And so with that preface we hereby inform you that UPN has placed Mercy Point on hiatus, effective October 27--the highlight of fall TV's latest lineup shuffles.
The Mercy Point move is likely shocking news to the millions of Americans unaware that UPN placed something called Mercy Point on the air in the first place.
Well, it did. The sci-fi medical drama (and, really, why is it that sci-medical dramas never find an audience?) starred Joe Morton. It premiered way back on October 6, aka last week.
In its brief TV life, it averaged a 1.5 rating, which means if you didn't win your own prime-time TV time slot this fall, Mercy Point only outpointed you by less than two points.
According to reports, the gig's not entirely up for Mercy Point. It may return to the schedule--somewhere, sometime.
That's assuming, of course, that America's Greatest Pets doesn't take off like a mother.
That show--about, you know, really great, um, pets--will help fill the void (vacuum?) left by Mercy Point Tuesday nights from 9-10 p.m. It'll take the first half-hour of the assignment; Reunited, a new sitcom with Airplane! vet Julie Hagerty, will take the second half-hour.
In other news:
The WB has given full-season votes of confidence to freshman dramas Felicity, Charmed and Hyperion Bay.
Deciding that rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic was too a worthwhile task, UPN has voted to swap controversial Civil War comedy The Secret Desmond Pfeiffer with Monday night time-slot companion Malcolm & Eddie, starting October 26. Pfeiffer will move from 9 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Malcolm from 9:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. (All better now?)
Upstart teen drama Dawson's Creek (WB) tied old-hat teen drama Beverly Hills 90210 (Fox) with a 5.1 rating in a head-to-head matchup Wednesday.