ABC Possibly Setting Up A New TGIF Night?
June 5, 2009 by Tom
ABC is already shuffling its summer schedule, pulling low-rated animated series The Goode Family from Wednesday nights.
That was quick.
But, the Mike Judge show isn’t totally dead: It’s moving to Fridays at 8:30 p.m. on June 12, slotted behind original episodes of “Surviving Suburbia”. At 9.
“Wife Swap” currently airs Fridays from 8-9. ABC had previously decided to air repeats of “Samantha Who” Fridays from 9-10, starting this week– perhaps to warm up the timeslot for “Ugly Betty,” which relocates to the night in the fall.
As for me, I kind of wish Samantha Who? could find its way to the same night as Ugly Betty. If it’s on Fridays, the so be it. Although I don’t really care for Surviving Suburbia very much, I see much potential in The Goode Family (the last episode was much better than the pilot), and would love to see it as a replacement part of a new comedy night on ABC, anchored by Ugly Betty.
For those of you in the business – with the advent of DVRs and online viewing, is Friday really a death-knell for a show? Could a comedy block not work, even on Fridays?
In related news, ABC has decided to move up the second season premiere of “I Survived a Japenese Game Show” to June 17. It will replace the double run of “Goode” in the 9 p.m. Wednesday slot. The network said earlier this spring that “Game Show” wouldn’t return until July.
I LOVED last year’s run of Game Show. Too bad they can’t find a way to fit IT into prime time as an Ugly betty lead-in.
Image: Bauer-Griffin
Sometimes networks intentionally try to get rid of a show by banishing it to Friday night, but I really don’t think that is what ABC is doing with “Ugly Betty”. I think that it is most likely what you have suggested… an attempt at creating a new TGIF line-up, perhaps. Regarding DVR demographics, I know that those figures do count for something, but I am certain that the first concern for advertisers is the live, first-run airing of any given episode, because people who record programs can skip over commercials so easily. Advertisers want to make sure viewers have their commercials playing through in their entirety, whether or not people are getting up to take a potty break or to run into the kitchen for a snack (or both). At least they know that a certain percentage of people are sitting through their advertisements during an initial broadcast. I don’t think that there are many people who record shows and then DON’T hit their Fast Forward buttons whenever the commercial breaks come on. That’s one of the best perks you get from recording shows. So, having said all that, I don’t think that having a high DVR ranking would save a show that is doing very poorly in the ratings during its initial broadcast airings. Lets just hope that ABC is able to create a new TGIF block of programming.
I’m almost positive that Samantha Who? has already been cancelled. Sorry, Tom.
ABC and NBC need to bring back family and teen sitcoms (it made tv more worth seeing) and get rid of some of the more adult prime time lineup……but the reality shows need to go away on both networks lol