Why would NBC agree to pay both Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser $1 million per episode to do another season of "Mad About You"?
Why would ABC agree to pay Tim Allen $1.25 million per episode to do another season of "Home Improvement?"Why would NBC offer Jerry Seinfeld $5 million per episode to do another season of "Seinfeld"? (An offer that he turned down.)
Why would NBC pay Warner Bros. $13 million per episode for two more seasons of "ER"?
The answer to all these questions is simple - hits are hard to come by these days. And when you've got one, you cling to it no matter what the cost.
This has not been a great season for the networks. Fox's "Ally McBeal" and ABC's "Dharma & Greg" are the only real hits to come from the more than 60 series introduced by ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, UPN and the WB. But even they haven't gone roaring to the top of the ratings the way shows such as "Friends" and "ER" did earlier in the decade.
There have been some successes here and there, like "Dawson's Creek" on the WB and "Kids Say the Darndest Things" on CBS, but they are successful mainly in comparison to their network's relatively low level of success.
And it's not just last fall's premieres that fell flat. The current crop of midseason replacement shows is disappointing at best.
- Perhaps the biggest disappointment of all is CBS's "The Closer." The Tom Selleck vehicle was hugely hyped during the network's coverage of the Olympics and came out of the box with decent ratings - but has been in decline ever since.
Don't be surprised if CBS cancels it.
- Networks are always trying to attract viewers to a show's premiere. But sometimes that backfires - as in the case of ABC's awful "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place."
A week ago, ABC was all abuzz over the show, which debuted to good numbers and won its time slot. But a week later, 5 million fewer people tuned in and it finished third in its time slot. People watched "Two Guys" and weren't impressed.
- CBS's "The Magnificent Seven" started off strong but has faded badly. Its future is iffy at best.
- CBS's "Four Corners" was canceled after only two airings.
- NBC's "House Rules" is dying on Monday nights.
- ABC's "That's Life" also looks like a sure goner.
- ABC's "Something So Right" - which isn't really new; it was on NBC last year - has been fairly mediocre in terms of ratings.
- ABC's "Prey" would have to improve greatly in order to do mediocre ratings. It's still on the air, but its chances of returning in the fall are virtually zero.
- Fox's "Significant Others" started out bad and got worse. Last week, it was the network's lowest-rated show.
Of the current crop of midseason replacement shows, only three are currently in any sort of position to return in the fall. And all three have one thing in common - they air directly after (or between) established hits.
- Fox's gross sitcom "Damon" did good ratings in its first outing last week - behind the hit show "The Simpsons." It will be more telling when "Damon" moves to Mondays at 7 p.m. on April 6 and attempts to lead off a night itself.
- NBC's weak "For Your Love" is doing relatively well on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. - between hits "Mad About You" and "Frasier." What is most important to the network is that it is retaining a large part of the "Mad" audience.
- The midseason's best new show, "Lateline," isn't going great guns - but it is going. Its ratings actually rose in its second week numbers, and it's doing OK (but not great) compared to the show that precedes it, "Frasier."
"NO SAFE PLACE" GOES NATIONAL: KUED's award-winning "No Safe Place: Violence Against Women" isn't just being repeated on Ch. 7 tonight. It's going out on the national PBS system.
The fine documentary tells the stories of women who have been battered, assaulted and raped as well as the stories of the men who committed the crimes.
This is a pretty big deal. And it's way cool for KUED.
COMPANY WITH NO HEART: Last night's edition of "48 Hours" included a report on a California family whose lives were devastated when their home was destroyed by a mud slide. In addition to all their other problems, their cable company is determined to charge them for the cable box that was washed away in the slide.
And that cable company is, not surprisingly - TCI.