SWEEPS SURRENDER : DUELING MINISERIES, FINALES, RUN MORE RAMPANT THAN EVER.Byline: Keith Marder Daily News Television Writer May sweeps season has begun, and this one is as loaded as Otis of Mayberry. The sweeps season running through May 21 has more miniseries running against each other than in any previous sweeps, and has also been loaded up with series finales, big-event episodes and special effects special effects, in motion pictures, cinematographic techniques that create illusions in the audience's minds as well as the illusions created using these techniques. . What started with ``The Shining'' on ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. Sunday night Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, was an NBC late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase for jazz and eclectic musical artists. continues Sunday with ``Robin Cook's Invasion'' on NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. and ``Knots Landing Knots Landing is a primetime television soap opera that aired for 14 seasons, from December 27 1979 to May 13 1993 on CBS. Set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles in California, the show initially centered around the lives of four married couples residing in a : Back to the Cul-de-Sac'' on CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. . On May 11, ``Mario Puzo's The Last Don'' (CBS) will face off against ``20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'' (ABC). May 18 will pit ``The Odyssey'' on NBC against ``True Women'' on CBS. ``What is rare is we're seeing miniseries stacked on top of each other,'' said Kelly R. Kahl, vice president of scheduling at CBS. ``It's all part of the pressure we're under to deliver during sweeps.'' ``Television is a huge event medium now,'' said Luke Perry Luke Perry (born Coy Luther Perry III on October 11, 1966)[1] is an American actor best known for his role as Dylan Michael McKay in the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210. , who stars as the leader of the free post-virus world in ``Robin Cook's Invasion.'' ``It used to not be that way - `Roots' was a big event, and years went by before another big event the size and scope of major higher-quality products. We have Mario Puzo Mario Gianluigi Puzo (October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author known for his novels about the Mafia, especially The Godfather (1969). Life and works stuff going straight to television, and Robin Cook stuff.'' The last two sweeps combined offered only five miniseries, and seven are on tap this month. And on top of competition between miniseries, Sundays will be hot nights. For example, ``Invasion'' will be up against ``Forrest Gump'' on ABC, a special two-hour ``Walker, Texas Ranger'' on CBS, and ``The X-Files'' on Fox. The sitcom ``Ellen'' on Wednesday will air its much-discussed I-am-gay proclamation episode, featuring Oprah Winfrey “Oprah” redirects here. For the show, see The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah Gail Winfrey (born January 29, 1954) is the American multiple-Emmy Award winning host of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the highest-rated talk show in television history. , Laura Dern, Gina Gershon, Demi Moore and Billy Bob Thornton, and the Buchman baby will be born May 20 on NBC's ``Mad About You,'' with guest stars Bruce Willis, Carol Burnett, Carroll O'Connor and Estelle Getty. ``It's going to be an interesting battle to see who comes out on top as far as some of the big events,'' said William P. Croasdale, president of the broadcast division of the media-buying firm Western International Media. May usually is a good sweeps month because any ratings achieved are used to calculate advertising rates all the way into November. The summer sweeps in July doesn't count as strongly as the other quarterly sweeps because television viewing is low in the summer in general. Also this month, many long-running series run for the last time. Say goodbye Thursday to ``Martin'' (Fox), and on May 20 to ``Roseanne'' (ABC), whose finale is scheduled to go against ``Mad About You's'' blessed event. ``Coach'' (ABC, May 14) and ``Wings'' (NBC, May 21) will exeunt ex·e·unt Used as a stage direction to indicate that two or more performers leave the stage. [Latin, third person pl. of ex , as will television's longest-running comedy, ``Married ... With Children.'' Apparently, the ``Married'' staff was taken by surprise by the cancellation and will end the Fox series with a cliffhanger cliff·hang·er n. 1. A melodramatic serial in which each episode ends in suspense. 2. A suspenseful situation occurring at the end of a chapter, scene, or episode. 3. Monday. The only thing that may be more prevalent than big events during sweeps is special effects. Three of the big four networks are using them. ABC will use 3-D technology on ``Home Improvement'' (9 p.m. May 6), ``Spin City'' (9:30 p.m. May 6), ``The Drew Carey Show'' (9 p.m. May 7), ``Ellen'' (9:30 p.m. May 7), ``Family Matters'' (8 p.m. May 9), ``Step by Step'' (8:30 p.m. May 9), ``Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' (9 p.m. May 9) and ``America's Funniest Home Videos America's Funniest Home Videos (often simply abbreviated to AFV, previously AFHV), is an American reality television program on ABC in which viewers are able to send in humorous homemade videotapes. ,'' (9:30 p.m. May 9). On NBC, ``3rd Rock From the Sun'' will feature what is promised to be cutting-edge 3-D in its season finale on May 18. As a prelude to an airing of its big-ticket event, the theatrical movie ``The Mask,'' Fox used the eye-popping, head-turning effects featured in the film on four of its shows. The film stars Jim Carrey and airs tonight. Turnoff week vs. big-ticket TV Programmers say it's a coincidence that ``Turn Off Your TV Week,'' beginning Thursday, falls during the big May sweeps. Despite the television schedule packed with miniseries and other big viewing events, the sponsoring TV Free America expects 4 million people to take a week away from the tube. The group says 3 million people turned off their TVs during the event last year. ``With the programming they are putting on, I think they're (programmers) worried a little bit,'' says Monte Burke, director of programs for TV Free America. If Barbara Grubman's fourth- through 12th-graders are any indication, it's going to be tough to get those TVs turned off. A teacher in the resources program at the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies (also Sherman Oaks CES or SOCES) is a (magnet) public school in the San Fernando Valley, Southern California, United States. , she said she had problems talking students into TV Turnoff Week. After an extensive promotional campaign, only 45 of the 1,700 students pledged to give up a week of TV, videotapes and video games. ``The look on kids' faces - you would have thought I was asking them to cut their arm off,'' Grubman said. ``I asked them what they thought would happen, and they said, `I would die.' I just want them to see if maybe there is something else out there for them to do.'' And, ``a lot of adults said they would encourage their kids to do it but would not do it themselves.'' CAPTION(S): 5 Photos, Box Photo: (1--Cover--Color) BATTLE OF THE MINISERIES Homer's `Odyssey' heroes face toughest-ever adversaries in May sweeps (2--Cover--Color) `ROBIN COOK'S INVASION' (3--Cover--Color) `MARIO PUZO'S THE LAST DON' (4) Michelle Phillips and William Devane reprise re·prise n. 1. Music a. A repetition of a phrase or verse. b. A return to an original theme. 2. A recurrence or resumption of an action. tr.v. their characters in CBS' ``Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac'' on Sunday. (5) Patrick Dempsey stars in the four-hour miniseries ``20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'' May 11 on KABC KABC Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (Channel 7). Box: Turnoff week vs. big-ticket TV (See Text) |
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