ABC is canceling the long-running prime-time soap "Dynasty" and the situation comedy "Hooperman," and will add six comedies, two dramas and a weekly news show to its fall schedule, the network announced Monday.
The second-place network's new lineup includes Jackie Mason starring in "From this Moment On," the comedian's first television series; "Doogie Howser, M.D." from "L.A. Law" creator Steven Bochco; and "Prime Time," an informational series hosted by Sam Donaldson and Diane Sawyer.The schedule was plotted by Robert Iger, who took over for Brandon Stoddard as head of ABC Entertainment in March.
"Dynasty," the opulent soap starring Joan Collins, Linda Evans and John Forsythe, will be replaced on Thursdays by "The Kid," a new drama about young men working for the Pony Express in the 1860s.
"Dynasty" had been ABC's most popular series soon after it began airing in 1981, but the series' ratings slipped badly in recent years.
"Hooperman," featuring John Ritter as a police detective beset by various professional and personal hurdles, will be supplanted on Wednesdays by "Doogie Howser, M.D." "Doogie Howser" stars Neil Patrick Harris as a child genius serving as a medical resident at a major hospital. It is produced by Bochco, who also created "Hooperman."
Among other ABC cancellations were "Men," "A Fine Romance," "Coach," "HeartBeat," "Man Called Hawk" and, as previously announced, "Moonlighting."
ABC will add three new series to its Sunday schedule. The new programs are "Life Goes On," a drama about a working-class family whose members include a child with mental retardation. The show stars Bill Smitrovich and Patti LuPone. It is followed by "Free Spirit," a comedy featuring a divorced father of three whose housekeeper
(Corrine Bohrer) turns out to be a witch.
ABC's other new Sunday program is "Homeroom," focusing on a teacher (Darryl Harper) in an inner-city elementary school.
While the network's Monday schedule will remain the same, ABC will add one new show on Tuesday. "From this Moment On" features Mason as Jackie Fisher, a former pajama manufacturer who's now assisting young people at a local community skills center. Lynn Redgrave co-stars.
In addition to "The Kid," the Pony Express show starring Anthony Zerbe and Josh Brolin, ABC's new Thursday lineup will include "Prime Time." The series will pair Donaldson with CBS veteran Sawyer in what ABC calls "a provocative look at the news of the week." It is scheduled to make its debut Aug. 3.
On Fridays, ABC will add "Family Matters," a spinoff from the network's "Perfect Strangers." "Family Matters" features Harriet Winslow (Jo Marie Payton-France), the talkative elevator operator from "Perfect Strangers," trying to manage a diverse group of children and relatives.
ABC's other new show will be shown Saturday. Named "Living Dolls," the comedy is about four teenage models learning that there's more to life than just a pretty face, or so ABC promises.