Broadcast May Upfront Highlights; Black Family Channel Ceases

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Broadcast May Upfront Highlights; Black Family Channel Ceases

We told you about the CBS season finale dates a few weeks back, but CBS hasn't issued an actual May sweeps press release. We do however have ABC, NBC and Fox's for you!
ABC will have high-power episodes of its signature series Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Lost, Ugly Betty, Brothers & Sisters, Dancing with the Stars and more! There are no stunt programming except a special sneak peek on the summer series Traveler on May 10 at 10pm. National Bingo Night, another summer series, will get a preview during the last Friday of sweeps (May 18 at 9). Its all about its series on ABC, so viewers will be glued all month long. To view the May sweep ABC highlights, click HERE.
For fourth place NBC, it is all about stunt programming. NBC will launch a special blockbuster movie night on Sundays for sweeps, such as Along Came Polly. They will also have two SNL specials in primetime, along with two super-sized Thursdays. The NBC signature series will finish with a bang such as Heroes, Deal or No Deal, The Office, My Name is Earl, ER, and Law & Order: SVU. Click HERE for NBC's highlights.
For Fox it will be a mix of series and stunts this May. Fox has announced it has canceled new drama Drive and have replaced it with more House encores (Mondays at 8). The Fridays at 8 House encores will cease on May 4 with encores of Nanny 911 airing instead. Fox has two NASCAR races on two Saturdays, the world broadcast premiere of the movie The Day After Tomorrow, The Simpsons' landmark 400th episode, and of course the finale of American Idol. Fox will also preview summer reality series On the Lot after the first part finale of American Idol. It looks to be a good May for Fox, click HERE for highlights.
May sweeps starts tomorrow! Watch all you can because your favorite series will go on a summer break after the sweeps ends on May 23.

The low-rated cable channel Black Family Channel will go off-air on April 30. The network never really took off after eight years on air. Black networks such as TV One and BET do much better in the ratings. It used to air reruns of the sitcom Roc and the animated Dennis the Menace. Currently it was airing reruns of the animated The Bullwinkle Show and King Leonardo on Saturday mornings.
The network was in 16 million homes, which is not that much really compared to other cable networks.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, April 20

The Neighorhood - "Welcome to Purse Dog" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Calvin reluctantly agrees to dog-sit a glamorous little companion, only to face an awkward twist when someone else lays claim to it. Meanwhile, a joint celebration prompts Malcolm to question whether he and Mercedes are moving too fast. Amber Stevens West guest stars as Mercedes, Malcolm's Girlfriend.

DMV - "Drive-ory Tower" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Colette tries to bridge a growing divide at the office by bringing the driving examiners and counter clerks together. Meanwhile, Vic stubbornly avoids seeing a doctor after an unusual injury, forcing Barb to get creative to help him.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 20)

Monday, April 20

Kal Penn (The Santa Clauses/Sunnyside/We Are Men) - Watch Kal on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) - Quinta appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. She also talks about Abbott Elementary on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Don Cheadle (The Wonder Years/Black Monday/House of Lies/The Golden Palace) - Don is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Henry stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about Hazardous History with Henry Winkler on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Lea Michele (The Mayor) - Lea appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Aaron Tveit (Schmigadoon!) - Aaron is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
B.J. Novak (The Office) and Jim Parsons (Young Sheldon/The Big Bang Theory) - Andy Cohen interviews B.J. and Jim on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo.
William Stanford Harris (Abbott Elementary) - William talks about Abbott Elementary on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Ramy Youssef (#1 Happy Family USA/Ramy/See Dad Run) - Ramy chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Laurie Metcalf (Big Mistakes/The Conners/Roseanne/The McCarthys/The Norm Show) - Laurie talks about Big Mistakes on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
Jane Fonda (Grace and Frankie) - NBC's Today catches up with Jane in the 9am hour.
Christopher Briney (Hacks) - Christopher talks about Hacks on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Blair Underwood (Fatherhood/The New Adventures of Old Christine) - Blair tells Sherri about his new memoir A Soldier's Wife: My Mother, the Marvelous Mrs. Marilyn A. Underwood on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Phoebe Dynevor (Younger) - Phoebe is telling Drew about her new movie Thrash on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Dan Bucatinsky (The Comeback/Marry Me/Web Therapy) - Dan appears on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:05am.