'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

Tuesday, April 1

St. Denis Medical - "Anything to Push Zaluva" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Ron's teasing makes Joyce question whether her friendship with a pharmaceutical rep is genuine; Alex has trouble letting Serena take on a new task; Matt finds a mentor in Bruce.

Night Court - "Hot to Trot" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Abby's friendship with her ex-boyfriend's mother leads to romantic complications; when Julianne's wealthy aunt passes away, the gang vies for a piece of her inheritance.

Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Love At First Swipe" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
C.J. and Janine receive marital advice from an unlikely source; Peanut seeks help with his newfound online lover.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Failure 2 Launch" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Assisted Living is the new situation comedy by Tyler Perry about three generations who must make a new start in the rural backwoods of Georgia.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 31)

Tuesday, April 1

Adam Scott (Ghosted/Veep/Parks and Recreation/Party Down) - Catch Adam on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Kevin Bacon (I Love Dick) - Kevin is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Amanda Peet (Brockmire/Togetherness/Bent) - Amanda appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Paul Rudd (The Shrink Next Door/Living with Yourself/Wild Oats) - Paul stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Ike Barinholtz (The Studio/The Afterparty/Bless the Harts/The Mindy Project/Eastbound & Down) - Ike appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He will also be on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9:30pm on Bravo.
Vinny Thomas (Platonic), Paul F. Tompkins (The Great North/BoJack Horseman/DAG) and Aparna Nancherla (The Great North/Lopez vs Lopez/Corporate) - Vinny, Paul and Aparna are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Chase Sui Wonders (The Studio/Bupkis) and Kathryn Hahn (The Studio/Tiny Beautiful Things/Central Park/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Chase and Kathryn are guests on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9:30pm on Bravo.
Will Ferrell (The Office) and Jennifer Coolidge (2 Broke Girls/Joey) - E! News has interviews with Will and Jennifer at 11pm on E!.
Román Zaragoza (Ghosts) - Román talks about Ghosts on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Jenny Slate (The Great North/Big Mouth/Married/Bob's Burgers) - Jenny talks about Dying for Sex on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Michael Angarano (Laid/I'm Dying Up Here/Will & Grace) and Michael Cera (Life & Beth/Arrested Development/I Was a Sixth Grade Alien) - Michael and Michael talk about Sacramento with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia guest co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Hannah Einbinder (Hacks) - Hannah talks about Hacks on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Tasha Smith (Survival of the Thickest/Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse/The Tom Show/Boston Common) and Tone Bell (Survival of the Thickest/Fam/Disjointed/Truth Be Told/Bad Judge/Whitney) - Tasha and Tone talk about the new season of Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Kathryn Hahn (The Studio/Tiny Beautiful Things/Central Park/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Kathryn is dishing on her new comedy series The Studio on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) - Wilmer and Freddy Rodriguez chat about their podcast Dos Amigos on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Brenda Song (Running Point/Dollface/Dads/The Suite Life on Deck/The Suite Life of Zack & Cody) - Brenda talks about Netflix's Running Point on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Paul Walter Hauser (The Afterparty) - Paul is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.