ABC Still 'Desperate' for Hits

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LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - ABC is looking like a new network this season with TV's hottest freshman series, "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost," but old problems persist on its primetime schedule.

With a bumper crop of high-rated first-year series on a network that has failed to generate any in several seasons, ABC's performance heading into midseason is nothing short of stunning. Nine Golden Globe nominations -- five for "Housewives" alone -- are undeniable evidence the buzz is back after a multiyear slump.

However, ABC is still struggling mightily on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; ratings in the key adults 18-49 demographic are down on each night by at least 20% in the first 12 weeks of the season compared with the same period last year. Furthermore, a big question mark will hover over Monday once "Monday Night Football" ends next month.
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"We are not a one-night network," said Jeff Bader, executive vp at ABC Entertainment. "But we do have a lot of time periods that we do need to work on."

These nagging problems might explain why ABC has studiously cultivated an air of cautious optimism this season. Rather than declare a comeback, new primetime entertainment president Stephen McPherson has offered only sobering allusions to the work ahead and letting the numbers speak for themselves. He is no doubt mindful of ABC's recent history with short-lived revivals, specifically the fast rise and equally swift fall of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" in the 2000-01 season.

While ABC boasts the most new hits in the top 10, it also has the most entries among the top 10 steepest year-to-year 18-49 reductions -- six to be exact. That includes the biggest slumping comedy ("8 Simple Rules," down 66% after moving from Tuesday to Friday) and the biggest drop of any unscripted series ("The Bachelor," down 42%) and newsmagazine ("Primetime Live," off 38%), according to Nielsen data covering the first 12 weeks of the season (Sept. 20-Dec. 12).

But to McPherson's credit, ABC is now neck-and-neck with NBC for the No. 2 ranking behind CBS in adults 18-49 for the season to date, and ABC is the only broadcaster to post ratings increases from the previous season in all key demos. The recovery is most evident on Sunday, where "Housewives" is averaging 22.6 million viewers this season, second only to CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (28.1 million).

The ladies of Wisteria Lane have provided a windfall lead-in for David E. Kelley's new 10 p.m. drama "Boston Legal." And at 8 p.m., "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" has seen its audience climb markedly in its second year. Indeed, the spike for "Makeover" this fall has undoubtedly helped "Housewives" post such eye-popping numbers.

Wednesday also is rejuvenated, with new anchor "Lost" achieving bona fide hit status, reaching as many as 18 million viewers. Rookie reality series "Wife Swap" has on more than one occasion beaten Wednesday 10 p.m. stalwart "Law & Order" even as the addition of CBS' "CSI: NY" made the time slot more competitive overall.

On the flip side, ABC lost a huge opportunity in the Wednesday 9 p.m. berth as viewership of its matchmaking reality franchise "The Bachelor" hit the skids and failed to capitalize on the huge lead-ins delivered by "Lost."

As of Jan. 5, ABC's cult-fave drama "Alias" will have its delayed fourth-season debut in the 9 p.m. berth, and ABC brass are hoping that "Lost" will finally be the compatible lead-in that eluded "Alias" in its first three seasons on Sundays.

Developing stable comedy blocks has long been a sore spot at ABC, and this season is no exception. "My Wife & Kids" suffered ratings declines in its move from Wednesday to Tuesday this fall, and the Tuesday 8-9 p.m. combo of "Wife & Kids" and "George Lopez" will likely become even shakier once "American Idol" resumes its sing-off competition in that time slot as of Jan. 18. That also could take a toll on Tuesday 9 p.m. anchor "According to Jim," which has seen its numbers drop this season but nonetheless proved a compatible lead-out for new sitcom "Rodney" at 9:30 p.m.

At 10 p.m., ABC is hoping the buildup to the series finale of "NYPD Blue" will jolt the slumbering veteran to at least raise awareness for its replacement, "Blind Justice," which debuts March 8.

ABC will rearrange its Thursday schedule next month to reverse its sagging fortunes, flip-flopping anemic teen drama "life as we know it" to 8 p.m., followed by "Extreme Makeover" at 9 p.m. "Life" originally aired at 9 p.m. because of concerns over its racy content, but with less steamy episodes expected to follow, the switch could correct an audience-flow disruption that had a teen-skewing show wedged between a pair of series favored by women over 35, "Extreme" and "20/20" at 10 p.m.

When "MNF" exits, ABC will say farewell to one of its biggest attractions. Apparently not discouraged by the demise of "MNF" lead-in "The Benefactor" early in the season, the network will try an all-reality night, anchored by a spinoff to Sunday hit "Home" titled "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition: How'd They Do That?" followed by the return of "The Bachelorette" at 9 p.m. and the introduction of "Supernanny" at 10 p.m.

Friday has been a source of disappointment at ABC since the wane of its vaunted "TGIF" franchise a decade ago. This season has been marked by massive declines for once-promising sitcoms such as "Rules," "Hope & Faith" and "Less Than Perfect." "We'll definitely be looking later in the season to tweak these numbers, whether it's within those shows or bringing on some new ones," Bader said.

Aside from "Alias," "Blind" and "Supernanny," ABC is staying mum on what other midseason additions it plans to make. Bader believes maintaining consistency is a higher priority at the network than ever before. "One of the things we have made a concerted effort to do this year is not to do constant shuffling of our schedule," he said.

But with at least six more midseason entries sitting on the bench, there will be changes made. The first casualty could be "life," which is highly unlikely to pick up teen viewers in a time slot where Fox's "The O.C." is already struggling. Such new dramas as "Grey's Anatomy" and "Eyes" are potential replacements.

Friday may be more likely than Tuesday to see changes on the comedy front out of fear of jolting the successful pairing of "Jim" and "Rodney." Friday freshman sitcom "Complete Savages" could get benched in favor of new midseason prospects like "In the Game," which stars Jennifer Love Hewitt as a sports reporter.

John Stamos also could be returning to the same night he ruled years ago with "Full House," albeit in a more adult-themed vehicle (still untitled) in the vein of a male "Sex and the City." ABC also might be considering clearing Friday of more than one sitcom and trying a drama at 9 p.m., too.

If the all-reality Monday doesn't pan out, ABC might elect to reverse course and try scripted again. But the network is said to have several more series under wraps and ready to launch. A strong possibility is "The Scholar," a college scholarship competition. Yet another season of "Bachelor" is expected to spell "Bachelorette" in March.

Saturday will get an injection of original programing, with the miniseries revival of "Little House on the Prairie" scheduled to debut March 26. ABC also is still mulling a spot this season for another miniseries, the costume drama "Empire," which has been beset by production problems on location in Rome.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

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