WB Press Release on Season Premieres
Press Release from The WB:
THE WB TO KICK OFF 2000-2001 SEASON ON SEPT. 22 WITH “SABRINA, THE TEENAGE WITCH” & DARREN STAR’S FIRST NETWORK COMEDY “GROSSE POINTE,” LEADING OFF THE NEW FRIDAY NIGHT LINE-UP
BURBANK, CA (August 21, 2000)
PRIMETIME ROLL OUT CONTINUES THROUGH OCT. 8 WITH A RE-VAMPED SUNDAY NIGHT SLATE OF PROVEN COMEDIES AS “THE PJs” MOVES INTO THE KEY 8:30 P.M. TIMESLOT, PLUS THE CUTTING-EDGE ENSEMBLE SKETCH COMEDY SHOW “HYPE,” & “NIKKI,” A NEWCOMER STARRING NIKKI COX FROM EXECUTIVE PRODUCER BRUCE HELFORD
Five Series on The WB to Reach the 100-Episode Mark This Season
Tuesday Tag Team of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” & “Angel” Will Get a Jump on the Season With Sept. 26 Premieres
The WB will introduce its fall primetime schedule beginning with new addition SABRINA, THE TEENAGE WITCH, a perfect fit for the network’s key demographics, at 8:00-8:30 p.m. ET on Friday, September 22. The 17-day roll out will also include new series GROSSE POINTE, THE PJs, HYPE, NIKKI and GILMORE GIRLS.
The fall season will officially get under way with The WB debut of SABRINA, THE TEENAGE WITCH at 8:00-8:30 p.m. ET on Friday, September 22 as a counter-programming option to the Olympics. The network premiere of SABRINA, THE TEENAGE WITCH coincides with the series’ Monday, September 18 syndication launch. Thirty-six affiliates of The WB, covering 37% of the country, including The WB’s partners Tribune Broadcasting and ACME Communications stations, will run the syndicated episodes in prime access. The heavy promotion on local stations should help promote the show’s network change and allow viewers to become aware of the switch.
SABRINA, THE TEENAGE WITCH will be followed by GROSSE POINTE (8:30-9:00 p.m. ET), the behind-the-scenes look at a fictional television drama, which is the first network comedy from Emmy nominee and Golden Globe winner Darren Star (“Sex and the City”). The night concludes with last season’s sleeper hit, the one-hour comedy POPULAR (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET).
In addition to SABRINA, THE TEENAGE WITCH, four other series – THE STEVE HARVEY SHOW, THE JAMIE FOXX SHOW, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and 7TH HEAVEN will reach the 100-episode plateau on The WB this season.
The WB has re-vamped its previously announced Sunday line-up for the fall season. Premiering on Sunday, October 8, the night will now lead off with three popular returning comedies — THE JAMIE FOXX SHOW (7:00-7:30 p.m. ET), FOR YOUR LOVE (7:30-8:00 p.m. ET) and THE STEVE HARVEY SHOW (8:00-8:30 p.m. ET). The Sunday schedule continues with THE PJs (8:30-9:00 p.m. ET), an animated series from the mind of Eddie Murphy; HYPE (9:00-9:30 p.m. ET), a daring, fast-paced sketch comedy show; and NIKKI (9:30-10:00 p.m. ET), a working-class romantic comedy set in Las Vegas from Bruce Helford (“The Drew Carey Show,” “Norm,” “Roseanne”), starring Nikki Cox (“Norm,” “Unhappily Ever After”). Please note that THE PJs will debut with a network sneak peek on Friday, September 8 and permanently move into its Sunday slot on September 10,
In addition to the Friday premieres, The WB will again counter-program the Olympics on Tuesday, September 26 with the season premieres of established hits BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) and its second-year spinoff, ANGEL (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET).
The rest of the roll out will be as follows:
Monday, October 2 marks the season premieres of The WB’s highest-rated show, 7TH HEAVEN (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET), and critically acclaimed sophomore series ROSWELL (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET) in the time period where it saw both creative and ratings success at the end of last season.
On Wednesday, October 4, the season will begin for a re-invigorated DAWSON’S CREEK (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) and the romantic drama FELICITY (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET), a block which will remain in tact after a successful end of the 1999-2000 season. Second-year romantic comedy JACK & JILL will return to the schedule in January, replacing FELICITY, which will return to finish the season in The WB’s effort to avoid repeats of the serial dramas, making way for an all-original romantic hour from 9:00-10:00 p.m. on Wednesdays for the entire upcoming season.
The Thursday combination of new family-friendly drama GILMORE GIRLS (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) and The WB’s second-highest-rated show, CHARMED (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET), will begin its season on Thursday, October 5. A complete list of the premiere schedule follows.
THE WB’S 2000 FALL PRIMETIME PREMIERE SCHEDULE
(All times ET)Friday, September 8
8:30-9:00 p.m. THE PJs (Network Debut/Sneak Peek)Sunday, September 10
8:30-9:00 p.m. THE PJs (Time Period Premiere)Friday, September 22
8:00-8:30 p.m. SABRINA, THE TEENAGE WITCH (Network Debut)
8:30-9:00 p.m. GROSSE POINTE (New Series)
9:00-10:00 p.m. “Popular”Tuesday, September 26
8:00-9:00 p.m. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”
9:00-10:00 p.m. “Angel”Monday, October 2
8:00-9:00 p.m. “7th Heaven”
9:00-10:00 p.m. “Roswell”Wednesday, October 4
8:00-9:00 p.m. “Dawson’s Creek”
9:00-10:00 p.m. “Felicity” (“Jack & Jill” will premiere in January)Thursday, October 5
8:00-9:00 p.m. GILMORE GIRLS (New Series)
9:00-10:00 p.m. “Charmed”Sunday, October 8
7:00-7:30 p.m. “The Jamie Foxx Show”
7:30-8:00 p.m. “For Your Love”
8:00-8:30 p.m. “The Steve Harvey Show”
8:30-9:00 p.m. “The PJs” (Premiered on September 8)
9:00-9:30 p.m. HYPE (New Series)
9:30-10:00 p.m. NIKKI (New Series)