Networks Shuffle Schedules; Stewart Won't Run

October 2006 News

Schedule shuffling: Starting November 30, NBC's 30 Rock moves to Thursdays to be part of a two-hour comedy block with Scrubs, My Name is Earl and The Office. The network's plan for Kidnapped wasn't as auspicious; the drama was moved from Wednesday to Saturday amidst reports that production had been shut down. Some other freshman series fared even worse; NBC cancelled Twenty Good Years after two bad weeks, CBS' Smith went on indefinite hiatus after three episodes, and the CW made Runaway go away after four episodes.

No White House run for Stewart and Colbert: Jon Stewart dispelled rumors — or at least tried to — that he and Stephen Colbert (right) would form a presidential ticket for 2008. Speaking at the New Yorker Festival, the Daily Show host quipped, "Nothing says 'I am ashamed of you my government' more than 'Stewart/Colbert '08.'" There was no word from Colbert on his intentions, though later in the month he made a move that could burnish his credentials as a compassionate conservative. To celebrate the one-year anniversary of his show, Colbert announced he would auction off a portrait of himself that hangs on the Colbert Report set, with proceeds earmarked for charity.

How do you say "déjà vu" in Russian?: Some old U.S. sitcoms are getting a second life — in a second language. Warner Bros. has made a deal with Russian broadcaster CTC to produce local versions of Suddenly Susan, Full House and Step by Step. A Russian-language version of Perfect Strangers has already made its debut.

Game ... surgery ... game ... surgery?: Delaying medical attention until after the end of a game is a common decision for athletes. According to a Baltimore doctor, it's common for sports fans too. Dr. David Jerrard's three-year study took a four-hour period (starting half an hour after the end of local sports broadcasts) and compared numbers for game day and non-game day visits to the University of Maryland Medical Center. He found that on average, the number of ER visits was 40 percent higher on game days, with the greatest increase coming after college football games (15 patients when there was a game, 8 when there wasn't). Jerrard will next study what conditions are treated during those visits. Hopefully he'll find they aren't life-threatening ones.

No faking, says Fox: He played some political characters in his sitcom days, but Michael J. Fox (left) said there was no acting involved in his recent campaign ads. Fox, who left Spin City because of his Parkinson's, was prominently featured in TV spots for five Democrats who support stem-cell research. Rush Limbaugh and other commentators accused Fox of exaggerating, but Fox told Katie Couric that was not the case. "That's funny the notion that you could calculate it for effect," he said. "Would that we could."

Development deals: Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) has a cast-contingent pilot order with TBS for Imperfect Union, a romantic comedy set in a factory. David Eick, executive producer of Battlestar Galactica, is working on a remake of The Bionic Woman for NBC.

Some movie stars are in the mix too; CBS has ordered a pilot for an unnamed medical drama from Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Leonardo DiCaprio is working on E-topia; a reality series that hasn't been picked up by any networks yet. And Hugh Jackman is expected to executive-produce and star in the pilot for Viva Blackpool, a CBS murder mystery based on a BBC miniseries.

In memoriam: Actress Jane Wyatt passed away on October 20 of natural causes. The actress, who was 96, made many appearances in film and TV, with her most famous small-screen role being Margaret Anderson, the wife and mother on the '50s sitcom Father Knows Best. On October 10, comedy writer Jerry Belson (The Tracey Ullman Show, The Odd Couple) died of cancer at the age of 68.

-- A. Wu