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The Barack Obama Show returns to television next Tuesday
by Jason Hughes, posted Mar 19th 2009 5:01PM
I get that there's a lot going on, and normally I don't have a problem with the President coming on television to tell us what's up, but I think Obama is looking to get his own weekly show on all four major networks. And I'm sure Fox is just thrilled that he's been picking Tuesday's at 8/7 Central to speak. If you're going to interrupt our regularly scheduled programming, why not do it during the biggest show on television? Gives you the best chance of pissing off the largest number of people who didn't know you were going to be on instead of Ryan Seacrest.Now with the NCAA playoffs also starting this week, there was a big question as to how the networks were going to respond. Fox's American Idol is a live show, so it's not like it can just be moved around the schedule without some prep work being done. That said, once again Idol will be shifting both of its episodes back a day to accommodate the Presidential Address. Let's take a look at how the networks are responding to this sweeps interruption.
ABC - They have the least to lose, quite literally, as all they have to do is not air the back-to-back episodes of According to Jim they had planned for the 8/7c hour. The rest of their night can continue as normal with the Dancing With the Stars results show at 9/8c, followed by the season finale of Primetime: What Would You Do?
CBS - CBS has decided to bump their 10/9c staple Without a Trace's new episode to next week. And after the President's Address they'll be shifting both of their early shows back an hour, putting NCIS at 9/8c and The Mentalist at 10/9c. With Without a Trace being rumored to be on the bubble for renewal it makes sense to keep the stronger shows on the air, and it gives CBS a chance to see how they might perform in the later hours.
Fox - With the most dramatic changes needed due to the format of American Idol, Fox is dumping a House repeat after the President's Address on Tuesday. Then, on Wednesday we'll get the full two-hour Idol performance show. Thursday's results show is back in the 8/7c slot, followed by a new Hell's Kitchen, which should be good for that show. This does, however, put Idol right in the crossfire of CBS's NCAA coverage. Lie to Me and Bones will simply not air this week at all.
NBC - The fourth place network is following CBS's lead, shifting back their two-hour The BIggest Loser to the 9/8c slot after the Presidential Address on Tuesday. That pre-empts Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for the week, which is one of the network's stronger performers.
Considering this is sweeps time and things are schedule in very specific ways both in story content and for advertisers you just know the networks are hating that Obama is taking to the airwaves so soon after his last speech. And apparently, word is he'll be doing more of this.
[via The Futon Critic]
| He's the President, he can do it as much as he wants | |
|---|---|
| He should do it on nights with less on (that matter) | |
| He's doing it too much now | |
| The networks could always tell him no | |
| Save it for the State of the Union |
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