Fox’s Answer To Ratings War: Auto Action
There is a breed of prime-time specials that has become so well-identified these days with the FOX network that the genre has become the subject of parody. You know the kind I’m talking about.
February being a ratings “sweeps” months it was inevitable that FOX would strike again, and tonight’s the night.
“World’s Scariest Police Chases 4” at 8 and “Surviving the Moment of Impact” at 9 promise plenty of high-speed, bone-shattering action.
The latest “Police Chase” hour includes footage of a robber who tries to hide from police by hanging from a highway overpass and a motorcycle police chase with speeds of up to 130 mph that ends abruptly in a cemetery.
On “Impact,” you’ll see a 50-car chain-reaction accident from England, an overturned cattle truck, an 18-wheeler that has a run-in with an aggressive driver and footage of cars and trucks wiping out in bad weather. And, oh yeah, the hour includes some safe-driving tips so you can survive these mishaps.
Crowds gather around crime scenes, people slow down when they drive by auto accidents. It seems to be human nature. The same instincts draw people to FOX’s action specials. The programs do little for the brain, and they’re certainly not going to win any Emmys, yet they work.
But FOX should consider this: There’s more to building a network than building ratings.
Highlights
“Olympics,” CBS at 8: On tap: freestyle skiing (men’s and women’s aerials, finals); alpine skiing (women’s combined slalom); short-track speedskating (men’s 1000m, women’s 3,000m relay); hockey (women’s wrap-up); figure skating (ladies’ preview) and long-track speedskating (men’s 10,000m). Late-night coverage at 12:35 a.m. features a men’s hockey quarterfinal match, live.
“Grace Under Fire,” ABC at 9:30: Julia Duffy (“Newhart”) guest stars as a new friend of Grace’s (Brett Butler) who moves in to get a taste of blue-collar living.
“NYPD Blue,” ABC at 10: James McDaniel, who plays Lt. Fancy, is center stage in this episode in which a white teenager is pushed from a rooftop to his death by two black drug dealers. Fancy is outraged by the grieving father’s racial slurs. Meanwhile, Kirkendall (Andrea Thompson) works with a young boy who discovers his mother’s dismembered body.
Cable Calls
“The George Jones Show,” TNN at 7 and 11: One of country music’s most colorful characters gets his own show. Premiere guests include Vince Gill, Patty Loveless and Little Jimmy Dickens.