ABC Weathers Rebuilding of Primetime Sked
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) -- For a network considered near dead as recently as three months ago, ABC is showing a lot of life. "The Bachelor" was the reality hit of the fall. A freshman comedy, "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter," defied conventional wisdom that the 8 p.m. slot be reserved for returning hits and managed to open a successful Tuesday comedy block. In the November sweep, ABC gained 8% in the key adults 18-49 demo compared with the same disastrous period a year earlier, earning a surprising second place behind NBC. Even the news division has kicked in some highly rated interview specials featuring Jennifer Lopez, Ozzy Osbourne and Whitney Houston. So is there dancing at the Burbank headquarters of ABC's lately besieged parent, the Walt Disney Co.? Not yet. The network "did better than anything we could have reasonably expected going into the season," says Lloyd Braun, chairman of the ABC Television Entertainment Group. "But there's a ton of work left to do." The biggest difference from last season, he adds, "is that we're looking at plugging holes rather than stopping an avalanche." Indeed, a look at the remainder of the season shows that ABC is still at a tenuous stage in its rebuilding efforts. "Monday Night Football" is wrapping up another year, taking its dependable male demo ratings along with it. The network has had no luck launching dramas; all four of its new one-hours this fall were yanked. ABC now hopes to reverse that trend with three new contenders: an update of "Dragnet," the actioner "Veritas" and the occult series "Miracles." Meanwhile, Thursday nights remain a quagmire, with ABC stubbornly unable to light any sparks opposite the mammothly successful CBS and NBC lineups. Look for ABC to pepper Thursdays with some edgy reality shows. The network has at least six such series on tap. On Wednesdays starting Jan. 8, the network will roll out "Celebrity Mole," followed by "The Bachelorette." Both will run into the February sweep. While some critics have questioned the wisdom of altering the gender dynamics of "The Bachelor," Braun promised that "The Bachelorette" "is going to be a monster, I'm telling you." All in all, he says, viewers will see at least a dozen new series on ABC between now and May.
ABC also has suffered its share of disappointments with returning shows. The pricey sophomore spy drama "Alias," for instance, has held its own Sunday nights but has not yet emerged as the breakout hit many fans and critics expected. The show's writers are trying to simplify story lines to make the series more appealing to non-viewers, one network insider says. "I'd be disingenuous if I didn't say I think it should be doing even better," Braun says. Even "8 Simple Rules" has cooled a bit since the first weeks of the season, as has another freshman sitcom, "Life With Bonnie." Yet Braun points out that the Tuesday and Wednesday blocks are composed of freshman and sophomore comedies that have plenty of time to build a loyal following. One midseason wild card for ABC is "Jimmy Kimmel Live," a new late-night talk show featuring the comic best known for "The Man Show" on Comedy Central. "Kimmel" is a pet project of Braun's, who played a major role in the network's unsuccessful bid to lure David Letterman from CBS. ABC says it is confident it will have a strong station lineup when the show debuts after the Super Bowl next month but declines to elaborate. Despite the uncertainty surrounding its rebuilding efforts, though, ABC has made giant strides since the summer, when many TV veterans predicted another season of double-digit ratings declines for the network. When asked if the resurgent ABC was finally off the hot seat with the parent company, Braun laughs. "Yeah," he says. "Without question."
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) -- For a network considered near dead as recently as three months ago, ABC is showing a lot of life. "The Bachelor" was the reality hit of the fall. A freshman comedy, "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter," defied conventional wisdom that the 8 p.m. slot be reserved for returning hits and managed to open a successful Tuesday comedy block. In the November sweep, ABC gained 8% in the key adults 18-49 demo compared with the same disastrous period a year earlier, earning a surprising second place behind NBC. Even the news division has kicked in some highly rated interview specials featuring Jennifer Lopez, Ozzy Osbourne and Whitney Houston. So is there dancing at the Burbank headquarters of ABC's lately besieged parent, the Walt Disney Co.? Not yet. The network "did better than anything we could have reasonably expected going into the season," says Lloyd Braun, chairman of the ABC Television Entertainment Group. "But there's a ton of work left to do." The biggest difference from last season, he adds, "is that we're looking at plugging holes rather than stopping an avalanche." Indeed, a look at the remainder of the season shows that ABC is still at a tenuous stage in its rebuilding efforts. "Monday Night Football" is wrapping up another year, taking its dependable male demo ratings along with it. The network has had no luck launching dramas; all four of its new one-hours this fall were yanked. ABC now hopes to reverse that trend with three new contenders: an update of "Dragnet," the actioner "Veritas" and the occult series "Miracles." Meanwhile, Thursday nights remain a quagmire, with ABC stubbornly unable to light any sparks opposite the mammothly successful CBS and NBC lineups. Look for ABC to pepper Thursdays with some edgy reality shows. The network has at least six such series on tap. On Wednesdays starting Jan. 8, the network will roll out "Celebrity Mole," followed by "The Bachelorette." Both will run into the February sweep. While some critics have questioned the wisdom of altering the gender dynamics of "The Bachelor," Braun promised that "The Bachelorette" "is going to be a monster, I'm telling you." All in all, he says, viewers will see at least a dozen new series on ABC between now and May.
ABC also has suffered its share of disappointments with returning shows. The pricey sophomore spy drama "Alias," for instance, has held its own Sunday nights but has not yet emerged as the breakout hit many fans and critics expected. The show's writers are trying to simplify story lines to make the series more appealing to non-viewers, one network insider says. "I'd be disingenuous if I didn't say I think it should be doing even better," Braun says. Even "8 Simple Rules" has cooled a bit since the first weeks of the season, as has another freshman sitcom, "Life With Bonnie." Yet Braun points out that the Tuesday and Wednesday blocks are composed of freshman and sophomore comedies that have plenty of time to build a loyal following. One midseason wild card for ABC is "Jimmy Kimmel Live," a new late-night talk show featuring the comic best known for "The Man Show" on Comedy Central. "Kimmel" is a pet project of Braun's, who played a major role in the network's unsuccessful bid to lure David Letterman from CBS. ABC says it is confident it will have a strong station lineup when the show debuts after the Super Bowl next month but declines to elaborate. Despite the uncertainty surrounding its rebuilding efforts, though, ABC has made giant strides since the summer, when many TV veterans predicted another season of double-digit ratings declines for the network. When asked if the resurgent ABC was finally off the hot seat with the parent company, Braun laughs. "Yeah," he says. "Without question."