Big Four split Sunday with strong new shows
On a night when each of the broadcast networks ranked No. 1 for at least one half-hour among adults 18-49, Sunday was also a time for a handful of midseason or returning rookie shows to prove themselves. The news on that front was good for each of the Big Three networks. ABC’s “Dragnet” ranked No. 1 at 10 p.m. with an average 4.2 rating against NBC’s “Boomtown,” which was yanked for the February sweeps, but which also did well with a 4.1 rating in the time slot. Meanwhile, CBS’s “My Big Fat Greek Life” continued to do well, even without the cushy “Everybody Loves Raymond” lead-in it had for its debut. The show was CBS’s highest-rated with a 4.4 rating against Fox’s “The Simpsons,” Sunday’s highest-rated show. Sunday ultimately belonged to Fox, though. “King of the Hill” and two episodes of “The Simpsons” ranked No. 1 in their time slots and pushed Fox to a win for the night.Fox had a 4.6 adult 18-49 rating, compared to NBC’s 4, ABC’s 3.7 and CBS’s 3.1, based on Nielsen overnights.CBS was the top-rated network among households. It had a 7.6 rating and 12 share. NBC had a 7.4/12 while ABC and Fox tied with a 5.8/9.

Gay group leans on MSNBC to ditch Savage
Gay rights activists and conservative talk show host Michael Savage are in a tug-of-war over the soul of MSNBC, with one side urging the cable network to fight bigotry and the other side demanding that it resist censorship. Representatives of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) will meet with NBC chairman Robert Wright this week to express their concerns over a new MSNBC show hosted by Savage. The controversial radio star has made frequent verbal attacks on gays and feminists, and once referred to gay Congressman Barney Frank as “Barney Fag.” Savage says he won’t be chased away like Dr. Laura Schlessinger, whose short-lived syndicated TV show prompted similar protests upon its debut in 2000. Savage says the attack amounts to censorship, and threatened to sic his millions of listeners on the Justice Department to demand an investigation of the protest groups, including GLAAD and the National Organization for Women. He says that MSNBC has promised to back him “100 percent.” 

Pilot news: Garofalo signs on with ABC, more 
Reality shows may yet supplant scripted series entirely, but until then the networks will keep cranking out pilots. At ABC, comedian Janeane Garofalo has signed to play a newsmagazine producer in the midseason show “Slice O’ Life.” The network also added untitled fall sitcoms with Rodney Carrington, being developed by the “My Wife & Kids” team, and Kevin Hart. Danny Nucci and former “Ghostbuster” Ernie Hudson have joined drama “10-8,” with Scott Winters, Mercedes Colon and Travis Schuldt as cops and cop trainers for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. “Jesse” castoff Bruno Campos will join Aunjanue Ellis and “Wings” veteran Steven Weber in “The DA.” Liz Vassey and Mary Catherine Garrison play undercover cops in “The Partners.” Hal Halbrook has joined “The Street Lawyer.” ABC also has an untitled Jenny McCarthy project in development. At CBS, Justin Chambers will play the lead in a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama. “Drew Carey’s” on-screen brother, John Carroll Lynch, will star in David E. Kelley’s “The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire.” Holly Robinson Peete appears in the WB’s “Family Friends” while at UPN, Amy Pietz joins the drama “Newton.” At NBC, a comedy about a 4,000-year-old couple will star Adam Arkin.

Study: Women, minorities make headway in news
NBC's Andrea Mitchell is the most visible of a crop of female reporters who, though still underrepresented, continue to gain prominence on evening newscasts. Mitchell played a role in 123 "NBC Nightly News" segments last year, according to a new study by the Washington-based Center for Media and Public Affairs. Female correspondents reported 29 percent of the 12,179 stories featured last year in the evening newscasts of ABC, CBS and NBC, according to the study. That's the highest proportion of female-reported news recorded since the study began in 1990, when it was 13 percent. Meanwhile, minority reporters provided 14 percent of last year's evening news reports, up from 7 percent in 1990. Two African-Americans, ABC's Pierre Thomas and CBS's Byron Pitts, and two Asian-Americans, ABC's John Yang and CBS's Joie Chen, were among the 50 most visible reporters last year.

Experience reality through the eyes of Gary Busey
To Hollywood he may be little more than a poor man's Nick Nolte, but to Adam de la Pena, Gary Busey is a fount of semi-divine wisdom. The young writer will shadow Busey, the live-wire star of films including "Lethal Weapon" and "D.C. Cab," with a camera crew filming their interactions for an upcoming Comedy Central reality show. De la Pena, who has also worked on "The Man Show" and "Crank Yankers," hopes to glean life lessons by accompanying Busey through activities including paintball fights and desert hiking. Busey was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of rock ‘n’ roll legend Buddy Holly in 1978's "The Buddy Holly Story," and he was the last man killed on the TV series "Gunsmoke." He also lent his voice talents to last year's hit video game "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City."

March 3, 2003© 2003 Media Life

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