ABC Hopes for Better Fall

[Sarangel]

There's a nice Article in the Orlando Sentinel about ABC's hopes for the fall line up. Some of the highlights follow:

When asked whether ABC had bottomed out, ABC Entertainment Chairman Lloyd Braun hesitated, said he hoped so, then offered a "yes," drawing laughter from television critics meeting here on their summer tour to preview the new season.

ABC Entertainment President Susan Lyne picked the new John Ritter sitcom 8 Simple Rules . . . as "the show that has the cleanest shot" to be a hit. "It's a strong show with engaging leads," she said.

The network has added seven new series, including one based on the Dinotopia miniseries. It will try to boost family viewing with 8 p.m. programs promoted as the Happy Hour. ABC's major offerings next season include a new version of The Music Man with Matthew Broderick; Kelsey Grammer in the Christmas movie Mr. St. Nick; and a film about Prince William.

ABC sold $1.5 billion in advertising during the preseason "upfront" market, down from $1.6 billion last year. But Braun said that when the ad revenue from other programs (the Academy Awards, the Super Bowl, Monday Night Football) is included, that would bring ABC's total to $2 billion, making it second in revenue to top-rated NBC.

It sounds good to me - I'd watch M. Broderick in the Music Man & probably give the Dinotopia Series a whirl (I liked the mini-series, despite what the critics thought), and being something of an anglophile I'd consider the Prince William movie (depending on what the previews looked like).

Sarangel