Posted on: Tuesday, May 21, 2002
Past TV season sees world of Ozzy, wave of nostalgia crash into homes
By John Kiesewetter
Cincinnati Enquirer
Don't touch that dial!
Before the TV season officially ends tomorrow — Hello, reruns! Goodbye, new episodes! — let's look back at a year of quiz shows, nostalgia specials and the quasi-phenomenon of Ozzy Osbourne.
Reality TV faces new reality
"Reality TV" has not been the same since the TV season opened with the unbelievable live pictures of the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Instantly the words "survivor" and "fire means life" took on a new meaning. And many Americans lost interest in many so-called "reality" shows.
"Survivor" wasn't No. 1, as it had been last spring. ABC pulled "The Mole II: The Next Betrayal" after three shows, and benched "The Runner," a reality series from Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
When "The Mole II" returns May 28, networks again will test our acceptance of reality shows against reruns. Also set for summer: "Celebrity Bootcamp," "Looking for Love: Bachelorettes in Alaska," "American Idol: The Search for a Superstar," "Meet My Folks" and "Big Brother 3."
Weakest links
The biggest story of the 2001-02 TV season was the collapse of ABC's "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and NBC's "Weakest Link." Regis Philbin's quiz show ranked Nos. 3, 4 and 6 a year ago, when it aired three times a week. "Millionaire" this year tumbled to No. 45 (on Mondays) and No. 59 (Thursdays).
"Weakest Link," the buzz of TV a year ago, ended the season at No. 49 (on Mondays) and No. 63 (Sundays).
Both have been dropped from the fall prime-time schedule, though "Millionaire" will return as sweeps specials.
ABC blew a great opportunity to use "Millionaire" to launch new sitcoms and dramas. Now you know why people call ABC the "Almost Broadcasting Co."
The 'Seinfeld' factor
Is there really a "Seinfeld" curse? Or were Jason Alexander's "Bob Patterson" and Julia Louis-Dreyfus' "Watching Ellie" just bad TV shows?
The "Seinfeld" sidekicks came and went in 2001-02, following a quick exit for "The Michael Richards Show" last season.
NBC says "Watching Ellie" will return in 2003 without the on-screen 30-minute clock.
"There's no question it can be improved," NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker said.
Who would have guessed that Newman (Wayne Knight, "3rd Rock from the Sun") would have the most success after "Seinfeld?"
Revolving door on 'ER'
Stat! There's a doctor shortage at Chicago's County General. Departing the "ER" this year were Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards), Dr. Peter Benton (Eriq LaSalle), Dr. Cleo Finch (Michael Michele) and Dr. Dave Malucci (Erik Palladino).
The high body count resulted in "ER" not being TV's top drama since its 1994-95 premiere season. (It's second to "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.")
How will "ER" fare next season with Dr. John Carter (Noah Wyle) replacing Dr. Greene as the show's emotional center?
Stupid human trick
The stupidest human trick of 2001-02 was ABC's not-so-secret attempt to lure David Letterman from CBS, and cancel Ted Koppel's "Nightline," which one ABC executive called "irrelevant."
Letterman stayed at CBS for a reported $31.5 million. He announced his decision to viewers March 11 by saying: "You folks came on a good night — I'm still here! I woke up this morning and had to check the 'New York Times' to see where I was working today."
Nearly a month later, ABC finally "renewed and reaffirmed the company's commitment to 'Nightline' " — a week after the show won a Peabody Award for two decades of excellence.
Baby makes one
"The Cosby Show" reunion Sunday reminded us how obscure children are on NBC, once the proud home of "Family Ties" and "Cosby."
No babies or children were regular characters on any NBC sitcom from January, when "Three Sisters" went on hiatus, until Rachel had her baby on "Friends" last week.
Survivor pay-off
The real "Survivor" immunity winner was creator Mark Burnett, who emerged unscathed from yet another "Survivor" scandal. Burnett admitted in February that producers had an incorrect answer to a body-piercing question posed to the four "Survivor: Africa" finalists. His company quietly paid $100,000 (second-place prize) to the three contestants who didn't win the $1 million in January.
Court dismissed
When ABC pulled "The Court" after only three telecasts, Sally Field must have asked herself: "You like me? You really like me?"
Other big names in big flops this season: James Garner ("First Monday"), Richard Dreyfuss ("The Education of Max Bickford"), Kim Delaney ("Philly"), Ellen DeGeneres ("The Ellen Show"), Bob Saget ("Raising Dad") and chef Emeril Lagasse ("Emeril"). Also canceled were "The X-Files," "Ally McBeal," "Once and Again," "Felicity," "Dharma & Greg" and "Spin City."
Will Treat Williams, Andre Braugher, Bonnie Hunt, David Alan Grier, John Ritter, David Caruso, Gary Cole, Tim Curry or Gregory Hines have better luck with shows next season?
Blasts from the past
Who knew Carol Burnett would be the talk of the TV season?
Huge ratings for her November bloopers special prompted a surge of May nostalgia: NBC's 75th anniversary, Bob Hope's outtakes, and retrospectives on "M*A*S*H," "The Honeymooners" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."
Get ready for more nostalgia next season as we see TV movies about "Batman," "I Love Lucy," Jackie Gleason, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, and Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.
Wizard of Ozzy
The 2001-02 midseason will be remembered as perhaps the worst in TV history.
"Leap of Faith," "American Embassy," "The Colin Quinn Show," "As If," "The Random Years," "Watching Ellie," "AFP: American Fighter Pilots," "Under One Roof" and "The Court" vanished quickly.
They were so bad that viewers turned to Ozzy Osbourne's crazy family for laughs. By late April, "The Osbournes" became MTV's No. 1 series, drawing 7.8 million viewers.
But to put those ratings in perspective: "The Osbournes" would rank No. 89 among all broadcast shows this season, falling between FOX's "Titus" and ABC's canceled "What About Joan."
By contrast, NBC's canceled "Leap of Faith"— the season's highest-rated new show — ranked No. 12 with 16.5 million viewers.
No joke
Two years of arcane references were enough for ABC, which dumped comedian Dennis Miller (and Dan Fouts) from "Monday Night Football."
ABC this fall will pair NFL analyst John Madden with Al Michaels for a two-man "MNF" booth.
Are you ready for some football?
Bye-bye Bryant
Bryant Gumbel left CBS after five years, after anchoring his final broadcast of "The Early Show" on May 17.
Other passages: "NYPD Blue" actress Andrea Thompson lasted six months as a CNN Headline News anchor. Rosie O'Donnell and Sally Jessy Raphael will end their daytime talk shows May 22.
Coming this summer: Phil Donahue returns to TV talk on MSNBC, while Connie Chung joins CNN. Could Bill Clinton soon be a TV talk show host, too?
Off the booze
NBC broke a long-standing TV taboo on Dec. 15 by airing a designated driving promotion sponsored by Smirnoff's vodka.
Broadcasters had refused to promote hard liquor on TV until NBC's multimillion-dollar contract with Guinness UDV, makers of Johnny Walker scotch, Smirnoff's and Jose Cuervo tequila.
The deal hit the rocks in three months, after NBC received complaints from Congress, regulatory agencies and health organizations.
