The Programming Insider: Wednesday 7/21/04

-By Marc Berman

Note: Due to my traveling schedule there will be no new edition of The Programming Insider on Thursday, July 22. See you back from New York on Friday.

LIVE FROM THE TELEVISION CRITICS ASSOCIATION PRESS TOUR IN LOS ANGELES

UPN DAY

Executive Session:
Les Moonves and Dawn Ostroff Address the Audience

In the final executive session at the Summer TCA Press Tour, the little network that could, UPN, was beaming with well-deserved optimism.

"To start turning this network around, the first step was to improve the programming," said Les Moonves, Co-President & Co-COO, Viacom. "In just two and a half years, we've changed the perception and the direction of UPN with stronger management, smart scheduling and improved programming."

"With top talent producing and starring in UPN shows last season, we now have a stronger foundation of quality on our schedule, including returning freshman comedies Eve and All Of Us, and the biggest homegrown hit that UPN has ever had in America's Next Top Model," said Dawn Ostroff, President, Entertainment, UPN. "These shows enabled us to bring our Monday viewers into Tuesday. And with Top Model, we saw our audience base expand in a big way."

As chief rival the WB tries to expand its overall audience base, UPN will concentrate on bringing more top talent to the network, capitalizing on the strength of women 18-34, and building Wednesday in 2004-05.

"Our target is 18-34 year olds," said Ostroff. "We're focusing specifically on women. That's what we want to really achieve and become No. 1 in and be very aggressive in that area. We think some of our shows will cross over, like Kevin Hill. But for us, it's staying focused on whom our core audience is and whom we really want to bring to the network."

Considering the UPN of yesteryear suffered from what many refer to as a multiple personality disorder, the unexpected success of America's Next Top Model has given the network a strong foundation to build from.

"By moving Top Model, we're working on another big goal, scoring big on Wednesday," said Ostroff. "Next season, we have our No. 1 show, Top Model, leading into Kevin Hill, making us more competitive on Wednesday than ever before."

In addition to three new series next season (sitcom The Second Time Around and dramas Veronica Mars and Kevin Hill) UPN will introduce reality hour The Road to Stardom With Missy Elliott in midseason and new comedy Bad Girl's Guide, based on the best-selling books, with Jenny McCarthey. As for the future of Star Trek: Enterprise:

"If Star Trek had cost the license fee that it cost a year ago, a different decision may have been made," said Moonves. "Right now the key priority goal is building UPN."


UPN Fall Series Premiere Dates:
Mark Your Calendars

What follows are the fall series premiere dates for all new, and returning, UPN series (in chronological order of premieres):

-One On One: Monday, Sept. 20, 8 p.m. ET - season premiere
-Half & Half: Monday, Sept. 20, 8:30 p.m. ET - season premiere
-Girlfriends: Monday, Sept. 20, 9 p.m. ET - season premiere
-Second Time Around: Monday, Sept. 20, 9:30 p.m. ET - premiere
-All Of Us: Tuesday, Sept. 21, 8 p.m. ET - season premiere
-Eve: Tuesday, Sept. 21, 8:30 p.m. ET - season premiere
-America's Next Top Model: Wednesday, Sept. 22, 8 p.m. ET - season premiere
-Veronica Mars: Wednesday, Sept. 22, 9 p.m. ET - preview
-WWE Smackdown!: Thursday, Sept. 23, 9 p.m. ET - season premiere
-Veronica Mars: Tuesday, Sept. 28, 9 p.m. ET - season premiere
-Kevin Hill: Wednesday, Sept. 29, 9 p.m. ET - premiere
-Star Trek: Enterprise: Friday, Oct. 8, 8 p.m. ET - season premiere


On the UPN Panel Front:

KEVIN HILL
Wednesday 9 p.m. ET

-The Premise:
A young, single attorney must give up his playboy lifestyle and high power job when he suddenly has to raise the 10-month-old daughter of his recently deceased cousin.

-Who Was There:
Taye Diggs, Jon Seda, Patrick Breen, Christina Hendricks, Kate Levering, Michael Michele, executive producers Bruce Davey and Alex Taub, and creator/co-executive producer Jorge A. Reyes.

-The Scoop:
Considering there wasn't an empty seat in the room at this late date at the Press Tour, early critical buzz is likely to remain in Kevin Hill's favor if subsequent episodes remain near the quality of the pilot. No matter how much reality appetizer comes and goes, a scripted drama like Kevin Hill remains the main course on any network's line-up. Kudos to UPN for finding it.

-The Reality:
If Kevin Hill can hold 80 percent of relocated (and red-hot) lead-in America's Next Top Model (and based on the pilot it deserves to maintain the entire audience), UPN will be poised for more momentum next season. Assuming the WB's Smallville takes a hit next to Top Model, frog net lead-out The Mountain could (and should) lose the battle opposite Kevin Hill.

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SECOND TIME AROUND
Monday 9:30 p.m. ET

-The Premise:
A newlywed couple (real life engaged couple Nicole Parker and Boris Kodjoe) reunite and get married to each other the second time.

-Who Was There:
Nicole Parker, Boris Kodjoe, Brian White, Melissa De Sousa, Danielle Nicolet, and co-creator/executive producers Ralph Farquhar and Michelle Listenbee-Brown.

-The Scoop:
Assuming The Second Time Around fits in like a glove, and there is no reason why it shouldn't, I wonder which current UPN comedy will get the axe next season to make room for a potential new sitcom in 2005-06?

-The Reality:
Considering UPN successfully launches one new Monday night comedy per season, the romantic Second Time Around out of the underrated (and perfectly compatible) Girlfriends should have no trouble making the grade.

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THE ROAD TO STARDOM WITH MISSY ELLIOTT
Wednesday 8 p.m. ET (after the first cycle of America's Next Top Model)

-The Premise:
Thirteen aspiring performers are sent coast-to-coast with Grammy Award winning artist Missy Elliott on one of her concert tours in search of becoming the next hip-hop star.

-Who Was There:
Missy Elliott, judges Teena Marie and Dallas Austin, judge/co-creator/executive producer Mona Scott, and executive producers Arnold Shapiro and Allison Grodner.

-The Scoop:
Not only has UPN done the one thing the WB hasn't, and that's find a hit reality series, planning the future with a project like The Road To Stardom With Missy Elliott is both timely and promising.

-The Reality:
Airing in between America's Next Top Model 3 and 4, UPN is wisely keeping the time period warm with reality.


VERONICA MARS
Tuesday 9 p.m. ET

-The Premise:
A seemingly normal 17-year old moonlights at night as a private investigator dedicated to solving the town's toughest mysteries.

-Who Was There:
Kristen Bell, Enrico Colantoni, Percy Daggs III, Teddy Dunn, Jason Dohring, Francis Capra, and executive producers Joel Silver and Rob Thomas.

-The Scoop:
In search of young women, the toughest competition for Veronica Mars in the hour is likely to be female skewing WB serial One Tree Hill.

-The Reality:
Assuming UPN realizes Veronica Mars will come nowhere near the levels of former time period occupant America's Next Top Model, if it can hold relocated lead-in Eve (and that's probably not hard to do) the network could have something here.


AMISH IN THE CITY
Wednesday 8 p.m. ET (debuting on July 29)

-The Premise:
Five young adults who have left their spiritually devout, rural Amish communities to experience life in the big city will room with six people from various metropolitan areas in an ultra-modern Hollywood Hills home.

-Who Was There:
Executive producers Jon Kroll and Daniel Laikind.

-The Scoop:
According to Dawn Ostroff at the executive session:

"I would like to clear up a few misconceptions about Amish in the City. First, I would like to point out that the Amish participants in the show were between the ages of 18 and 24, and all of them were already on rumspringa (a Pennsylvania Dutch word loosely translated into running wild) and living outside their homes. The field producers were in these communities for several months. They operated with full disclosure, so everyone they spoke with was informed about the concept of the show and what the experience would be like. We had a lot of young adults who wanted to be part of the show, and the ones that ultimately ended up participating all chose to do so of their own free will."

-The Reality:
Despite all the hoopla about members of the Amish community participating in a reality series, I think this "fish out of water" concept is the best thing I have personally seen in reality in ages. Although Fox's The Simple Life tries to impersonate this concept, Amish in the City does so without even blinking an eye. Count me in this summer!


Press Tour Tidbits:
Notes of Interest

-Half & Half Update:
In an unusual twist for next season, returning UPN comedy Half & Half will incorporate a real-life contest to find a new vocalist or musical group for music executive Mona Thorne's (Rachel True) fictitious label Delicious Records. After the contest is announced on the show, the rules and submission information will be posted on www.upn.com.


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