"Then Came You," the long-delayed sitcom that stars former University of Utah drama student Susan Floyd, has finally been scheduled by ABC -- it will begin airing Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. on March 22.
But it's only a six-week tryout; "Norm" will return to the schedule in time for the May sweeps."Then Came You" was originally set to debut last September, but ABC programmers yanked it off their schedule just days before the scheduled premiere. And it's not a sign of confidence when you're replaced by reruns of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"
(Early reaction from critics to the pilot was not real good, but yours truly rather liked it. It at least made me laugh out loud on several occasions, which is a good sign.)
"Then Came You" has undergone some retooling since it didn't come on the air last fall. Originally described as being "about a newly divorced woman whose eyes become opened to a whole new universe of possibilities when she falls in love with a younger man," it's now being called "a new comedy that follows a group of Chicago adults whose lives are irrevocably altered when two of them -- a thirtysomething book editor and a twentysomething room-service waiter -- fall in love."
The difference may seem subtle, but it's distinct. Originally, the show revolved around that older woman, Billie (Floyd), and younger man, Aidan (Thomas Newton), and the other characters were subordinate to them. Now it's more an ensemble comedy that includes Miriam Shor as Billie's best friend and Colin Ferguson as Billie's ex-husband.
And the role of Desmond Askew as Aidan's outrageous young buddy is going to see considerable extra screen time.
"We had such a great cast, it would have been stupid not to use them," said executive producer Jeff Strauss. "It's still the same show, but we've expanded it a bit."
OTHER ABC CHANGES: The addition of "Then Came You" is just one of a handful of midseason changes the alphabet network has announced:
-- "Making the Band" is a reality series from the producers of MTV's "The Real World" and "Road Rules" -- it's about a group of "talented young men" who are recruited to form a boy band in the style of 'N Sync or the Backstreet Boys.
"Band" debuts Friday, March 24, at 8 p.m. with an hourlong episode; it moves to its regular half-hour time slot on Friday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m.
-- "Wonderland" is accurately described as a "gritty" medical drama that, oddly enough, was created, written, produced and directed by a former TV doctor -- Peter Berg, who starred as Billy Kronk on "Chicago Hope."
This is a far cry from "Hope," however -- it's much darker. Perhaps too dark for the network, which ordered it retooled a bit. (The original pilot episode shows great promise, however.)
"Wonderland's" problem isn't "Chicago Hope," however, it's "ER" -- ABC is sending the show on a suicide mission up against NBC's ratings juggernaut on Thursdays at 9 p.m. beginning March 30.
The ensemble cast includes Ted Levine ("Silence of the Lambs"), Martin Donovan ("The Opposite of Sex"), Michelle Forbes ("Homicide: Life on the Street,"), Billy Burke, Michael Jai White and Joelle Carter.
-- "Talk to Me" is a new ensemble sitcom that stars Kyra Sedgwick as a radio talk-show host in New York City. It debuts Tuesday, April 11, at 8:30 p.m., where it will begin a six-week run.
(There's no word yet if "Sports Night" will return at the end of those six weeks.)
Despite the fact that the show was created by "Frasier" alumni Suzanne Martin (who is also one of the executive producers), the big question is whether it will actually last six weeks. The pilot is absolutely dreadful and deadly dull.
-- "Clerks" may be the strangest new entry of all -- it's an animated adaptation of the low-budget, black-and-white, 1994 film of the same name.
The TV show will be in color, of course.
It's about a couple of New Jersey store clerks and their buddies -- "ambition-free, foul-mouthed, unkempt but frequently hilarious young men." (The movie was certainly foul-mouthed; how foul the series is remains to be heard.)
Writer/director/producer Kevin Smith ("Mallrats," "Chasing Amy," "Dogma") guides the show and provides the voice of Silent Bob, which will be the easiest part of his job. Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith all re-create their roles from the film for the animated series.
ABC is obviously wondering what to make of this one and won't premiere it until Wednesday, May 31, at 8:30 p.m. (After the end of May sweeps.)
CHANGED THEIR MINDS: Just days after announcing one premiere date for the animated series "God, the Devil and Bob," NBC programmers changed their minds and announced another.
This alleged comedy -- although you'd never know it if you'd seen the pilot -- will now be "previewed" on Thursday, March 9, at 7:30 p.m. before moving to its regular time slot on Tuesday, March. 14, at 7:30 p.m. (It had been announced earlier that it would debut on March 7.)
Giving this show big-time exposure by premiering it after "Friends" isn't going to help. It's just plain awful.