ABC Fall 2002 Premiere Dates; includes Push, Nevada

[Pavan]

ABC TELEVISION NETWORK ANNOUNCES
PRIMETIME PREMIERE DATES FOR THE 2002-03 SEASON

The ABC Television Network has announced its 2002-03 primetime premiere schedule.
This season, ABC Entertainment’s programming philosophy mirrors one that the network has
embraced in years past – inclusive comedies (ones targeted at young adults but that the entire family can watch) from 8:00–9:00 p.m.; more adult comedies and escapist dramas from 9:00–10:00; and more
provocative dramatic fare and hard-hitting newsmagazines from 10:00–11:00. This “programming footprint” plays to the historic strength of ABC, and is one that viewers have come to expect from the network.
One of the key components of this new programming strategy is the creation of a horizontal block of
programming in the 8:00 p.m. hour Monday through Friday. Deemed “ABC’s Happy Hour,” this block is
comprised of broad, inclusive programming targeted to entertain. With “The Drew Carey Show” and “Whose
Line Is It Anyway?” on Mondays, John Ritter in “8 Simple Rules…” and Jim Belushi in “According to Jim” on Tuesdays, “My Wife and Kids” and “George Lopez” on Wednesdays, “Dinotopia” on Thursdays and “America’s Funniest Home Videos” on Fridays, “ABC’s Happy Hour” is a cohesive, horizontal block of programming with broad appeal.
”With this new schedule, we’ve tried to return to the programming footprint that made ABC a powerhouse in the past -- inclusive, family programming in the 8-9 hour, comedies that actually make you laugh, and a true mix of dramas, from escapist to ground-breaking, later in the evening,” stated Susan Lyne, President, ABC Entertainment. She continued, “We believe it’s a strategy for success, and we’re committing to it for the long haul.”
The ABC fall primetime premiere dates and additional schedule highlights are as follows (all times shown are Eastern):

Monday, September 9 (as previously announced)
8:00-8:30 p.m. “The Drew Carey Show” (Season Premiere)
8:30-9:00 p.m. “Whose Line is it Anyway?” (Season Premiere)
9:00–11:00 p.m. “Monday Night Football” (Season Premiere)

Tuesday, September 17
8:00-8:30 p.m. “8 Simple Rules…” (Series Premiere)
8:30-9:00 p.m. “Life with Bonnie” (Series Preview; Special Timeslot)
9:00-10:00 p.m. “Push, Nevada” (Series Preview; Special Timeslot)

Thursday, September 19
8:00-9:00 p.m. “Push, Nevada” (Pilot Episode Rebroadcast)
9:00-10:00 p.m. “Push, Nevada” (Regular Time Period Premiere; Second Episode)

Tuesday, September 24
8:00-8:30 p.m. “8 Simple Rules…” (Second Episode)
8:30-9:00 p.m. “Life with Bonnie” (2nd episode Special Timeslot)
9:00-10:00 p.m. “NYPD Blue” Retrospective (Title TBD)
10:00-11:00 p.m. “NYPD Blue” (Season Premiere; 200th Episode)

Wednesday, September 25
8:00-9:00 p.m. “My Wife and Kids” (One-Hour Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 p.m. “The Bachelor” (Season Premiere)
10:00-11:00 p.m. “MDs” (Series Premiere)

Thursday, September 26
8:00-9:00 p.m. “Push, Nevada” (Second Episode Rebroadcast)
9:00-10:00 p.m. “Push, Nevada” (Third Episode Original Broadcast)

Friday, September 27
8:00-9:00 p.m. “America’s Funniest Home Videos” (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 p.m. “That Was Then” (Series Premiere)

Saturday, September 28
8:00-11:00 p.m. “ABC Big Picture Show” -- movie title TBD (Season Premiere)

Sunday, September 29
7:00-9:00 p.m. “The Wonderful World of Disney” – “Toy Story 2” (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 p.m. “Alias” (Season Premiere)
10:00-11:00 p.m. “The Practice” (Season Premiere)

Tuesday, October 1
8:00-8:30 p.m. “8 Simple Rules…” (Third Episode)
8:30-9:00 p.m. “According to Jim” (Season Premiere)
9:00-9:30 p.m. “Life with Bonnie” (Regular Time Period Premiere, Third episode)
9:30-10:00 p.m. “Less Than Perfect” (Series Premiere)

Wednesday, October 2
8:00-8:30 p.m. “My Wife and Kids” (Second Episode)
8:30-9:00 p.m. “George Lopez” (Season Premiere)

Thursday, October 3
8:00-9:00 p.m. “Push, Nevada” (Third Episode Rebroadcast)
9:00-10:00 p.m. “Push, Nevada” (Fourth Episode Original Broadcast)

Thursday, October 10
8:00-9:00 p.m. “Dinotopia” (Series Premiere)
9:00-10:00 p.m. “Push, Nevada” (Fifth Episode)