ABC paints Thursdays 'Grey's' against CBS' 'CSI'
ABC is painting Thurs. 'Grey's' versus CBS' 'CSI'
May 17, 2006
NEW YORK -- ABC is taking the bold step of moving its hottest show into the toughest night on TV next season with plans to shift medical drama "Grey's Anatomy" to Thursday against CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."
"We feel it's a show that deserves the 9 o'clock time period (on Thursday). It deserves to be on the mantle of great shows on television," ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson said of the move Tuesday as he outlined the network's revamped 2006-07 lineup in advance of the network's formal schedule unveiling later Tuesday at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall.
ABC's new Thursday slate will open with two new comedies, "Big Day," about a couple's wedding day, and "Notes From the Underbelly," an ensemble comedy about an expectant couple and their friends. For its third season, "Grey's" moves to the 9 p.m. slot followed by new ensemble drama "Six Degrees."
"With comedies leading into it, it establishes another strong place for us on the schedule," McPherson said of the Thursday shuffle.
ABC will open the week on Mondays without pro football for the first time in 36 years. The 8 p.m. hour leads off with returning reality series "Wife Swap," followed by a rotating combo of "The Bachelor" and "Supernanny" capped by the 10 p.m. return of ensemble drama "What About Brian," which had a brief midseason run earlier this spring.
Tuesday will open with the relocated "Dancing With the Stars," followed by two new comedies, "Let's Rob ...," starring Donal Logue as the leader of a group of guys who conspire to rob Mick Jagger; and "Help Me Help You," starring Ted Danson as a group therapy leader. The David E. Kelley drama "Boston Legal" returns for its third season at 10 p.m.
The "Dancing" results show will hold down the Wednesday 8 p.m. slot, The 9 p.m. berth remains the home of "Lost" in its third season , followed by taut new drama "The Nine," about a group of strangers whose lives are changed after being held hostage in a bank robbery.
ABC will try two lighter dramas on Fridays, opening with the telenovela-inspired "Betty the Ugly," about an unattractive woman who works at a fashion magazine, and "Men in Trees," starring Anne Heche as a woman who moves to Alaska after her marriage crumbles.
Saturday nights in the fourth quarter will be devoted to a college football showcase. Sunday remains status quo from 7-10 p.m. with "America's Funniest Home Videos," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and "Desperate Housewives." New family soap "Brothers & Sisters," starring Calista Flockhart and Rachel Griffiths, moves into the 10 p.m. slot vacated by "Grey's Anatomy."
"You have to be aggressive," McPherson said of the planned shakeup for the coming season. "You have to play the cards you're dealt, and we've got some good cards."
"We feel it's a show that deserves the 9 o'clock time period (on Thursday). It deserves to be on the mantle of great shows on television," ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson said of the move Tuesday as he outlined the network's revamped 2006-07 lineup in advance of the network's formal schedule unveiling later Tuesday at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall.
ABC's new Thursday slate will open with two new comedies, "Big Day," about a couple's wedding day, and "Notes From the Underbelly," an ensemble comedy about an expectant couple and their friends. For its third season, "Grey's" moves to the 9 p.m. slot followed by new ensemble drama "Six Degrees."
"With comedies leading into it, it establishes another strong place for us on the schedule," McPherson said of the Thursday shuffle.
ABC will open the week on Mondays without pro football for the first time in 36 years. The 8 p.m. hour leads off with returning reality series "Wife Swap," followed by a rotating combo of "The Bachelor" and "Supernanny" capped by the 10 p.m. return of ensemble drama "What About Brian," which had a brief midseason run earlier this spring.
Tuesday will open with the relocated "Dancing With the Stars," followed by two new comedies, "Let's Rob ...," starring Donal Logue as the leader of a group of guys who conspire to rob Mick Jagger; and "Help Me Help You," starring Ted Danson as a group therapy leader. The David E. Kelley drama "Boston Legal" returns for its third season at 10 p.m.
The "Dancing" results show will hold down the Wednesday 8 p.m. slot, The 9 p.m. berth remains the home of "Lost" in its third season , followed by taut new drama "The Nine," about a group of strangers whose lives are changed after being held hostage in a bank robbery.
ABC will try two lighter dramas on Fridays, opening with the telenovela-inspired "Betty the Ugly," about an unattractive woman who works at a fashion magazine, and "Men in Trees," starring Anne Heche as a woman who moves to Alaska after her marriage crumbles.
Saturday nights in the fourth quarter will be devoted to a college football showcase. Sunday remains status quo from 7-10 p.m. with "America's Funniest Home Videos," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and "Desperate Housewives." New family soap "Brothers & Sisters," starring Calista Flockhart and Rachel Griffiths, moves into the 10 p.m. slot vacated by "Grey's Anatomy."
"You have to be aggressive," McPherson said of the planned shakeup for the coming season. "You have to play the cards you're dealt, and we've got some good cards."
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