NBC Moves 'Ed' to Wednesday
Nov. 13, 2000 -- NBC is putting its bowling shoes on in support of its freshman kingpin comedy, Ed.
The peacock net will move Ed from Sundays to Wednesdays at 8 p.m. starting next month, according to Variety. The acclaimed comedy, which has won the hearts of critics, hasn’t been clearing lanes with audiences in its current slot; NBC hopes that by moving it to Wednesday — where it will lead in to the network’s popular political drama The West Wing — Ed will find a needed boost.
The lovable Ed, which stars the Jon Stewart-esque Tom Cavanagh as a lawyer who opens up a bowling alley in his small hometown, is a critical fave that NBC doesn’t yet want to abandon.
“Ed is one of the season’s brightest freshman hits, both from a critical and ratings standpoint,” NBC Entertainment President Garth Ancier told Variety.
Giving it TimeThe Ed shift was part of a lineup shuffle announced Wednesday. Making room for Ed, the Aaron Spelling soap Titans will shift to Mondays at 8 p.m. starting Dec. 4. In addition, NBC has ordered four more scripts of Titans.
Removing Ed from Sunday nights also prevents the comedy from being soaked by professional basketball games, which could threaten it as hoops season gets into full swing.
“We thought the NBA would not allow that to be a great home [for Ed] for the rest of the season,” NBC West Coast President Scott Sassa said.
Ed debuted in October with a strong 6.8 Nielsen rating in the coveted adults 18-49 demographic, but that rating had fallen to a four by its fifth episode, on Nov. 5. The show has averaged a 5.2 rating in the demographic — better than the 5 rating that Third Watch had averaged in the same Sunday night slot last year.
Monday BluesLike it did with Ed, NBC moved Third Watch off Sunday nights after it, too, showed early promise but then experienced declines. Third Watch has emerged as a strong performer for NBC on Monday nights.
Meanwhile, Titans fills the hole on Monday nights left by the recently axed family comedies Daddio and Tucker. Titans will bump Dateline NBC, which had been pinch-hitting in the slot, back to 9 p.m. — where it will take over for the recently canceled newspaper drama Deadline.
“Young women watch television on Monday more than any other night of the week,” Ancier said, “and with the other networks going into repeats in December, we think the Monday 8-9 p.m. hour provides a great opportunity for Titans to grow and eventually flourish.”
In the season to date, the steamy soap has averaged a 3.5 rating among adults 18-49. Each adults 18-49 ratings point represents 1.24 million viewers.
Reuters contributed to this story.