Question: Matt, I am so upset. When I found out that Grey's Anatomy was moving from Sundays to Thursdays I almost cried. I understand every network wants to win the ratings on Thursday. But can Grey's Anatomy overtake CSI? I don't think it will; I think it can compete and hold its own. Grey's Anatomy is my favorite show on TV and I would rather it be safe on Sundays after the horrible Desperate Housewives than go up against CSI. Let's say that the ratings aren't good enough on Thursdays. Do you think ABC will move it back to Sundays, or even put it on Mondays? Or do you think they will stick out the season on Thursdays? I know you can never tell what the networks are going to do, and it's early yet (this season just ended), but I just don't want anything to happen to this show. Oh, and how awesome is it that Kate Walsh and Eric Dane signed on for all of Season 3? Addison is my favorite character, and with Eric Dane back, there should be some good stuff coming our way. And thank God ...
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Question: No, no, no! Please tell me ABC can't possibly be thinking about messing with their Sunday-night lineup! I realize that they want to spread the wealth around to other nights, but come on, don't screw up our Sundays! It's the best way to end the weekend, being able to catch Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy before the start of the work week. What will our Monday mornings be like if we can't sit around dissecting our favorite shows?
Answer: If it does come to pass that ABC splits up Housewives and Anatomy, the main motivation will be (presumably, according to the buzz) to strengthen the network on Monday night, which is now newly open after the departure of Monday Night Football. I would think Housewives will stay where it is. Even with its decline in quality, it's still a huge draw on a competitive night. When Anatomy airs its two-hour finale on Monday, May 15, we'll see how strong a contender it is on that tough night, but I'm betting it will do extremely well. And while
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Question: Why don't more networks take an approach to their shows like FX does? They show the majority of their dramas in the same time slot (Tuesdays at 10 pm/ET) but rotate them throughout the year. This seems to work for their hit shows like The Shield, Nip/Tuck and Rescue Me, so why don't networks like ABC try it for their shows? ABC could alternate 10- to 12-episode half-seasons of shows like Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy between a given time slot. One could start in late August, run for 11 weeks straight, let the next one take over until the end of December, switch again for the second half in January, and then trade places one more time in March for the other half of the other show. It's a little confusing, but I think it could work in the long run, especially for those who don't like constant repeats throughout a regular season.
Answer: Shared time slots work on cable and even (to a lesser degree) on mininetworks like WB. But as frustrating as repeats are, they're part
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Question: How awesome was Grey's Anatomy last Sunday? For an hour I forgot all about losing shows like Threshold, Arrested Development and Love Monkey. The shower scene near the end echoing, but so starkly contrasting, the fantasy the week before — fantastic! There were way too many great details to mention them all. I was so glad that Bailey's husband didn't die. The whole widowed-while-giving-birth thing just seemed so gimmicky. My only beef is that once the bomb was out of the body, it just seemed so obvious that it would blow up the bomb guys. It's hard to forgive anyone for blowing up Kyle Chandler, but all in all it was pretty amazing and I guess that with the other surprises they gave us, I shouldn't complain if there was some predictable stuff.
Answer: No, indeed, this is not the time to nitpick. That sensational two-parter was, I think, the turning point in Grey's Anatomy's already sensational success story. As you may have heard, Sunday's episode was the first time Anatomy
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Question: It's well known that ABC has a difficult time trying to fill Monday nights after football ends in December. Now with the NFL moving to ESPN on Monday nights next season, that leaves ABC with a three-hour gap that it can't (or shouldn't) plug with all untested shows. What do you think the chances are that ABC will move Grey's Anatomy to Mondays for next season? It would be a strong show to anchor the night and the strongest show to move without having the rest of its original night (Sunday) fall apart.
Answer: It's anyone's guess, but there's an upside and downside to this theory. First, it's a big risk for a network to dismantle a winning night, as tempting as it might be to move a hit like Anatomy to shore up a crucial new night of programming. If ABC develops another show as compatible as this to Desperate Housewives, that might make it easier. Pitting Anatomy against a powerhouse like CSI: Miami may also give ABC pause, though it would be compelling counterprogrammming an ...
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