NBC Rearranges Its Prime-Time Lineup

NBC has confirmed extensive changes in its prime-time schedule, focusing on Monday and Tuesday nights. They include a day and time shift for the long-running sitcom “Mad About You” and a new night for “3rd Rock from the Sun.”

The new Monday lineup, effective Dec. 14, is: “Suddenly Susan” at 8 p.m., followed by “Caroline in the City” at 8:30, “Mad About You” at 9 and “Conrad Bloom” at 9:30.

The new Tuesday lineup puts “3rd Rock from the Sun,” which has been struggling on Wednesday nights against ABC’s “Drew Carey,” at 8; “NewsRadio” follows at 8:30; “Just Shoot Me” at 9; and “Will & Grace” at 9:30. “Dateline NBC” remains at 10 p.m. on both nights.

This marks yet another scheduling change for “Mad About You,” which, in what is likely to be its final season, has performed sluggishly on Tuesday nights at 8. “Working,” another sitcom affected by the moves, will return--somewhere--in January, NBC said.

“These scheduling changes create a stronger, more competitive schedule and a flow of compatible programming designed to strengthen NBC’s prime-time leadership,” said new NBC entertainment chief Scott Sassa, adding that “ ‘Mad About You’ has delivered for us in many tough time periods.”

NBC didn’t have any shows in the Top 10 last week, though Thanksgiving is an atypical period and most of the network’s Thursday night schedule was preempted.

The detailed moves were confirmed after the deadline for today’s Calendar section, which reports on such changes.