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Fox Will Follow Red Sox Surge With Reality TV
By BILL CARTER, The New York Times, November 1, 2004
Two weeks ago, the Fox network was deep in the ratings basement, its performance so dismal it was unclear how it would climb out of the hole it had dug for itself.
Then along came the Boston Red Sox. By winning their first World Series in 86 years, the Red Sox did more than just reward their long-suffering fans; they set up what could be the closest ratings race ever among the four major broadcast networks.
While Fox's overall ratings this new season are down about 6 percent from last year, the network has moved from fourth place into first among viewers from ages 18 to 49, which all the networks other than CBS define as the only competition that counts.
Now, Fox needs to maintain that momentum. And it plans to compete with an onslaught of reality programming never seen before in network television.
Beginning this week, Fox is unveiling a schedule that no scriptwriter could love. Although the drama "The O.C.'' and comedies like "Arrested Development'' and "The Simpsons'' are returning, nine of the network's weekly 15 hours of programming - 60 percent of its total schedule - will be made up of reality shows.
This Wednesday, a ferocious nanny will begin teaching a family how to behave, in "Nanny 911." "My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss,'' a spoof of NBC's "The Apprentice'' in which a fake boss makes a group of contestants all but grovel for his approval, makes its debut on Sunday. And beginning on Nov. 9, the British entrepreneur Richard Branson will try to teach a group of young people how to risk life and limb to become wealthy in "The Rebel Billionaire."
Fox is banking on reality to hold the ratings fort until January. That is when some new scripted series and returning shows like "24'' - along with the network's reality life preserver, "American Idol" - go on the air.
The strategy is a risky one. Reality shows tend to be less attractive to advertisers, and by introducing so many reality series, the network might kill off a genre that has all but saved network television over the last five years.
"It's flying in the face of what is happening elsewhere,'' said Steve Sternberg, senior vice president of the media buying company Magna Global USA, referring to the failure of several new reality shows (like "The Next Great Champ'') and the success of new dramas (like "Desperate Housewives'').
But Fox, which announced its intention last spring to reconstruct the whole nature of the television season, is simply playing its own game.
"I don't even know what's normal anymore," said Preston Beckman, executive vice president of program planning for Fox.
Fox has been among the most aggressive networks in moving away from the classic September-May television season, staggering the premieres of shows so it can run original programming throughout the year. That approach allows broadcast networks to avoid repeats, which have a tendency to send viewers to the original programming playing on cable channels.
In addition, the baseball playoffs put Fox at a disadvantage for starting new shows in September, because it would have had to pre-empt episodes through much of October.
Mr. Beckman said Fox decided this year that it needed "to take a different approach coming out of baseball."
That meant not trying to start up a batch of new series, some clearly aimed at women, as it did last year with dramas like the ill-fated "Skin." Instead, Fox larded its baseball coverage with promotions for man-friendly reality fare like the Branson series (a combination of "The Apprentice," "Amazing Race" and "Fear Factor") and especially "Obnoxious Boss" in an attempt to create a kind of "obnoxious" franchise.
Last year, Fox scored with an obnoxious fiancé; this year an actor playing an ersatz business mogul systematically humiliates some hapless contestants, all in good fun. Fox, viewing the show as a comedy, has placed it on Sunday at 9 p.m., after four situation comedies.
That night is one of the few where Fox has any concentration of scripted series. The only other night where two hours of scripted shows run back to back is Thursday, where Fox has placed its most promising series, "The O.C.," putting it up against CBS's "Survivor'' and NBC's "Joey'' in the hopes it can finally reap some of the lucrative ad money spent on Thursday night by movie companies and car dealers.
"I'm feeling optimistic that we may finally get a toehold on the most important night of the week," Mr. Beckman said.
Monday, meanwhile, has two reality hours, "Trading Spouses," the wife-swapping experiment, and "The Swan," the beauty contest for post-cosmetic-surgery ugly ducklings. Wednesday has "Nanny 911." Friday has two half-hour video-clip shows, followed by "Renovate My Family," a makeover show for entire family units. And Saturdays have the hoary Fox reality duo, "Cops" and "America's Most Wanted."
Part of the rationale for this heavy dose of reality is boldness: Mr. Beckman noted that Fox was trying to deconstruct the traditional television season. Another part, he acknowledged, is pure necessity. Fox saw one returning scripted show, "Bernie Mac," put on hiatus.
But some critics and industry executives suggest another explanation: Fox is all but bereft of strong scripted series.
"They don't have the scripted guns anymore," said Stacey Lynn Koerner, executive vice president of Initiative Media. "They had 'Ally McBeal,' they had 'X-Files.' Those shows don't exist anymore."
Fox has a few newer scripted shows like the comedy "Quintuplets" and the soap "North Shore." But Mr. Sternberg said that neither of these elicited much more than a tepid response in tryouts earlier. In addition, several long-running Fox shows, like "Malcolm in the Middle," "King of the Hill" and "That 70's Show," are showing signs of wear.
"In some other publication, I accused Fox of creative bankruptcy," said Jon Mandel, the chairman of MediaCom US, the media service division of Grey Global. Although he said that Mr. Beckman had disputed that characterization, he said two of Fox's new reality series, "Trading Spouses" and "Nanny 911," are copies of ABC shows.
Mr. Mandel added, "I think I stand by my line about creative bankruptcy."
The other potential downside to a reality-centric schedule is that it almost surely cannot make as much money as a schedule skewed toward scripted series, said Mr. Mandel, whose MediaCom clients include such big television advertisers as Procter & Gamble, Mars Inc. and BellSouth.
In general, advertisers are still more reluctant to back reality shows, Mr. Mandel said, or at least certain reality shows. " 'American Idol' is O.K. for any advertiser,'' he said. "It's when you get to the schlocky stuff, like 'The Swan' and 'Obnoxious Boss,' that it becomes a problem for some advertisers.''
The style of Fox reality, he said, tends "to have a negativity that unfortunately a lot of people don't find very entertaining.''
Although the idea of a cohesive schedule may be a relic, Mr. Mandel added: "I think there will be such a thing as a cohesive brand. With CBS, for example, you pretty much know what you're going to get. With Fox, you don't really know. I wonder if those negative, put-down reality shows don't affect the traditional scripted shows.
"When you do a great show like 'Arrested Development,' it can't get arrested," he said. "Maybe it's because nobody expected it on Fox.''
Ms. Koerner, however, praised the network. "I applaud them for sticking by what they said they were going to do,'' she said. "They have rolled out their schedule just as they said they would."
And Mr. Sternberg, pointing to previous midseason successes like "The Simpsons'' and "Malcolm in the Middle,'' said that Fox should never be counted out.
"They have a long history of being able to come up with new hits when they really need them,'' Mr. Sternberg said.
November Looms For NBC
By A.J. Frutkin mediaweek.com November 01, 2004
In what may be the tightest sweeps contest in years, the race to capture adults 18-49 in the November ratings period (Nov. 4–Dec. 1) looks like a nail-biter. Most advertisers predict CBS will win among total viewers. But as to who walks away with the adults 18-49 crown, that prize remains up for grabs.
The uncertainty is due to the fact that incumbent NBC’s ratings have dropped, while ABC and CBS have grown their numbers. “Everyone had a chance to get new toys this season, but NBC didn’t. And the game has much stronger players now,” said Shari Anne Brill, vp/director of programming at Carat USA.
Among those players are ABC’s Desperate Housewives and Lost, and CBS’ CSI franchise. In addition to scheduling a 90-minute CSI: Miami on Nov. 8, CBS also has set its Dallas Reunion for Nov. 7; the natural-disaster miniseries Category Six: Day of Destruction for Nov. 14 and 17; and the launch of Amazing Race 6 for Nov. 16.
With the median age of the CBS viewer hovering at around 51, the irony of a possible win in adults 18-49 isn’t lost on CBS executives, who maintain that their target audience is adults 25-54. “But the fact that we have a chance to win [in adults 18-49] is a testament to how far we’ve come,” said Kelly Kahl, CBS executive vp of program planning and scheduling.
Without baseball, a patchy Fox is depending on a boost from the second-season launch of The O.C. on Nov. 4 and the Nov. 7 return of its Sunday-night comedy lineup. But most advertisers said Fox might have to wait for a win in the 18-49 category until American Idol returns in January.
Following the success of its two hit dramas, ABC’s sweeps status remains the wild card. “The playing field has been leveled,” said Jeff Bader, executive vp at ABC Entertainment. The network has a few other tricks up its sleeve as well, like the Dec. 1 Christmas special starring not-so-newlyweds Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey.
Several advertisers warned against counting NBC out just yet. After all, stunting is NBC Universal TV Group president Jeff Zucker’s strength. Among the network’s announced events are crossover episodes between Crossing Jordan and Las Vegas on Nov. 7 and 8, and a Seinfeld retrospective on Thanksgiving night.
More are sure to follow.
“You just can’t underestimate Zucker’s scheduling prowess,” said Laura Caraccioli-Davis, senior vp/director of SMG Entertainment.
Sunday ratings added in latest news.
(From Marc Berman's column "The Programming Insider" at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Ratings: Weekend Highlights
Friday Oct 29 Winners:
Nothing
Friday's Losers:
Joan Of Arcadia (CBS)
Totally Outrageous Behavior (Fox)
World's Craziest Videos (Fox)
Star Trek: Enterprise (UPN)
What I Like About You (WB)
Renovate My Family (Fox)
dr. vegas (CBS)
Ratings Breakdown:
On this typically bland Friday, NBC won the evening, beating the No. 2 network (CBS in households and total viewers, ABC among adults 18-49) by an average of 17 percent in households, 1.11 million viewers and 12 percent among adults 18-49. NBC's Dateline opened the evening first in households (6.2/12) and total viewers (8.48 million), while ABC sitcoms 8 Simple Rules (HH: #3, 5.0/ 7; Viewers: #2, 7.56 million; A18-49: #1, 2.4/ 9) and Complete Savages (HH: #3, 4.3/ 8; Viewers: #3, 6.52 million; A18-49: #1t, 2.3/ 8) were No. 1 among adults 18-49.
Third in the 8 p.m. hour was CBS' sinking Joan Of Arcadia (HH: 4.9/ 9; A18-49: 1.8/ 7), followed by Fox's Totally Outrageous Behavior (HH: 2.2/ 4; A18-49: 1.2/ 5) and World's Craziest Videos (HH: 2.4/ 4; A18-49: 1.4/ 5). UPN's Star Trek: Enterprise (HH: 1.9/ 4; A18-49: 1.3/ 5), and the WB's combination of What I Like About You (HH: 2.0/ 4; A18-49: 1.2/ 5) and a repeat of A Scooby Doo Halloween (HH: 1.8/ 3; A18-49: 1.1/ 4) were neck-and-neck for the No. 5 spot. Biggest disappointment in the hour: Joan Of Arcadia, which last year at this time showed enormous potential.
At 9 p.m., NBC's Third Watch was first in households, total viewers and adults 18-49, while CBS' JAG and declining ABC comedies Hope & Faith and Less Than Perfect split the No. 2 spot. Take a look:
Friday 9-10 p.m.
Third Watch (NBC)
HH: 6.5/12 (#1), Viewers: 9.69 million (#1), A18-49: 3.1/10 (#1)
JAG (CBS)
HH: 6.2/11 (#2), Viewers: 9.32 million (#2), A18-49: 2.1/ 7 (#3)
Hope & Faith (ABC) - 9 p.m.
HH: 4.7/ 8 (#3), Viewers: 7.01 million (#3), A18-49: 2.6/ 8 (#2)
Less Than Perfect (ABC) - 9:30 p.m.
HH: 4.0/ 7 (#3), Viewers: 6.11 million (#3), A18-49: 2.3/ 7 (#2)
Also in the 9 p.m. hour were two episodes (original and repeat) of the WB's Reba (HH: #4, avg. 2.7/ 5; A18-49: #4, avg. 1.4/ 4), Fox reality dud Renovate My Family (HH: #5: 2.0/ 4; A18-49: #5, 1.2/ 3), and a repeat of America's Next Top Model on UPN (HH: #6, 1.3/ 2; A18-49: #6, 0.9/ 3).
At 10 p.m., NBC's Medical Investigation (HH: 5.9/10; Viewers: 9.04 million; A18-49: 3.4/11) remains a modest No. 1 in the hour, followed by ABC's diluted 20/20 (HH: 5.5/10; Viewers: 7.93 million; A18-49: 2.6/ 8), and CBS' dr. vegas (HH: 4.8/ 7; Viewers: 7.22 million; A18-49: 1.9/ 6). Barbara Walters - we miss you!
----------
Saturday 10/30/04
Note: The following ratings are based on the fast affiliate results:
Saturday's Winners:
Nothing
Saturday's Losers:
The night overall
Ratings Breakdown:
Although reality programming on Fox is normally enough to win Saturday, this past weekend was CBS and ABC's turn, with CBS first in households and ABC No. 1 in total viewers and adults 18-49. ABC got some mileage on The Wonderful World of Disney, with theatrical Monsters Inc. at a 4.8/ 8 in households (#2 in the time period), 8.06 million viewers (#2) and a 2.7/ 9 (#1) among adults 18-49 from 8-10 p.m. A repeat of lead-out Desperate Housewives at 10 p.m. was second in households (4.8/ 9) and total viewers (7.60 million), but first among adults 18-49 at 10 p.m. (2.8/ 9).
On CBS, a repeat of Without A Trace at 9 p.m. (HH: #1, 5.8/11; A18-49: #3, 2.1/ 7) aired between two episodes of 48 Hours at 8 p.m. (HH: #1, 4.8/ 9; A18-49: #3, 1.7/ 6) and 10 p.m. (R, HH: #2t, 4.8/10; A18-49: #3, 2.0/ 6).
Over at Fox, four repeat episodes of Cops (HH: #3, avg. 3.9/ 7; A18-49: #2, avg. 2.2/ 7 from 8-10 p.m.) was well below average.
Finally, on NBC, a repeat of Sci Fi reality hour Scare Tactics opened with a last-place finish in households (2.3/ 4), total viewers (3.56 million) and adults 18-49 (1.2/ 4), followed by special Ghost Hunter at an also fourth-place 2.3/ 4 in households, 3.56 million viewers and a 1.4/ 4 among adults 18-49. At 10 p.m., a repeat of Law & Order: SVU was first in households (5.2/10), total viewers (7.81 million) and adults 18-49 (2.3/ 8).
----------
Sunday 10/31/04
Metered Market Ratings
Yesterday's Winners:
60 Minutes (CBS)
Cold Case (CBS)
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)
Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Honorable Mention:
Crossing Jordan (NBC)
Disappointing:
Boston Legal (ABC)
Yesterday's Losers:
Steve Harvey's Big Time (WB)
Made-for: The Madam's Family (CBS)
Movie: The X-Files R (Fox)
The Mountain (WB)
Ratings Breakdown:
Although CBS managed to win Sunday in the overnights and total viewers on the strength of an NFL Football overrun in the 7 p.m. half-hour (14.9/24), 60 Minutes and Cold Case, ABC remains the network to beat among adults 18-49 thanks to Desperate Housewives. Primetime's hottest new drama grew to a 15.7/23 in the overnights, 22.32 million viewers and a 9.8/23 among adults 18-49 from 9-10 p.m., beating NBC's once unstoppable Law & Order: Criminal Intent (#2: 8.9/13; Viewers: 11.42 million; A18-49: 3.8/ 9) by 76 percent in the overnights, 10.90 million viewers and 158 percent among adults 18-49. Desperate Housewives also outdelivered its potent Extreme Makeover: Home Edition lead-in (#2: 9.5/14; Viewers: 14.86 million; A18-49: 6.2/16 at 8 p.m.) by 65 percent in the overnights, 7.46 million viewers and 58 percent among adults 18-49.
Although Desperate Housewives lead-out Boston Legal was also first at 10 p.m. among adults 18-49 (4.8/13, a second place finish in the overnights (8.5/14) and total viewers (12.58 million), with erosion out of Housewives of 46 percent in the overnights, 9.74 million viewers and 51 percent among adults 18-49 means that ABC can do better -- much better -- at 10 p.m.
Earlier in the evening, ABC's veteran America's Funniest Home Videos was second in the overnights (5.7/ 9), total viewers (9.34 million), and adults 18-49 (2.8/ 8) at 7 p.m.
Leading out of the NFL Football overrun on CBS was 60 Minutes (#1: 14.2/22, A18-49: #1, 5.5/14 from 7:30-8:30 p.m.), Cold Case (#2, 12.0/17; A18-49: #2, 4.0/10 from 8:30-9:30 p.m.) and made-for, The Madam's Family (#3: 6.3/10 from 9:30-11:30 p.m., A18-49: 2.6/ 7 from 9:30-11 p.m.). Note: Due to the football overrun, all ratings for CBS are approximate.
On NBC, Dateline (5.1/ 8; A18-49: 1.8/ 5) and American Dreams (5.3/ 8; A18-49: 2.4/ 6) remained the distant No. 3 choices from 7-9 p.m., while Crossing Jordan at 10 p.m. (#1: 9.2/15; Viewers: #1, 12.60 million; A18-49: #2, 4.4/12) managed to beat ABC's Boston Legal in the overnights and total viewers despite the benefit of Boston Legal airing out of Desperate Housewives.
Over at Fox, a repeat of The Simpsons (#2, 5.2/ 8; A18-49: #2t, 2.5/ 8) led into a repeat of theatrical The X-Files at a distant fourth place finish in the overnights (2.5/ 4), total viewers (3.29 million) and adults 18-49 (1.3/ 3) from 7:30-10 p.m.
In time-period premiere news, the WB may want to reconsider those four additional scripts it ordered for The Mountain given the mere 1.6/ 2 in the overnights, 1.59 million viewers and a 0.7/ 2 among adults 18-49 at 9 p.m. Comparably, that was a decline out of lead-in Charmed (#4: 3.6/ 5; Viewers: 3.89 million; A18-49: 1.8/ 5) of 56 percent in the overnights, 2.30 million viewers and 61 percent among adults 18-49. At 7 p.m., Steve Harvey's Big Time on the WB continues to also flounder at a 1.8/ 3 in the overnights, 1.98 million viewers and a 0.7/ 2 among adults 18-49.
Source: Nielsen Media Research data
Upcoming on ABC: Nov. 2004 Sweep Items
With the start of the November sweeps now just three days away, what follows are some of the programming highlights worth noting on ABC:
Season Premiere:
-Life Of Luxury: Monday, Nov. 8, 8 p.m. ET (With new host George Hamilton)
Season Finale:
-The Bachelor: Wed., Nov. 24, 8-10:02 p.m. ET (followed by The Bachelor: After the Final Rose)
Movies:
-Saving Private Ryan: Thurs., Nov. 11, 8-11:20 p.m. ET
-Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Thursday, Nov. 25, 8:30-11 p.m. ET
Specials
-The 32nd Annual American Music Awards: Sun., Nov. 14, 8 p.m. ET
-A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (R): Thurs., Nov. 25, 8 p.m. ET
-Nick and Jessica's Family Christmas, Wed., Dec. 1, 9:01 p.m. ET
Guest Stars:
-Robert Wagner, Jaclyn Smith and Jenny McCarthy on Hope & Faith: Fri., Nov. 5 and 12, 9 p.m. ET
-Sharon Lawrence (NYPD Blue) on Desperate Housewives: Sun., Nov. 7, 9 p.m. ET
-Dana Delany (China Beach) on Boston Legal: Sun., Nov. 7, 10:01 p.m. ET
-Jimmy Smits on NYPD Blue: Tues., Nov. 9, 10 p.m. ET
-Adam Arkin and Colby Donaldson (Survivor) on 8 Simple Rules: Fri., Nov. 12, 8 p.m. ET
-Raquel Welch on 8 Simple Rules: Fri., Nov. 19, 8 p.m. ET
-Nick Lachey (Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica) on Hope & Faith: Fri., Nov. 19, 9 p.m. ET
-Joanna Kerns and Valerie Harper on Less Than Perfect: Fri., Nov. 26, 9:30 p.m. ET
Of Note:
-My Wife and Kids: Wed., Nov. 16, 8 p.m. ET - Episode No. 100
TV Tidbits: Notes of Interest
More Wife Swap:
ABC has renewed reality hour Wife Swap for the remainder of the season, with an order for 9 additional episodes. The network has also ordered nine more scripts for Tuesday comedy Rodney and four more for Friday's Complete Savages.
David Boreanaz Takes a Bite Out of ABC:
Former Angel star David Boreanaz is set to star in an upcoming ABC drama based on undercover hit man Jack Ballantine. The show, still untitled at press time, has received a script commitment from the network.
Eight Fall Newcomers Earn Script Orders
By Brian Ford Sullivan (thefutoncritic.com)
LOS ANGELES -- Eight new fall series - ABC's Rodney HD and Complete Savages, HD CBS’s dr. vegas HD and Clubhouse, HD UPN's Second Time Around, HD Veronica Mars HD and Kevin Hill HD as well as the WB's The Mountain HD - all inched closer to full season orders over the weekend as their respective networks gave additional script orders to each.
Leading the pack was ABC's "Rodney," which received a commitment for nine additional scripts, followed by "Savages" (six), "Kevin Hill" (four), "Veronica Mars" (four), "The Mountain" (four), "Second Time Around" (three), "dr. vegas" (two) and "Clubhouse" (two).
Said orders cover the gamut from solid success stories (UPN's "Kevin Hill," which is up over 40% from UPN's Wednesday, 9:00/8:00c hour last season) to middling performances (ABC's "Rodney," which is on par with "Less Than Perfect's" numbers in the Tuesday, 9:30/8:30c half hour last season) to downright failures (CBS' "Clubhouse" which is down 23% from "The Guardian," the show it replaced from last season).
Nevertheless, whether any of the group will get the production green light for additional episodes beyond their initial 13-episode order will be decided in the next several weeks.
Meanwhile in other freshman series news, FOX and producer Rocket Science Laboratories also confirmed over the weekend they won't be moving forward with the reality entry "The Partner." The series was originally targeted for the Sunday, 9:00/8:00c hour this fall but was instead replaced by "My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss." "With the numerous boardroom-type unscripted programs on the various network's schedules, we have decided to focus our mutual efforts on other unscripted material," the pair said in a joint statement to the press.
+ + +and the take on the same story from zap2it.com: + + +
Stick to the Script: Networks Cautious on New Shows
(zap2it.com)--Normally by the beginning of November sweeps, networks have a pretty good idea of which new shows are succeeding and which are falling through the cracks and back-nine orders are in place. This fall, though, uncertainty seems to be fueling restraint. Rather than ordering fresh episodes of tepid freshman performers, several networks are ordering more scripts and taking a wait-and-see attitude.
With the exception of a few obvious hits (ABC's "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives"), several average performers on a struggling network (NBC's "Medical Investigation" and "Joey") and a critically respected drama on a netlet (The WB's "Jack & Bobby"), networks have been hesitant to make full season plans.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, ABC has ordered nine more scripts for "Rodney," which has provided solid, but unremarkable numbers on Tuesday nights, and six more scripts for "Complete Savages," which has yet to find any traction on Fridays. Airing with a strong "According to Jim" lead-in, "Rodney" has averaged 9.24 million viewers per episode this season, while "Savages" has only pulled in 5.59 million viewers, though the Mel Gibson-produced comedy hasn't had as much help coming out of the faltering "8 Simple Rules."
Over on CBS, "dr. vegas" has drawn 8.38 million viewers, better than the Emmy nominated "Joan of Arcadia," but fewer than NBC's competing "Medical Investigation." That performance has led CBS to ask for two more scripts. The network has also ordered two more scripts for "Clubhouse," which was shipped off to Saturday after failing to make the starting lineup on Tuesdays.
Neither of UPN's freshman offerings have become an out-of-the-box success, but the netlet wants to see four more scripts for both "Kevin Hill" (3.69 million viewers) and "Veronica Mars" (2.64 million) and three more scripts for the comedy "Second Time Around" (3.24 million).
The WB had previously announced the ordering of four more episodes of the critically slammed dud "The Mountain."
Originally posted by fredfa
Six Shows on the Ropes
Fall season shakes the hits from the misses
If you like any of these shows you may want to stop watching now. Network executive toadies will be descending on these shows, with idea-filled notepads in hand, "fixing" these shows to try and improve the ratings numbers. Your characters, sets and storylines will change before your very eyes, often without explanation, and there will be more cleavage. To my recollection it never works, but they always try it.
Good, solid point, GregF.
Yet Complete Savages, The Mountain and dr. vegas have all just received orders for additional episodes.
Go figure.
So I've taken them all off my HD Shows in Ratings Trouble list -- for now.
I realize that this is NOT HD news, but in case there is some interest in what will be on the networks tomorrow, here is Variety's election night preview:
Electoral collage: Nets prep for long night of vote coverage
By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK Variety.com
NEW YORK -- Finally -- or maybe not.
Appearing Saturday on CNN's "Larry King Live," Walter Cronkite said Tuesday's presidential election could come and go without the nets being able to declare an immediate winner.
Most newsies agree.
"I think it's one of the biggest messes we've had in a long time. I believe that we're undoubtedly not going to know the results of this election," Cronkite said. He suggested it could even take until spring to know.
The broadcast news divisions and cable news networks, which spent the weekend putting the final touches on their elaborate election coverage plans, are prepared to stay on duty through Tuesday night and into Wednesday should the race prove too close to call. They've spent millions of dollars covering the 2004 presidential race.
But the nets hardly own the election. With the success of alternativepolitical fare such as Michael Moore's doc "Fahrenheit 9/11" and Comedy Central's fake newscast "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," this year's fierce race between George W. Bush and John Kerry has permeated pop culture. As a result, many experts are predicting record turnout at the polls, with many younger voters expected.
Eminem exhorts voters
Over the weekend, rapper Eminem performed a fiercely pro-Kerry song on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," singing, "Kerry-O you give me hope" and railing against Bush for failing to capture Osama Bin Laden. At the end, he held up a cue card instructing the audience to "vote."
On Tuesday, MTV is planning unprecedented election coverage, airing two hourlong election news specials at 5 and 11 p.m. ET. MTV's news division also plans to break into regular programming throughout the day with live reports.
"Honestly, the reason we are doing so much programming is because we are hearing from our audience how engaged they are in this election," said MTV veep of news Ocean MacAdams.
The national election will take over the primetime sked Tuesday. ABC News, CBS News and NBC News will provide live coverage from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. ET, and longer as warranted, anchored by, respectively, Peter Jennings, Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw. Fox Broadcasting will begin its election coverage at 8 p.m. ET anchored by Fox News Channel's Shepard Smith.
Cable news nets will go wall-to-wall. Brit Hume will anchor coverage on Fox News Channel, while Chris Matthews will be in the No. 1 seat for MSNBC. Wolf Blitzer will lead CNN's coverage.
No rush to judgment
If there's one buzzword sawing its way through the news divisions as voters head for the polls, it is caution. No one wants to get it wrong and have to explain to Capitol Hill lawmakers, as they did after the 2000 race, why they rushed to air projections of winners, only to have to recall them later.
The NBC News empire -- the net's network news division, MSNBC, CNBC and Spanish-language Telemundo -- has constructed an elaborate series of outside studios around the perimeter of the skating rink at Rockefeller Center.
Brokaw and lead NBC political host Tim Russert will sit in the center outside studio and face 30 Rock, where there will be a large TV screen and an obelisk encircled by digital news tickers. The skating rink itself will have a large map of the U.S., with portable blue and red pieces representing a state's vote.
CNN is trying to amp up its coverage by broadcasting live from the Nasdaq MarketSite in Gotham, complete with a 96-screen video wall and Blitzer in the anchor chair. CNN Intl. will simulcast CNN U.S.' election coverage throughout the night.
Attention shoppers
Meanwhile, Fox News has teamed with Premier Retail Networks to provide an election-night news feed to all WalMart stores across the country.
With the close race, news nets have correspondents positioned in the key battleground states, including Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Unlike in the past, nets won't project a winner in a state until the polls have closed there.
Telemundo competitor Univision announced Friday that its cable network Galavision will provide live election coverage from 7-11:30 p.m. ET and again at 12:20-1:30 a.m. ET Wednesday.
Related airings
Television will offer plenty of election fare Monday night. NBC will air "The Saturday Night Live Presidential Bash 2004: The Great Debate" at 10 p.m.
The Independent Film Channel will air feature two political docs tonight: Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11: A Movement in Time" and David O. Russell's "Soldier's Pay." The Sundance Channel plans to airing feature docu "Bush's Brain."
At least two conservative TV station groups have tried to counter the impact of such fare by airing conservative-leaning programming, but they have encountered stiff criticism since they are broadcasters and subject to equal-time rules. Cable is not.
The Federal Communications Commission on Friday said California broadcaster Pappas Telecasting cannot offer $325,000 in airtime to more than a dozen Republican county committees unless it makes the same offer to non-GOP candidates. Pappas had said the free time repped a gift and was not subject to FCC rules.
Late last month, Sinclair Broadcasting scaled back the airing of an anti-Kerry doc after a loud public outcry and legal threats by shareholders.
Put a number on NBA's broadcast days
So it seems, with fewer games and low ratings
By Toni Fitzgerald medialifemagazine.com
The NBA tips off the season this week on ESPN and TNT. It will be almost two months before any games reach broadcast television, where regular-season games averaged an all-time low last year.
But with ESPN and TNT both recording regular-season and postseason ratings increases last year, it seems to beg the question: Does the NBA have a future on broadcast? Or is the once-mighty sport better off becoming more of a cable exclusive?
Nothing like that will happen for at least four more years, when ABC’s current deal runs out. But it’s an interesting question to ponder, especially if regular-season viewing for ABC continues to dip at a rapid pace.
Basketball’s broadcast expiration began long before ABC acquired NBA rights two years ago, but it has sped up since then. Last year featured the second-fewest regular-season NBA broadcasts since 1989-’90, 16, and they averaged a record-low 2.2 household rating.
That was down 14 percent from the average rating from the previous season, when ABC showed only 12 broadcasts, and down 24 percent from 2001-’02's average rating, when NBC showed 31 games.
Regular-season broadcast ratings have decreased or remained level every year since 1994-’95, when they averaged a 5.0. The league has half the average viewers it did back then, just after Michael Jordan’s first retirement.
Although last season’s NBA finals rebounded from the previous year’s record-low average, they were still the third-lowest-rated in history, averaging an 11.5 rating.
But on cable it was a different story. ESPN, ESPN2 and TNT all posted year-to-year increases in their regular-season household averages, with TNT and ESPN both averaging better than a 1.1.
Equally important, all three increased year-to-year in the NBA’s target demo of men 18-49, where ABC’s broadcasts were down nearly 15 percent. Several playoff games on TNT were also among the most-viewed basketball games in cable history.
ABC still averages a higher household rating than the cablers for the games, but not by all that much.
But no matter where the games air, there is another serious problem facing the NBA. And ABC can’t do anything about this one.
The league suffers from a serious image problem. The squad of NBA all-stars representing the U.S. in the Olympics barely captured bronze, Kobe Bryant’s rape trial began and ended under bizarre circumstances, and Kobe and former teammate Shaquille O’Neal did their best Bush-Kerry imitation in a war of ugly words. Most recently Carmelo Anthony, last year’s co-rookie of the year, was busted for marijuana possession last month.
With all that bad publicity and a dull defending champ in defensive-focused Detroit, will regular-season basketball stop its nine-season decline on broadcast television?
It seems doubtful. Matching last year’s cable numbers and preventing another decline on ABC would be a relative victory for the NBA. More ratings slides would be yet another embarrassment the league doesn’t want to deal with right now.
In other sports ratings, NBC’s coverage of the Subway 500 last weekend averaged a 4.4 household rating, up 10 percent versus last year’s 4.0. The average rating for the network’s Chase for the Cup races has increased 4 percent compared with last year to a 4.7.
For chart of last week’s TV sports ratings go to:
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2004/nov04/nov01/1_mon/news3monday.html
The Peacock Network Seeks to Reverse Slide
After a decade of dominance, NBC is losing viewers. Programmers are trying to reinvigorate the schedule by taking more risks.
By Meg James Los Angeles Times Staff Writer November 1, 2004
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-nbc1nov01,1,869120.story?coll=la-headlines-business
For years, NBC has been TV's greatest success story.
The venerable network has earned mountains of profit for its parent, General Electric Co. It has won eight of the last nine seasons by delivering the audience prized by advertisers, 18-to-49-year-old viewers. Its morning and late-night shows typically crush the competition. And its executives? They've never missed a chance to rub it in.
At a conference for TV critics last year, Jeff Zucker, then the network's programming czar, drew attention to NBC's dominance by starring in a spoof of its gross-out show "Fear Factor." Presented with a buffet cart of "hors d'oeuvres" representing rival networks, Zucker turned up his nose at a mouse (Walt Disney Co.'s ABC) and a small, fluffy-tailed creature (Fox). But when offered a candy eyeball, he popped it into his mouth.
"We've been eating CBS for lunch all season," he quipped of the network whose logo is an eye.
Now, however, the proud peacock is eating a little crow.
Six weeks into the TV season, CBS has been on top, fueled by its forensic franchise "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."
Two weeks ago NBC, whose "Must See TV" slate once ruled Thursdays, posted its worst ratings on that night since 1987. Last week it tied for third place with ABC after postseason baseball pushed News Corp.'s Fox Broadcasting Co. ahead.
In all, NBC has lost 12% of its prime-time viewership this season among 18-to-49-year-olds.
"We've gotten spanked," Zucker said, referring particularly to the blows delivered by two new hit shows: ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and CBS' "CSI: NY."
"I'm not in denial," said Zucker, president of NBC Universal Television Group. "We've got issues."
But he predicted that the competition would make NBC stronger. "We're in a dogfight, and dogfights make you hungrier."
NBC executives knew this season was going to be tough. Two of their pillars of prime time — "Friends" and "Frasier" — were gone. Several other stalwarts were aging, including "The West Wing," "ER" and "Law & Order." And next month, the public face of the network, news anchor Tom Brokaw, plans to retire after 38 years with NBC.
What's more, NBC's programming chief, Kevin Reilly, is still finding his footing six months after taking the reins from Zucker, who returned to New York to oversee content for the company's broadcast and cable networks.
A respected former FX executive who helped develop such provocative shows as "Nip/Tuck" and "The Shield," Reilly is charged with reinvigorating the schedule and rallying a development staff unaccustomed to having to find success by stretching beyond the familiar.
"When you've been No. 1 for a long time, you tend to play within a certain range," Reilly said. "You go to certain writers and stick with certain formats. There's a complacency that sets in."
NBC Universal Chairman Bob Wright agreed.
"When you have had so much success, you begin to lean on that, thinking that success will breed success," said Wright, who cautioned against such thinking when he met with network development executives in Burbank late last month.
At that meeting, Wright urged NBC's creative team to shed what he called a "sense of entitlement."
"My message was that every day we start from scratch," he said in an interview last week. "What we did two years ago, or last year, doesn't matter. Every day is a new day."
For the first time in a decade, Wright noted, none of the four major networks has a lock on the ratings title. "We now have parity," he said. "And we're not accustomed to that."
During the nearly four years Zucker spent in Burbank, he excelled at squeezing maximum potential from the winning lineup he inherited. He employed clever scheduling stunts, negotiated a two-year extension of "Friends" and recognized the ratings potential of Donald Trump's "The Apprentice."
But Zucker was unable to land many new scripted hits, despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars on program development. Since the fall of 2001, NBC has launched 32 scripted shows, only nine of which are still on the air. (During the same period, CBS tried 31 new shows, with 12 still alive.)
Then there was the one that got away — the sleeper hit "Desperate Housewives."
Marc Cherry, the writer who created the show, said he shopped an early script to NBC, where he found a fan in Karey Burke, who was then in charge of prime-time development.
"I loved it," Burke said last week. "The writing was good, and the tone was really black and sexy."
Burke distributed the script to Zucker and other executives, she said, because decisions at NBC are often made "democratically, by committee."
But, she said, "the consensus in the building was that it was 'too female,' that it didn't have enough male appeal." Burke said some of her colleagues worried the show would go the way of "Watching Ellie" or "Leap of Faith," both of which flopped.
"Reluctantly, I had to pass on it," said Burke, a producer who now has a development deal at NBC.
Zucker said he never saw the script.
Being No. 1 in the key demographic of 18-to-49-year-olds is about more than bragging rights. It's about money — $200 million to be exact.
That's the premium that advertisers paid this year for prime-time commercial spots on NBC, which has been able to leverage a decade of dominance into ad rates 10% higher than those of its closest competitor.
Randy Falco, president of NBC Universal Television Networks Group, said NBC executives anticipated that prime-time ratings would be down for this season, so they adjusted the ratings guarantees they made to advertisers.
"We are just about where we thought we would be," he said.
Still, if this season's prime-time ratings slide continues, it could cost NBC Universal plenty. NBC acquired Vivendi Universal's movie studio, film library, theme parks and cable channels this year, in part to diversify its revenue so it wouldn't be so dependent on ad sales. Nonetheless, the network provides a third of NBC Universal's $2.5 billion in profit.
A measure of the ratings effect will come next spring, when NBC sells the bulk of its commercial time for the 2005 season.
NBC's new shows have been a mixed bag. "Medical Investigations" and the "Friends" spinoff "Joey" are solidly chugging along. But a cop show, "Hawaii," has been canceled. The Heather Locklear airport drama "LAX" and DreamWorks Animation's "Father of the Pride," a computer-generated comedy about Siegfried & Roy's lions, have whimpered in the ratings.
Perhaps most surprising for NBC this season has been the vulnerability of its bedrock "Law & Order" franchise, produced by Dick Wolf.
"Law & Order: Criminal Intent" has lost 18% of its 18- to 49-year-olds watching on Sunday night, when it is up against ABC's "Desperate Housewives." On Wednesdays, when CBS aimed its new "CSI: NY" directly at the original "Law & Order," the 14-year-old show's ratings tumbled 24%.
In an interview, Wolf downplayed the softening ratings of the franchise — which NBC acquired an ownership stake in six months ago. He said, for example, that Tuesday night's "Law & Order: Special Victims' Unit" was up 8%.
"Not exactly chopped liver," he said, adding that his shows "are designed ultimately for stability, not necessarily growth."
There's general agreement that next season will be key in determining whether NBC's slide is an anomaly or a trend. That puts Reilly — known as an even-tempered executive with a knack for story lines — in the hot seat. He's got support from the top: Wright calls him "the right man at the right place at the right time." But he's got an unenviable task ahead.
Beyond a largely lackluster slate, Reilly has inherited a staff that is used to doing things Zucker's way. Zucker was beloved in Burbank, where many credit him with bridging longtime rifts and championing his winning team. It may be difficult, some say, for Reilly to forge a new leadership style that encourages more risk taking, especially because Zucker has moved up, not out.
Reilly is upbeat. He noted that NBC has turned its fortunes around before. Its last slump, in the early 1990s, ended when it found "Friends" and "ER."
"This is not a low-pressure job, that's for sure," Reilly said. "But this is a winning team and we can rise to the challenge. It's game time."
'West Wing' is still a notch above
By Charlie McCollum San Jose Mercuty News Nov. 1, 2004
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/columnists/charlie_mccollum/10068380.htm?1c
Some flotsam and jetsam we found bobbing on the constantly churning sea of TV:
• This may constitute revisionist critical thinking but maybe we should give credit to the current incarnation of ``The West Wing'' HD
for what it still does fairly well.
Sure, it's not ``The West Wing'' of the days when creator Aaron Sorkin was writing almost every word. Sorkin never would have let it drift into the kind of excessive melodrama (Leo McGarry's heart attack) that have marred key episodes since his departure. (Warning: Spoiler in next sentence.) While he might have come up with this Wednesday's (9 p.m., Chs. 8, 11) plot twist, -- C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney) becomes the new White House chief of staff -- Sorkin certainly wouldn't set up the surprise choice by making the other, more senior staffers look like idiots.
And the show sure could use more Sorkin-esque wit and screwball comedy dialogue.
But based on the first three episodes, the White House drama remains a very watchable, well-produced series with a fine cast and a willingness to talk about issues with some intelligence. That puts it a step above most dramas on network TV, even if the show is just a shadow of its former greatness.
One thing, though: It's time for ``The West Wing'' to end. The producers should not try to extend the series' run by bringing in a new president and staff. This is not a drama like ``ER'' or ``Law & Order'' where the formula can stay the same while characters can come and go. As Matt Roush of TV Guide said recently, ``It is the story of the Bartlet presidency, pure and simple.''
Let President Bartlet leave office at the end of this season and call it a day.
• Shifting to the real world of politics, all the TV news organizations are trotting out new gadgets for election night in an attempt to freshen the way they present the returns. But a couple are doing more than the others.
CNN has rented the NASDAQ headquarters in New York for the night so anchor Wolf Blitzer can be surrounded by 72 computerized TV screens able to display vote counts from all 50 states simultaneously. And NBC and MSNBC will be outdoors at New York's Rockefeller Center, using the center's famous skating rink as a gigantic map of the United States and the side of the nearby General Electric building to display graphics on the electoral vote count.
Frankly, after what happened four years ago, I'll settle for TV getting the results right even if they have to be displayed on a blackboard.
• There are all kinds of theories floating around about what's happening on that mysterious island on ``Lost.'' The one I like best: The series is a riff on the great 1956 sci-fi film ``Forbidden Planet,'' which itself was a rethinking of Shakespeare's ``The Tempest.'' In case you've forgotten, the movie took place on a planet where people's most powerful emotions became physical manifestations. That would explain a lot -- like the polar bear, Locke's sudden ability to walk, Jack's dead father turning up and even whatever it is rumbling around in the jungle.
• Does anyone else find it just a little bit weird that Terry O'Quinn, the very good character actor who plays the sometimes creepy Locke on ``Lost,'' shows up the very next hour on Wednesdays playing the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on ``The West Wing''? Just asking.
• Fox finally gets back into the Sunday night game this week with the season openers of ``King of the Hill,'' ``Malcolm in the Middle'' and ``Arrested Development'' plus a (very good) repeat of a Halloween special from ``The Simpsons'' and the debut of ``My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss.'' The latter wants to do for ``The Apprentice'' what the surprisingly addictive ``My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance'' did for reality dating shows.
NBC Movie of the Week- 11/13- Men In Black (first movie of season, don't know if HD)
Another look at the November sweeps:
Post-Baseball, Who Will Post?
So Far, NBC, Fox Aren't Knocking Them Out of the Park
A media critique by Wayne Friedman, mediapost.com Monday, November 1, 2004
TV Watch for Monday, November 1, 2004: http://www.mediapost.com/dtls_dsp_TVwatch.cfm?fnl=041101
This could be a memorable and mythical season for events that haven't occurred in years - the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series of baseball and NBC losing the World Series of television.
Starting this month - the November sweeps - the real race begins to be the king of the TV broadcast networks. And just like the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals, NBC needs a few big hits to make it through the season.
The odds aren't in its favor as a number of new shows - or existing ones - have landed in a certain ratings range they are not likely to get out of. "Joey" isn't going to be a world-beater on Thursdays. "Law & Order" is probably not going to regain its No. 1 status on Wednesday.
Since the framework for the season is pretty much set, NBC would need another surprise mid-season show, such as "The Apprentice," to pull off a victory.
Since misery loves company, NBC could have a traveling companion.
Now that the World Series is over, Fox is just starting its real season. Fox has a great rating send-off from its big-rated baseball playoffs and World Series. Its bet for the year is - surprise - more reality shows, for which the network is devoting 60 percent of its primetime schedule.
In the past, Fox has mostly flopped in launching shows off baseball's big promotional push. What's worse is Fox's even deeper dependence on reality this season. No matter how well some of those shows are doing, we all remember "Joe Millionaire" which came into its second season a dollar short and a day too late.
Considering the unexpected rise of scripted dramas in the form of ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost," viewers may not be as desperate as Fox programmers think they are to get back into reality. Fox could be chasing a programming curve that has gone around the corner.
NBC uses reality more as a last resort, with its bread still buttered by scripted programming. It now has the "The Biggest Loser," a reality contest for the fat person who becomes the thinnest, fastest. But "The Biggest Loser" has yet to become a big winner.
November will tell the tale of the tightest and perhaps, just like the Red Sox, the most surprising and myth-breaking races. Look not just at the U.S. presidency, but also for one broadcast network to create its own saga.
(Wayne Friedman is a veteran media and advertising writer based in Los Angeles and a regular contributor to TelevisionWeek. )
NBC Sweeps plans
NBC GIVES FALL A POST-ELECTION KICK WITH MONTH-LONG HARVEST THAT BRIMS WITH NEW 'SEINFELD' CAST RETROSPECTIVE, 'VEGAS'-'JORDAN' CROSSOVER, 100TH 'FEAR FACTOR' EPISODE, AND MUSICAL MOVIE 'A CHRISTMAS CAROL'
Released by NBC
NOTE: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SEVERAL SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!
Also Among Events: Jimmy Smits and Kristin Chenoweth Join Cast of "The West Wing"; Broadcast of "ER" Shot in Real Time; Premiere of "$25 Million Dollar Hoax" Unscripted Series; a Tim McGraw Special; and More Series Guest Stars, Including Julianna Margulies, Alec Baldwin, Jamie-Lynn DiScala, Tavis Smiley, Fantasia Barrino, David Spade, Kyle MacLachlan, Richard Kind, Mercedes Ruehl, Ed O'Neill, Joe Piscopo, Charisma Carpenter and Ed McMahon
BURBANK, Calif. - November 1, 2004 - NBC celebrates the end of election season with a colorful burst of lively Fall primetime programs beginning November 4 that includes: the anticipated "The 'Seinfeld' Story" cast retrospective, crossover episodes between "Crossing Jordan" and "Las Vegas," the 100th episode of "Fear Factor" on location in New York City, the premiere of the "$25 Million Dollar Hoax," an "ER" episode shot in real time -- and such guest stars as Alanis Morissette, Kelly Preston, Kristin Davis, Snoop Dogg, Ray Liotta, and Matthew Perry, among others.
Other events include such specials as: "Tim McGraw: Here and Now" on November 24; "The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," "The National Dog Show Presented by Purina," and "A 'Seinfeld' Story" on November 25, "A Christmas Carol" on November 28 and "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" on November 30.
Also, "Fear Factor," "Joey," "Will & Grace," "LAX" and "Father of the Pride" will have Thanksgiving-themed episodes while "American Dreams" celebrates Christmas on November 21. On November 23, Matthew Perry ("Friends") will guest-star and direct an episode of "Scrubs" that includes his father, guest star John Bennett Perry.
NBC's additional series guest stars include Julianna Margulies (two episodes of "Scrubs"), Alec Baldwin, Jamie-Lynn DiScala, Victor Garber, Tavis Smiley, Fantasia Barrino, David Spade, Kyle MacLachlan, Billy Campbell, singer Jojo, Richard Kind, Mercedes Ruehl, Ed O'Neill, Joe Piscopo, Charisma Carpenter, Charles Haid, Austin Pendleton, Sam Robards, Chris Sarandon, Dana Delany, Judith Light, Lewis Black, Rip Taylor, Jeff Kober, Madchen Amick, Kelly Clarkson, Garry Marshall and Ed McMahon.
Following are days, times (ET) and storyline information.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4
JOEY - (8-8:30 p.m.)
"Joey and the Dream Girl, Part I"
KELLY PRESTON GUEST-STARS AS JOEY'S DREAM GIRL--Joey (Matt LeBlanc) gets excited when his high school crush Donna (guest star Kelly Preston, "Twins") decides to visit Gina (Drea de Matteo) for the weekend but when Joey finds out that Donna is getting divorced, he thinks he has a chance with her. Meanwhile, Michael (Paulo Costanzo) finds old videos of himself when he was a kid and discovers that he was actually pretty good at baseball. Andrea Anders also stars.
WILL & GRACE - (8:30-9 p.m.)
"Will & Grace and Vince & Nadine"
'SEX AND THE CITY'S' KRISTIN DAVIS GUEST-STARS -- When Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace (Debra Messing) meet Vince's (guest star Bobby Cannavale) best female friend, Nadine (guest star Kristin Davis, "Sex and the City"), they notice some striking similarities with their own relationship. Meanwhile, Karen (Megan Mullally) is still angry with Grace and decides to leave the interior design firm when Jack (Sean Hayes) comes to her rescue and hires his friend to be his new assistant at "Out TV."
THE APPRENTICE - (9-10 p.m.)
"Bringing Down The House"
THEY'RE BACK! RETURN OF FOUR FIRED CANDIDATES -- Four previously fired candidates return to settle some old scores and also help the two teams renovate homes on Long Island. One project manager gets overwhelmed, the other deals with an inept contractor.
ER - (10-11 p.m.)
"An Intern's Guide to the Galaxy"
NEELA RETURNS BUT COMPETITION AMONG INTERNS HEATS UP; MADCHEN AMICK GUEST-STARS -- When Neela (Parminder Nagra) returns to the ER after working at the convenience store, Pratt (Mekhi Phifer) expects the interns, Abby (Maura Tierney), Ray (Shane West) and Neela to take on a large patient load during their shifts. Pratt turns processing the patients into a competition, in which Ray is clearly going to be the winner. In the rush to process the patients and stay in the lead, however, Ray makes a big mistake donating a patient's organs against the family's wishes. Ray also helps Abby obtain HIV medication from the pharmacy against hospital policy for a patient who had unprotected sex. Carter (Noah Wyle) asks attractive Wendall (Madchen Amick) to walk out with him in a coy pursuit.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5
THIRD WATCH - (9-10 p.m.)
"Leap of Faith"
TOUGH CRUZ GETS A TASTE OF HER OWN MEDICINE FROM INTERNAL AFFAIRS AS YOKAS IS CALLED TO TESTIFY -- CHARLES HAID GUEST-STARS -- Internal Affairs drops a bomb on the envelope-pushing Detective Cruz (Tia Texada) as she is taken away and struggles to survive in jail while Captain Finney (guest star Charles Haid) drills Detective Yokas (Molly Price) for information that will nail Cruz -- but the torn cop secretly knows that she pulled the trigger on a career criminal that frames the case against Cruz. Elsewhere, Officer Sullivan (Skipp Sudduth) reveals more about his running feud against Finney and his rookie son (Josh Stewart) while Carlos (Anthony Ruivivar) and his friendly partner Levine (guest star Yvonne Jung) keep calling on a suicidal woman (guest star Anney Giobbe). Coby Bell, Cara Buono, Chris Bauer, Bonnie Dennison, Nia Long and Jason Wiles also star.
MEDICAL INVESTIGATION - (10-11 p.m.)
"Mutation"
DR. CONNOR'S TEAM CONFRONTS UNSTOPPABLE MUTATING VIRUS THAT THREATENS BACKWOODS HAMLET -- A remote West Virginia hamlet becomes ground zero for a deadly mutating and contagious virus that has claimed 10 percent of the town's citizens. Dr. Connor (Neal McDonough) suspects a dead animal carcass could be the genesis -- and time is running out to find the common link when more patients flood the town's tiny hospital. But to explain how the lethal contagion began, Connor and Dr. Durant (Kelli Williams) might have to look both above and below ground. Christopher Gorham, Troy Winbush and Anna Belknap also star.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 6
THE MOST OUTRAGEOUS GAME SHOW MOMENTS 3 - (8-9 p.m.)
ALL NEW HILARIOUS GAME SHOW MOMENTS - In this third installment of NBC's trio of game show specials, "The Most Outrageous Game Show Moments 3" will feature even more clips that have not been seen on network television. Hosted by Bob Eubanks ("The Newlywed Game"), the special includes other comical, unscripted moments between contestants on past and present game shows such as "To Tell the Truth," "Family Feud," "Password," "$100,000 Pyramid" "Say When," "Name That Tune," "Scrabble," and "The Joker's Wild," among others. "The Most Outrageous Game Show Moments 3" is from NBC Studios.
THE MOST OUTRAGEOUS GAME SHOW MOMENTS 4 - (9-10 p.m.)
NBC brings back more laughs with the fourth installment of the popular series of game-show specials that will feature even more clips that have not been seen on network television. Co-hosted by Bob Eubanks ("The Newlywed Game") and Chuck Woolery ("Lingo"), the special includes other comical, unscripted moments between contestants from past and present game shows. "The Most Outrageous Game Show Moments 4" is produced by NBC Studios.
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT - (10-11 p.m.)
"Obscene"
A YOUNG TV STAR IS ATTACKED AND THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS RADIO SHOCK JOCK WHO MAY HAVE GONE TOO FAR; DANA DELANY AND LEWIS BLACK GUEST-STAR -- Well-known actress Jesse (guest star Maggie Grace), who is the star of a controversial teen show, is raped in her trailer on the set and as Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Fin (Ice-T) investigate, they find the actress is hated by many community members, such as Carolyn Spencer (Emmy Award-winning guest star Dana Delany, "China Beach"). Carolyn's public statements of hatred and disapproval of the actress make her a prime suspect. The investigation unravels further clues, which point to Carolyn's son Danny (guest star Ricky Ullman), who is arrested after being placed at the scene of the crime. Although it appears that he was acting out his mother's wishes, the boy also was influenced by the directions of a radio shock jock (guest star Lewis Black, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"). Diane Neal also stars and Judith Light guest-stars.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 7
AMERICAN DREAMS - (8-9 p.m.)
"What Dreams May Come"
ALANIS MORISSETTE GUEST-STARS AS A SINGER IN THE LAIR; TAVIS SMILEY ALSO GUEST-STARS AS THURGOOD MARSHALL --When the news reaches home that J.J. is missing in action, everything seems to remind Helen (Gail O'Grady) of her absent son. Looking for answers, Jack (Tom Verica) decides to go to Washington, D.C. -- and agrees to bring Meg (Brittany Snow), not realizing she has an ulterior motive. Upon their return, the family receives an unexpected package from JJ during Thanksgiving dinner. Meanwhile, instead of spending Thanksgiving with his family, Sam (Arlen Escarpeta) goes to Melanie's (guest star Benita Krista Nall) house and meets Justice Thurgood Marshall (guest star Tavis Smiley, "The Tavis Smiley Show"). Alanis Morissette ("You Oughta Know") guest-stars as a singer in the Lair singing "Offer." Jonathan Adams, Rachel Boston, Ethan Dampf, Vanessa Lengies and Sarah Ramos also star.
LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT - (9-10 p.m.)
"Magnificat"
CAR BOMB SHATTERS FUTURE OF YOUNG FAMILY WITH HIDDEN PAST; SAM ROBARDS GUEST-STARS -- Horrified Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) contemplate a car bomb blast that killed three young boys and injured their mother (guest star Carrie Preston) and surviving brother as they check out suspicious Arabic-speaking men -- and the family's controlling husband/father (guest star Sam Robards) who works in a top-secret electronics firm. The police probe yields shocking connections when they discover the wife's earlier postpartum depression and questionable behavior of the dedicated dad. Jamey Sheridan and Courtney B. Vance also star.
CROSSING JORDAN - (10-11 p.m.)
"What Happens in Vegas Dies in Boston"
'CROSSING JORDAN' CROSSES OVER TO 'LAS VEGAS' TO SOLVE MURDER CASE; JAMES CAAN, JOSH DUHAMEL, AND VANESSA MARCIL OF 'LAS VEGAS' GUEST-STAR -- When a Montecito Hotel Lear jet arrives in Boston with casino host Sam Marquez (guest star Vanessa Marcil, NBC's "Las Vegas") and security operative Danny McCoy (guest star Josh Duhamel, "Las Vegas") -- along with a dead high roller with $3 million handcuffed to his wrist -- Sam and Danny find themselves as potential murder suspects as Jordan (Jill Hennessy) and Woody (Jerry O'Connell) discover clues which may clear them. Jordan and Woody follow the new suspects to Vegas and team up with Danny -- leaving everyone wondering if what happens in Vegas really stays in Vegas. Meanwhile, Macy (Miguel Ferrer) gets a special visit from the Montecito's Ed Deline (guest star James Caan, "Las Vegas") while he continues to deal with an unexpected announcement by D.A. Walcott (guest star Susan Gibney). The series crossover will conclude on "Las Vegas" tomorrow night (November 8). Kathryn Hahn, Ravi Kapoor and Steve Valentine also star.
MONDAY NOVEMBER 8
FEAR FACTOR - (8-9 p.m.)
"New York 100th Episode"
MILESTONE 100TH EPISODE BITES 'THE BIG APPLE' -- The landmark 100th episode of this hit reality series starts spreading the fear with a road trip to America's most fearless metropolis -- New York City. Taped on location in and around Manhattan, the milestone episode features challenges such as a flag grab from the bottom of the Roosevelt Island tram as it traverses the East River and an aerial stunt suspended below two helicopters near the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. Joe Rogan hosts in this series in which all stunts take place under the supervision of professional Hollywood stunt coordinators.
LAS VEGAS - (9-10 p.m.)
"Two of a Kind"
IN CROSSOVER EPISODE, 'CROSSING JORDAN'S' JILL HENNESSY AND JERRY O'CONNELL VISIT VEGAS; SNOOP DOGG ALSO GUEST-STARS -- Ed (James Caan), Danny (Josh Duhamel), and Mike (James Lesure) combine forces with the investigative team of Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh (Jill Hennessy) and Det. Woody Hoyt (Jerry O'Connell) -- both from "Crossing Jordan" -- to solve the murder of a high-stakes gambler. The mystery intensifies when it appears that the gambler's wife may not be the only woman who wants him dead. Meanwhile, Snoop Dogg (as himself) is trying to convince Delinda (Molly Sims) to allow the Montecito to be the site of his next music video. Elsewhere, Ed must deal with the demands of his wife Jillian (Cheryl Ladd), who has temporarily moved into the Montecito. Vanessa Marcil, Nikki Cox, and Marsha Thomason also star.
$25 MILLION DOLLAR HOAX - (10-11 p.m.)
"Premiere"
NEW UNSCRIPTED SERIES PREMIERES -- "$25 Million Dollar Hoax" is NBC's newest one-hour unscripted series about Chrissy, a daughter who plays a "practical hoax" on her family by convincing them she has won the lottery -- and thereby changed from a level-headed, sweet girl to a selfish spend-a-holic. In this episode, Chrissy questions her decision to pull this elaborate prank on her family. Veteran prize-presenter Ed McMahon ("Star Search," "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson") and George Gray ("The Weakest Link") help set up the ruse.
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 9
THE BIGGEST LOSER - (8-9:30 p.m.)
"#103"
FINAL 10 CONTESTANTS VIE FOR PRIZE -- Ten contestants are left in this compelling weight-loss drama in which two celebrity fitness trainers join with top health experts to help overweight contestants transform their bodies, health and ultimately, their lives. Caroline Rhea ("Sabrina, The Teenage Witch") hosts the unscripted series in which two competing teams follow comprehensive diet and exercise plans to undergo radical physical makeovers. In this 90-minute episode, the red-and-blue teams take the stage for a lively "pop star" challenge, where the teams have to write and perform a song about their weight struggles in front of a live audience.
SCRUBS - (9:30-10 p.m.)
"My Malpractice Decision"
THREAT OF MALPRACTICE HANGS OVER THE HOSPITAL -- JULIANNA MARGULIES AND RICHARD KIND GUEST-STAR -- Trouble looms for J.D. (Zach Braff) and Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) when they feel threatened by a patients' daughter (guest star Julianna Margulies, "ER"), a malpractice attorney with seemingly evil intentions -- and J.D. seeks to escape her flirty and conniving ways. Meanwhile, Elliot (Sarah Chalke) attempts to hide Doug (guest star Johnny Kastl) from the attorney due to his tendency to cause medical malpractices. Elsewhere, Turk (Donald Faison) pulls a fast prank on the Janitor (Neil Flynn). Richard Kind ("Spin City") guest-stars as a former patient who tries to retaliate. Judy Reyes and Ken Jenkins also star.
LAW & ORDER: SVU - (10-11p.m.)
"Conscience"
A BOY IS KILLED AT THE HANDS OF A DISTURBED NEIGHBOR; KYLE MACLACHLAN GUEST-STARS -- When a 5-year-old boy disappears from a playground, Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Chris Meloni) meet Jake (guest star Jordan Garratt), the boy's 13-year-old neighbor, who witnessed the boy being watched by a man earlier that day. The case takes a grim turn when the boy is discovered suffocated -- and all clues lead to Jake as the killer. Kyle MacLachlan, "Sex & the City") guest-stars as the victim's psychiatrist father. Tamara Tuni also guest stars. Richard Belzer, Ice-T, Diane Neal, B.D. Wong and Dann Florek also star.
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 10
LAX - (8-9 p.m.)
"Thanksgiving"
THANKSGIVING -- THE BUSIEST TRAVEL DAY OF THE YEAR! CHARISMA CARPENTER GUEST-STARS -- In the midst of the busiest travel days of the year, Thanksgiving, Roger (Blair Underwood) attempts to keep passengers and planes moving while avoiding his drunken ex-wife who claims to be in town to spend the holiday with her daughter. Elsewhere, Harley (Heather Locklear) reunites with her little sister (guest star Charisma Carpenter, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") in the hopes of finally reconnecting with her family for the holidays. Meanwhile, Tony (Paul Leyden) and Henry (Frank John Hughes) deal with the sudden bankruptcy of a major airline that leaves both passengers and stewardesses stranded in the terminal. Wendy Hoopes and David Paektau also star.
THE WEST WING - (9-10 p.m.)
"Liftoff"
THE WHITE HOUSE IS OFFERED WEAPONS-GRADE URANIUM -- JIMMY SMITS JOINS THE CAST -- The Bartlet Administration must decide what to do when an emissary from the Republic of Georgia walks into the White House and offers them weapons-grade uranium that's from a research reactor the Russians left behind when they pulled out of Georgia. Meanwhile, Josh (Bradley Whitford) goes looking for support of the tax cut -- and along the way, meets with Matthew Santos (Jimmy Smits, "L.A. Law"), a bright and enigmatic congressman from Texas. Martin Sheen, Richard Schiff, Allison Janney, Janel Moloney and Dule Hill also star.
LAW & ORDER - (10-11 p.m.)
"GOV LOV"
GOVERNOR IN TROUBLE WHEN WIFE IS MURDERED AND HIS AFFAIR WITH BUSINESSMAN LEADS TO GAY MARRIAGE SHOWDOWN -- CHRIS SARANDON GUEST-STARS -- In a controversial episode, Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) follow the sensational murder of the wife of Connecticut Governor Riordan (guest star Robin Thomas) -- but their spadework turns up a corrupt developer (guest star Zeljko Ivanek) whose business and romantic links to Riordan cause the official to step down in shame. However, A.D.A. McCoy (Sam Waterston) is stymied when he can't get a third man (as Devin, guest star Jeremy Webb) to testify against the crooked business exec after he claims to have already married him, forcing the dogged McCoy to take the crucial gay marriage issue before the state's supreme court. Chris Sarandon ("The Princess Bride") also guest-stars as Kaplan's defense attorney. S. Epatha Merkerson, Elisabeth Rohm and Fred Dalton Thompson also star.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 11
JOEY - (8-8:30 p.m.)
"Joey and The Dream Girl, Part II"
JOEY AND THE DREAM GIRL, PART 2-- When Donna's (guest star Kelly Preston, "Twins") ex-husband calls to reconcile, she is torn between her feelings for Joey (Matt Le Blanc) and her history with her ex-husband. Gina (Drea de Matteo) tells Joey about Donna possibly getting back with her ex after Donna fails to tell Joey face to face on their date. Meanwhile, Alex (Andrea Anders) learns the meaning of "hot girls get stuff for free." Paulo Costanzo and Ben Falcone also star.
WILL & Grace - (8:30-9 p.m.)
"Saving Grace Again, Part I"
BACK AT IT AGAIN IN FIRST OF TWO-PART EPISODE -- When Grace (Debra Messing) decides to re-enter the dating pool, an eager Will (Eric McCormack) comes to the rescue by setting her up on a date, but somehow Grace falls back into her old self-destructive dating ways. Elsewhere, Jack (Sean Hayes) and Karen (Megan Mullally) decide to play matchmaker with each other -- but the pair decide to choose each other's blind dates.
THE APPRENTICE - (9-10 p.m.)
"Runaway Pride"
EXEC CANDIDATES HAVE MARITAL PROBLEMS -- It's a day to always remember when the candidates open up competing bridal shops -- but one project manager is overwhelmed by their lack of expertise in this particular field. The other team has to deal with a car accident, a marketing plan gone awry, and a project manager that rides the coat tails of a teammate.
ER - (10-11 p.m.)
"Time of Death"
'ER' SHOT IN REAL TIME; RAY LIOTTA GUEST-STARS -- In a groundbreaking episode which traces the real-time events in the emergency room, Kovac (Goran Visjnic), Abby (Maura Tierney) and Sam (Linda Cardellini) try to save the life of Charlie Metcalf (guest star Ray Liotta), a man who comes in complaining of a stomach ache, but is later diagnosed with far, far worse. Mekhi Phifer and Shane West also star.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 12
THIRD WATCH - (9-10 p.m.)
"Broken"
CRUZ DETERMINED TO CONVINCE BLOODIED CITY COUNCILMAN TO TESTIFY AGAINST ASSAILANT; DYLAN BAKER GUEST-STARS -- A battered Detective Cruz (Tia Texada) returns to the 55th after her arrest ordeal and confronts a nerve-wracked city councilman (guest star Dylan Baker) who was horribly beaten but refuses to identify his assailant. Cruz, a victim of sexual assault herself, investigates why the frightened victim does not want an arrest. Meanwhile, Officer Davis (Coby Bell) gets an earful when he tracks down the imprisoned convict (guest star Jamar Allah) who murdered his father decades earlier -- and discovers he was following the demands of another cop. Cara Buono, Nia Long, Molly Price, Anthony Ruivivar, Josh Stewart and Skipp Sudduth also star.
MEDICAL INVESTIGATION - (10-11 p.m.)
"Little Girl"
ORPHANED YOUNG GIRL FIGHTS FOR HER LIFE AS MEDICAL TEAM SEARCHES FOR RELATIVES -- When a 10-year-old girl is found deathly ill from lack of healthy bone marrow, Dr. Connor (Neal McDonough) and the NIH team work feverishly to keep her alive long enough to find a family member who would make a worthy marrow donor. Unfortunately, her adoptive parents just died days before, so Eva (Anna Belknap) makes it her personal mission to find the adrift child's biological mother. But the case's urgency intensifies when others in the same area fall ill from the identical aplastic anemia while Eva struggles to convince the girl's reluctant real mom (guest star Catherine Wadkins) to help save the abandoned daughter she wants to forget. Kelli Williams, Christopher Gorham and Troy Winbush also star.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 13
NBC MOVIE OF THE WEEK - MEN IN BLACK - (8-10 p.m.)
WILL SMITH AND TOMMY LEE JONES STAR IN SCI-FI CLASSIC -- Academy Award-winning Tommy Lee Jones ("Space Cowboys," "Double Jeopardy") and Golden Globe-nominee Will Smith ("The Legend of Bagger Vance," "Wild,Wild West") star as top-secret agents in a highly-funded, unofficial government organization established to monitor and police alien activity on earth. And when the aliens initiate a plan to blow up the planet, the two "Men in Black" must protect Earth and its human inhabitants. Tony Shalhoub ("Monk"), Linda Fiorentino ("Dogma"), Vincent D' Onofrio (NBC's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent"), Rip Torn ("The Insider") and Siobhan Fallon ("The Negotiator") also star. Based on the Lowell Cunningham comic book series, "Men in Black" is directed by Barry Sonnenfield ("Get Shorty") and executive produced by Academy award-winning Steven Spielberg ("Memoirs of a Gesha," "Saving Private Ryan").
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 14
AMERICAN DREAMS - (8-9 p.m.)
"One in a Million"
FANTASIA BARRINO ('AMERICAN IDOL') GUEST-STARS AS ARETHA FRANKLIN -- JJ (Will Estes) is found alive in the jungle by a Frenchman (guest star Phillipe Durand) who takes him in, but JJ soon learns that his "friend" is known for turning over American soldiers to the Vietcong, he tries to escape. Meanwhile, Meg (Brittany Snow) is upset when she is asked to speak about JJ during the assembly to honor East Catholic High students serving in the war. Helen (Gail O'Grady) goes to see a psychiatrist that Beth (Rachel Boston) recommends, but finds that the best medicine is the hope in her new grandson, John Pryor III. Fantasia Barrino ("American Idol") guest-stars as the legendary Aretha Franklin singing "R-E-S-P-E-C-T." Tom Verica, Jonathan Adams, Arlen Escarpeta, Vanessa Lengies, Sarah Ramos, and Ethan Dampf also star.
LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT - (9-10 p.m.)
"Inert Dwarf"
WILL GOREN AND EAMES WEAR DUNCE CAP -- OR DISCOVER THEORY OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN MURDER OF SCIENTIST -- AUSTIN PENDLETON GUEST-STARS -- When a tormented scientist is murdered by radiation poisoning, Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) discover that the victim was working with Dr. Manotti (guest star Austin Pendleton, "A Beautiful Mind"), a famous physicist in a wheelchair, on the controversial "Theory of Everything" -- an unproven design that would re-configure the definition of the universe. Even as the police duo suspects the brainiac's beautiful and controlling trophy wife, they are curious about an approaching international conference in Berlin that would require Manotti to explain his theory -- which would ensure his scientific immortality. Jamey Sheridan and Courtney B. Vance also star.
CROSSING JORDAN - (10-11 p.m.)
"Fire From the Sky"
JORDAN AND HER TEAM INVESTIGATE A MASSIVE PLANE CRASH -- Jordan (Jill Hennessy) snaps when Devan (guest star Jennifer Finnigan) calls asking her to cover her graveyard shift at the morgue but when an exhausted Jordan arrives at the morgue, she finds the entire place full of action as they prepare for the victims of a plane crash. At the site of the crash, Macy, (Miguel Ferrer) Bug (Ravi Kapoor) and Nigel (Steve Valentine) scramble to find any remains before they are completely burned up from the airplane fuel fire. Woody (Jerry O'Connell) is devastated when he comes across the flight manifest and realizes that Devan's name was on the list. Kathryn Hahn and Emy Coligado also star.
MONDAY NOVEMBER 15
FEAR FACTOR - (8-9 p.m.)
"Co-Ed Models"
MALE AND FEMALE FASHION MODELS GET WET -- Among the challenges facing male and female fashion models in this episode is a swing across gymnastic-style rings while suspended below a helicopter hovering over water. In addition, these "model" contestants must swim against the tide through large, high-pressure tubes that, when pulled out of a lake, flush out the models with extreme force. Joe Rogan hosts this series in which all stunts take place under the supervision of professional Hollywood stunt coordinators.
LAS VEGAS - (9-10 p.m.)
"Degas Away with It"
THE MISSING DEGAS; ALEC BALDWIN AND ED MCMAHON GUEST-STAR--Ed (James Caan) uses his past connections and some old-school tactics to hunt down the man who stole a priceless Dega work of art from the Montecito but his frantic search for the piece leads to an uncomfortable reunion with his former partner Jack Keller (guest star Alec Baldwin), who cannot be trusted. Meanwhile, Danny (Josh Duhamel) and Mike (James Lesure) are dispatched to deal with a fight between their tenants and find themselves smack in the middle of a lovers' quarrel. Elsewhere, Sam (Vanessa Marcil) puts together an exotic weekend for a young couple in love that ends with only Sam smiling. Molly Sims, Nikki Cox and Marsha Thomason also star.
$25 MILLION DOLLAR HOAX - (10-11 p.m.)
"Episode #2"
LANCE BASS MAKES CAMEO APPEARANCE -- The second episode of NBC's newest one-hour unscripted series features a cameo appearance by Lance Bass of boyband N'Sync at a recording studio where Chrissy Sanford hopes to record a Britney Spears tune, which is the long-time wish of Chrissy's sister. This series presents a daughter, Chrissy Sanford, who plays a "practical hoax" on her family by convincing them she has won the lottery and changed from a level-headed, sweet girl to a selfish spend-a-holic. Veteran prize-presenter Ed McMahon ("Star Search," "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson") and games show host Geroge Gray ("The Weakest Link") help set up the ruse.
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 16
THE BIGGEST LOSER - (8-9:30 p.m.)
"#104"
RED AND BLUE TEAMS GO TO NEW HEIGHTS -- Caroline Rhea ("Sabrina, The Teenage Witch") hosts the unscripted series in which two competing teams follow comprehensive diet and exercise plans to undergo radical physical makeovers. In this 90-minute episode, the teams must face the challenge of climbing 74 stories in the tallest building west of the Mississippi.
SCRUBS - (9:30-10 p.m.)
"My Female Trouble"
FEMALE TROUBLE ABOUNDS WHEN JULIANNA MARGULIES AND RICHARD KIND GUEST-STAR -- J.D. (Zach Braff) stirs things up with his newfound relationship with Neena (Julianna Margulies, "ER") the ice queen who treats him with no respect and threatens everyone around her with her cold-hearted ways. Meanwhile, the battle in court continues between Mr. Korman (guest star Richard Kind, "Spin City"), Neena, and Turk (Donald Faison) over allegations that Turk's shoulder surgery performance destroyed Korman's tennis serve. John C. McGinley, Judy Reyes and Sarah Chalke also star.
LAW & ORDER: SVU - (10-11 p.m.)
"CHARISMA"
A CHILD IS PREGNANT AT THE HANDS OF A DANGEROUS CULT LEADER -- HOLLISTON COLEMAN AND JEFF KOBER GUEST-STAR -- When 12-year-old Melanie, (guest star Holliston Coleman) is hospitalized with pregnancy complications, Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Chris Meloni) make a hospital call and discover that the girl's "husband" (guest star Jeff Kober) -- and father of her unborn child -- is the leader of a cult that claims Melanie. The investigation takes an emotional turn when the detectives pay a visit to the cult leader and make a horrifying discovery. Tamara Tuni also guest stars. Richard Belzer, Diane Neal, B.D. Wong, Dann Florek also star.
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 17
LAX - (8-9 p.m.)
TBA
THE WEST WING - (9-10 p.m.)
"The Hubbert Peak"
JOSH'S SUV ACCIDENT CREATES BIG PROBLEMS FOR THE BARTLET ADMINISTRATION -- KRISTIN CHENOWETH JOINS THE CAST -- Josh (Bradley Whitford) test drives an oversized SUV and crashes into a hybrid car resulting in bad publicity for The White House. Annabeth (Kristin Chenoweth), the new Press Secretary, has been on the job for only a week and is preparing to face the press corps for the first time. Toby (Richard Schiff) is concerned that she looks too young and may not be prepared for their probing questions. Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Janel Moloney and Dule Hill also star.
LAW & ORDER - (10-11 p.m.)
"Cry Wolf"
PUBLICITY-SEEKING RADIO PERSONALITY MAY BECOME VICTIM OF HIS OWN 'STUNT MUGGINGS' -- JOE PISCOPO GUEST STARS -- A street thug-turned-radio personality (guest star Jose Zuniga) who had a penchant for attracting headlines through "publicity stunt muggings" is thought to be faking again when he's shot and almost killed. However, when other bodies start to stack up, Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) now must believe the danger is for real. Joe Piscopo (NBC's "Saturday Night Live") guest stars as a martial arts movie star. Sam Waterston, Elisabeth Rohm, S. Epatha Merkerson and Fred Dalton Thompson also star.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 18
JOEY - (8-8:30 p.m.)
TBA
WILL & GRACE - (8:30-9 p.m.)
"Saving Grace Again, Part II"
TIME FOR A ROAD TRIP-- VICTOR GARBER AND RIP TAYLOR GUEST-STAR -- Will (Eric McCormack), Grace (Debra Messing), Jack (Sean Hayes) and Karen (Megan Mullally) go on a road trip for Grace's getaway weekend -- two days devoted to avoiding the mention of the name "Leo." Meanwhile, Jack and Karen hate the car ride and decide to bail on the plan and Jack spots Peter (guest star Victor Garber, "Alias") whom Jack remembers from a commercial Jack saw when he was a kid -- and he recruits him to be the new face of "Out TV," much to the surprise of Rip Taylor (as himself) who also wants the gig.
THE APPRENTICE - (9-10 p.m.)
"The Butt Stops Here"
TEAMS WORK WITH LEVIS -- The teams compete to be the right fit when Donald Trump assigns them the task of creating an in-store catalogue for Levis jeans. It's all about the butt for Apex as one member tries to hijack an innovative design idea, while a member of Mosaic takes control of the project -- much to everyone's dismay.
ER - (10-11 p.m.)
"White Guy, Dark Hair"
RAPE VICTIM STRUGGLES TO HELP POLICE -- Sam (Linda Cardellini) and Kovac (Goran Visjnic) treat a woman who was brutally beaten and raped but wants to help police even though she can barely speak. Meanwhile, Dr. Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) schedules an emergency drill without telling the staff and Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle) and Abby (Maura Tierney) treat a girl complaining of kidney problems --which is just the beginning of her adventure. Laura Innes, Mekhi Phifer, Parminder Nagra and Shane West also star.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19
THIRD WATCH - (8-9 p.m.)
"Sins of the Father"
DAVIS IN DANGER WHEN HE SEEKS VENGEANCE OVER HIS FATHER'S SLAYING -- CHARLES HAID GUEST-STARS -- A seething Officer Davis (Coby Bell) jeopardizes his career and life when he faces down the corrupt Captain C.T. Finney (guest star Charles Haid, "Hill Street Blues") over the murder of his father 20 years earlier while Detective Yokas (Molly Price) probes the murder of a female Arab-American teenager who might be the victim of her boyfriend -- or even her own family. Elsewhere: Sullivan (Skipp Sudduth) agonizes over what to do to help his ex-partner David; younger Officer Finney (Josh Stewart) wonders why paramedic Grace (Cara Buono) is avoiding him, and suddenly single Yokas tries to convince her teen daughter Emily (Bonnie Dennison) to accept her custody. Anthony Ruivivar, Chris Bauer and Nia Long also star.
MEDICAL INVESTIGATION - (9-10 p.m.)
"Price of Pleasure"
DR. CONNOR AND TEAM INVESTIGATE DEATHS OF ADULT FILM STARS -- When a porn star falls into a coma, Dr. Connor (Neal McDonough) and his team arrive in Los Angeles only to discover that two other adult film actresses have died -- and just as they begin to think that the source is a form of sexually transmitted disease, a squeaky-clean suburban mother falls ill and displays the same respiratory symptoms. But Dr. Durant's (Kelli Williams) research reveals another possibility -- that the women suffer from a toxic species of bacteria that can be traced to a common elective surgery. Christopher Gorham, Anna Belknap and Troy Winbush also star.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 20
NBC MOVIE OF THE WEEK -- ERIN BROCKOVICH (8-10 p.m.)
Three-time Golden Globe winner Julia Roberts ("Pretty Woman," "Ocean's Twelve") stars in this stirring and unconventional drama based on true events, as the twice-divorced mother of three who sees an injustice, takes on the bad guy and wins. Following a car accident, Erin Brockovich (Roberts) finds herself in a tight spot when her attorney fails to land her a settlement to help her financial difficulties. With nowhere else to turn to, Erin convinces her attorney, Ed Masry (Emmy and Golden Globe winner Albert Finney, "The Gathering Storm"), to hire her at his law firm. While working, Erin takes on a $300 million case that not only reinvents her life but proves her strength to triumph over insurmountable odds. This three-time Oscar nominated movie was directed by Oscar winner Steve Soderbergh ("Ocean's Eleven").
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 21
AMERICAN DREAMS - (8-9 p.m.)
"Tidings of Comfort & Joy" (Commercial-free by Ford)
KELLY CLARKSON REPRISES ROLE AS BRENDA LEE, AND JOJO GUEST-STARS AS A YOUNG LINDA RONSTADT -- In a commercial -free episode sponsored by Ford, JJ (Will Estes), barely alive in the jungle, finds a Christmas miracle in the form of a fellow American soldier, Joey Tremain (guest star Chris Pine). Together they encourage each other to stay alive until they find help -- and hopefully a way to get home to their loved ones. Meanwhile, Helen (Gail O'Grady) teaches Beth (Rachel Boston) some important tips on caring for her new baby. However, Beth becomes infuriated when Helen invites her estranged father over to the house to meet his new grandson. When Meg (Brittany Snow) gets upset that Army recruiters are visiting the campus and encouraging students to enlist, she finds herself in a dangerous situation when Chris (guest star Milo Ventimiglia) and two of his friends decide to take matters into their own hands at the recruiting center. Kelly Clarkson ("American Idol") reprises her role as Brenda Lee singing "Rock Around the Christmans Tree," and singer JoJo guest-stars as a young Linda Ronstadt who auditions for "Bandstand." "Extra" co-host Dayna Devon and Nick Warnock ("The Apprentice") also guest-star. Tom Verica, Jonathan Adams, Arlen Escarpeta, Vanessa Lengies, Sarah Ramos and Ethan Dampf also star.
LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT - (9-10 p.m.)
"Silver Lining"
GOLD-SHIELD DETECTIVES CHASE WILY BURGLAR WHO HAS LETHAL PREFERENCE FOR SILVER -- A female antique appraiser is murdered, and Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) lock onto the trail of an elusive, highly organized and proficient thief (guest star David Harbour) who specializes in lifting priceless silver settings. The Major Case squad discovers a long line of burglaries attributed to their taunting suspect -- but an arrest will only stick if they can link him to his treasure stash of valuables. Jamey Sheridan and Courtney B. Vance also star.
CROSSING JORDAN - (10-11 p.m.)
"Necessary Risks"
WOODY AND JORDAN INVESTIGATE THE REPORTED SUICIDE OF A COLLEGE FENCING STAR AND DISCOVER THAT MURDER MIGHT BE THE POINT -- Detective Woody Hoyt (Jerry O'Connell) and Dr. Cavanaugh (Jill Hennessy) think they have an open-and-shut case after a college fencing star is found dead in his dorm room from an apparent suicide. However, forensic tests indicate evidence points to murder rather than suicide and the search for the killer begins. Meanwhile, when a body is discovered in a motel room with all its organs removed, Dr. Macy (Miguel Ferrer) and Nigel (Steve Valentine) team up with Lois Carver (guest star Amy Aquino) to solve a crime that is identical to a classic urban legend. Macy and Carver must race against time to trace the organ thief before the killer strikes again. Kathryn Hahn and Ravi Kapoor also star.
MONDAY NOVEMBER 22
FEAR FACTOR - (8-9:30 p.m.)
"Thanksgiving Show"
FOUR STUNTS, 90 MINUTES -- THANKSGIVING AT ITS BEST -- Thankfully, the contestants in this special 90-minute episode don't have to eat everything on their plates at the "Fear Factor" holiday feast in this Thanksgiving episode. But they do have to choose three of the five tasty delights from a menu of sheep brain pie, bile "jello" with cave spider topping, night crawler green beans, worm and beetle stuffing and maggoty mashed potatoes. Later, the contestants disembark from their pilgrim-like sailing vessel by walking the plank with a 10-pound ball and chain attached to their waist. Joe Rogan hosts this series in which all stunts take place under the supervision of professional Hollywood stunt coordinators.
$25 MILLION DOLLAR HOAX - (9:30-11 p.m.)
"Episode #3-Finale"
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY -- "$25 Million Dollar Hoax" is NBC's newest one-hour unscripted series about Chrissy, a daughter who plays a "practical hoax" on her family by convincing them she has won the lottery and changed from a level-headed, sweet girl to a selfish spend-a-holic. In this finale, Chrissy must confront her family and confess that her story has been one outrageous hoax. As her family watches with trepidation as she spins the big wheel, the truth about the money is finally revealed -- and the question is: will Chrissy's loved ones be able to forgive her when she is forced to tell them that her story has been one big lie? More importantly, has playing this practical hoax been worth it or has she permanently lost the trust of her family? Veteran prize-presenter Ed McMahon ("Star Search," "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson") and George Gray ("The Weakest Link") help continue the ruse.
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 23
THE BIGGEST LOSER - (8-9:30 p.m.)
"#105"
A TEAM LIGHTENS UP THROUGH ELIMINATION -- Caroline Rhea ("Sabrina, The Teenage Witch") hosts this unscripted series in which two competing teams follow comprehensive diet and exercise plans to undergo radical physical makeovers. During the challenge in this 90-minute episode the two teams face their greatest temptation, and one more contestant is eliminated after that person's team realizes they are being manipulated.
SCRUBS - (9:30-10 p.m.)
"My Unicorn"
MATTHEW PERRY MAKES DIRECTORIAL DEBUT AND GUEST-STARS AS WILLING KIDNEY DONOR -- Emmy Award nominee Matthew Perry ("Friends") returns to NBC as he guest-stars and makes his directorial debut. Perry plays a man who is willing to donate one of his kidneys to his ailing father (guest star John Bennett Perry, who is Perry's real-life father) until complications arise. Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, John C. McGinley, Donald Faison, Judy Reyes, Neil Flynn and Ken Jenkins also star.
LAW & ORDER: SVU - (10-11 p.m.)
"Doubt"
PROFESSOR'S ALLEGED RAPE ACCUSATION DEVOLVES INTO CONFUSING BATTLE OF 'HE SAID, SHE SAID'; BILLY CAMPBELL GUEST-STARS -- After a woman claims to have been sexually assaulted by her college professor (guest star Billy Campbell, "Once and Again"), the accused academician agrees to help Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Chris Meloni) by volunteering to submit a DNA sample for testing. But the case turns into a classic "he said, she said" stand-off when the professor claims the alleged victim showed up at his apartment seeking more then professional advice. Tamara Tuni also guest stars. Richard Belzer, Dann Florek, Diane Neal, Ice-T and B.D. Wong also star.
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 24
TIM MCGRAW: HERE AND NOW - (8-9 p.m.)
SUPERSTAR TIM MCGRAW RETURNS WITH HIS SECOND NBC SPECIAL -- Since his first NBC Thanksgiving special -- which incorporated footage from his years on tour and a concert performance from his hometown of Start, Louisiana -- superstar Tim McGraw has completed and released his much-anticipated ninth album, "Live Like You Were Dying." Just in time for a new Thanksgiving holiday, McGraw is back with a new music special that includes footage from two recent performances in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
THE WEST WING - (9-10 p.m.)
"The Dover Test"
AMERICAN SOLDIERS KILLED IN BARTLET'S PEACEKEEPING MISSION -- When a U.S. peacekeeping compound is attacked and American soldiers are killed, the White House struggles to contain the story even as the father of one of the slain soldiers speaks out against the mission. Meanwhile, Democratic Congressman Santos (Jimmy Smits, "NYPD Blue") attaches his patients' bill of rights to a Republican piece of legislation -- and effectively keeps the Democratic elements in line while maintaining a Republican agenda. Also, Leo (John Spencer) gets a lesson in life and business from his nurse. Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff, Janel Moloney and Dule Hill also star.
LAW & ORDER - (10-11 p.m.)
"All in the Family"
FOUR PEDESTRIANS MOWED DOWN ON STREET AS DETECTIVES CONSIDER JEWELER'S RUSSIAN MOB CONNECTION; MERCEDES RUEHL GUEST-STARS -- After four people, including tourists, are shot dead on the same sidewalk, Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) learn that one was a philandering jeweler with criminal ties to the Russian mob who was cooperating with federal authorities -- until someone close to the victim "ratted him out." In the meantime, the investigators find the hit men, but A.D.A. McCoy (Sam Waterston) must wrestle with the federal prosecutor over jurisdiction -- and both cases might hinge on the obscure clue that the jeweler was an Orthodox Jew. S. Epatha Merkerson, Elisabeth Rohm and Fred Dalton Thompson also star. Mercedes Ruehl guest-stars as the jeweler's wife.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 25
THE MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE - (9 a.m.-12 p.m.-all time zones)
MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE CONTINUES ANNUAL TRADITION ON NBC -- The 78th anniversary of America's favorite Thanksgiving Day parade features all the spectacular pageantry, fun and surprises that have made this annual New York City extravaganza a perennial favorite. Heralding the start of the Christmas season, this beloved holiday parade features colorful grand floats, lively marching bands, amazing character balloons and special performances by some of today's hottest stars and Broadway performers -- plus an appearance by Santa Claus. Brad Lachman is the executive producer of this live (in some time zones), three-hour special from NBC Entertainment. Katie Couric, Matt Lauer, and Al Roker will host the event
THE NATIONAL DOG SHOW PRESENTED BY PURINA - (12- 2 p.m.- all time zones)
JOHN O'HURLEY HOSTS ANNUAL HOLIDAY EVENT WITH 'THE NATIONAL DOG SHOW PRESENTED BY PURINA' -- Hosted by John O'Hurley ("Seinfeld), "The National Dog Show" takes place as part of the Kennel Club of Philadelphia's annual dog show, one of the oldest and most prestigious sporting events in North America, and one of only six remaining "benched" dog shows where the public can interact with the show dogs. The show is expected to feature more than 2,000 of the nation's leading canines in a wide variety of more than 150 breeds and varieties, all vying for "Best in Show" honors.
WILL & GRACE - (8-9 p.m.)
"Everybody Loves Vince"
SECRETS REVEALED FOR THE HOLIDAY-'THE SOPRANOS' JAMIE-LYNN DiSCALA AND BOBBY CANNAVALE GUEST-STAR -- When Vince's (guest star Bobby Cannavale) mother injures her leg and is unable to make her traditional Italian Thanksgiving, Will (Eric McCormack) comes to the rescue by offering to make his own special dinner -- but Vince's slap-happy mother refuses to give Will any credit. Meanwhile, Jack (Sean Hayes) gives Vince's sister Ro (guest star Jamie-Lynn DiScala, "The Sopranos") a few pointers on a big secret she is keeping from her family and fiance. Elsewhere, Grace (Debra Messing) and Karen (Megan Mullally) get very cozy with Vince's much younger brother.
THE APPRENTICE - (9-10 p.m.)
"Episode #12"
WHICH CANDIDATE WILL HAVE THE WINNING EDGE? -- Candidates work on branding campaign for PepsiCo's new soft drink, Pepsi Edge.
THE 'SEINFELD' STORY - (10-11 p.m.)
'SEINFELD' RETROSPECTIVE SPECIAL HOSTED BY JERRY SEINFELD RECALLS SERIES' CLASSIC MEMORIES -- NBC will celebrate the best memories of one of television's all-time classic comedies with a retrospective special commemorating the mega-hit "Seinfeld." Hosted by Jerry Seinfeld, the special will include interviews with fellow cast members Jason Alexander, Michael Richards and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, as well as co-creator and executive producer Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"). During interviews, each cast member will talk about the series' genesis and concentrate on the first four years when "Seinfeld" formed its unique style until it emerged as an acclaimed comedy classic.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 26
DATELINE - (8-9 p.m.)
DATELINE TOM BROKAW RETROSPECTIVE - (9-11 p.m.)
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 27
NBC MOVIE OF THE WEEK -- IT'S A WONDEFUL LIFE - (8-11 p.m.)
CHRISTMAS CLASSIC 'IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE' RETURNS TO NBC -- Frank Capra's 1946 holiday classic, "It's a Wonderful Life," starring James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore, returns to NBC. The film follows the life of George Bailey (Stewart) from childhood to maturity in the town of Bedford Falls. On what might be his last Christmas Eve, a discouraged Bailey wants to throw his life away. Fortunately, Clarence (Henry Travers), a second-class angel, is sent to show him the value of life. After Clarence gives Bailey a view of Bedford Falls without him, Bailey realizes how precious his life is and gets a second chance. He comes to learn that Clarence was right when he said, "No man is a failure who has friends." The film, which earned Oscar nominations for best picture, director, actor and film editing, was produced and directed by Capra.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 28
NBC MOVIE OF THE WEEK -- SHREK - (7-9 p.m.)
NBC PRESENTS HIT ANIMATED BLOCKBUSTER 'SHREK' -- In a strange and colorful land populated by fairy tale characters, an ogre named Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) must go on a quest to rescue the fair princess Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz) from a dark tower guard by a dragon so that she can live happily ever-after with the allegedly valiant Lord Farquaad (voiced by John Lithgow). Along for the adventure is Shrek's "noble steed" Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy), who battles alongside the ogre as he fights for the best of motives -- to rid his beloved swamp from unwanted storybook creatures in the hopes of living a happy and completely lonely existence.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL - (9-11 p.m. ET)
EMMY WINNER KELSEY GRAMMER STARS IN MUSICAL VERSION OF BELOVED FAMILY CLASSIC 'A CHRISTMAS CAROL' -- Emmy Award winner Kelsey Grammer ("Frasier") stars as Scrooge in the beloved classic holiday tale by Charles Dickens. Based on the long-running Madison Square Garden stage production, this musical extravaganza also stars Tony Award winner Jason Alexander ("Jerome Robbins' 'Broadway,' "Seinfeld"), Jesse L. Martin (NBC's "Law & Order), Tony Award winner Jane Krakowski ("Nine the Musical," "Ally McBeal"), three time Golden Globe nominee Geraldine Chaplin ("Mary, Mother of Jesus," "Mother Teresa") and Jennifer Love Hewitt ("Heartbreakers," "Garfield: The Movie").
MONDAY NOVEMBER 29
FEAR FACTOR - (8-9 p.m.)
"Pairs"
BEST FRIENDS, BLOOD TIES -- This new episode features four pairs of best friends performing stunts outrageous enough to test any friendship, including transferring live, blood-sucking leeches mouth-to-mouth -- while blindfolded. Joe Rogan hosts.
LAS VEGAS - (9-10 p.m.)
"My Beautiful Launderette"
DIRTY LAUNDRY -- MICHAEL LOWRY GUEST-STARS -- Sam (Vanessa Marcil) gets involved with a drug cartel when she learns that one of her clients is illegally laundering drug money through the Montecito. When Ed (James Caan) finds out, Sam agrees to help the FBI capture several key members of the cartel to help put an end to them. Meanwhile, Mike (James Lesure) is convinced that he has met the woman of his dreams, and does everything in his power to persuade her to date him. Elsewhere, Delinda (Molly Sims) meets and falls for Cody Barnes (Michael Lowry), a handsome Rodeo champion. Josh Duhamel, Marsha Thomason, and Nikki Cox also star.
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 30
CHRISTMAS IN ROCKEFELLER CENTER - (8-9 p.m.)
NATIONAL HOLIDAY TRADITION CONTINUES WITH TREE-LIGHTING IN ROCKEFELLER CENTER -- NBC continues a holiday tradition with its live annual telecast of the 72nd celebration of the world's most famous Christmas tree in "Christmas in Rockefeller Center," a star-studded one-hour special from Rockefeller Center in New York City. The popular musical lineup will include a mix of current hits along with holiday music. "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" is produced for a national audience by TWI, the television division of IMG (International Management Group), and WNBC. Steve Mayer and Adele Rifkin are executive producers.
THE BIGGEST LOSER - (9-10 p.m.)
"#106"
TEAMS TREK TO BEACH FOR A CHALLENGE -- Caroline Rhea ("Sabrina, The Teenage Witch") hosts this unscripted, one-hour series in which two competing teams follow comprehensive diet and exercise plans to undergo radical physical makeovers. In this episode, the teams put their new stamina to the test and Blue Team Trainer Bob reaches his boiling point after one contestant refuses to workout. Also, an elimination surprise divides one team.
LAW & ORDER: SVU - (10-11 p.m.)
"Weak"
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 1
THE APPRENTICE - (8-9 p.m.)
"A Look Back"
A look back at the highlights of the second season of "The Apprentice."
THE WEST WING - (9-10 p.m.)
"A Change Is Gonna Come"
BARTLET'S CHINA SUMMIT IS THREATENED; ED O'NEILL GUEST-STARS -- Final preparation goes into President Bartlet's (Martin Sheen) visit to China when he accepts a flag from the Taiwanese delegation representing the Taiwanese Independence Movement -- prompting China to mobilize for military action. Allison Janney, Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff, Janel Moloney, Dule Hill also star. Ed O'Neill ("Married... with Children") guest-stars as a United States senator.
LAW & ORDER - (10-11 p.m.)
"Fixed"
CHILD MURDERER GETS DOSE OF DEADLY HEAVY METAL AS POLICE LOOK BEHIND PRISON WALLS FOR SUSPECT -- When a convicted child murderer is struck and left for dead by a motorist just weeks after his prison release, Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) are not enthused about finding out who ran him over. When the murderer dies, they look inside the walls where he served his sentence -- and find evidence that leads A.D.A. McCoy (Sam Waterston) to make a startling discovery. S. Epatha Merkerson, Elisabeth Rohm and Fred Dalton Thompson also star.
And another look at Fox's future:
Fox Fielding New Team for November Sweep
By Cynthia Littleton Mon Nov 1, 5:10 PM ET
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The moment the Boston Red Sox broke the curse and clinched the World Series (news - web sites) on Wednesday night, the battle began anew for the entertainment programming team at Fox Broadcasting Co.
Now that Fox's annual primetime break for postseason baseball is completed -- with a historic World Series win by the Sox that yielded the highest ratings for the Fall Classic since 1995 -- it's once again time for network's entertainment division to step up to the plate.
Fox turned itself inside out this year to find a way to work around the double-edged sword that baseball's October pre-emptions bring to the network. The league playoff games and World Series bouts give Fox a huge promotional platform to build on, but they also mean weeks of schedule disruptions at a time when viewers are just settling in with the broadcasters' new fall lineups.
Fox's solution to this quandary has been to shift its primetime calendar to a pattern of rolling out original programming on a year-round basis. The network mounted a miniseason of new shows in June, but it still hasn't been able to avoid the need to launch a bunch of new shows on the back of baseball, which happens to coincide with the start of the November sweep.
"We've been down this road enough to know that even with the enormous ratings for baseball, it doesn't mean that we've raised our expectations for how we're going to perform going forward," says Preston Beckman, Fox executive vp strategic program planning. "Our No. 1 priority is to improve our performance over last November and December."
During the next two weeks, Fox will rolling out three new reality shows -- "Nanny 911," "My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss" and "The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best" -- plus a new medical drama, "House," and the return of its promising Emmy-winning-but-ratings-challenged comedy "Arrested Development" to a new, post-"Simpsons" Sunday time slot.
Indeed, Fox has a lot riding on Sunday night, where ABC's sudden explosion with "Desperate Housewives" and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" has upped the competitive stakes considerably since the broadcasters mapped out their 2004-05 season scheduling strategies in the spring.
After last year's disappointment with "Joe Millionaire 2," Fox brass also are gamely trying a new spin on last season's reality hit "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance" with "Obnoxious Boss" in the Sunday 9 p.m. berth opposite "Housewives."
Beckman admits that "Boss" is either going to be a hit or a miss -- there won't be any middle ground -- and though it has to face the hottest new series of the season, it at least has the counterprograming advantage of being the only unscripted offering in the time slot.
Fox won't be at full strength until January, when "American Idol" sings out again and the clock is reset for the fourth season of "24." But in Beckman's view, the network's biggest challenge of the season arrives Thursday, when "The O.C." returns for its second season in an unfamiliar time slot: 8 p.m. Thursday.
There's no questioning "O.C.'s" pop culture bona fides -- it's hard to find a magazine cover that hasn't had an "O.C."-related face on it during the past month -- but how well it performs in its new time slot, a zone that once belonged to "Friends" and is now dominated by CBS' "Survivor: Vanuatu," will speak volumes about Fox's competitiveness during the next six months.
"It's our first opportunity (in years) to really get in the game on this night, not only because 'Friends' is gone but because we have a real (hit) show here," Beckman says. "We're being realistic about what to expect ... but we also know it's our big move of the year, and how it fares will say a lot about how Thursday night will go for us and a few other networks."
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
'Pride' Is Sweeps 'Loser' at NBC
Animated series heads to hiatus
(zap2it.com)---What happens in Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden is staying in Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden, at least for the coming sweeps period.
NBC has pulled its expensive but modestly rated animated comedy "Father of the Pride" for November sweeps, which begin Thursday (Nov. 4). The network will expand its unscripted series "The Biggest Loser" to 90 minutes for three weeks starting Tuesday, Nov. 9 to fill "Pride's" 9 p.m. ET Tuesday spot.
The final Tuesday of sweeps, Nov. 30, will feature the annual "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" special at 8 p.m., with "The Biggest Loser" moving to 9 that night.
A sweeps hiatus is rarely good news for any show, but it could be particularly dire for "Father of the Pride" since episodes of animated shows take so much longer to complete than live-action series. NBC ordered additional scripts for the show earlier in the season but hasn't given the go-ahead to make new episodes.
"Pride" has averaged about 9.6 million viewers per week through seven airings, down significantly compared to the same period last year, when a declining "Frasier" was still drawing about 12 million people per week. Its ratings among adults 18-49, NBC's favorite demographic, have been reasonably competitive but not stellar.
The network hasn't made a decision on what to do with the remaining six "Father of the Pride" episodes.
Monday's Ratings are posted under Latest News
(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Monday Ratings:
ABC Opens on a Winning Note
Monday 11/01/04
Note: The following ratings exclude the West Palm Beach market.
Metered Market Ratings
Household Rating/Share
ABC: 10.2/15
CBS: 8.9/13
NBC: 8.3/12
WB: 5.6/ 8
Fox: 5.5/ 8
UPN: 2.4/ 3
Percent Change From Comparable Year-Ago Night (Nov. 3, 2003):
Fox: +45
NBC: + 1
WB: - 8
ABC: -14
CBS: -25
UPN: -31
Fast Affiliate Ratings
Total Viewers:
ABC: 13.13 million
CBS: 12.61
NBC: 12.54
Fox: 7.38
WB: 5.87
UPN: 2.91
Adults 18-49:
ABC: 5.2/13
NBC: 5.1/13
CBS: 4.3/11
Fox: 3.2/ 8
WB: 2.2/ 5
UPN: 1.2/ 3
Yesterday's Winners: Fear Factor (NBC)
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)
7th Heaven (WB), CSI Miami R (CBS)
Saturday Night Live Presidential Bash 2004: The Great Debates (NBC)
Dominant but Diluted:
Monday Night Football (ABC)
Honorable Mention:
Everybody Loves Raymond R (CBS)
Two and a Half Men R (CBS)
Las Vegas (NBC)
Ratings Breakdown:
With CBS in repeats, and a special edition of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (How'd They Do That?) anchoring the night, ABC won Monday, beating the second-place network (CBS in the overnights and total viewers, NBC among adults 18-49) by an average of 15 percent in the overnights, 520,000 viewers and 2 percent among adults 18-49. Although a special edition of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition: How'd They Do That? at 8 p.m. (#1, 8.1/12; Viewers: #2, 11.44 million; A18-49: #2, 4.4/11) beat NBC's veteran Fear Factor (#2: 6.9/10; Viewers: #1, 12.15 million; A18-49: #1, 4.9/13) in