NBC is planning a particularly big blowout to bid farewell to "Cheers" on Thursday, May 20.
An hourlong season-finale of "Seinfeld" at 7 p.m. (which features the taping of a fictional sitcom pilot designed to take the place of "Cheers") will be followed by an hourlong retrospective of "Cheers" at 8 p.m. At 9 p.m., it's the hourlong final episode of "Cheers."And the network still won't be finished. At 10:35 p.m., Jay Leno will host "The Tonight Show" live (well, on tape-delay in this time zone) from Boston's Bull & Finch Tavern - which the "Cheers" bar was patterned after.
Leno's guests? Why, the cast of "Cheers," of course.
Reportedly, NBC is asking $600,000 for a 30-second commercial during that final episode - about twice the regular rate for the show.
(And there are reports that Shelley Long - who played Diane Chambers - will return for the finale.)
In other television news . . .
- Beginning next Saturday (March 13), KSL is cutting its Saturday morning news back a half-hour. It will air from 7-10 a.m., not 7-10:30 a.m.
- PBS is talking about picking up "I'll Fly Away" if NBC cancels the series, but don't hold your breath. PBS would have to come up with at least $1 million per episode to keep the show alive - so a search is under way for underwriters.
- For the 208th week in a row - that's four years, folks - CBS was No. 1 in the daytime ratings.
And "The Young and the Restless" was the top-rated show, as it has been for 197 of those 208 weeks.
Over those four years, CBS has averaged a 5.7 rating, 21 percent higher than than ABC (4.7) and 63 percent ahead of NBC (3.5).
- CBS has not announced any days or times, but four new series will begin airing in April - the Shelley Long sitcom "Good Advice"; the Dudley Moore sitcom "Dudley"; the Chuck Norris action hour "Walker, Texas Ranger"; and "A League of Their Own," based on the hit movie.
Also coming in April is the return of "Brooklyn Bridge," with seven new episodes.
- When "Picket Fences" switches to Thursdays at 9 p.m. on April 1, the show will also return to the KSL schedule. Ch. 5 will air it for the rest of the season.
- ABC, which had canceled the "Home" show and planned to replace it with the Canadian talk show "Shirley" next month, has changed its mind.
"Shirley" is out and ABC has announced a "long-term" commitment to "Home."