By Kevin Downey

    When NBC unveils its fall schedule to advertisers this afternoon, one needn't don earmuffs to protect against an uproar of oohs and ahs.
    NBC, though mightily challenged in a very close race among the big three networks, is making very few changes come fall, and most of those are on nights that are considered less critical than, say, its Thursday lineup.
    It is also adding very few new shows, just six, in fact--three sitcoms and three dramas. It's also upping its much-talked-about new game show, "Weakest Link," to two nights a week.
    NBC added eight shows last year and made a number of daring programming moves, most of which flopped.
    This year, NBC is playing it a bit safer.
    Its lead in the demo prized by many advertisers, adults 18-49, slipped 6 percent this season. So the network will unveil a programming lineup meant to secure its tenuous hold on the No. 1 spot.
    "For the last two or three years, we’ve gone to the NBC presentation and we’ve looked at the schedule and said, ‘Gee, I think they could have done more and could have done better,’" says Paul Schulman, president of Advanswers PhD.
    "Then when you look at the other schedules as the week unfolds, NBC’s schedule starts to look better and better.
    "But it’s not until you see the other schedules that you are convinced that NBC will continue to do well with 18-49s."
    Perhaps more nerve-wracking for NBC is the fact that both ABC and Fox are now within two-tenths of a rating point of its rating. And CBS, of course, has proven itself to be a viable competitor with "Survivor."
   That means a hit show on any of the networks could completely shake things up next year.
    "The networks are so close in the 18-49 ratings, it’s incredible," Schulman says. "So, one or two hits could mean the rating crown for anybody.
   "It’s great that it’s so competitive because then none of the networks are a must-buy. It’s great as a negotiator."
    NBC is holding onto what works and that means Wednesday through Friday will be the least touched.
    The only change, in fact, is the addition of "Inside Schwartz," a sitcom about a sports-obsessed guy looking for love, from the producers of "Dharma & Greg."
    It will replace the anemic "Weber Show." That show followed "Friends" on Thursday, and like many sitcoms in that time slot, regularly lost 25 percent of its lead-in’s rating.
    "Would they please find something for 8:30 that doesn’t reek," quips Shari Anne Brill, director of programming services at Carat.
    "They have always sandwiched the worst shows in between two good shows. And ‘Friends’ is getting on in years and has been weakening against the very popular ‘Survivor.’ They need to get the heir apparent really fast."
    NBC’s weekend schedule is being completely overhauled.
    Its boldest programming strategy last year was to fill Saturday night with the XFL. The network and its partner, the WWF, dismantled the football league late last week after UPN declined the chance to air the games on Sunday afternoons.
   This fall, NBC will air a movie on Saturday.
   The network has struggled with a movie on Sunday and it will be replaced with an almost entirely new night of programs.
    "Dateline" goes up against CBS’s "60 Minutes" at 7 p.m. At 8 p.m., NBC will air a second installment of its "Weakest Link" game show. A third edition of its "Law & Order" franchise, this one subtitled, "Criminal Intent," will follow and "Undercover," a drama about crime investigators who assume different personas, will air at 10 p.m.
    "NBC has always been good at coming up with a good drama," says Brill.
    "Not knowing what these shows look like, it’s hard to say [how well they will do], but ‘Third Watch’ has done decent numbers for them. But it did well once they took it off Sunday night."
    On Monday, "Weakest Link" continues as the anchor for the night. "Third Watch" moves to 9 p.m. and the new drama about a coroner, "Crossing Jordan," follows.
    "Emeril," a sitcom with chef Emeril Lagasse, will be on at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and will be partnered with the returning midseason show, "Three Sisters." "Frasier" will stay at 9 p.m. and will be followed by the new sitcom, "Scrubs," a romantic comedy set in a hospital from the producers of "Spin City."
    The schedule changes at NBC mean a couple of shows will not be returning: among them, "DAG," which faltered on Tuesday; and "3^rd Rock," which wrapped up a long run this season. "The Weber Show" is unlikely to ever return.
    Other shows in development and presented at NBC’s pre-upfront earlier this year, from the likes of Bob Newhart and Sisqó and Paul Reiser, may be on hold until midseason.
    And NBC has reportedly put a few specials and a sitcom with Jennifer Lopez into development for later in the season.
    NBC’s canceled shows follow a long list of failures this past season.
    Among its early casualties were the sitcoms, "Daddio," "Tucker," "The Michael Richards Show," and the drama, "Titans."
    NBC’s failures, including the XFL, and its struggle to get into the reality or game show fad have resulted in a number of rumors about the occupants of its executive offices.
   The biggest one surrounds NBC West Coast president, Scott Sassa, who may be on his way out. If so, it will mark something of an annual trend at the Peacock network.
   Garth Ancier, former president of entertainment, got the boot last year and was replaced by Jeff Zucker.
   Ancier has since landed at the WB but was rumored to be on his way out at NBC shortly after last year’s upfront presentation.

May 14, 2001 © 2001 Media Life

-Kevin Downey is a staff writer for Media Life.

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