NBC announces fall season

May 13, 2002 by Ian Evans

It’s the upfront season in New York, a time when the major TV networks try to sell advertising “upfront” while parading the stars of new and returning shows before Madison Avenue decision-makers.

NBC started off today by changing their schedule very little.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Watching Ellie did not get a permanent slot in the fall lineup, though the network will be bringing it back as a mid-season replacement.

Weakest Link also dropped off the regular lineup. It’ll have the same fall fate as ABC’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, basically returning as a series of specials. At least it and Ellie have some lifelines, something that wasn’t tossed to Leap of Faith, which was cancelled outright.

The rest of the schedule will feature just 3.5 hours of new shows.

Three of those shows will be comedies:

  • The Kelsey Grammer-produced sitcom In-Laws, starring Dennis Farina and Jean Smart.
  • Hidden Hills, a Kristin Bauer vehicle about a sexy mom with an Internet following.
  • Good Morning Miami, which co-stars Suzanne Pleshette as the mother of a young TV producer who moves to Miami to revamp the lowest-rated morning show in the country.
Two dramas join the fray as well. There’s American Dreams, a nostalgic family show set in the 60s and a new ensemble crime series Boomtown.

Scrubs will spend it’s sophomore year following Friends in the 8:30pm slot, while Just Shoot Me moves to Tuesday.

It’s ABC’s turn tomorrow. Expect to hear about Spin City, Dharma & Greg, The Job and Philly all getting the ax.