Published: August 20, 2009 10:12 am      

TELEVISION: When shows switch networks

By Phil Dzikiy



“Project Runway” has said “Auf Wiedersehen” to Bravo and “Hallo” to Lifetime. But the fashion show is far from the first program to make such a leap. In fact, “Runway” isn’t even the only show to switch networks this coming season.

“Medium,” a supernatural crime drama starring Patricia Arquette, ran for five seasons on NBC, but it’s making the jump to CBS this season, starting in late September.

And then there’s “Futurama,” which had a four-season run on Fox. After its cancellation in 2003, reruns of the critically acclaimed animated program found a new audience on Comedy Central. The release of four straight-to-DVD movies proved successful as well, and Comedy Central recently announced new episodes of the show will be returning to its network next year.

Despite these shows finding new network homes, their futures are uncertain.

Many shows that switch networks are quickly canceled after making the move. Often, these shows only last for one more season.

One wonders if a network switch is a death knell, or if the quick demise of these shows is indicative of an already lengthy run prior to the switch.

“Scrubs”

The long-running “Scrubs” made a recent switch to ABC after seven seasons on NBC. It has run for one season on ABC, its lowest-ranked season on the air thus far.

The show will continue to run on ABC next season, albeit in a completely revamped form — Zach Braff’s main character J.D. will be gone, and Dr. Cox and Dr. Turk (John C. McGinley and Donald Faison) will become medical school professors.

ABC took on a show that was already underperforming in the ratings, though it’s tough to tell how many viewers were lost when the show switched networks. It remains to be seen how a show can radically changed show with (the same title) will draw viewers.

“The Critic”

“The Critic,” an animated show starring Jon Lovitz, never got much of an audience on ABC, and it moved to Fox for its final season, which only lasted 10 episodes. Ten “webisodes” were also created after the show left network television.

“Family Matters”

“Family Matters” is the perfect example of a show that was destroyed by a network change. For eight seasons on ABC, Steve Urkel and the Winslows was a top 50 show, but once it left its cozy spot on the network’s TGIF lineup for CBS, it fell off the map and went off the air. It probably didn’t help that the actress who played Harriet changed in the middle of the show’s final season, but then again, few people were watching by then.

“Taxi”

“Taxi” was always critically acclaimed and it has aged fairly well, but it was never a ratings powerhouse. It drew well in its first two seasons while in a strong lineup, but not so much afterwards. Its move to NBC from ABC saw the show take another ratings drop.

“JAG”

“JAG” is a rare case. It started on NBC, but the network canceled it after one season of poor ratings. CBS picked it up and the show became quite popular. “JAG” seemed like a CBS show from the beginning — it fit the network’s audience.

“Stargate SG-1” and “Politically Incorrect”

Fans of shifting shows have these two shows on which to hang their hopes. “Stargate SG-1” ran for 10 seasons — five on Showtime, five on the Sci Fi Channel. The show became available on the Sci Fi Channel in syndication, so Showtime let it go. It remained as popular as ever.

“Politically Incorrect” made a bigger leap — from cable (Comedy Central) to a five-year run on ABC.

Other examples

Plenty of other shows have made the leap from one channel to another with varying degrees of success. They include: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “The Naked Truth,” “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” “The Bionic Woman,” “Get Smart,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Monday Night Football,” and to show this isn’t anywhere near a modern trend, “Leave it to Beaver.”