‘Cybill’ Challenges ‘Dharma’ Karma

“Cybill,” benched by disappointed CBS officials in December, returns Wednesday on its new night, following “The Nanny” at 8:30 p.m. For a program that looked like a Monday-night hit three years ago before bouncing to Sunday and back again, the Cybill Shepherd vehicle’s run this spring could be the final leg of a dispiriting journey. Asked to succeed “Murphy Brown” in CBS’ key 9 p.m. Monday slot, “Cybill” struggled opposite NBC’s “Caroline in the City” and Fox’s surprising “Ally McBeal.” Now, the show takes up residence directly opposite one of this hit-challenged TV season’s other bright spots, the new ABC comedy “Dharma & Greg.” That’s notable because “Cybill” was created by Chuck Lorre, who clashed with the star and was ousted after the first season. Lorre has since co-created--you guessed it--”Dharma.” In a 1996 interview, Shepherd said, “What Chuck wanted to do with the show is not what I wanted to do. It was time for him to move on.” CBS had no comment regarding “Cybill’s” long-term prospects, but if the show doesn’t deliver ratings-wise in its latest berth, insiders say it will likely be time for “Cybill” to move on.

It’s a Tough Job, but Somebody’s Gotta . . .

What could entice the former British crazies Monty Python to reunite? The same thing that’s bringing Steve Martin, Dennis Miller, Bill Maher, Janeane Garofalo, Steven Wright, the cast of “Cheers” and various other television dignitaries, executives and funny people into the same airspace--a week in Aspen, Colo. The 1998 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, an annual event of comedy symposiums, showcases, tributes and skiing, not necessarily in that order, begins Wednesday and runs through the weekend. The putative reason for the festival is to parade new comics in front of the sitcom deal makers. But this year’s schedule is chock full of comedy’s heavy hitters, a growing trend in the 10-year-old event: In addition to the Python reunion, the cast of NBC’s “Cheers” (including Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Kelsey Grammar and George Wendt) will reminisce in an evening moderated by CNN’s Jeff Greenfield; Maher and Miller will tape episodes of their respective late-night shows, ABC’s “Politically Incorrect” and HBO’s “Dennis Miller Live”; new episodes of Comedy Central’s animated tent poles “Dr. Katz” and “South Park” will be screened; and veteran comedy writers Steve Martin, Alan Zweibel and others will offer evenings of skits and one-act theater. The skiing happens by day, the comedy by night, and somewhere in all of that TV executives are expected to scout new talent, up-and-comers for whom a good showing at the festival can be akin to a well-received screening at the Sundance Film Festival. “There are very few legitimate festivals in TV, where you can see the new talent out there,” said Rob Dwek, executive vice president of comedy and development at Fox. For Dwek and other execs, the festival actually couldn’t come at a more hectic time, what with networks getting ready to order new pilots for the 1998 fall TV season. “We’re so entrenched in pilots right now that any time spent [skiing] is going to be done with a tremendous amount of guilt,” Dwek said. “So I hope the cell phones work on the slopes.”

Looking Forward to Statuesque Sales

Grammy came home with Shawn Colvin, whose hit single “Sunny Came Home” won awards for best record and song during last week’s ceremony. This week, when SoundScan sales figures are reported Wednesday, Colvin and the winners in 90 other categories will find out how many consumers left home to buy their records. Retailers expect Colvin and the victors in the other major categories--Bob Dylan for best album and Paula Cole for best new artist--to experience the greatest sales bumps for their latest works. “This is going to do a lot for the Dylan record,” Bob Bell, a buyer for the Wherehouse chain, said of the singer-songwriter’s Grammy-winning “Time Out of Mind” collection. “Though it was his most successful record in a really long time, there are lots of people out there who haven’t picked it up.” In fact, “Time” has steadily slipped down the chart, standing this week at No. 122. Total sales to date: about 530,000 copies. Colvin’s 17-month-old album, “A Few Small Repairs,” has sold about 685,000 copies, but it fell out of the Top 200 almost six months ago. Meanwhile, Cole’s “This Fire” passed the 1-million mark in sales last week and has climbed back into the Top 40, where it is expected to remain for quite some time thanks to her Grammy boost.