New comedy ‘Motherhood’ bumps ‘Ugly Betty’ off Thursday slot

ABC will yank “Ugly Betty” from its Thursday slot to make way for a new comedy block.

Starting March 26, the new comedy “In the Motherhood” will kick off the network’s Thursday prime-time lineup at 8 p.m., followed by “Samantha Who?” with Christina Applegate.

In its third season, “Ugly Betty” stars America Ferrera as a plain-looking young woman who works at an upscale New York fashion magazine.

The series started promisingly but has lately stumbled in the ratings. Its time slot is critical for ABC because it leads in to “Grey’s Anatomy,” one of the network’s top-rated series.

ABC said “Ugly Betty” would return to its previous schedule once the comedies had finished their runs, but did not specify a date.

The network also announced that starting March 18, “Scrubs” will move to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, followed by the new comedy “Better Off Ted.” That slot has been occupied by repeats of “Lost.”