Fox, ABC shuffling reality lineups
By James Hibberd
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Going into the homestretch of summer, Fox and ABC are shuffling their reality lineups.
Fox will premiere its Japanese game show "Hole in the Wall" on Thursdays next month, while ABC is giving struggling game show "Wanna Bet" a lead-in from its Tuesday night hit "Wipeout."
"Hole" will debut September 11 in a time period originally reserved for putting "The Moment of Truth" up against CBS' "Survivor." With "Truth" ratings dropping sharply during its summer run, "Hole" likely will stand a better chance of overthrowing CBS' time-period champ.
As for "Wanna Bet," the show is being pulled out of ABC's summer sore spot, Monday nights, which have foundered despite the network airing all-original programming. ("High School Musical: Get in the Picture" and "The Mole" are ABC's other Monday shows.)
The moves wind down a summer in which cable programming, reality and scripted, continues to set ratings records, while broadcast offerings continue to hit new lows despite airing an unprecedented amount of original programming. The brightest spot: ABC's campy obstacle course reality show "Wipeout," which the network said Wednesday it would bring back next summer.
Fox's "Hell's Kitchen," which launched in-season, is the ratings leader this summer in the adults 18-49 demo, with NBC's "America's Got Talent" tops among total viewers. Newcomers "I Survived a Japanese Game Show" (ABC) and "The Baby Borrowers" (NBC) both edged into the summer's top 10 in the demo, though a pickup for "Japanese Game Show" seems unlikely. NBC has not yet decided whether "Baby" will return.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
