NBC confirms 'Perry' on deck for Fridays
An original "Perry Mason" will air Oct. 30 with repeats set for Nov. 6 and 20 .
"The Hard Way," one of the Universal titles that bypasses cable and goes directly to the network, will air in the Sunday movie slot Nov. 8 as well as the following Friday.
NBC has yet to announce its plans beyond that point but is expected to air the "Mason" repeats through the duration of the calendar year, at which time it could either introduce new series programming or continue with movies, depending on its performance.
The "Perry Mason" vidpix are seen as being most directly competitive with CBS' comedies, which tend to skew older in their appeal than ABC's "TGIF" block. NBC took a similar approach last year by scheduling "Matlock" on Friday, including several two-hour episodes.
NBC also confirmed that it's canceling new Spelling TV drama "The Round Table ," which will have its last airing this Friday. The series joins its lead-in reality shows "Final Appeal" and "What Happened?," which aired at 8 p.m., on the season's early casualty roster, which also includes the new CBS hour "Angel Street."
