'Home' spun out of slot by 'Frasier'
Show's move to protect ratings, may face 'Mad'
No final scheduling decisions will be made until the networks announce their fall schedules during presentations to advertisers in late May.
But "Frasier" has dramatically narrowed the gap between its average and that of "Home Improvement" this season, and on Tuesday night of this week, NBC's "Frasier" scored its most definitive win over "Home Improvement" in the four years the two comedies have gone head-to-head on Tuesdays at 9 p.m.
Season-to-date, "Frasier" trails "Home Improvement" by just one-tenth of a rating point in homes and four-tenths of a rating point among the key adults 18-49 demo, but "Frasier" has actually defeated "Home" 12 of the past 19 weeks.
Sources say "Home Improvement" star Tim Allen does not want to remain up against "Frasier" much longer and risk losing his No. 1 status in the timeslot for a season. Of course, NBC is considering moving "Frasier" to Thursday night to replace the departing anchor "Seinfeld," which would make the "Home Improvement" move moot.
But if "Frasier" stays, "Home" will likely go. Already, ABC has been airing repeats of "Home Improvement" at 8 p.m., which may be a major factor in the show's ratings decline this season.
With some stations airing off-net reruns of "Home" during the access hour leading into primetime, viewers can often see three episodes of "Home Improvement" in a two-hour timespan on Tuesday nights.
The double runs are a result of ABC's dearth of a Tuesday anchor series this season. But the web now has three potential anchor shows on Wednesday night to play with -- "Spin City," "Dharma & Greg" and "The Drew Carey Show" -- and the web is considering moving one of those sitcoms to Tuesday.
Sources say "Spin City," which aired on Tuesday-night last season, and "Dharma & Greg" are more likely to shift than "Drew Carey."
All of these potential moves call into question the future of "Soul Man" and "Something So Right" on Tuesday night. ABC has made no decision on whether to renew those two series, and depending on the strength of its development, ABC is likely to want to launch at least one new show on the night.
If "Home Improvement" does indeed move to Tuesdays at 8 p.m., the biggest potential loser will probably be NBC's "Mad About You," a series whose stars will earn a hefty $1 million per episode next season.
While lower viewing levels will probably lower "Home Improvement's" ratings compared with this season, the show's wide appeal among kids and families make it a great fit for 8 p.m.
Repeats of "Home Improvement" are already denting "Mad About You" ratings, and originals of "Home Improvement" could seriously damage the series, if it stays put.
It's likely to be the last year for both "Home" and "Mad," so the long-term impact is blunted. However both shows will want to go out on a high note, and "Mad About You" will be anxious to prove it's worth the money NBC is paying for its star power.
