In a very smart move on the part of ABC execs, the network will be moving its SF hit show “Lost” to the 10PM ET timeslot in order to avoid a head-to-head ratings fight against Fox’s juggernaut “American Idol” this coming February.
In the past 4 years all the major networks have conceded their respective timeslots on Tuesday and Wednesday night to Fox after 5 years of being trounced by “American Idol.”
Net’s affils should be happy with the shift. With “Lost” moving to 10PM , ABC will likely deliver local stations their best new lead-in numbers for the slot in years, reports Variety.
As for what will compete against “Idol,” ABC has decided that laughter and games are the best medicine. Net has slotted the sitcom “Knights of Prosperity” Wednesdays at 9PM , directly against the “Idol” results show. It’ll be paired at 9:30 with another new comedy, “In Case of Emergency.” Don’t expect them to last in that dead zone.
“Day Break” will either be curtailed after its December 27th broadcast or moved to another night. While ratings for the new Taye Diggs reliever have been so-so, ABC has yet to decide its ultimate fate, or if the remaining five episodes will see the break of day.
ABC still has confidence in Shat as they will pit Bill’s new hit game show “Show Me the Money” against Cowell and friends on Tuesdays. The question is can one TV icon and idol really fight against that other relatively new TV Idol and win? Nothing else the other three networks have tried has worked, so we shall see.
Sitting in the ABC wings are the remaining unaired episodes of “The Nine” and “Six Degrees,” and also midseason replacements “October Road,” “The Traveler” and “Masters of Sci-Fi.”
I don’t watch anything else on Wednesday anyway, so the time change doesn’t matter to me.
As for “Day Break”, I hope it lasts til the end of the season, because it’s a great show.
This is a good idea, because it should free the writers up in terms of content a little. More than that, it won’t be up against “American Idol” or “Criminal Minds”, both of which are inexplicably popular. “Lost” might lose a few viewers who don’t want to stay up late, but the bleeding will be a lot less.