3 New Black Comedies for WB in the Fall
 

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - The upfronts have begun. Click here to see The WB's night-by-night breakout, complete descriptions and photos. Check back for video clips.

This season's success of "Everwood" adds another success to The WB's stable of dramas, but the network's quest for a breakout comedy hit continues. The WB's fall schedule finds the network juggling both comedies and dramas trying to find the magic combinations.

Thursday and Friday nights remain the network's comedy focus. Each night features two established shows and two fresh attempts at hilarity. Each night also sees the return of a familiar WB comedy star.

A new show anchors Thursday night, with "Steve Harvey's Big Time" taking the 8 p.m. slot. The variety show marks Harvey's return to the network that was his sitcom home from 1996 to 2002. Executive produced by "Late Show With David Letterman" alum Madeleine Smithberg, Harvey's new effort will focus on real people with extraordinary and humorous gifts. This makes a find lead-in to the third season of "JKX: The Jamie Kennedy Experiment," which continues to catch real people with extraordinary and humorous gifts in embarrassing situations.

"What I Like About You" returns for a second season at 9 p.m. and will be followed by "Run of the House," a family comedy from Betsy Thomas ("My So-Called Life"). Starring Joseph Lawrence, Kyle Howard, Sasha Barrese and Margo Harshman, the show centers on a 15-year-old girl raised by her protective older siblings, making it a nice compliment to its similarly themed lead-in.

Friday night is anchored by a third helping of the network's largest current comedy hit, "Reba." At 8:30 p.m., Holly Robinson Peete returns to The WB as a regular for the first time since "For Your Love" in the multi-ethnic laffer "Like Family." Robinson stars as a woman whose stable family life is given a healthy dose of tension when her best friend (Amy Yasbeck) and her 16-year-old son move in.

Following the return of "Grounded for Life," The WB will debut All About the Andersons" at 9:30. The show stars Barbershop" and "Kangaroo Jack" funnyman Anthony Anderson as a struggling actor and single dad who moves back in with his supportive mother (Roz Ryan) and cantankerous dad (John Amos).

"We have assembled the strongest group of comedies on one night in the history of the network," says WB Entertainment President Jordan Levin. "These are four quality comedies with broad appeal, multi-generational points of view and laugh-out-loud chemistry."

The WB's schedule offers only two new dramas, but they're both high profile.

"Tarzan and Jane," a contemporary twist on the Tarzan story, will hold down the 9 p.m. time slot on Sundays. With soon-to-be-heavily-hyped newcomers Travis Fimmel and Sarah Wayne, the series will follow "Charmed," which returns for a sixth go-round. Sunday night will also see the debut of "Smallville: Beginnings," encore airings of the first two seasons of the Young Superman drama, which moves to Wednesday night at 8 p.m. as an interesting, strong lead-in to the fifth season of "Angel." The cult favorite and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" spin-off adds "Buffy" co-star James Marsters to its cast.

"Smallville" is moving out of its comfy Tuesday night slot to make room for "Fearless," a new drama from Jerry Bruckheimer. Rachel Leigh Cook ("She's All That" ) stars as a 23-year-old FBI agent incapable of feeling fear. "Fearless" will follow season four of Gilmore Girls."

I missed All About the Andersons this past Friday but it does appear that they will have an encore this evening. I watched the premiere and was not WOWED. Truthfully, I would rather watch Eve's show.

Anyone else watch?

Great Show!
 

All About the Andersons has moved to Thursday night after Steve Harvey's show.

:D

I watched it again a couple of weeks ago. Now that it has moved to Thursday, I might be able to catch it more regularly.

A coalition of black community leaders and activists have launched a national campaign to save the highly acclaimed Warner Bros. series, "The Andersons." "The Andersons" stars comic actor Anthony Anderson ("Barbershop," Me, Myself & Irene," "Big Momma's House," "Life") as a struggling actor and single dad trying to provide a stable environment for his 8-year-old son, Tuga (played by newcomer Damani Roberts). Veteran thespian John Amos ("Good Times," "The West Wing") plays Anderson's father and Roz Ryan ("Amen") plays his mother. Despite good ratings and a positive black audience response, WB executives have indicated that the show may be cancelled. "The series presents positive, black male images, and a wholesome intact black family," says Earl Ofari Hutchinson, President of the National Alliance for Positive Action, "This is the type of show that African-Americans have continually demanded that the networks produce." Series star John Amos says he's bewildered as to why the show hasn't been picked up for a full season and is aggressively campaigning for support for the series. "We broke the record for ratings in our timeslot when the series first premiered, and the TV Guide review was virtually a love letter. So it's perplexing to me why the show has not been picked up, advertised and promoted like the other WB shows," said Amos. While Amos says he hates to use the word conspiracy, he explains that The WB admitted they had put all their money into the over-hyped "Tarzan," which quickly fizzled in the ratings race and was cancelled. Now there's apparently nothing left to promote "The Andersons" with. A staunch supporter of strong black male role models, Amos was initially reluctant to do "The Andersons," citing the deteriorating state of quality shows on network television. He decided to do the series because it showed three generations of strong black men in one family. "If this show is allowed to perish it will be one more indication of apathy on our part," he says. Amos admonishes other blacks in the industry that "we have to create something of our own - finance and distribute them ourselves, otherwise we'll be at their mercy." True to his word, Amos has successfully toured his one-man show, "Halley's Comet," since 1995. The stage play, which Amos calls his "annuity," has toured four countries and over 400 American cities. The one-man show written, directed by, and starring Amos, tells the story of an 87 year old man who shares the memories of a lifetime with Halley's Comet, which he saw as a boy. "We must create our own in order to create, perpetuate and protect positive imagery of African Americans," says Amos. Amos is hoping the black community will support "The Andersons" by using the power of the pen. Drop a card, fax, call or go to the WB.com website and tell Warner Bros. to Save "The Andersons." "Shows have in the past been saved by concerted community activism," Amos adds.

Who to contact to Save "The Andersons": Peter Roth President, The WB Network 4000 Warner Blvd. Burbank, CA 91522 Phone: 818-954-6000 Fax: 212-954-7667. www.thewb.com

I would be able to catch the show to if they would stop moving it around and keep it on a set night. :mad:

When it first came on, it was on Sunday nights......Then they moved it to Thursday, then Friday, now back to Thursday.....Now someone like me who has no patience to keep looking for a show would get a little frustrated and catch it on a regular time once it hit syndication.

I think they WB is purposely doing this to reduce the viewing audience......The show has not been on for a year yet(I don't think) and it's been moved more than Bernie Mac....:mad: :rolleyes:

speaking of Bernie Mac, tonight it moves to Monday nights. . .at 8:00

They keep moving great quality, non-stereotypical, black show to make sure that they don't get the ratings so the network can be justified in cancelling another black show.