FIRST OFF . . .

The fate of NBC’s offbeat (and low-rated) series “Tattinger’s” became clear Monday, when the show’s producers and the network announced that the hourlong “dramedy,” starring Stephen Collins as the suave yet embattled owner-operator of a New York restaurant, will be shortened to a half-hour format and change its tone. Speculation had been rampant that the show, which has fared poorly in the weekly A. C. Nielsen audience ratings, would be canceled by NBC. But according to the show’s producers, Bruce Paltrow and John Tinker, “Tattinger’s” is supposed to resume shooting in New York after a break for the holidays, and that new episodes will be lighter (meaning funnier), less complex and more firmly anchored in the restaurant.