With Capital Cities buying ABC and Ted...

With Capital Cities buying ABC and Ted Turner having made a run at taking over CBS, is NBC next? Yes--but only comedically speaking. Bob Hope will open his 36th season on NBC with a comedy special based on what might happen if he tried to buy the network. It is set to air Sept. 17.

Carroll O’Connor, who gained fame as Archie Bunker on “All in the Family,” will be seen as a New York City chief of detectives in “Brass,” a TV movie that CBS plans to broadcast Sept. 11. The film was made as a pilot for a potential series but the network didn’t buy it. Also in the cast are Lois Nettleton, Anita Gillette, Paul Shenar and Vincent Gardenia.

There will be a new character on “Knight Rider” this fall. He’s a mechanic, played by Peter Parros. In the opening episode of the season, the character is part of a team that helps rebuild the famous KITT car into a new, improved model.

Keith Carradine, Mare Winningham and Dennis Weaver have the leading roles in “A Winner Never Quits--The Pete Gray Story.” It’s a TV movie for ABC about a one-armed man who played major league baseball during the 1940s.