Television fans just beginning to get their bearings as to where series are located may feel a small twinge of disorientation this month, as the networks again shuffle their prime-time lineups.
Almost entirely by default, January and March have become the designated windows in which networks launch new midseason series. November and February have been ruled out because big miniseries and specials tilt the playing field. In December, travel and party-going play havoc with viewing levels, so reruns and holiday fare hold sway.
After taking inventory of their strengths and weaknesses, the networks will premiere several programs during January, with a dozen others occupying different time slots. The new arrivals include a second edition of "60 Minutes," three dramas and several animated series, among them Fox's "The PJs," featuring the voice of Eddie Murphy; and "Dilbert," which graduates from the comic page to TV on UPN.
Some of these shows fill voids left by early cancellations. Four in 10 of this fall's new series failed to survive into 1999, and the scythe hasn't finished swinging yet. Last season, only six of three dozen programs that made their debut in the fall were granted a second season, and the final casualty count for this year won't be known until next season's schedules are announced in May.
While the latest revisions will invariably cause some confusion, they nevertheless appear less drastic than in the past. At this point, the major networks seem more inclined to engage in tinkering than ax-wielding, realizing that as their ratings drop, viewers require more time to become aware of new offerings.
ABC Entertainment Chairman Stu Bloomberg recently observed that he felt it wiser to exercise greater patience by "sticking with shows we believe in" and hoping for the best. Indeed, because making a change now runs the legitimate risk of seeing poor ratings get worse, networks can justify leaving some low-rated shows on longer, clinging to the outside chance the audience will grow.
Series such as ABC's "Vengeance Unlimited" and "Cupid" will thus linger into the new year, despite numbers that once would have prompted an almost-immediate hook. The former--which airs at 8 p.m. Thursdays, a longtime graveyard for new ABC dramas--remains in jeopardy if ratings don't improve soon, while the latter hasn't been done much of a favor with its imminent shift from Saturdays to Thursdays, where it will air opposite NBC's "Frasier."
