Since the days of the Cheers-Cosby Show-Family Ties block in the mid-'80s, NBC has dominated Thursday nights. In recent years, Thursday night has become a network battleground. First CBS's "Survivor" was shifted to eight o'clock to tackle the "Friends" juggernaut, and this past season NBC's "The Apprentice" returned the favor by going mano-a-mano with "CSI."
This fall should be no different, especially with the premiere of "Joey" tonight. With the stakes perhaps higher than ever, the Daily takes a look at the match-ups in an hour by hour breakdown.
8:00 - 9:00 p.m.
<$> Certainly one can expect "Friends" spin-off "Joey" to come roaring out of the gates. Featuring Matt LeBlanc reprising his role as the dim-witted titular character, the freshman sitcom should be able to show "Friends"-like numbers. In an unorthodox move, NBC aired the full pilot to advertisers in May, garnering mostly positive reviews. While it will have to impress skeptics who believe the show is just capitalizing on "Friends," it appears "Joey" has a shot to be legitimately funny.
The 8:30 slot on NBC will once again be occupied by "Will and Grace." The show will continue to parade out a gaggle of guest stars including J. Lo and Janet Jackson. The series will capture large audiences again, but will also let good stories take a backseat to stunt casting.
The main threat to "Joey" is CBS's powerhouse "Survivor," now entering its ninth season. After last season's All-Star edition it may be tough to get viewers interested in sixteen unknown contestants, which makes the show vulnerable for the first time. However, the location on the island chain of Vanuatu, home to 15 active volcanoes, is sure to make for some compelling television. Then again, there's no Rupert ... as far as we know.
Fox made the gutsiest move of the season by sliding their hit "The O.C." over to Thursdays. Fox hasn't had decent Thursday night ratings since the era of "Martin" and "Living Single." However, after a sizzling first year and with the guarantee of more soap-opera like plots under the California sun, "The O.C." might in fact be able to lure teen viewers over to Fox.
ABC's submission, "Extreme Makeover," probably will suffer in its third season against the brutal competition. The NASCAR crowd could make a modest hit out of Jeff Foxworthy's "Blue Collar TV" on the WB, and "WWE Smackdown!" should bait some young boys and middle-aged men over to the UPN.
Winner: Joey will come out strong, but "Survivor" will ultimately prevail.
9:00 - 10:00 p.m.
No surprises here: "The Apprentice" and "CSI" will duke it out. Probably both come out in the Nielsen top five. In its sophomore season, Donald Trump promises that "The Apprentice" will be bigger and better. The number of cutthroat Trump sycophants has been expanded to 18, and the tasks will include market research for a new Crest product and designing a new toy for Mattel. Look for more impressive rewards as well.
"CSI," the predecessor to two spin-offs ("CSI: Miami" and this season's "CSI: New York"), as well as the impetus for an abundance of crime solving shows ("Without a Trace," "Medical Investigation," "Cold Case"), returns for season four with more creepy killers. Cast members George Eads and Jorja Fox were fired in July over salary disputes, but were soon rehired, keeping the cast intact and all but guaranteeing another season of monster numbers.
Kelly Osbourne appears in ABC's "Life as We Know It," a new drama that shows adolescence through the eyes of teenage boys. However, don't expect the show to be as popular as Kelly's previous series. Fox's "Tru Calling," starring Eliza Dushku, will continue to draw mediocre numbers in its second season, even with the full-time services of former 90210 pin-up Jason Priestly. And then there's still WWE wrestling on the UPN.
Winner: A draw between "The Apprentice" and "CSI"
10:00 - 11:00 p.m.
This might be the time to flip over to Comedy Central and see if they're airing reruns of "Chappelle's Show." "ER" limps into its eleventh season with a resolution of May's cliffhanger, which left the fate of Jing-Mei (Ming Na) and Pratt (Mekhi Phifer) up in the air. Inexplicably, Noah Wyle returns for another year, and Shane West ("A Walk to Remember") joins the cast as an intern.
CBS counters with the third season of the missing persons drama, "Without a Trace." New episodes feature star Anthony LaPaglia having to choose between his wife and his job. If that doesn't pique your interest, the only other network option is "Primetime Live" on ABC, as the remaining three networks turn over to local news. In fact, your best bet might be to watch the episode of "Joey" you taped while you watched "Survivor."
Winner: ER by default
