'Desperate Housewives' Reruns Coming to Lifetime?; Syndie Sitcoms Score; Couric to CBS

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

'Desperate Housewives' Reruns Coming to Lifetime?; Syndie Sitcoms Score; Couric to CBS

Variety is reporting that Lifetime is about to pick up reruns of ABC's Desperate Housewives for about $500,000 per hour-long episode. The women’s cable network will begin running the show in fall 2008 – likely both stripping it on weeknights and repurposing new episodes after they air on ABC, according to a source close to the deal. Lifetime, which has not yet finalized the deal, declined to comment on the matter. Lifetime, which passed the show over before it ended up on ABC, will actually be paying less for Housewives than it did for Frasier, which recently joined its schedule in reruns and has not done too well. Reports put the price Lifetime shelled out for each episode of the half-hour Frasier at $600,000. The $500,000 Desperate price tag is twice what Bravo just paid per episode for reruns of the HBO mortuary drama Six Feet Under.

The March 20-26 syndicated ratings just came out. And sitcom Friends hit a season high. The sitcom averaged a season-high 6.6 household rating for the week, up 43% from the previous period -- the biggest leap of any show in syndication for the week -- due to a weekend marathon of the show on cable network TBS. Usual off-network sitcom leader Everybody Loves Raymond slipped to No. 2 with a 6.1, flat for the week. Seinfeld (5.6) fell by 3%, and That '70s Show (4.0) jumped 8%.

And in the big TV news of the day. Katie Couric of NBC's Today show made it official this morning that she is indeed heading to CBS. "I wanted to tell all of you out there who have watched the show for the past 15 years that after listening to my heart and my gut, two things that have served me well in the past, I've decided I'll be leaving 'Today' at the end of May," she said this morning on Today.
Katie Couric, one of broadcasting's most respected and popular journalists, is joining CBS News, it was announced today by Leslie Moonves, President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS Corporation, and Sean McManus, President, CBS News and Sports. As part of the multi-year agreement, Couric will become Anchor and Managing Editor of the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric beginning in September. Couric also will contribute to 60 Minutes, the most successful program in television history and its most respected news magazine, and will anchor CBS News primetime specials as well. With the appointment, Couric becomes the first female solo anchor of a network evening news broadcast.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, April 30

Krapopolis - "Mazed and Kingfused" (Fox, 9:02PM ET/PT)
Hippo accompanies Shlub on his journey to Minos; Ty gets glued to his throne.

Grimsburg - "Crystal Ball" (Fox, 9:31PM ET/PT)
When Flute goes for surgery to have a second testicle put in, he finds an unexpected side effect.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 28)

Wednesday, April 30

Allison Janney (Mom/Mr. Sunshine) - Watch Allison on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Adam DeVine (The Righteous Gemstones/Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin/Workaholics/Modern Family) - Adam appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Chase Sui Wonders (The Studio/Bupkis) - Chase stops by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Tim Baltz (The Righteous Gemstones) and Lennon Parham (Minx/Bless This Mess/Schooled/Playing House/Best Friends Forever) - Tim and Lennon are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Lisa Ann Walter (Abbott Elementary/Emeril) - E! News has an interview with Lisa at 11pm on E!.
Molly Shannon (I Love That for You/The Other Two/Divorce/Kath & Kim/Craking Up), Marc Maron (GLOW/Maron) and Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Molly, Marc and Ronny are guests on Everybody's Live with John Mulaney at 10pm on Netflix.
Geena Davis (The Geena Davis Show/Sara/Buffalo Bill) - Geena talks about The Girl Who Was Too Big for the Page on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am, on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT and on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
Jaleel White (Family Matters/Grown Ups) - Jaleel talks about The Flip Side on CBS Mornings Plus sometime between 7-9am.
Da'Vine Joy Randolph (Only Murders in the Building/High Fidelity/People of Earth/Selfie) - Da'Vine talks about Shadow Force on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Ke Huy Quan (Head of the Class/Together We Stand) - Ke and Drew are reminiscing about acting as children and becoming close with Steven Spielberg on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. He's also telling Drew about choreographing stunts for Hugh Jackman, how he met his wife of over twenty years and making an acting comeback for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Animal Practice/Better with You/Reba) and Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - The Drew Barrymore Show (repeat) has a Date Dish Competish with JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Kee Huy Quan, Sarah Fennel and Marc Murphy. Drew's got a date dish competish and Sarah Fennel, Ke Huy Quan and JoAnna Garcia Swisher are judging the whole thing. Team Drew and Pilar Valdes are taking on Valerie Bertinelli and Marc Murphy using three mystery ingredients to make a date night dish. Then, Drew is chatting with Joanna Garcia Swisher about season four of her show Sweet Magnolias.
Dennis Quaid (Merry Happy Whatever) - NBC's Today catches up with Dennis sometime between 7-9am.
Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Mike Epps (The Upshaws/Uncle Buck/Survivor's Remorse) - NBC's Today catches up with Mike in the 10am hour.