 |
       |
|
|
 |
|
Tuesday
Night 1998/1999
|
|
|
ABC:
Tuesday at 8:30pm (Half Hour Sitcom)
|
|
Premise
A
family comedy about how the Hugley’s, an African
American family, adjust to moving into an
all white suburban neighborhood
|
|
The
Jeffersons meet suburbia. Also,
FOX is premiering Living in Captivity,
a show with an almost identical plot
|
|
Familiar
Faces
Chris
Rock (Executive Producer - not appearing in
the program)
|
Our
Take
The
Hughley’s has a good time slot and Encore!
Encore!, NBC’s sitcom competition,
is on unsure footing as a dissatisfied network
is working on retooling that program.
Also, The Hughley’s is definitely more
of a family sitcom than its abrasive copy
cat show on FOX
|
|
Expect
to Hear
“Just because I changed my zip code doesn’t
mean I have changed who I am”
- Daryl Hughley
|
|
|
|
|
|
ABC:
Tuesday at 9:30pm (Half Hour Sitcom)
|
|
Premise
A
behind the scenes look at the production of
a sports news program focusing on anchors,
and best friends, Dan and Casey
|
|
ESPN
Sportscenter meets any number of behind
the scenes TV sitcoms including the successful
Mary Tyler Moore Show and the unsuccessful
Buffalo Bill
|
|
Familiar
Faces
Ron
Howard (Producer - not appearing in the program),
Robert Guillaume (Soap/Benson), Sabrina
Lloyd (Sliders)
|
Our
Take
Although
the pilot was more SITuation than COMedy,
Sports Night has an excellent time
slot, a good production team, and a likeable
and partially eccentric cast
|
|
Expect
to Hear
Elliot
(defending a player who has not been performing):
“I saw him kick in practice”
Casey (sarcastically): “At this level,
they pretty much want you to be able to kick
in a game”
|
|
|
|
|
|
FOX:
Tuesday at 8:30pm (Half Hour Sitcom)
|
|
Premise
Sue
Murphy is a working-class woman employed at
a blue-collar bar. Conflict ensues when
she clashes with her family over breaking
up with her longtime boyfriend as well as
her desire to improve herself
|
|
Roseanne
meets Cheers
|
|
Familiar
Faces
None
|
Our
Take
Tuesday
is an unproven night for FOX and Costello’s
lead-in (King of the Hill) is in an
unproven time slot
|
|
Expect
to Hear
“You just have to be Irish and have no
joy from the waist up”
- Sue Murphy (commenting on the Riverdance
phenomenon)
|
|
|
|
|
|
FOX:
Tuesday at 9pm (Hour Drama)
|
|
Premise
After
his wife was raped, police detective Zeke
Stone murdered the attacker. Paying
for his crime, Zeke was killed shortly afterwards
and doomed to suffer in Hell. Now, he’s
back and the Devil has promised Zeke heavenly
redemption if he will track down 113 evil
souls that have escaped from Hell
[Note:
FOX is reportedly reshooting the pilot]
|
|
The
short-lived series Matrix and The
100 Lives of Black Jack Savage also featured
dead men trying to escape eternal damnation
|
|
Familiar
Faces
Peter
Horton (Thirtysomething)
|
Our
Take
Brimstone,
an untested high concept show, will be competing
against proven programs on ABC and NBC
|
|
Expect
to Hear
“God’s universe is not like the American
legal system: you do something, you pay for
it”
-The Devil
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Premise
Plot:
Nathan Lane stars as Joseph Pinoni, a spoiled,
famous opera singer, who is forced to move
back to his family vineyards when he loses
his voice
[Note:NBC
is retooling this show as well as recasting
some of the supporting players]
|
|
The
movie Arthur also featured a spoiled
character, the character of Frasier Crane
as originally established on Cheers
(from the same producers as Encore! Encore!)
was also snobbish. Additionally, the
list of “fish out of water” sitcoms is too
numerous to list
|
|
Familiar
Faces
Nathan
Lane
|
Our
Take
The
previewed pilot is being retooled. Accordingly,
it is unknown what the final outcome will
be. With a good format and the star
power of Nathan Lane, NBC could have an advantage
given the time slot and the rookie competition.
However, if the producers are unable to come
up with a workable format, the show may not
have a chance
|
|
Expect
to Hear
“Any of your friends have voluptuous daughters
with low morals that may want to go out?”
- Joseph Pinoni
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
