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Andrew Macpherson, ABC Jennifer Garner's pregnancy will be written into the script of "Alias." Click photo for larger image.
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At 8 p.m., NBC's comedies return to duke it out with CBS's still formidable "Survivor: Guatemala," Fox's teen-appeal sudser "The O.C.," relocated series "Smallville" on The WB and "Alias" on ABC and UPN's much-buzzed-about new comedy, "Everybody Hates Chris."
"I think everybody's kind of attacking that niche, so there will certainly be more competition for the younger audience," said Kevin Reilly, president of NBC Entertainment.
It's unlikely all these competitors will live to see a season beyond 2005-2006. Some may scurry for a safer time slot sooner rather than later. But all the networks are willing to give Thursday a shot for one simple reason: big money.
"From an economic standpoint ... it's because it is the day before movies open," said Garth Ancier, chairman of The WB. With films opening Friday, movie studios routinely buy ad time Thursday night. All the networks gun for young viewers, because they're the target audience of most movies today. Thursday is useful for other advertisers, Ancier said, because it's the night "before people make their spending decisions of where they're going to shop this weekend. Thursday has long been the most important night in terms of advertising dollars.
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| Mario Perez, ABC Executive producer Damon Lindelof says answers will come in the season premiere of "Lost," which stars Dominic Monaghan as Charlie and Evangeline Lilly as Kate. Click photo for larger image. |
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The WB expects to increase its ratings in the time period, even though ratings for individual shows, including "Everwood" at 9 p.m. Thursday, are likely to decline from what the shows garnered in their previous time slots.
"Do they have to perform at exactly the same levels? No," said David Janollari, Entertainment president of The WB.
NBC's Reilly said he decided to stick with the same Thursday-night schedule as last year because changing it would likely do more damage; better to bring the night back intact and hope those who watched last season will return. But Reilly hasn't given up on rebuilding NBC's Thursday-night, two-hour comedy block, which disappeared with the arrival of "The Apprentice."
"I want to get back to four comedies on Thursday night," Reilly said. "I hope 'The Apprentice' is on for 15 years. It doesn't mean it's necessarily going to stay on Thursday night for 15 years."
Syd's preggers on 'Alias'
"Alias" will be among the series in the Thursday-night dogfight, but fans can expect some changes, according to writer Breen Frazier. At Saturday's Writer's Guild of America cocktail reception, Frazier said star Jennifer Garner's pregnancy will be written into the series: Sydney Bristow will be pregnant, and Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan) will be the father.
"We are opening up whole new areas with his character," Frazier said. The new season will reveal what Vaughn has been investigating with the help of a rogue female intelligence agent.
Frazier said the pregnancy will give Syd "new stakes." With a pregnant Garner unable to do as much stunt work, a young CIA trainee, played by Rachel Nichols of "The Inside," will "allow us to see how Syd became Syd." A new male character will be added to the cast to replace series regular Greg Grunberg, who will depart. Actresses Mia Maestro and Lena Olin will both return for some appearances, but Lauren Reed (Melissa George) is out of the picture for good.
"She was definitively killed in season three," Frazier said.
Losing it over 'Lost'
"Lost" executive producer Damon Lindelof said it's a "dream come true" to be producing a cult show that's been accepted by the mainstream audience, but he also feels viewers' pain, especially the pain of wanting answers to all the frustrating questions the series has posed.
"My own sense as a viewer is in conflict with my senses as a [TV show creator]," Lindelof said after winning Theater Critics Association awards for best new program and best drama Saturday night. "I want to reveal mysteries at a rate faster than we're going. I don't want to do the perpetual nine-season stall."
But he said it's difficult to judge that. He and co-creator J.J. Abrams know how they want the series to end, but, Lindelof said, "When you run a race and don't know where the end is," it becomes difficult to figure out how much to parcel out and when to do it.
He defended the May season finale, saying it was in line with the job of a cliffhanger: to make people anticipate the next season. But he does promise that within the first 15 minutes of the "Lost" season premiere, which picks up 30 seconds after the season finale, the characters will learn what's in the hatch that's been taunting them (and viewers) for months.
"You'll get a lot of answers in the season premiere," he said, "and a couple more questions."
Promises, promises.
After that disappointing May season finale, during which viewers got basically no payoff for staying tuned all season, Lindelof said the first three episodes will take place in a six-hour period and will deal with the ramifications of opening the hatch, the kidnapping of young Walt (Malcolm David Kelley) and the lost-at-sea trials of Sawyer (Josh Holloway) and crew.
Channel surfing
The Style Network's "Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?" episode featuring local event planner Tonia Simbari of Cordially Invited that was scheduled to air tonight has been pushed back to next Tuesday. ... The WB will air "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" from 7 to 11 p.m. Sept. 18 opposite the Emmy Awards on CBS. ... New TV movie "Felicity: An American Girl Adventure" premieres on The WB Nov. 29. ... Fox has canceled summer reality show "Princes of Malibu" after just two episodes. ... With the hiring of new meteorologist Demetrius Ivory for the weekday morning news on WTAE, current morning meteorologist Jerry Martz will move to the weekend slot occupied by Stephen Cropper before his return to weekday evenings.
