"ANATOMY" RELOCATES, AND NBC FLINCHES

June 2, 2006

The ink was barely dry on press releases trumpeting NBC's newly announced 2006 fall schedule when the network decided to tear its plans up and start anew. Two weeks ago, I wrote about "West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," an hour-long drama set behind the scenes of a "Saturday Night Live"-esque variety show. (Not to be confused with "30 Rock," Tina Fey's half-hour comedy set behind the scenes of a "Saturday Night Live"-esque variety show.) Despite the double-dipping on concept, "Studio 60" is NBC's best bet of having a new show worthy of that old "Must See" title this coming fall, and fittingly, the show was scheduled for Thursdays at 9 in an attempt to reclaim the night for the struggling network.

At least, that was the schedule until ABC swooped in a few days later and announced that ratings supernova "Grey's Anatomy" would move to Thursdays at 9 to compete against the still potent "CSI" over on CBS. NBC execs thought about that for approximately 30 seconds, turned peacock tail, and decided not to mount a Thursday offensive after all. In their new new schedule, NBC will still move "My Name is Earl" and "The Office" up an hour each to the 8 and 8:30 spots on Thursday. However, instead of "Studio 60," NBC will air "Deal or No Deal" at 9.

Let's admit this up front - it may not have been wrong of them to relocate the Sorkin show. Pulling viewers away from "CSI" and "Grey's" is going to be one tough assignment, probably an impossible mission for a brand new series. But dropping in "Deal or No Deal" is akin to waving a white flag on a night NBC once dominated. Better yet, it's like jamming together pieces of a puzzle that don't fit just to finish the dang thing. Smart networks pair up series that flow together naturally. The jump from two zany comedies to an idiotic game show to an aging hospital drama ("ER," still at 10) is anything but smooth.

And, yes, I called "Deal or No Deal" idiotic. Regular readers of this column know I can't stand that vapid game show, which requires no thought to either watch or play. Still, it has its fans, and perhaps some of them will skip "CSI" and "Grey's" to keep watching … for a while anyway. But sooner or later, "Deal" will burn out and go the way of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" Primetime game shows never last for the long haul, especially ones built around the concept of randomly choosing boxes. So even if "Deal" performs decently in the short term, NBC knows it will eventually have a gaping hole on Thursdays at 9 and will be wasting an opportunity provided by "Earl" and "The Office," two great comedies that deserve to air on a strong night.

May I again suggest starting "Scrubs" on time this fall and moving it to Thursdays? (Last time, I swear.) The wacky hospital comedy has several million loyal viewers that will watch even if it airs opposite live footage of alien spaceships attacking Washington, so it might be the perfect show to take the "Grey's"-"CSI" bullet. I'd pair it up with "30 Rock" and air them Thursdays at 9. Those two series would mesh well with "Earl" and "The Office," while still serving as nice counter programming to all the seriousness afoot on the other networks. Heck, you may even convince some of the "Earl" and "The Office" fans to stick around for another hour. In short, this plan would be the best NBC could offer on such a competitive TV night. They'd still finish no higher than third (and probably worse) in the 9 p.m. hour, but at least it would give the network a cohesive game plan. That's better than the panicked flailing about they seem to be doing now.

As for "Studio 60," which stars Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford, and Amanda Peet, it will air Mondays at 10 p.m., where it still must face the formidable "CSI: Miami" as well as football, which is jumping to ESPN, but should still draw many a male viewer. That competition is not as brutal as going opposite "Grey's" and "CSI," but the show still could struggle to attract viewers. NBC may want to prepare themselves for another tough season, no matter how many times they reshuffle the schedule between now and September.