ABC Slates Specials for Top 3 Shows; VH1 Sitcom Starts Slow

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

ABC Slates Specials for Top 3 Shows; VH1 Sitcom Starts Slow

ABC has booked three new specials for Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy and Lost for the end of April. The specials will take a look back at the current season for each show in clip format. All three specials will air in the regular time periods. The specials are: Desperate Housewives: The More You Know, The Jucier It Gets airing Sunday, April 23; Grey's Anatomy: Under Pressure airing also on Sunday, April 23; and Lost: Reckoning airing Wednesday, April 26. After these specials the shows will be all-new for May sweeps, wrapping up the season.

VH1's first ever sitcom So noTORIous starring Tori Spelling drew 1.1 million viewers overall at 10 p.m. for its debut episode and another 823,000 viewers tuned in for the second episode at 10:30 p.m. The numbers are pale in comparison with those of recent VH1 hits like Flavor of Love, which wrapped its season to 6 million viewers last month and ranked as the first quarter's No. 1 nonsports basic cable show in adults 18-49 Variety reports. So noTORIous also lost steam from its lead-ins -- new episodes of Surreal Life at 9 and Hogan Knows Best at 9:30 -- which each drew 2.1 million viewers. On the flip side, So noTORIous posted a 0.4/1 in 18-49, up 50% over VH1's current primetime average in the 18-49 demo. 10 p.m. competition from ABC's Grey's Anatomy (22 million viewers overall, 9.9 national rating/24 share in 18-49) seems to have overwhelmed the debut.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Friday, March 6

Happy's Place - "Dart to the Heart" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Bobbie tries to help Emmett and Isabella reconnect by forcing them into a darts tournament; Steve celebrates killing a spider until Takoda informs him about Iktomi, the Lakota trickster spirit.

Stumble - "Making Mat" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Courteney must cut one of her Buttons from making mat at Daytona; each of the team shares why Daytona is so important, but Courteney operates with her head over her heart and, after grueling tryouts, renders a heartbreaking decision.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 2)

Friday, March 6

Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons) - Watch Jason on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Bradley Whitford (Perfect Harmony/Trophy Wife) - Bradley appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Joel McHale (Animal Control/The Great Indoors/Community) - Joel is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Rose Byrne (Platonic/Physical) - Rose talks about Broadway's Fallen Angels on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Robby Hoffman (Hacks) - Robby is part of Joy’s Comedy Corner (comedy special, “Robby Hoffman: Wake Up”) on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Dennis Quaid (Merry Happy Whatever) - NBC's Today catches up with Dennis in the 9am hour.
John Slattery (Maggie/Ed) - NBC's Today catches up with John in the 9am hour.
Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Drew is joined by Valerie and UFC's Laura Sanko to hit the headlines at the news desk on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.