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On 'Old Christine,'
a reunion so sweet

Jason Alexander pops in on the lagging CBS show

By Diego Vasquez
Mar 31, 2008

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Nearly 10 years after the show went off the air, a “Seinfeld” reunion takes place tonight at 9:30 p.m. on the third-season finale of CBS’s “The New Adventures of Old Christine.”

Jason Alexander guest stars as a gynecologist as Christine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) finds out she may have entered perimenopause. The stunt is likely to pump up ratings, just as Britney Spears’ guest role did last week for another CBS Monday night show, “How I Met Your Mother,” which hit a series high in adults 18-49.

Like “Mother,” “Christine” could use the lift.

Last year the show received a last-minute renewal but didn’t return until midseason, which is never a good sign. When it finally got back on the air, it had middling ratings, with the bulk of CBS’s Monday schedule in repeats because of the writers’ strike.

The past two weeks, however, “Christine” has been performing much better, and that combined with several other factors gives the show a decent chance at a fourth season.

The last two weeks, airing behind No. 1 sitcom “Two and a Half Men,” “Christine” has averaged a 4.1 rating, after averaging just a 3.4 in the two months before. That proves “Christine” is still capable of putting up good numbers when paired with the right lead-in.

Also, CBS, like other networks, doesn’t have as many promising shows in development because of the writers’ strike. A weak development slate may lead to renewals of veteran programs that otherwise would have been axed.

But perhaps most importantly, “Christine” gives CBS a critical cachet that’s lacking for many of its dramas. Louis-Dreyfus is beloved by critics partly because of those “Seinfeld” years, and she’s the only CBS actor to win an Emmy the last few years, taking home best comedic actress two years ago for “Christine.” Because of that, other networks may consider picking "Christine" up if CBS drops it.

Whether "Christine" will return at midseason again, however, may depend on the performance of the second-year sitcom "Rules of Engagement." It returns to the schedule in two weeks to replace "Christine." If "Engagement" posts better numbers, it will likely get the fall slot behind "Men."

A look at this week’s top TV draws
MONDAY, MARCH 31
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 p.m.	ESPN2	“Major League Baseball” (S)	Play ball! The season starts with Torii Hunter and the Angels taking on his old team, the Twins.
8 p.m.	ABC	“Dancing with the Stars” (R)	The remaining performers try their hands at the tango and the jive.
8 p.m.	ABC Family	“Greek” (D)	The kids attend a Great Gatsby-themed prohibition party.
9 p.m.	CBS	“Two and a Half Men” (C)	Alan dates a woman who dishes about Judith’s sex life.
10 p.m.	CBS	“CSI: Miami” (D)	First of a two-parter has Horatio looking into a murder that may involve Julia.
10 p.m.	NBC	“Medium” (D)	Allison finally makes some progress in the 10-year-old kidnapping case she’s been investigating.
10 p.m.	WE	“High School Confidential” (R)	Problems on different levels: one girl deals with pregnancy while another quits the soccer team.
TUESDAY, APRIL 1
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	NBC	“Today” (N)	Actresses Helen Mirren and Angela Lansbury guest, and R.E.M. performs.
7 p.m.	ESPN2	“College Basketball” (S)	Ole Miss takes on Ohio State in an NIT semifinal at Madison Square Garden.
8 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol” (R)	The final nine get trained by Dolly Parton, then perform her songs.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Dancing with the Stars” (R)	Kylie Minogue performs and another contestant is eliminated.
9 p.m.	Fox	“Hell’s Kitchen” (R)	Season premiere. This year’s winner gets a job at Ramsay’s L.A. restaurant.
10 p.m.	CBS	“CSI: Miami” (D)	Second episode of the two-parter that began last night.
10 p.m.	Biography	“The Truth Behind Sitcom Scandals” (N)	A look at the 1960s program “Lost in Space.”
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	“Good Morning America” (N)	Former “American Idol” contestants Blake Lewis performs.
7 p.m.	ESPN2	“Major League Baseball” (S)	Toronto versus New York at Yankee Stadium.
8 p.m.	CW	“ America’s Next Top Model” (R)	The women are split into two groups for modeling auditions.
9 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol” (R)	Dolly Parton performs, then another contestant is bounced.
10 p.m.	CBS	“CSI: NY” (D)	Mac and his crew search for a criminal after receiving a tip.
10 p.m.	TBS	“Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” (C)	CJ finds $50,000 in his truck but the family can’t decide what to do with it.
10 p.m.	MTV	“Real World Awards Bash” (R)	Former cast members compete in categories such as Hottest and Most Hated.
THURSDAY, APRIL 3
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 p.m.	CBS	“The Early Show” (N)	Actress Jodie Foster visits the set.
7 p.m.	ESPN	“College Basketball” (S)	The NIT final from Madison Square Garden.
8 p.m.	NBC	“My Name is Earl” (C)	Jeff Zucker provides the intro for the return of the Thursday night comedy. Expect a few writers' strike zingers.
9 p.m.	CBS	“CSI” (D)	Grissom and his team try to track down gang members while dealing with a flu bug.
9 p.m.	History Channel	“Gangland” (N)	A look at crime syndicates in Texas.
10 p.m.	CBS	“Without a Trace” (D)	Jack goes missing while trying to find a doctor who performs illegal abortions.
10 p.m.	MTV	“Rock the Cradle” (R)	Series premiere. The children of former musical stars compete against one another.
FRIDAY, APRIL 4
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	NBC	“Today” (N)	Legendary film director Martin Scorsese guests.
8 p.m.	CBS	“Ghost Whisperer” (D)	Ned’s gal thinks her dad is haunting her.
8 p.m.	ESPN	“NBA Basketball” (S)	The Spurs take on the Jazz in a Western Conference matchup.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Duel” (G)	The game show returns for its second run.
10 p.m.	CBS	“Numb3rs” (D)	Don arrests a guy on a hunch, and he turns out to be right on.
10 p.m.	TLC	“10 Years Younger” (R)	A mom who thinks her looks are hurting her business gets a makeover.
SATURDAY, APRIL 5
Time	Network	Program	Description
2 p.m.	NBC	“PGA Golf” (S)	Third-round coverage of the Houston Open.
3:30 p.m.	Fox	“Major League Baseball” (S)	Fox starts its baseball season with regional coverage.
6 p.m.	CBS	“College Basketball” (S)	The first of two national semifinals from the Final Four in San Antonio.
8 p.m.	Fox	“Cops” (R)	A clip show highlighting the first 20 years of the show.
10 p.m.	National Geographic Channel	“Monster Fish of the Amazon” (N)	Biologists find fish that approach 15 feet in length.
11:30 p.m.	NBC	“Saturday Night Live” (C)	Christopher Walken guests and Panic! At the Disco performs.
SUNDAY, APRIL 6
Time	Network	Program	Description
3 p.m.	NBC	“PGA Golf” (S)	Final round of the Houston Open, won last year by Adam Scott.
3:30 p.m.	ABC	“NBA Basketball” (S)	Huge game between the Dallas Mavs and Phoenix Suns.
8 p.m.	NBC	“Monk” (D)	The USA show comes to NBC, followed by network sibling “Psych.”
9 p.m.	CBS	“Cold Case” (D)	A suspected murderer is escorted from West Virginia to Philly.
9 p.m.	HBO	“John Adams” (D)	Adams’ relationship with Jefferson strains as tensions between England and France rise.
10 p.m.	National Geographic Channel	“ America’s Port” (N)	Series premiere. Following the happenings at the Port of Los Angeles.
10 p.m.	FX	“Dirt” (D)	Lucy and the staff cover an awards show but of course find more interesting stories backstage.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.