Labor unrest casts pall over network presentations

By Nellie Andreeva

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - The 2008 broadcast "upfronts," the annual bashes where the networks present their new shows to advertisers, had it all this year.

CBS, traditionally the most stable and conservative network, unveiled the most new series this week. The network, along with ABC, eschewed the traditional costly parties. Ratings laggard NBC held a party without a presentation, while Fox had both.

The low-key festivities in New York were triggered mostly by the 100-day Hollywood writers strike, which paralyzed the entertainment industry earlier this year. The business is now bracing for yet a walkout in the summer, this time by actors, and producers are anxiously looking to stockpile episodes.

"There is no question that the strike had a profound effect on the business, with viewership levels going down and fewer episodes of the returning series produced," said Peter Roth, president of Warner Bros. Television, producer of such shows as CBS' "The New Adventures of old Christine" and NBC's "ER."

Presold concepts ruled the networks' lineups, with the majority of new series based on pre-existing properties.

There are four new spinoffs/sequels on the schedules: "The Office" offshoot and "Knight Rider" from NBC, "The Cleveland Show" from Fox, and "90210" from the CW.

Three of CBS' five new series -- "Eleventh Hour," "The Ex List" and "Worst Week" -- were based on international series, as are both new Fox comedies, "The Inn" and "Sit Down, Shut Up"; the only new scripted ABC series, "Life on Mars"; and NBC's "Kath & Kim."

New series based on popular books or stories include the CW's "Surviving the Filthy Rich" and NBC's "Crusoe," "Merlin" and "Kings."

And despite the fact that ABC, for the first time in decades, has only one comedy on the fall schedule, some expect a comeback of the genre next season. Many of the comedy pilots have not been shot, and, in a promising sign, CBS opened a second comedy block on Wednesday.

"Comedy seems to work in a time of a recession," said Zack Van Amburg, co-president of Sony Pictures TV, which secured renewals for its two sophomore comedies, Fox's "'Til Death" and CBS' "Rules of Engagement," and landed another comedy pickup with "Sit Down."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter