Television's 'Bubble' Shows Face Uncertain Future

[BrianPGH1972]

(I hope this is ok to post here. I've placed the '8 Simple Rules' mentions in bold italics. I really hope ABC renews it.)

Television's 'Bubble' Shows Face Uncertain Future
Fri May 14, 7:53 PM ET
By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Will "Arrested Development" come to a premature end? Can "8 Simple Rules" live on for another season without its original star, John Ritter? And just what will become of "Whoopi?"

Those are but a few of the more high-profile question marks floating over the heads of network executives as they decide which of this season's ratings misfires deserves one more chance and which ends up on the prime-time chopping block.

Their fate will be sealed next week as NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox -- in that order -- unveil their fall 2004 schedules in a series of presentations launching their "upfront" sales of commercial time to advertisers.

The upfront market typically accounts for 70 to 80 percent of all ad sales by the networks. And Randy Falco, president of NBC Universal Television Networks Group, has said he expects the entire upfront to reap "a couple of percentage points" above last year's roughly $9 billion total for prime time.

Besides deciding which existing shows will be renewed for the upcoming season, the Big Four broadcasters must choose from dozens of new pilots competing to fill the gaps left by current shows that get the ax.

This year's crop of likely newcomers is especially heavy on spinoffs, including "Friends" progeny "Joey" and a fourth variation of "Law & Order" on NBC, a new edition to the "CSI" crime drama franchise on CBS and a successor to departing legal drama "The Practice" on ABC.

"Anything that has any kind of a built-in audience or comes from a known entity feels like it has a leg up against a brand new show," said Cynthia Littleton, deputy editor at entertainment trade paper The Hollywood Reporter.

Reality shows likewise are expected to figure more prominently in prime time this fall than in the past, thanks to the success of such shows as CBS' "Survivor," Fox's "American Idol," NBC's "The Apprentice" and ABC's "The Bachelor," leaving less room on the schedule for scripted dramas and comedies.

PERCHED ON THE BUBBLE

But in the dog-eat-dog world of network TV, the number of brand new entries making the cut hinges on the fate of numerous existing series that hover somewhere between a hit and a flop -- perched precariously, in TV parlance, "on the bubble."

Most are freshmen or sophomore series that have shown some promise but nonetheless have failed to quite catch on.

Chief among these is the quirky new Fox comedy "Arrested Development," which emerged as the biggest critical darling of the 2003-2004 season while struggling in the ratings. The show centers on a level-headed widower who struggles to keep his dysfunctional family together once his father lands in prison.

"I'm hoping that show will make it over the hump," TV Guide senior correspondent Bruce Fretts said, adding that the show would likely gain new awareness at the Emmy Awards in the fall.

At NBC, which leads off the upfront announcements on Monday, executives are said to be on the fence about a handful of shows, most notably "Whoopi," the freshman comedy starring actress-comedian Whoopi Goldberg (news) as a New York hotel owner.

And ABC's "8 Simple Rules" faces an uncertain future as it winds up its second season on the air, following a major overhaul prompted by the death last fall of its original star, John Ritter. The show's audience surged briefly as viewers tuned in to see the last few episodes filmed with Ritter and the first episode without him, but ratings then sputtered.

The show has since added TV veterans James Garner and David Spade to the cast and recently introduced Adam Arkin as a possible future love interest for Katey Sagal.

On the bubble at CBS are three dramas -- "The Guardian," "Hack" and "The District."

Other questionable programs for the upcoming season include "Less Than Perfect" and "It's All Relative" on ABC, and "Tru Calling and Oliver Beene" on Fox and "Happy Family" on NBC.

NBC is controlled by General Electric Co. . CBS is a division of Viacom Inc. . ABC is owned by the Walt Disney Co. . And Fox, part of the Fox Entertainment Group, is owned by News Corp. Ltd. .

[Mr. Television]

I hope it gets renewed but I guess we'll know next week.

[katefandream04]

Yeah because the season finale is this tues. I hope they renew it because John would have wanted them to continue.

[bschmale1113]

I think the show will move to Friday Nights I think beacuse of American Idol on Tuesday I think as long as American Idol on Tuesday the second half of the Season Right now friday is the best move it not fair that they are thinking about canceling 8 Simple Rules and not Jim but 8 Simples Rules does better then Jim