There was an interesting take on the Friday at 9 pm network television timeslot in this article in the LA Times.  It makes me think that Ugly Betty wasn’t placed on Fridays to kill the show, after all.
Writer Denise Martin notices that ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox have placed well established shows in the timeslot, and the competition should be a battle royal.
Although Medium (CBS), Southland (NBC), Dollhouse (FOX), and Ugly Betty (ABC) aren’t American Idol-like ratings powerhouses, they aren’t ready-to-be-cancelled ratings slouches, either.  In fact, they are all quality shows.  (My own DVR will be busy – it’s …read more

Check out the news from The Futon Critic: Ugly Betty will begin season 4 with a 2-hour premiere!
Interestingly, Betty’s season premiere will air on October 9th at 9/8c, a week or two after most of the network’s other premieres.  The first regular showing after the two hour episode will be Friday, October 16.
I wonder if the two hour episode will be two episodes back-to-back.  I’m guessing this is the case – this, along with the back-to-back 2-hour finale episode, makes up a little for the episodes lost during the WGA strike.  This puts the show that much closer to …read more

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 …read more

I’ve been trying to decide if ABC’s move of Ugly Betty to Friday nights will kill the show, as conventional wisdom says.
In an interview with TV Guide, ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson tried to reassure Betty fans, expressing confidence in the show.
"I love the show," he said. "I’d love to see it have a great run on Friday night, the way Ghost Whisperer has."  He also added that he hopes that Betty will hold Supernanny’s lead-in.
This is where I wonder how much McPherson is messing with us.  The last new airing of Supernanny, it got a …read more

This Thursday is the season finale of Ugly Betty, and it will be the last time it will air on Thursday nights.
ABC has released their 2009-2010 Fall Schedule, and they have moved Betty to Friday night at 9/8c.  Ironically, Friday was the original scheduled night for the show when it premiered.
I have mixed feelings about this.  If the show was to be moved, a lead-out or lead-in with Dancing With The Stars would have been ideal (yes, I know that might mean going up against American Idol).  It would be nice for the show to grab a few of …read more

ABC is bringing back Ugly Betty from hiatus a week earlier than planned.  It will return to the air (I’m assuming with a NEW episode – 3.20, Rabbit Test) on April 30th at 8/7c. 
Woot.
The two replacement comedies, In The Motherhood and Samantha Who?,  were not pulling very good ratings.  Last week, for example, “Motherhood” averaged just a 1.4 rating and 5 share in the adults 18-49 demo, while “Samantha” posted a 1.5/5.  Things were so bad, the shows threatened to hurt Grey’s Anatomy.  Now THAT’s bad.
The chances of Motherhood coming back next season are very slim.  Samantha Who? …read more

I sometimes forget that we get new readers here all the time, and have been surprised by all the “What happened to Ugly Betty?” emails and comments.  Those who are long-time Ugly Betty News readers know that I’ve been obsessing over ratings and the possibility of renewal or cancellation of Betty for quite a while.
But, in answer to all those questions I’ve been getting: Ugly Betty is on a short, planned hiatus.  Normally, this time of year, shows go into reruns in preparation for May sweeps.  ABC decided to use this normal, cyclical downtime, to try out a new …read more

Well, this is fantastic news, indeed!  According to SitcomsOnline.com, Ugly Betty will return from hiatus (after this week’s episode 3.19 – The Sex Issue), on May 7!  I guess this means that all of Michael Ausiello’s speculation about the show running in June was…just that.
According to the site, ABC also announced that the show will have a two hour finale on May 21.  We’ve been waiting for an Ugly Betty two hour premiere or finale since season 1, and it looks like they’re finally going to give it to us!
In the story, writer Pavan wonders whether ABC will air …read more

I’ve been waiting, waiting, WAITING for somebody, anybody in an official capacity at ABC to say these words.  Ugly Betty fans, I give you Stephen McPherson, President of ABC Entertainment Group, in a Q&A with Hollywood Reporter:
THR: What are your plans for "Ugly Betty"? Will it return in the fall, and will it stay on Thursdays? McPherson: "Ugly Betty" will return.
Game, set, match.  Woot.
After last night’s stellar episode (recap is coming, I swear), this news just puts me on cloud nine.
Micheal Urie, I’ll gladly accept every ‘I told you so’ that you …read more

If you’ve followed Ugly Betty News for a while, you know that I am a huge fan of TV industry blog TV By The Numbers, especially their statistics-crunching Renew/Cancel Index.  As with any fan of Ugly Betty, I watch the ratings quite carefully .  For most of this season, Ugly Betty has been “on the bubble” in the R/C index, meaning renewal or cancellation for next season could go either way.
With the cancellation of Life On Mars, Ugly Betty now stands alone on the bubble for ABC renewal.  You could look at this as a bad thing, but I …read more