The Reasons ‘Boys’ Didn’t Make the Cut : Television: Good ratings and positive portrayals of African Americans didn’t mean a fall renewal because too much of the sitcom is ‘kid-driven,’ says ABC’s entertainment chief.

On paper, the ABC sitcom “Me and the Boys” looked like a sure renewal--if you went by network TV’s old rules.

The ratings were good in its first season--it finished 21st among 142 shows, averaging 20% of the audience. It did well not only in total TV homes, but also with kids--and even with the 18-to-49-year-old viewers favored by advertisers, ranking 27th with this desired group, according to a network source.

On top of that, it was a breath of fresh air in offering a positive view of a minority family, with Steve Harvey outstanding as an African American widower who has a strong relationship with his three sons and tries to instill good values in them.

But on Tuesday, ABC canceled the show.

When the news came down as the network announced its 1995-96 prime-time schedule, Harvey asked the natural question: “What does a guy have to do to stay on the air?”

The answer, if you go by the new priorities of ABC--a longtime proponent of family shows--is that competitors NBC and Fox now are setting the agenda, offering more adult-oriented series in TV’s early prime-time hours to appease 18-to-49-year-olds.

And ABC perceived “Me and the Boys” as essentially too “kid-driven” at a time when the network is playing catch-up in offering “adult-driven” early prime-time series.

The success of more adult-themed early shows such as NBC’s “Mad About You” and Fox’s “Melrose Place” and “Martin” has changed the rules. And with NBC challenging hard to sweep past top-ranked ABC in key ratings categories, ABC is trying to counterpunch.

This season, ABC’s 8-9 p.m. shows on Tuesday were “Full House” and “Me and the Boys,” both canceled.

“NBC won with adults in that hour,” ABC Entertainment President Ted Harbert said in an interview Wednesday. NBC’s primary show in the hour was “Wings.” Next season, NBC’s 8-9 sitcoms will be “Wings” and “NewsRadio,” two shows with heavy young-adult appeal.

Harbert noted that instead of “Full House” and “Me and the Boys,” ABC’s 8-9 p.m. Tuesday shows next season will be “Roseanne” and a new comedy series, “Hudson Street,” in which Tony Danza plays a cop who gets involved romantically with a reporter.

There are youngsters in both ABC shows, but Harbert said he thinks the two series “will return us the adult audience.”

“Nothing was wrong with ‘Me and the Boys,’ ” Harbert said. “It got inched out in the schedule.” He added that he didn’t overly consider the ratings, including its showing with 18-to-49-year-olds: “I look at how we’re doing against NBC. With Danza’s show, we now have a more adult audience [in that slot].

“Too much of ‘Me and the Boys’ was kid-driven.”

Harbert noted that the series is owned by ABC--it was made in association with ABC Productions--and not only did it offer the potential for company profit, but he didn’t want “to blow off the show.”

If ABC had not renewed all of its Friday family lineup--”Family Matters,” “Boy Meets World,” “Step by Step” and “Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper”--there might have been a place for “Me and the Boys” there, Harbert added.

What about the significant matter of ABC canceling four ethnic prime-time shows, including “Me and the Boys” with its admirable values?

“I don’t like canceling those ethnic shows any more than you,” he said. But he maintained, despite criticism that followed the release of the lineup, “We’ve got a good record and these things go in cycles.”

Responding to ABC’s “kid-driven” fix on “Me and the Boys,” Harvey said: “I was the main character.” But he said, “What I’m most upset about is what the show stood for. It killed a lot of stereotypes. It helped show African Americans in a positive light. It showed fathers in a positive light, black or white.”

ABC probably could have done a better, more creative job in promoting the show too, helping build a real buzz.

Could the series resurface on another network or cable, as Harvey hopes?

At CBS, desperate for comedy hits and yet to release its fall lineup, entertainment president Peter Tortorici said: “We’re being shopped a number of properties and we’ll decide [on the schedule] next week.”

At Fox, which will also disclose its fall lineup next week, John Matoian, president of the Entertainment Group, said that no one has called him from “Me and the Boys” and that he is reserving comment.

At NBC, West Coast President Don Ohlmeyer said, “It’s a pretty good show,” but that it was unlikely for his network, although “that’s not to say it might not be something we’d consider” in surveying available series.