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OB- The- Mictiigan Daily Weeken 8Maga e - Thur~c, February. 27, 1997
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Tho Michigan D y Weeken Mag
New TV shows to premiere while old ones enjoy hiatus
Los Andles Times
The February rating sweeps conclude
Wednesday, signaling not just the end of
TV's latest exercise in hype and hysteria
but also the start of another kind of
high-stakes chess game.
In a seemingly chaotic array of
moves that could frustrate viewers,
the networks will make wholesale
lineup changes right after sweeps. A
dozen series will premiere over the
next-few weeks, several more will
shift to new time periods and some of
prime time's most-watched shows -
including "ER," "NYPD Blue" and a
fading "Murphy Brown" - will take
sabbaticals almost until the next
audience survey period begins in late
April.
Network executives insist there is
method to this apparent case of March
madness, as they seek to introduce pro-
grams in time periods where they'll
have a better chance of getting sampled
by viewers, at the same time resting
shows that would otherwise be in
repeats.
= The risk, however, could be alienat-
ing segments of the audience, such as
those die-hard "ER" fans who have
already lit up the Internet wondering
what they'll do with their Thursday
nights for the five weeks the show is off
the air.
"I look forward to 'ER' each week
and would rather watch reruns than
nothing," one fan griped on the
show's Web site. Others have gone so
far as to suggest boycotting replace-
ment programs, fearing their success
could endanger "ER's" speedy
return.
While boycotts seem unlikely, view-
ers, faced with so many changes, might
just ignore new offerings, which for
networks and producers would be just
as bad.
The crop of hopefuls premiering by
mid-March includes sitcoms starring
Arsenio Hall, Pauly Shore, Laura San
Giacomo and Debi Mazar; "Crisis
Center," an ensemble drama with
Kellie Martin; "Law & Order" pro-
ducer Dick Wolf's "Feds," about fed-
eral prosecutors; and the legal series
"The Practice," from "Chicago
Hope" creator David E. Kelley.
"There's no question it is in certain
instances going to increase our view-
er confusion," CBS Entertainment
President Leslie Moonves acknowl-
edged Monday.
Networks have always trotted out
new programs in January and March as
a second wave to the new season that
begins in September, but seldom in
such a concentrated fashion. Insiders
attribute the crush to various factors,
from economic considerations to the
changing nature of TV viewing pat-
terns.
Programmers don't want to introduce
shows during sweeps - which fall in
November, February and May -
because of pressure to garner big rat-
ings during those periods, which affili-
ates rely on to negotiate advertising
rates.
"Unfortunately, the networks all
play by the same rules," said Jeff
Bader, ABC's vice president of pro-
gram planning and scheduling. "You
don't launch new shows and you
don't make scheduling
changes during the sweep
because there is risk of
confusing viewers. In a
perfect world, you'd
stagger these
changes through
January, February
and March."
Instead, lineup'
revisions will be
bunched together in
March and April,
f
finish the season with six consecutive
new episodes when it returns in April.
New series thus provide original pro-
gramming at a time when networks no
longer have the luxury of counting on
big tune-in for reruns due to the explo-
sion of options available to most view-
ers via cable, home video and other
alternatives.
That competitive land-
scape also explains why
networks are willing
to gamble by bench-
ing popular shows:
Simply put, pro-
grammers feel they
must use their best
time slots to estab-
lish new series,
since few programs
have become hits in
recent years without
the benefit of such a
showcase.
Small wonder, then,
that NBC has placed
e Clooney two series this season
("Suddenly Susan" and
"The Naked Truth") in the "ham-
mock" between "Seinfeld" and "ER."
A third comedy - "Fired Up," star-
ring "NYPD Blue's" Sharon
Lawrence - will get a shot there
beginning April 10.
"If there's an audience flow, if there's
a protected time period, then the prod-
See TV HIATUS, Page 16B
ICE CREAM
Continued from Page 6B
cream. It's great because you can study while eating.
Until this place opened, I ate at Stucchi's all the time.
The atmosphere is much better, more laid back and
the ice cream tastes better to me, " part-time student
Ilana Singer said, between bites of a hot fudge sun-
dae.
Java House is less parlor-esque than Stucchi's,
yet the ambiance can be comfortable. With ample
couch space, larger tables and the down-stairs cel-
lar feel, one can definitely get romantic with a cone
and a date, or even curl up with few books and
some sweet decadence.
When you're down on Main Street, check out the
sweet creations at Lovin' Spoonful. Set on the same
block as Gratzi, Palio and other gourmet establish-
ments, Lovin' Spoonful is the ideal place to sweet-
en up your palate after a good meal on the town..
While Lovin' Spoonful shares its name with the
'60s rock group of the same name, the store has
been at the same location churning out its own
homemade ice cream since 1982. It closed in 1989
and reopened under new ownership in 1992,
but its recipes have remained the same.
Along with the 28 flavors of rich and deli-
cious ice cream, the store offers four kinds
of hand-scooped yogurt, two soft-serve
sugar-free non-fat yogurts and four sorbets.
If frozen sweets aren't your thing, try one of
the 15 sandwiches, a homemade soup and
various cookies, brownies or other baked
goods.n
Chocoholics should be sure to check out the
Midnight Desire ice cream, based in bitter-
sweet chocolate with homemade brownies and
fudge mixed in for the ultimate chocolate experi-
ence. On the low-fat side, check out the
Strawberry-Kiwi sorbet for some sweet and fruity
ecstasy.
Mrs. Peabody's advertises ice cream on the sign
that hangs outside the store, but since the early '90s
the ice cream has been replaced by frozen yogurt, in
an attempt to keep up with the times. Cravers
of Colombo fat-free and low-fat frozen
yogurt often form lines out the door of the
quaint, little cookie and muffin shop.
Along with Mrs. Peabody's, Y&S
r-1 Sandwich Cafe also offers fat-free and low-
fat frozen yogurt. Y&S, one of the more recent
additions to the Michigan Union, offers four
flavors of soft-serve frozen yogurt, though the
selection is sometimes sub-par (sometimes only
two types of chocolate and two types of vanilla
yogurt). Surprising flavors, like Cantaloupe and.
Peppermint, however, can set taste buds afire.
While Mrs. Peabody's toppings are scarce com-
pared to other dessert places, the sweetness of Mrs.
Peabody's lies in its simplicity and warmth. The
Where to scream for ice cream:
j
which once offered a
steady diet of repeats
while networks held
back new episodes until
May.
Last spring, for exam- "Dr." Geor
ple, fans groused about
an arid stretch of ".ER" reruns, as NBC
sought to spread 22 episodes (the stan-
dard number for most one-hour series)
over the 35-week TV season.
Similarly, in the eight weeks that
"NYPD Blue" will be off the air, Bader
noted, six telecasts would have been
repeats. By giving up its beat to "The
Practice," the police drama will now
Place:
Where:
Phone:
Hours:
Java House and
Stroh's Ice Crea
Lovin' Spoonful
330 S. Main St.
663-2663 Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.;
Sunday, 12-9 p.m.
ge
Mrs. Peabody's
Stucchi's
Y&S Sandwich Cafe,
315 S. State St.
302 S. State St.
1123 South University Ave.
715 North University Ave.
669-8977
662-1700
662-1716
761-2447
Monday-Friday, 9 a m.7 p.m,; Saturday,
10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 12-5 p.m.
Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m.;
Friday-Saturday, 11-12 a.m.
Monday-Friday 10-12 a.m.; Saturday,
11:30-12 a.m.; Sunday, 11-12 a.m.
i
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campus news
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