The power of the white-trash ‘stache knows no bounds. Seeking to regain its former ‘Must-See TV’ luster on Thursday nights, NBC has revamped its lineup to reincorporate the two-hour sitcom block that worked so well for them in the past. Jason Lee’s freshman hit comedy “My Name is Earl” moves from Tuesdays to anchor the key 9pm (8pm Central) Thursday time slot previously held by “The Apprentice.” Meanwhile, ratings-deprived spinoff “Joey” will be off the air until at least March, replaced by “Will & Grace.”
The Thursday-night makeover is a step in the right direction. Joey has been floundering for weeks, and, between Donald and Martha, audiences are suffering from “Apprentice” overload this season. There’s still another new round of the Rug-Wearing One’s ego-fest left to air in the spring, but so far the real estate mogul’s program is without a home.
Will it make a difference? CBS is already entrenched on Thursday nights, with “Survivor” and “CSI” a bone-crunching one-two punch, and “Without a Trace” a strong (and less aged than “E.R.”) follow-up. “Will & Grace” will likely do better than “Joey”, but even Will and friends are showing their age, and the ongoing guest-star stunt-casting is a thinly-veiled cry for help. NBC just might have to get used to playing second fiddle, especially with UPN (of all networks!) now making a dent on Thursdays as well.
Perhaps Joey’s writers need to work on a storyline in which he is stranded on a desert island for 39 days, forced to use only his sharply-honed forensic skills to solve the murder of a missing child…
