CBS has stolen another valuable property away from NBC. But this time, it's not a show, it's an actress - Susan Dey of "L.A. Law."
Dey, who originally planned to leave "Law" at the end of last season but changed her mind at the last minute, has been cast in one of the most eagerly anticipated new sitcoms coming this fall - "Love Is Hell," from "Murphy Brown" creator Diane English.Dey will play a restaurant owner who begins a rollercoaster relationship with a rather obnoxious reporter, played by Jay Thomas.
There's an unconfirmed report that "Love" will air after "Murphy" on Mondays, with "Designing Women" moving to a new night.ALLISON JETTISONED: Meanwhile, Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, creator and co-executive producer "Designing Women," has confirmed that the series will return for its seventh season, but that Julia Duffy (Allison Sugarbaker) will not be back. CBS, reportedly unhappy with the chemistry of the show, pressured the producers to make the decision.
Bloodworth-Thomason, however, is quick to fault the writing and development of the character, not Duffy. "It it didn't work, it was our fault, not hers," she said in a statement.
"Since the character of Allison was so poorly developed, I'm not surprised or dismayed at the producers' decision to do without her next season," Duffy said in a statement of her own.
The producers hope to lure original cast member Jean Smart (Charlene), who left the series after last season, back to the fold.
In another interesting twist, NBC apparently made an effort to steal "Designing Women" away from CBS. But there's no indication Bloodworth-Thomason and her partner/husband, Harry Thomason, had any real intentions of switching networks.HE'S BAAACK: NBC had announced that Steven Bochco was going to take a more active role in the faltering "L.A. Law," but when the credits rolled at the end of last Thursday's episode he was listed as executive producer for the first time in several seasons.
Let's hope he can fix what ails "Law" - boring plots. (Susan Dey's character, Grace Van Owen, has been so dull this season she'll hardly be missed.)END NOTE: I get some weird stuff in the mail, but would you believe a bag of Buck Bones doggy biscuits, allegedly sent to me by "Married . . . With Children" canine star Buck Bundy?
Oh . . . perhaps it was a comment on the quality of my reviews . . . - TONIGHT ON THE TUBE: KSTU carries Jazz at Trail Blazers (8 p.m., Ch. 13), which bumps a new episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 back to 11 p.m.; the gang on Wings (8:30 p.m., Ch. 2) competes to see who can come up with the worst video date; PrimeTime Live (9 p.m., Ch. 4) reports on unlicensed mental-health care; and Greg has an out-of-body experience that changes his life on Knots Landing (9 p.m., Ch. 5).
- LOOKING TOWARD FRIDAY: Live! From Death Row (6:30 p.m., Ch. 13) is a TV movie about a condemned killer who takes a TV host captive; Hammer: From the Heart (7 p.m., Ch. 5) is an hourlong promotion for the rapper; the boycott heats things up on I'll Fly Away (8 p.m., Ch. 2); theres's Suns at Jazz (8:30 p.m., Ch. 13 and TNT); and 20/20 (9 p.m., Ch. 4) features two doctors who treated JFK after he was shot.