Spring Season Brings Whole New Crop Of Shows
“Temporarily Yours” indeed was - for a month on CBS.
NBC’s “Prince Street” came up a pauper and ABC’s “Arsenio” collapsed under the weight of high expectations and low Nielsen ratings.
All three shows happened last spring, traditionally a time of hope and renewal. In the carnivorous world of network television, though, spring is a gut-pounding proving ground for new series hoping to take root before the reaper strikes. New fall schedules are announced in May, which means that most of the spring crop get no more than a handful of weeks to bloom - or die trying. Remember Fox’s “Pauly”? It died - thank God.
This spring brings a dozen new arrivals on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. Little dudes WB and UPN also will throw a few freshman shows into the breach, but haven’t announced air dates yet.
First in line - and easily the most anticipated - is CBS’ “The Closer,” starring Tom Selleck in his first sitcom. It premiered Monday, marking the former “Magnum, P.I.” star’s return to series TV after a decade of starring in feature and cable films. CBS touted “The Closer” throughout its coverage of the Winter Olympics.
It also raises the stakes, giving the star and CBS more to lose if Selleck’s show stumbles out of the starting gate. Arsenio Hall knows the score. His name recognition and ABC’s big buildup combined to make “Arsenio” last spring’s biggest flop.
It’s not all gloom and doom, though. Some of television’s longest-running hits - notably “Dallas” and “Three’s Company” - were launched while winter melted away. And of last year’s 18 spring flings, six are still with us. They are ABC’s “Soul Man” and “The Practice,” NBC’s “Just Shoot Me” and “Fired Up” and the WB’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Smart Guy.”
Dan Aykroyd’s “Soul Man,” in which he plays a widowed minister, has felt spring’s double edge. Last year his show benefited from a cozy spot in ABC’s strong Tuesday night lineup. This spring he’s been complaining about the network’s decision to give “Soul Man” a “rest” while “Something So Right” takes its Tuesday 8:30 p.m. time slot, beginning March 3.
ABC’s “Ellen” also will give way, on March 11, to allow the new “Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place” a six-week tryout on Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. And Fox will furlough “Party of Five” on the same day so that “Significant Others” can make a run for the roses. In this case, there’s no beef from the producers of “Party.” That’s because they’re also the creators of “Significant Others.”
Other notable newcomers this spring are Al Franken’s “Lateline” (NBC, March 17) and Damon Wayans’ “Damon” (Fox, March 22). xxxx NETWORKS ANNOUNCE NEW SERIES LINEUP By Ed Bark The Dallas Morning News Will we still see them in September? Here is the lineup of spring tryout series on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox: Monday “The Closer” (CBS). In his first sitcom, Tom Selleck stars as a cocksure advertising exec. TV vet Ed Asner is his surly right-hand man. Tuesday - “Four Corners” (CBS). Ann-Margret, in her first TV series, and Sonia Braga (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”) star in this “sweeping saga” of two Southwestern ranching families. Friday - “Candid Camera” (CBS). Peter Funt and Suzanne Somers co-host a new version of the caught-ya-with-your-pantsdown evergreen. March 3 - “Something So Right” (ABC). NBC canceled it, but ABC’s bringing back Jere Burns, Mel Harris and their “blended family.” March 9 - “House Rules” (NBC). Three twentysomething roommates in Denver look for love while falling back on each other. Starring newcomers David Newsom, Maria Pitillo and Bradley White. March 10 - “These Are the Days” (ABC). A working-class blend of “Roseanne” and “All in the Family,” with stand-up comic Gerry Red Wilson. March 11 - “Significant Others” (Fox). The creators of “Party of Five” present the saga of five twentysomethings. Plus: “Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place” (ABC). See “House Rules,” except the girl lives upstairs. Starring newcomers Ryan Reynolds, Richard Ruccolo and Traylor Howard. March 17 - “Lateline” (NBC). A “Nightline” parody starring Al Franken as ace correspondent “Al Freundlich.” Plus: “For Your Love” (NBC). Three twentysomething couples attempt to “reflect love and life in various stages and with all its complications.” Holly Robinson Peete heads the cast. March 22 - “Damon” (Fox) - Damon Wayans plays an undercover vice cop in this ribald sitcom. April 6 - “The Way We Work” (Fox). Vivica A. Fox and Jon Cryer co-star in a comedy about the perils of the workplace.