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MediaWeek.com
December 28, 2002
Ask the Programming Insider: The Practice, Alias, Dragnet and Kingpin
By Marc Berman
Question: "I was hoping you could comment on how you think battle of the new Sunday 10 pm dramas will play out in February. Although I was intrigued by ABC's ultimate decision to move The Practice for Dragnet, I was shocked that NBC is using Sunday and Tuesday 10 p.m. to launch the highly touted Kingpin. The potential success of each series could have tremendous implications for their respective nets, as ABC needs new drama blood and this is their best chance in years, while NBC could use a fresh, buzz-generating drama.
So, I was wondering how you think the competition will play out. ABC has the Super Bowl promotional platform, as well as the hopefully exploding Alias after a post-Super Bowl airing. But I worry for them, as NBC will no doubt use all of their promotional muscle to plug the only two 10 pm sore spots on their schedule."
The Programming Insider: Although relocating The Practice is not what you would call programming brain surgery, a better idea would have been to move it to 9 p.m. Sunday last fall as a lead-in to the then debuting Alias. By doing that, the then more potent legal drama could have limited NBC's competing Law & Order: Criminal Intent while offering an ample lead-in to then freshman Alias. Since the future of any network is fresh programming options, positioning upcoming Dragnet at 10 p.m. Sunday (in place of The Practice) means that ABC is giving the Dick Wolf revival a better shot at survival than it would have had in its originally announced Monday 9 p.m. hour. But considering how quickly The Practice is fading, using it now to jumpstart a football-less Monday opposite Everybody Loves Raymond, Third Watch and Everwood is risky.
As for Alias, even with the added push from its upcoming Super Bowl lead-in, the complexity of the plots means that the already alienated audience is unlikely to come back for more. After two minimally rated seasons, there is no reason to believe the critically acclaimed Alias will suddenly catch on.
Over at NBC, airing miniseries Kingpin in place of the regularly scheduled Boomtown and Dateline is a logical maneuver. Neither series has set the ratings world on fire this season. But before you get sold on the upcoming Kingpin hype (NBC has a real knack for spinning), keep in mind that the success of The Sopranos on HBO is no guarantee of Kingpin's potential. Remember short-lived CBS mob drama EZ Streets in 1996?
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