As has long been rumored, there are major changes in the offing for the NBC sitcom "Men Behaving Badly." Of the three main characters who populated the show, one is gone and another is going.
Justine Bateman is gone. She won't be back at all next season.Ron Eldard is going. He'll depart the series after an undetermined number of episodes.
Oddly enough, the reason representatives of both Bateman and Eldard gave for their departures is that the "Men" aren't behaving "Badly" enough. Both apparently expected the show to be more like the outrageously crude British series on which it is based and both say they're unhappy with the tamer American version.
Only Rob Schneider - the incredibly annoying one - will be back as a full-time member of the cast.
He'll be joined by two actors in new roles. Ken Marino (who was a member of the sketch-comedy troupe "The State") and Jenica Bergere (whose credits include a pair of sitcoms - "The Faculty" and "Ink") will be coming aboard "Bad."
How long any of them will actually be around is, however, open to question. The show did not do well in the ratings this past season and was somewhat of a surprise renewal when NBC announced its fall schedule.
And "Men Behaving Badly" is moving to Sundays at 7 p.m. in the fall (really), so don't be surprised if it gets pulverized in the ratings.
LIFE IMITATES ART? For those of you who just can't get enough of "All My Children" and Erica Kane (as played by Susan Lucci), there's a somewhat bizarre crossover coming your way.
On the July 7 episode of "AMC," Erica's book "Having It All" will be published. On that same date, the book will be on the shelves of bookstores across the country.
We're told that it will be an inspirational tome in which Erica provides tips about how to achieve fame, fortune, success and serenity.
Remember - Erica Kane Martin Brent Cudahy Chandler Montgomery Montgomery Chandler Marick Marick is a fictional character. Just keep that in mind when (or if) you plunk down your $17.95.
There's no truth to the rumor that Lucci has written her own book - "Having It All but an Emmy."
NOT YOUR FATHER'S TBS: Superstation TBS, the home of shows like "Andy Griffith" and "Saved by the Bell," is going to be undergoing a significant transformation.
The cable channel just acquired the cable rights to "The Drew Carey Show," which will begin airing on TBS in the year 2002. (The deal is no big surprise - both TBS and the show's production company, Warner Bros. Television, are owned by Time-Warner.)
But "Drew Carey" is just one of a host of off-network shows that will be joining the TBS lineup in coming years - shows like "Friends," "Roseanne," "Coach," "Cosby" and "ER."
With the possible exception of "Cosby," that's a pretty big change from "Andy Griffith."