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

Wednesday, June 18

Shifting Gears - "Restoration" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Matt, the widowed owner of a classic car restoration shop, is confronted with his most unexpected and challenging project yet when his estranged daughter, Riley, and her adolescent children come crashing back into his life.

Shifting Gears - "Accommodations" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Matt joins Riley at Carter’s high school open house, where he’s unsettled to learn about the “accommodations” made for his grandson’s anxiety. Meanwhile, Riley reconnects with Caitlin, a former classmate, and sets her up with Gabriel.

Shifting Gears - "Job" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Riley, desperate for work, reluctantly takes a job at Matt’s shop. Meanwhile, Gabriel and Stitch secretly stray from Matt’s vision on a high-stakes restomod project.

Shifting Gears - "Grief" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Riley discovers a closet filled with her late mother’s clothes, she insists Matt hasn’t processed her death and urges him to see a grief counselor. Meanwhile, Gabriel faces a crisis of confidence when he’s put in charge of the shop for a day.

Children Ruin Everything - "Emergencies" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT)
During a family emergency, with both James and Astrid busy at work, they need to rethink their childcare plan.

Children Ruin Everything - "Sex" (The CW, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Astrid and James get some much-needed adult time when they convince Nisha to take the kids for the night; their night gets complicated however, when a small lie grows out of control.

Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "House of Probation" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Calvin and Laura are met with unexpected news, while Curtis and Glo join forces against Mrs. Wellington; Calvin and Miranda must navigate the complexities of co-parenting.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "It Takes a Village" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Vinny attempts to take matters into his own hands with the armed crimes around the neighborhood; the facility is in an uproar regarding their safety after the armed crimes around the neighborhood.

The Ms. Pat Show - "The Graduation Party" (BET, 10:30PM ET/PT)
Janelle has a big confession to make at her high school graduation party; Brandon's surprise decision sparks a huge fight with Ashley.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 16)

Wednesday, June 18

Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia/Luis) - Watch Charlie on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) - Miley is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Annie Murphy (Kevin Can F**k Himself/Schitt's Creek) - Annie appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Allison Williams (Girls) - Allison drops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Cole Escola (Human Resources/Search Party/Mozart in the Jungle/Difficult People) - Cole appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Reid Scott (Veep/My Boys/It's All Relative) - Reid is a guest on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - E! News has an interview with Keke at 11pm on E!.
Retta (Parks and Recreation) - NBC's Today catches up with Retta in the 9am hour.
Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - Michelle guest co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Cynthia Nixon (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City) - Cynthia talks about The Gilded Age on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Fortune Feimster (FUBAR/Kenan/Bless the Harts/Champions) - Fortune is sharing her hilarious take on the hottest headlines of the day and telling Drew about her latest Netflix standup special on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.