• CBS: As predicted last year, Yes, Dear was a success

• FOX: While we were unable to preview a pilot of Boston Public when the deck was written, we had expressed positive feelings regarding the track record of David E. Kelly

• NBC: As expected, Deadline quickly became Dateline and Tucker was soon forgotten

• UPN: Girlfriends pretty much lived up to our expectations for a UPN series

• ABC returns with Monday Night Football. This time, they are leading off with one of their two nights of Millionaire

• CBS and FOX are returning with their same 2000/2001 schedules

• NBC is maintaining a drama block from 9-11pm. They are hoping to finally move beyond their disastrous attempts to air sitcoms from 8-9pm by airing The Weakest Link during this time slot

• UPN is maintaining their schedule of urban comedies while WB has paired 7th Heaven with another sci-fi/fantasy drama (Angel replacing Roswell)

• ABC: As noted last year, Geena did not live up to the quality of Geena Davis’s movie work

• FOX: We felt that Dark Angel had a strong creative team behind it. We were not sure, however, if it was right for a Tuesday 9-10pm time slot. While the show was a success, FOX has decided to move its time slot this year

• NBC: As predicted, neither Michael Richards nor DAG survived the season

• ABC is continuing their strategy of sitcoms from 8-10pm with a drama at 10pm (with Steven Bochco’s Philly filling the time slot vacated by the move of the Bochco-produced NYPD Blue to Wednesday

• CBS is maintaining their 8pm and 10pm shows with a drama replacing 60 Minutes II at 9pm

• FOX is once again pairing an hour of sitcoms with a drama, while NBC is once again countering ABC with their own 2-hour block of sitcoms

• UPN has assumed WB’s strategy of Tuesday night sci-fi action (prompted by their acquisition of Buffy), while WB is maintaining sci-fi from 9-10pm, but trying out a family-friendly drama at 8pm

• ABC: As predicted, Gideon’s Crossing did not survive against Law and Order

• CBS: Last year, we indicated that CBS was not very likely to win their 8-9pm time slot. Additionally, we noted that Bette would only be able to appeal to the CBS audience if the producers could develop strong scripts (which never happened)

• FOX: Living up to our predictions, none of the FOX shows were able to draw sufficient ratings to survive

• NBC: While we thought that there may be an appetite for another soap (given the lack of them at the time), we were correct in indicating that were unsure of Titan’s ability to thrive in the 8pm time slot

• ABC is basically replicating their Tuesday night sitcom/drama strategy on Wednesday (even moving NYPD Blue)

• CBS has completely abandoned their strategy of sitcoms and a movie and is instead hoping for success with newsmagazines, reality, and fantasy/sci-fi

• FOX is giving up on a drama at 9pm by trying a night of sitcoms while NBC is returning with the same schedule they have been airing since mid-season

• UPN once again returns with a night of sci-fi (led off by the new Star Trek series), while WB returns with Dawson’s/Felicity

• FOX: Neither of FOX’s announced entries even premiered on Thursday night. However, once Lone Gunmen did air (on Sundays and Fridays), as predicted, it failed to live up to the network’s expectations

• NBC: Cursed lived up to expectations in performing well given its time slot. However, as with a lengthy list of other attempts, NBC has again failed to find a series that could hold on to the Friends lead-in

• WB: While we were correct in predicting that Gilmore Girls would not even come close to winning its time slot, we were also right in noting that WB would probably stick with the show based on its family-friendly appeal

• ABC and UPN return with identical schedules, while the only change on NBC is a new candidate for the 8:30pm time slot

• CBS has returned with the 8-10pm schedule that brought them great success mid-season

• FOX has given up on trying to counter-program dramas on Thursday and is instead trying sitcoms followed by a mid-season reality success

• WB is continuing to air Charmed at 9pm, but is hoping to counter Survivor with their own (albeit significantly younger skewing) reality programming at 8pm

• ABC: As we had predicted, none of ABC’s sitcom entries were able to compete in their time slots

• CBS: We were correct in predicting that C.S.I. would do well in its time slot. On the other hand, we (as well as the rest of the industry) were wrong in believing that The Fugitive would also do well

• FOX/UPN: Our feelings that none of these four sci-fi/adventures would be able to compete were proven right fairly early in the season

• WB: Last year, we had expressed concern that WB was toning down Grosse Pointe (due to complaints by Aaron Spelling). Our concerns proved right as the watered-down show failed to find an audience

• ABC has abandoned sitcoms in hopes of finding success with dramas

• After years, Nash Bridges is gone from Friday night and CBS is trying again with sitcoms at 8pm followed by an oddly scheduled family drama and their attempt to fill the newsmagazine void left by the departure of 20/20 at 10pm

• FOX is once again going with an 8pm sci-fi fantasy series. In 2001/2002, the 9pm slot will be filled by a soap instead of another sci-fi series

• NBC is returning with the same 2000/2001 schedule, while FOX and WB are continuing with the same basic strategies (hour dramas for FOX and light, teen-oriented series for WB)

Go to The New Friday Night Programs

• CBS: We did not really feel last year that That’s Life fit into the CBS Saturday night schedule. Accordingly, we are not overly surprised that it is moving to another night (Friday). We were also not surprised at the success of The District

• ABC and NBC are once again returning with movies (without - thankfully - the XFL replacing the movie during mid-season on NBC)

• CBS is continuing their trend of Saturday night dramas, while FOX returns with their established Saturday night schedule

• NBC: Last year we noted that Ed was a fairly likeable program, but expressed concern that it was in the wrong time slot. The show has returned, but on a different night

• WB: As we predicted, Hype did not last long while with Nikki we had noted that its success would depend on how much they exploited Nikki Cox’s appeal to men

• ABC returns with Disney and The Practice, with Alias replacing the void left by the purging of Millionaire

• CBS is also maintaining most of their schedule with the one exception being a new series at 8pm, while FOX is returning with an identical schedule

• With the exception of Dateline at 7pm, NBC has an all-new schedule with The Weakest Link replacing a drama at 8pm and two dramas replacing their movie from 9-11pm

• WB basically returns with a night of sitcoms with the one change being a reality show at 7-8pm