Mondays get manic
Night is one of the most churned- over of fall
Though the 10 o'clock hour stays the same for everybody, it's one of the most churned- over nights of fall. Six series come aboard on Monday, and five returning skeins occupy new timeslots, including CBS' key shift of comedy "Two and a Half Men" to 9 o'clock.
Projects generating the most buzz are Fox's escape drama "Prison Break" and CBS' buddy romantic comedy "How I Met Your Mother" -- two of the new season's most unique skeins.
Nets made some good skedding choices here, with NBC resting the tired "Fear Factor" and replacing it with an intriguing new drama. Also, minus "Everybody Loves Raymond," CBS smartly returned "King of Queens" to anchor things at 8, and Fox has put "Arrested Development" in a slot where it won't feel as much pressure and should fit well with new skedmate "Kitchen Confidential."
Here's a look at Monday:
8-9 p.m.
Despite possessing what's quite possibly the worst title in history, NBC's sea-creature adventure series "Surface" appears to be a good bet here and could be the surprise 18-49 winner. It will play well among both men and women, but should also be inviting to teens and kids.
CBS is likely to win in total viewers and be competitive in key demos with the unsung "Queens" leading into witty new laffer "Mother," in which a father tells his kids about his dating travails as a young man.
This is the perfect place on the sked for what should be the Eye's youngest-skewing comedy. The question remains, though, whether this "Friends"-like laffer might be too young for CBS, which has had great success with more traditional, domestic comedies.
Fox's comedy combo of "Arrested" and the new "Kitchen Confidential" should do pretty well with young men, but appears destined for a fourth-place finish in 18-49.
UPN, which shifts "All of Us" to 8:30 from its Tuesday slot a year ago; and the WB, with vet "7th Heaven," should remain solid in this hour.
ABC is enlisting the unscripted (and hardly compatible) "Wife Swap" to play before football in most of the country and after the game in the West; it's a lock to improve on last year's perf here with space-filler "The Benefactor."
9-10 p.m.
"Two and a Half Men," the most successful comedy to bow on any net in the past five years, should perform at roughly 90% of the level of "Raymond" last fall, but the Eye's night as a whole could slip if new 9:30 laffer "Out of Practice" can't approach what "Men" did there a year ago.
"Practice" is another solid new CBS comedy, but its focus on a family of doctors may prove too erudite behind the broadly appealing "Men."
On the drama side, NBC's "Las Vegas" enters its third season up against two new dramas -- "Prison Break" and the WB's "Just Legal."
"Prison," which bows this week, is a great concept that should draw initial interest. Fox is hoping to keep the "24" slot warm with this promising hour, but it may prove tough to maintain such intensity over some 20 episodes -- and football will be tough competish for the male aud.
Pilot for the WB's new Jerry Bruckheimer drama "Just Legal" was just OK, telling decent stories but lacking any real spark. Still, this isn't a bad shot here for the Frog, and although thematically different, it should appeal to much of the same aud as lead-in "7th Heaven" -- unlike "Everwood," which brought much of its own aud to the slot.
As for "Vegas," it could improve here given softer CBS competish and a drama lead-in.
UPN vets "Girlfriends" and "Half & Half" remain solid alternatives, scoring well among urban women.
10-11 p.m.
ABC, with its final season of "NFL Monday Night Football," and CBS drama "CSI: Miami" will trade weekly 18-49 victories here, depending on the strength of the game.
NBC's "Medium," which started out hot last January before slipping some, will again give the net a sturdy showing in the time period, helping cut into the gaudy averages put up by "Miami" a year ago.
Bottom line
ABC should move ahead of CBS in 18-49 for the fourth quarter, with the gap between the leaders and NBC narrowing if "Surface" takes off.
Next week: Wednesday
