Question: I can't believe how many of your readers seem to think that networks try to kill shows. Do they think that when a grocery store rearranges its products, it is trying to kill off a particular item, or when a store changes locations, it is trying to kill off its business? No, they are trying to flourish. Isn't that the same thing the networks are trying to do? To spread their popular products around and make room for the new ones? Thanks for all the great insight!
Answer: Agreed, and no further rationalization is needed to explain a move like Trace to Sunday or Grey's Anatomy to Thursday, or even Medium to mid-season (to make room for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip). Inevitably, some moves do end up hurting shows (which I doubt will be the case with Trace), but that's part of the cost of practicing this imperfect science ...
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Question: Why on earth is Medium's time slot being tampered with? It was bad enough that this wonderful show had to compete with CSI: Miami last year. This year it won't even appear until mid-season, and then I think it's going to be competing with Without a Trace. Why did it lose its Monday time slot for some new show that probably won't last? Medium is my favorite show, and it seems as if NBC is intentionally trying to kill it. Why, why, why?
Answer: Because, because, because. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is a huge priority for NBC this fall. When ABC moved Grey's Anatomy into the Thursday slot, which NBC originally intended for Studio 60, the network had to blink and find a home for it somewhere. Voilà, Monday! There are no easy time periods anymore, so Studio 60 will have its work cut out for it against the CSI: Miami juggernaut (a loyalty I can't fathom, considering how ridiculous the show has become). But this is why Medium is taking a breather, although it could come back sooner
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Question: Why does it seem that so many established shows are being moved around this fall? Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Without a Trace are being moved from their established time slots. Have the networks given up on them to concentrate on establishing their new fall shows?
Answer: The circumstances are different for each show, but this isn't a case of the networks "giving up" on a show. It's more that the networks are realizing the value of these shows by moving them into strategic new time periods. Criminal Intent was going to be bumped by NBC's new Sunday-night football franchise anyway, so it was moved to Tuesdays, where NBC traditionally struggles, to act as a lead-in to the more popular Special Victims Unit. CBS made a riskier decision by moving Trace from Thursdays to Sundays because the net is killing its movie night and wanted to put two strong crime procedurals back-to-back. Cold Case and Trace are going to be very compatible, and CBS has already been successfully testing
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Question: The Parents Television Council and FCC each place complaints and fines on stations that air material deemed inappropriate, correct? But why do they continue to watch these shows if they find them inappropriate? Don't they have a better use of their time than purposely watching shows like Rescue Me and Without a Trace in hopes of being able to lead a campaign of complaints? And if shows like that can be fined, why wouldn't evening newscasts like World News be fined for showing gruesome images of war and violence? Doesn't the government need taxpayers' dollars for more important causes? I would really like to know how you think this totalitarian organization, the FCC, will affect the future of television.
Answer: I'm not sure about the future, but I'm more concerned about the present, when networks are pulling their dramatic punches in fear of offending any of these watchdog groups. For the record, the FCC doesn't generate complaints, it only acts upon them, making them the
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Anthony LaPaglia and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Without a Trace
Question: What do you think of the networks' new Sunday lineups? First, I think NBC will undoubtedly improve thanks to Sunday Night Football, but not so dramatically that it will beat ABC or CBS. I seem to remember that Monday Night Football on ABC constantly took a backseat to CBS and declined in the ratings for several seasons. I've heard many analysts claim CBS will give ABC a run for its money on Sundays, but I don't see that happening, either. CBS will now have Without a Trace to fall back on, but Trace is lacking a CSI lead-in, and it was down 10 percent in the 18-to-49 demo this past season. That, coupled with a weaker lead-in from Cold Case, will result in big declines for Without a Trace. I also think CBS made a grave error in placing The Amazing Race at 8 pm/ET. This past season Race was down by double-digit proportions, and I highly doubt it will now find an audience against Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Sunday Night Football. The Amazing Race isn't the hit that CBS ...
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Hugh Laurie and Elias Koteas, House
Question: First, an observation. I liked the trivia of the doctors on Lost and Grey's Anatomy with the same last name, but I wonder if anybody noticed the two Fox network characters with the same name. Both That 70s Show's Topher Grace and House's Omar Epps play(ed) Eric Foreman. But anyway, I do have a question. With the FCC upholding its fines of network TV for the Jackson-Timberlake incident and the Without a Trace episode placing the emphasis on stigmatizing sexual content, doesn't anybody find the sick-out factor on the season finale of House to be more in conflict with "standards of decency"? I love the show (although I usually only watch the second half, after my favorite medical show, Scrubs), but I find the sight of an eyeball-popping, testicle-exploding, gut-ripping bloody mess much more disturbing than a bare breast. What do you think?
Answer: First off, officially Fox's Erics spell their last names differently: Forman (70s Show) and Foreman (House). Secondly, you know you're
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Housewives' James Denton with his wife, Erin, and their son, Sheppard
With Dad's day almost upon us — Sunday, June 18, if you still need to run out and grab a card — your favorite stars from Desperate Housewives, Prison Break, Without a Trace and more share their best bits of fatherly wisdom. For photos of these proud pops with some of their kids, pick up the new issue of TV Guide.
James Denton
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Jorja Fox and William Petersen, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Question: Hey, Matt! I love your column and just wanted to say, as a sci-fi fan, I appreciate all the attention you give to those great yet underappreciated shows. Now to my question. What are your thoughts on TV's growing trend of hooking up every character on a show with each other? I'll use CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as an example because of the fuss the season finale created. The show was great because it focused on the stories and not the characters. Now Grissom and Sara hook up, and it looks like Catherine and Warwick are on their way next season. What's next? Will Greg and Nick suddenly come out of the closet? Samantha on Without a Trace has slept with two guys from her office (one of whom was her boss) and everybody has slept with everybody on Grey's Anatomy. I know we like a little romance in our shows, but enough is enough. It is possible to have a relationship with someone outside the office?
Answer: Call it the NYPD Blue syndrome. (On that show, any time a new character
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Question: I know that ABC will air the last episode of this season for Commander in Chief [on Wednesday, June 14]. Don't you think that the execs should consider revamping the show and placing it on a new night to gain good numbers? Let's face it, this is a great show, and let's not forget that shows which premiere with 25 million viewers should never be forgotten. When American Idol hit, it lost many of its viewers but then when they brought it back from "break," they brought it back on a Thursday against Without a Trace. I mean, were they trying to sacrifice the show? I'm mad and upset that I don't at least get a second season out of this thing. Aren't you?
Answer: Between the ratings decline and the creative disarray behind the scenes, not to mention the scheduling in the last half of the season, Commander's collapse from early hit to going out with a postseason whimper is a pretty remarkable story. When ABC announced its fall schedule without this show, there was talk that they were
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Question: I read your short iwrite-up of the Without a Trace finale in one of your Dispatches and was surprised that you didn't have more of a reaction. What has happened to this show? The writing has been so poor this season that it's almost criminal that their writers get paid. In my opinion, their writers had two approaches in Season 4: crib from old ER story lines or just toe the line by writing boring, exploitative cases that are comparable to the mess that is CSI: Miami. I don't see the writing getting any better since Hank Steinberg's pilot has been picked up and looks promising. I almost hope this show fails on Sundays — just to show CBS how far it has fallen. Trace used to be such a quality show, with subtle personal storylines and gripping cases. Now it is just plain bad — the agents never interact, the good story lines (Danny's PTSD, the Jack/Sam history) have been dropped, and boring, clichéd story lines have been bungled. If they continue with the Jack-Anne pregnancy story ...
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