Flash Forward / Grey's Anatomy / Private Practice
Fridays : Supernanny / Wife Swap / 20/20

Since ABC most certainly wont premiere FF Thurs March 4th (because of IDOL) I could see them premiering it the same week but at 10p Tues after LOST. By mid Jan they will already see that THE FORGOTTEN is not gonna work and I assume if they continue their plan to to air after LOST in Feb it wont provide much of a boost.

I could either see them leaving FF at 10p Tuesday and maybe moving V to Thurs or Wed ar 10p or if miraculously THE DEEP END does really well order more eps and put back into production (although I dont know if thats realistic this season)

OR

I could just seem them running FF for those 4 weeks til V premieres and then moving it to Thurs March 25th after an airing Tues March 23rd. That Thursday will be March Mardness and there will be no Survivor and after 4 airings after LOST it will have gotten the benefit of an larger lead in for a few weeks.

This way ABC can premiere it the same week they planned to and avoid IDOL.

I can see ABC trying the second option, but I don't see it succeeding. No show has ever done well following LOST and FF nor V will work. Both shows will complete there respective orders (hopefully ABC will air all shows) and never see a Season 2. Which is a shame because of the two shows "V" deserves to succeed. FF is a dead show in viewers minds and ABC will need to convince viewers that this is not the case with a "HUGE" promo push come spring.

I can see ABC trying the second option, but I don't see it succeeding. No show has ever done well following LOST and FF nor V will work. Both shows will complete there respective orders (hopefully ABC will air all shows) and never see a Season 2. Which is a shame because of the two shows "V" deserves to succeed. FF is a dead show in viewers minds and ABC will need to convince viewers that this is not the case with a "HUGE" promo push come spring.
I agree that V deserves to succeed and really has the potential to be huge for ABC and have said a few times here that I feel airing out of Lost will hurt it more than help it (would rather see it wed at 10p or 8p Thursday). With FF I feel it's in a more vulnerable position than V and thus airing after LOST in a less competetive time slot for a few weeks will raise its profile and chances. Also, FF still is huge with DVR even as the ratings slide, which is one thing shows like LIFE ON MARS didnt have.

Also my suggestion for FF was based on the fact that the night scheduled to come back it will face IDOL. This would help them avoid that.

Saturday, January 23, 2010
8:00PM GREY'S ANATOMY (R, 1/21)
9:00PM THE DEEP END (Pilot Encore, 1/21)

i was hoping they were gonna re air instead of DH rerun, after Em:HE at 10p Sun jan 24th

Are there any promos for CONVERER BELT?

Any new intersting promos on any new shows?

Still no promo info for 12/31 and 1/1. I'm sure Conveyor Belt of Love special will promoted a bit then. It won't need much promo, since it will be airing after The Bachelor.

ABC Comedy Wednesday will be repeats on Wednesday Jan. 20 (they are new on Jan. 6 and 13 though). Ugly Betty is new, though.

Conveyor Belt of Love is only going to get promos during The Bachelor. Four spots in fact. During Conveyor Belt of Love, there is a long promo for The Deep End that runs 2 minutes and 30 seconds!

Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice are repeats on Jan. 28.

Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice are repeats on Jan. 28.
That's gonna do wonders for THE DEEP END its second week. Now I really dont understand the reason not to start this the 14th.

That's gonna do wonders for THE DEEP END its second week. Now I really dont understand the reason not to start this the 14th.

Completely agree. I really can't understand some of these decisions made by ABC. The Deep End clearly isn't a burnoff, considering how much promotion ABC has already given it. It seems like a good fit with both GA and PP, and for Thursdays in general, and could really be a decent-sized hit in the slot. But, airing it with repeats its second week is not going to help. They should definitely premiere it on the 14th, not the 21st.

or they could have just delayed the return of GA/PP another week and then they can all be in originals toigether for an number of weeks, I am guessing at least 5-6.

I dont understand many of ABC's scheduling decisions but this one to me is the biggest head scratcher in a while. plus its not like 8p Thursday isnt competetive. Only thing I can think of is they have something else planned from 9-11p on the 28th that they havent/cant announced yet. But to let DEEP END have no originals its second week, I dont get that. Plkus like you said its getting ample promotion now, they could have easily premiered it the 14th. Wow I'd really love to understand this thinking. There's got to be some reason, right?

Good decision by ABC to air a new Sunday last night. Like I said before, Sundays will be packed soon, so airing a new Sunday with regular competition was a good idea last night. Desperate Housewives hit a season high in the demo (prelim 5.2) even. It did 5.0 like 3-4 other times this season. Quality episodes last night, especially Brothers & Sisters.

according to two other sites, DH actually hit a 5.8, so I am not sure if tvbythenumbers is correct. Yes its great how well they did last night, but it is possible that the numbers would be the same or higher next week and I am assuming (I could be wrong on teh 31st) there is a three week hiatus 24th, 31st and 7th, so it wouldnt have been bad to have them 10th, 17th, and 24th. Plus I know you dont consider CHUCK a threat, but it has a cult audience and wouldnt have hurt to have the cliffhangers wrapped up next week, plus they would have had more promotion this week in higher rated shows. doesnt matter, either way, happy they did so well.

Also

I think 5.8 is a typo. Berman must have looked at SNF 9pm rating, which did a 5.8. Also, he listed EM: HE as a 2.0, which is what NCIS got at 8pm. THR Feed says 5.2 for DH. That seems right. EM: HE did a 3.3 I think Jan. 3, 10, and 17 is better to have for DH/B&S because Jan. 24 is the NFC Championship Game on Fox. I'd rather not face that. Jan. 3 there was nothing out of the normal (most of the country is in bitter cold right now, that helps TV viewing). Jan. 31 right now is TBD.

I thought it was a typo first too, but when i saw Futon Critic had it as well, i figured the typo was TVBYTHENUMBERS.

Also I think what helped them this year was they had good cliffhangers for both shows. It what I always advocate for at the end of May. It's why I always think the CBS procedurals come back so strong in Sep, they all have these big cliffhangers and they are procedurals! I think that's why DH came back so low this Sep, because there was hardly a big cliffhanger at the end of last season. So I think they were really smart this Dec. Hopefully all their dramas go out with a big strong cliffhanger in May. Last May PP did a really smart one too.

The only other reason the 24th seemed also more appealing to me, was yes there is a big football game but scripted wise there is no competition.I was advocating switching things and having the 2 hour EM last night with the next 3 weeks the scripted hits. DH had a 5.0 against a World Series game, so my thinking is come back the 10th with people clamoring to see your cliffhangers resolved and air 17th and 24th.

next 2 weeks big scripted competition - FOX has 20th ann Simpsons, NBC CHUCK

the week after NBC - Golden Globes, Fox 24

Hopefully ABC will still hold up strong. last night was great. Kudos to ABC on the smart cliffhangers and resolve.

I thought it was a typo first too, but when i saw Futon Critic had it as well, i figured the typo was TVBYTHENUMBERS.

Futon uses Berman's numbers. See my previous post on what I think happened. I'd love a 5.8 for DH, but EM: HE no way did only a 3 (or a 2 as Berman typed).

i alerted FUTON, they changed it.

If Futon is using Berman, that is new, they never used to.

Also I was waitng for THR Feed to post numbers, to settle it, but they went up later than usual. I think James Hibberd is still on vaca and his staff did it.

Quick Take for Sunday January 3, 2010 (Fast Affiliate Live + Same Day Ratings)

ABC Marks its Strongest Sunday with its Regular Lineup Since Fall 2008

"America's Funniest Home Videos" Draws its Biggest Audience in Nearly 3 Years

Returning to Original for the First Time in a Month, ABC's "Housewives" is Sunday's No. 1 Non-Sports TV Show, with its Strongest Results in More Than 1 Year

Sunday Night (7:00-11:00 p.m.)

Despite facing NFL-driven Sunday competition on NBC ("Sunday Night Football"), CBS (primetime overrun) and Fox (primetime overrun), ABC posted its strongest performance on the night this season with its regular schedule in both Total Viewers (11.8 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.7/9). ABC finished as the second-most-watched network on the evening, topping CBS by 1.3 million viewers (10.5 million) and by Fox by 2.7 million viewers (9.1 million).

The Network posted its best performance with its regular Sunday lineup since September 2008 in Viewers and matched its best performance since November 2008 in Adults 18-49 since 9/28/08 and 11/30/08, respectively. ABC's Sunday numbers jumped over the year-ago night, also with an all-original lineup, by 13% in Total Viewers and by 6% in Adults 18-49 (10.4 million and 3.5/9 on 1/4/09).


"America's Funniest Home Videos" (7:00-8:00 p.m.)
Opposite NFL competition on each of the other nets (NBC, CBS and Fox) during the 7 o'clock hour, ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" drew its biggest overall audience (10.2 million) in nearly 3 years and tied its top Adult 18-49 number (2.7/7) since February 2009 since 1/28/07 and 2/8/09, respectively.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (8:00-9:00 p.m.)
At 8:00 p.m., ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" produced its best numbers since mid-November in Total Viewers (11.0 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.3/8) since 11/15/09.

"Desperate Housewives" (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
TV's No. 1 non-sports program on Sunday in Total Viewers (15.2 million) and Adults 18-49 (5.2/12), ABC's "Desperate Housewives'" returned to original for the first time in 4 weeks. Growing over its most recent original airing (14.9 million and 4.9/11 on 12/6/09), "Housewives" pulled in its biggest audience and equaled its highest Adult 18-49 rating in more than 1 year since 12/7/08.

* "Housewives" registered as the night's most-watched entertainment series for its 11th straight original telecast this season, while standing as Sunday's No. 1 series for 9 consecutive original airings with Adults 18-49.

"Brothers & Sisters" (10:00-11:00 p.m.)

ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" placed a strong second in the 10 o'clock hour to NBC's NFL game in viewers (10.9 million) and young adults (3.6/9), while ranking a dominant No. 1 across each of the key Women demos: W18-34 (3.5/10), W18-49 (5.1/13) and W25-54 (6.1/14).


A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to 34% currently, from 29% at the same point in 2009. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Source: Nielsen Media Research (Fast Affiliate, Live + Same Day Program Ratings), 12/6/09.

VERY strong night for ABC all around. Desperate Housewives back up above 16 million is something I never thought the show would see again. It's been down year-to-year all fall, so it see it hit 16 million and a season high 5.2 is nice. I'm guessing most people were wanting to see who died. Considering Brothers & Sisters had weaker than usual retention, I bet the 9pm half hour was higher than the 9:30 half hour - I'd be interested in seeing half-hour breakdowns if possible. Still, ABC was wise to return the shows early. Less competition = greater ratings for them.

Does anyone understand why it is in ABC's interest to have all the bowl games on ESPN starting next year. I know they own ESPN and the money is all going to the same parent. BUt ABC has virtually no big Sporting events anymore, except the NBA finals. The Rose Bowl was one of the last few things they have. In today's climate, AI and live sports are about the only things that generate a large live audience.

heard someone in my office all jazzed about THE BACHELOR tonight. Hopefully another night of good numbers. Too bad Alyssa Milano Castle isnt on tonight wihtout a new CSI MIAMI, but really glad to see ABC promoting already.

I'd prefer ABC air the Rose Bowl every year too and whenever the National Championship Game is in Pasadena. ESPN has the rights to every single BCS game starting in 2011.

ABC picks up Detroit crime drama pilot
Exclu: ABC has picked up a new crime drama pilot set in Detroit.

Titled "187 Detroit," the pilot marks ABC's first drama pickup that will be in the running for next season. "Detroit" is shot in the style of a fictional documentary crew following a top homicide division and has a realistic yet sometimes humorous tone.

"Detroit" is produced by ABC Studios and Mandeville, executive produced by Jason Richman, David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman. ABC has been one of the more aggressive networks in getting development ready for next season, with several comedy pilots already picked up.

ABC has been one of the more aggressive networks in getting development ready for next season, having ordered comedies “Women Are Crazy” and “Awkward Situations for Men.”

ABC's good start to 2010 continues. I would order more Conveyor Belt of Love episodes, at least for summer.

With its Top Number in 6 Weeks, ABC’s Finishes No. 2 on Monday to Fox’s “Fiesta Bowl” in Adults 18-49 and Wins the Night Across Key Women Demos

From 8-10pm, “The Bachelor” Dominates the Return of NBC’s “Heroes” and
Stands as TV’s No. 1 Series Telecast on Monday in Adults 18-34 and Key Women

Growing Year to Year in Viewers and Young Adults, “The Bachelor” Marks its
Most-Watched Premiere in 4 Seasons and 2nd-Biggest Opener Since April 2004

At 10pm, ABC’s “Conveyor Belt of Love” is the Top Non-Sports Show with
Young Adults and Ranks No. 1 Overall with Women 18-34 and Women 18-49


Monday Night (8:00-11:00 p.m.)
With the season premiere of “The Bachelor” and the special “Conveyor Belt of Love,” ABC earned second place on Monday in Adults 18-49 (3.1/8) to Fox's “Fiesta Bowl” coverage, beating third-place CBS by 15% (2.7/7) and fourth-place NBC by 55% (2.0/5). The Net ranked No. 1 on the night across all key Women: Women 18-34 (4.3/11), Women 18-49 (4.4/11) and Women 25-54 (4.6/10).

• In Total Viewers (8.5 million) and Adults 18-49 (3.1/9), ABC's drew its strongest Monday numbers in 6 weeks - since 11/23/09.


“The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love” (8:00-10:00 p.m.)
From 8:00-10:00 p.m., ABC’s season opener of “The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love” drew an average audience of 9.5 million viewers and a 3.3 rating, 8 share in Adults 18-49, against original competition that included Fox’s “Fiesta Bowl” and the return of NBC’s “Heroes.” In fact head to head, “The Bachelor” premiere topped the 2-hour return of NBC’s “Heroes” by 4.6 million viewers and by 50% in Adults 18-49 (4.9 million and 2.2/5). “The Bachelor” stood as the TV’s No. 1 series telecast on Monday with Adults 18-34 and across all key Women demographics (W18-34/W18-49/W25-54).

• “The Bachelor” was up over its season premiere on the year-ago evening in both Total Viewers (+9%) and in Adults 18-49 (+6%), registering the most-watched opener for the franchise since April ’07 (4 seasons ago) and its highest young adult number since September ’07 (3 seasons ago). In fact it was the 2nd-most-watched opener for the show in its last 9 seasons – since April ’04.


“Conveyor Belt of Love” (10:00-11:00 p.m.)
In the 10 o’clock hour, ABC’s special “Conveyor Belt of Love” stood as the No. 1 series telecast with Adults 18-49 (2.7/7) and Adults 18-34 (2.5/7), and as the highest-rated program overall in Women 18-49 (3.6/9) and Women 18-34 (3.5/10). The ABC unscripted special defeated NBC's original “Jay Leno” in the time period by 1.7 million viewers (6.5 million vs. 4.8 million) and by 80% in Adults 18-49 (2.7/7 vs. 1.5/4).


A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to 34% currently, from 29% at the same point in 2009. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Source: Nielsen Media Research (Fast Affiliate, Live + Same Day Ratings), 1/4/10.

Just a reminder for this:

LOST Half-Hour Affiliate Special: Lost: The Final Season - Beginning of the End
This program will be offered to ABC affiliates in an exclusive window the weekend of January 9-10, 2010 and will be available in a shared window with ABC Cable networks until the season premiere (Feb 2).

What began with a plane crash has turned into a worldwide phenomenon. And now, with its sixth and final season about to begin, discover how and why LOST has captured the imagination of a global audience and reshaped the way the world watches television. Relive the biggest moments of one of the most significant dramas in television and celebrate LOST.

Anyone see it scheduled on their affiliate yet? WABC here in NY is airing it this Sunday (Jan. 10) at 2:30pm.

ABC TCA Winter Press Tour 2010 panels:

Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010

9:00 a.m. "Lost" - ABC Returning Series
Naveen Andrews, Emilie de Ravin, Michael Emerson, Jorge Garcia, Josh Holloway, Daniel Dae Kim, Evangeline Lilly, Terry O'Quinn, cast
Damon Lindelof, Co-Creator/Executive Producer; Carlton Cuse, Executive Producer

10:00 a.m. Executive Session and Writing Time
Stephen McPherson, President, ABC Entertainment Group

11:00 a.m.
"The Deep End" - ABC New Midseason Drama
Matt Long, Billy Zane, Clancy Brown, Leah Pipes, Tina Majorino, Ben Lawson, Mehcad Brooks, cast
David Hemingson, Jan Nash, Executive Producers

11:45 a.m.
"Happy Town" - ABC New Midseason Drama
Geoff Stults, Sam Neill, Lauren German, Steven Weber, Amy Acker, cast
Josh Applebaum, Andre Nemec, Scott Rosenberg, Executive Producers

12:30 p.m.
Lunch

2:00 p.m.
ABC Comedy Show Runner Panel & Writing Time
Eileen Heisler & DeAnn Heline ("The Middle"), Steven Levitan ("Modern Family")
and Bill Lawrence ("Cougar Town"/"Scrubs")

3:30 p.m.
ABC Family
Paul Lee, President, ABC Family

"10 Things I Hate About You" - ABC Family Returning Series
Larry Miller, Meaghan Martin, Lindsey Shaw, Ethan Peck, Dana Davis, Nicholas Braun, cast
Carter Covington, Robin Schiff, Executive Producers

4:15 p.m.
Daytime, Disney-ABC Television Group
Brian Frons, President, Daytime, Disney-ABC Television Group

"Being Erica" - SOAPnet Returning Series
Erin Karpluk, Michael Riley, cast
Jana Sinyor, Creator/Co-Executive Producer/Writer

5:00 p.m.
"All My Children" - 40th Anniversary - ABC Daytime
Susan Lucci, Cameron Mathison, Rebecca Budig, Bobbie Eakes, cast
Agnes Nixon, Creator, Julie Hanan Carruthers, Executive Producer

thefutoncritic: Wonder how ABC would handle this (i.e. LOST): White House floating February 2 as a potential date for the State of the Union

Son of a bitch. They better not do it on Feb. 2. Why not Feb. 3?? Or better yet Jan. 26.

As much as I love Better off Ted, it needs to be pulled now. Double pump Scrubs and maybe put LOST repeats in from 8-10pm.

To me the show to pull is FORGOTTEN. At least BOT is critically acclaimed, if you look at any TV related blog today it is getting raves. I personally thought those 2 eps last night were brilliant and honestly the first one dropped only .2 from SCRUBS. Maybe the reason the second one did worse (.3)was because THE FORGOTTEN was on at 10p. Besides they are gonna get clobbered next week anyway from 8-10. AT least they would get a 2 with PRIMETIME (or dare i say it again ST) at 10p. Id also be very happy with LOST reruns at 10p. I have to believe they are gonna rer-un the finale in primetime.

http://www.thedailynewsonline.com/articles/2010/01/04/entertainment/6343976.txt

To me the show to pull is FORGOTTEN. At least BOT is critically acclaimed, if you look at any TV related blog today it is getting raves. I personally thought those 2 eps last night were brilliant and honestly the first one dropped only .2 from SCRUBS. Maybe the reason the second one did worse (.3)was because THE FORGOTTEN was on at 10p. Besides they are gonna get clobbered next week anyway from 8-10. AT least they would get a 2 with PRIMETIME (or dare i say it again ST) at 10p. Id also be very happy with LOST reruns at 10p. I have to believe they are gonna rer-un the finale in primetime.
The Forgotten would do much better without the horrible 2.96 million viewer and 1.1 demo lead in. Yes, Better off Ted only fell by .2 demo points or w/e it was from Scrubs, but when the demo is that small, its drastic. The Forgotten had 4.38 million viewers and a 1.2 demo last night. If it had a better lead in, it would grab 6-8 million viewers and a 1.6-2.0 demo. ABC now has a slew of successful comedies, they don't need sub-3 million viewer ones. What ABC has wanted for years is a procederal drama, so they wouldn't just kick it to the curb.

I'd do this for Tuesdays for the next few weeks until LOST returns:

8:00pm Scrubs (Scrubs would build from 8 to 8:30 at least)
9:00pm Primetime: What Would You Do?
10:00pm the forgotten

And if they had any more episodes shot, Conveyor Belt of Love would work somewhere here.

THE FORGOTTEN is not gonna happen, even ABC knows it as they have been promoting SHARK TANK more. FORGOTTEN had no promos before yesterday. It's not long term and ABC clearly knows it now.

The Forgotten would do much better without the horrible 2.96 million viewer and 1.1 demo lead in. Yes, Better off Ted only fell by .2 demo points or w/e it was from Scrubs, but when the demo is that small, its drastic. The Forgotten had 4.38 million viewers and a 1.2 demo last night. If it had a better lead in, it would grab 6-8 million viewers and a 1.6-2.0 demo. ABC now has a slew of successful comedies, they don't need sub-3 million viewer ones. What ABC has wanted for years is a procederal drama, so they wouldn't just kick it to the curb.

Running it for 4 months is hardly kicking it to teh curb. It's not showing growth or potential like CASTLE did. THAT's why they stuck with that one

I am not a fan of the forgotten either (though I did watch last night and it was decent), but I think they should stick with it for the 18 episodes. But on Fridays at 9 and Shark Tank back on Tuesdays.

Also, LOST review screeners were posted today for TCA, but it's the two-part finale from season five. I think we won't get review screeners for S6 premiere this year.

I agree with what you said Pavan re: Forgotten

http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/01/06/exclusive-abc-orders-more-cougar-town/

As I said before, don't be surprised if you see 24 episodes of Desperate, Grey's, Private, B&S, Castle, Modern Family, and Cougar Town. I just think those are locks for 24. They are all owned by ABC (except MF).

I'd do this for Tuesdays for the next few weeks until LOST returns:

8:00pm Scrubs (Scrubs would build from 8 to 8:30 at least)
9:00pm Primetime: What Would You Do?
10:00pm the forgotten

And if they had any more episodes shot, Conveyor Belt of Love would work somewhere here.

I'd do Shark Tank at 8pm, Primetime at 9pm, and The Forgotten at 10pm effective next week for the rest of January. Primetime would be a good lead-in for The Forgotten, which I also believe still has potential. They could move The Forgotten to Friday, but airing against another procedural (Medium) and Dateline isn't going to help it any. Double shots of Scrubs on Fridays would be the best option then.

Meanwhile, I don't see the logic in not trying Better Off Ted in the Wednesday comedy block. If ABC would simply move it to 8pm, promote it with the other 3 comedies, and give it a chance to pick up new viewers in a better timeslot, I bet it could end up working to an extent. Bottom line is, they cannot continue with this Tuesday night lineup.