Moving toward becoming more competitive with the major networks, The WB Television Network yesterday announced a fall schedule that adds a third night to its primetime schedule (Monday), acquires a second Aaron Spelling drama and picks up a sitcom discard from NBC. The fledgling network’s lineup remains primarily young, black and urban.
WB’s new Spelling drama, “7th Heaven,” starring Steven Collins, Catherine Hicks and a company of young actors, is described as a family drama in the genre of Spelling’s 1960’s hit, “Family.” WB’s only other hour-long drama, “Savannah,” also from Spelling, will anchor the 9 p.m. slot on Mondays.
“Brotherly Love,” with the Lawrence brothers Joey, Matthew and Andrew, was picked up after it was dropped by NBC and slated at 7:30 p.m. Sundays. “We’d been tracking ‘Brotherly Love” closely and felt it didn’t get a shot to become a hit on NBC that it can be for us,” said The WB’s’ Garth Ancier.
The WB adds four new half-hours, having earlier canceled the sitcom “Simon.” The new comedies are “Life With Roger,” a buddy show from Warner Bros. television, developed for NBC and starring Mike O’Malley; “The Steve Harvey Show,” featuring the actor in what The WB calls “one of the best comedy pilots that any network developed this season”; “Nick Fresno: Licensed Teacher,” starring Mitch Mullaney (White Mike on “The Wayans Bros.”) and “The Jamie Foxx Show” starring the former “In Living Color Alumnus.”
“The Parent ‘Hood” moves to 8 on Monday nights, followed by “The Steve Harvey Show.” Harvey, who headlined ABC’s “Me and the Boys,” plays a jazz musician forced to take a job teaching music in an inner-city school.
On Sundays, WB has dropped Steven Spielberg’s cartoon show, “Pinky and the Brain” (it will still appear Saturday mornings), and will start off at 7 p.m. with “Kirk,” starring Kirk Cameron.
Meanwhile, the USA Network has announced a $175 million original programming expansion plan that includes its first miniseries. Network producer Robert Halmi Sr. has been signed to produce multiple projects for USA, including a four-hour “Moby Dick.”
The USA’s Sci-Fi Channel plans new versions of “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and “Brave New World” for its ’96-97 season.
