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[05/13/03 - 12:00 AM]
The Futon's Upfront Notes: Abc
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) - As a supplement to the press releases issued by the networks, here's an addendum to all the fanfare that went on at each upfront presentation:

-- Along with ABC's fall schedule announcement has come real working titles for some of the network's untitled projects. The untitled Flett-Giordano-Ranberg project is now titled "It's All Relative" (Wednesdays at 8:30/7:30c); Tom Hertz's untitled comedy project now runs under the title "Back to Kansas" (Fridays at 8:30/7:30c); and the untitled comedy from Kevin Hart (which was not picked up for midseason as originally expected however could get ordered in the next week or so) is titled "The Big House."

-- A few title changes are also in store for the network's previously ordered series. "Lines of Duty," which was ABC's first new series order for next season, is now titled "Line of Fire." The network's other midseason project, "Kingdom Hospital," is now being referred to as "Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital."

-- "Dragnet" will now be called "L.A. Dragnet" when it returns next season on its new night: Saturdays at 10:00/9:00c.

-- "Less Than Perfect," which was pegged yesterday as moving to Fridays, will instead stay put in its current Tuesday, 9:30/8:30c home. "George Lopez" and "Life With Bonnie" however will make the switch to the new TGIF block at 8:00/7:00c and 9:30/8:30c respectively.

-- As expected, "The Wonderful World of Disney" will switch to Saturdays at 8:00/7:00c while "The Practice" will return to its old Sunday, 10:00/9:00c this fall.

-- Early schedules leaked to the press had ABC's three new dramas ("10-8," "Threat Matrix," "Karen Sisco") in each other's time slots at one point or another.

-- While not mentioned in its press release, ABC has committed to another edition of "Celebrity Mole" for a midseason 2004 berth.

-- Officially getting to axe then are "All American Girl," "Are You Hot?," "Dinotopia," "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!," "Lost at Home," "MDs," "Miracles," "Profiles from the Front Line," "Push, Nevada," "Regular Joe," "That Was Then" and "Veritas: The Quest."

-- While "The Drew Carey Show" and "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" did not make the cut for ABC's fall 2003 schedule, the pair are reportedly in discussions to return next summer for shortened runs in order to fill out their existing contracts. ABC is expected to make their intentions for both series clear in the next day or so.





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· 10-8 (ABC)
· ALL AMERICAN GIRL (ABC)
· ARE YOU HOT: THE SEARCH FOR AMERICA'S SEXIEST PEOPLE (ABC)
· BIG HOUSE, THE (ABC)
· DINOTOPIA (ABC)
· DREW CAREY SHOW, THE (ABC)
· GEORGE LOPEZ SHOW, THE (ABC)
· I'M A CELEBRITY, GET ME OUT OF HERE! (NBC)
· IT'S ALL RELATIVE (ABC)
· KAREN SISCO (ABC)
· LA DRAGNET (ABC)
· LESS THAN PERFECT (ABC)
· LIFE WITH BONNIE (ABC)
· LINE OF FIRE (ABC)
· LOST AT HOME (ABC)
· MARRIED TO THE KELLYS (ABC)
· MDS (ABC)
· MIRACLES (ABC)
· MOLE, THE (ABC)
· PRACTICE, THE (ABC)
· PROFILES FROM THE FRONT LINE (ABC)
· PUSH, NEVADA (ABC)
· REGULAR JOE (ABC)
· STEPHEN KING'S KINGDOM HOSPITAL (ABC)
· THAT WAS THEN (ABC)
· THREAT MATRIX (ABC)
· VERITAS: THE QUEST (ABC)
· WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (CW)
· WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY, THE (ABC)





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