‘Monroes,’ ‘Charlie Grace’ Gone For Good
ABC has axed its Thursday night dramas, “The Monroes” and “Charlie Grace,” sources said.
The future of the two shows began to look dim last week when ABC pulled them from the first week of the November sweeps. Network insiders said the shows won’t be back. ABC will air movies and specials in the 8-10 p.m. time slot.
“The Monroes” and “Charlie Grace” become the second and third new-show casualties of the 1995-96 season. CBS pulled the comedy “If Not For You” last week.
With NBC’s lock on younger viewers on Thursday night with its “Must See TV” comedies from 8-10 p.m., the two ABC dramas were duking it out with CBS for the available older audience. While CBS’ “Murder, She Wrote” isn’t the powerhouse it was on Sunday, it easily handled the freshman “Charlie Grace” in the Thursday 8 p.m. time slot.
Fox’s “New York Undercover,” which is up 8 percent over last season, has become the drama alternative in the “Monroes” time period.
CBS adds Jean Smart sitcom
It’s that time of the year. Last week, CBS made “If Not for You” the first new series to be canceled.
Monday the network announced that “High Society,” a Warner Bros. sitcom starring Jean Smart as a famous author, would replace “If” in the strong 9:30 Monday time slot following “Murphy Brown,” starting Oct. 30.
As previously announced, reruns of “Cybill” were to be aired in that slot Monday night and next Monday.
‘The Shining’ a miniseries
ABC Entertainment said Monday it is remaking Stephen King’s “The Shining” as a six-hour miniseries that will air sometime in the 1996-97 season.
The spooky 1977 novel about a haunted hotel was made into a moderately spooky 1980 movie, directed by Stanley Kubrick, that featured Jack Nicholson making faces.
King, who has completed the script for the remake, will also executive-produce the miniseries. No other cast or production choices have been made.
‘Mad TV’ beats ‘SNL’
Fox’s new sketch-comedy series “Mad TV” beat “Saturday Night Live” in their first week of head-tohead competition, according to preliminary ratings released Monday.
In 33 metered markets, Saturday’s debut of “Mad TV” averaged a 6.9 rating compared to “SNL’s” 6.7. Each rating point represents 959,000 households.
The Fox series beat “SNL” in New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Washington, D.C., Dallas and Atlanta. This is the first time in its 20-year history that “SNL” has faced a sketch-comedy competitor.
“What a relief!” exclaimed Fax Bahr, one of “Mad TV’s” five executive producers. “I think the promotion helped us a lot, and I think people are interested in something new on Saturday night.”
A couple of caveats accompany the “Mad TV” victory: Fox was premiering a highly publicized new show, while “SNL” offered a compilation of old segments called “The Best of Saturday Night Live.” Also, “Mad TV” starts a half hour earlier than “SNL” in most markets and lasts an hour compared to “SNL’s” 90 minutes.
The first real test will come this Saturday when “Mad TV” faces a new “Saturday Night Live” hosted by David Schwimmer of the NBC blockbuster “Friends.” “Mad TV” counters with Joe Walsh in a sketch about an air-guitar shop, and “Quantum Dream Team,” a TV parody in which O.J. Simpson’s lawyers are sent back in time to defend Charles Manson.
Even before “Mad TV” joined the fray, “SNL” was off to a shaky start this season. The Sept. 30 premiere received a 6.5 rating, and the Oct. 7 show got a 6.0. That’s quite a dropoff from last season’s 7.2 average, “SNL’s” worst ratings since the 1985-86 season.