A Fall Season of Diminishing Returns for Retooled Sitcoms

There isn’t much left in “Veronica’s Closet.” “Suddenly Susan” suddenly doesn’t look very popular. And “Jesse” seems a little lonely, despite hanging out with “Friends.”

Having initially focused their energies on determining which new TV series will survive until the November sweeps begin (one rookie, “The Mike O’Malley Show,” didn’t make it to October), the networks can begin assessing ratings for their established programs, which have yielded equally mixed results.

Four weeks into the new prime-time season, the trend among returning series has mirrored the pattern for newcomers: The standouts are, by and large, dramas such as “The Practice” and “Law & Order,” while comedies have been less impressive--especially some newer programs positioned after established hits that are failing to retain an acceptable level of audience from the shows preceding them.

Early ratings also suggest NBC’s efforts to revise its sitcoms “Veronica’s Closet,” “Suddenly Susan” and “Jesse” through sweeping cast and thematic changes haven’t paid off.

“Suddenly Susan” has witnessed its viewership dive more than 40%--to about 6.5 million viewers--compared to the opening weeks of the 1998-99 season. “Veronica’s” is faring no better following the Brooke Shields comedy, having failed to bring viewers to Monday nights after two seasons as the “Frasier” follow-up.

“Jesse,” starring Christina Applegate, is also losing more than a fifth of the lead-in audience provided by “Friends”--a steeper decline than a year ago. While “Friends” and fellow Thursday tent-pole “Frasier” are both down in viewing as well, it hasn’t helped that the shows following them (the other being the new sitcom “Stark Raving Mad”) have done little to support the comedy block’s “Must-See TV” promotional slogan.

NBC Entertainment President Garth Ancier previously explained the decision to renew “Suddenly Susan” and “Veronica’s Closet” by saying it’s often wiser to tinker with programs that have built some equity with viewers than to try launching new ones. Despite their subpar ratings so far this season, he said, “We’re still going to hammer away at them for a bit and see how they do.”

NBC is hardly the only network with such headaches. Fox’s animated “Family Guy”--manhandled by “Frasier” and “WWF Smackdown!”--has been indefinitely shelved, and ABC’s Tuesday sitcoms “It’s like, you know . . . “ and “Sports Night” have both fumbled away a sizable share of those watching “Spin City” and “Dharma & Greg,” respectively, even with baseball preempting NBC’s rival laugh lineup.

By contrast, several dramatic programs have actually expanded their audiences this season, including CBS’ “Nash Bridges,” NBC’s “Law & Order” and ABC’s “The Practice,” whose average tune-in has surged 38% compared to the same stretch in 1998, according to Nielsen Media Research estimates.

All three shows appear to be benefiting from following a new drama that’s doing reasonably well--”Now and Again,” “The West Wing” and “Snoops,” respectively.

“The key to ‘Law & Order’s’ rejuvenation has to be ‘West Wing,’ ” said Bob Igiel, president of the broadcast division at the media-buying firm Y&R;’s Media Edge. “It’s a natural fit into ‘Law & Order,’ and there’s a flow on that particular evening.”

CBS’ decision to offer movies in place of “Chicago Hope” on Wednesdays also opened the door for “Law & Order” as the only drama in its slot, and the show has taken off--up 34% compared to a year ago, at about 18 million viewers per week in its 10th season.

“The story is still the star in that show, and that style has been very, very durable,” Ancier noted.

Still, NBC reciprocated by canceling “Homicide,” which may help account for CBS’ 10% ratings gain Fridays with “Nash Bridges,” the Don Johnson cop show.

“The Practice,” meanwhile, may have picked up steam thanks to its Emmy wins the last two years as outstanding drama. The show’s gradual ascent is a tale of perseverance, all the more notable given that ABC is on its third entertainment chief since ordering the project and bounced the series to four different nights since its premiere in 1997 before settling on Sundays.

“People have bought into and love the characters,” said Marty Adelstein, a talent agent who represents the program’s creator, David E. Kelley. “He’s just hit his stride with this show.”

Though often taken for granted, “ER” also has opened the year with a show of strength, averaging more than 30 million viewers weekly--a slight increase from its year-ago chart despite NBC’s slippage with its Thursday comedies. NBC is breathing a sigh of relief, since some questioned if the show would be more vulnerable in the wake of numerous cast changes, among them George Clooney’s departure in February.

Comedies bucking the sophomore-year jinx are NBC’s “Will & Grace,” holding its own Tuesdays opposite ABC’s “Dharma,” a joust interrupted by playoff baseball; Fox’s nostalgic “That ‘70s Show,” drawing far more viewers than the edited-down version of “Ally McBeal” that precedes it Tuesdays; and “King of Queens,” doing a better job leading off Monday nights for CBS than “Cosby” did last year.

“Everybody Loves Raymond” is also enjoying a banner year, up 22% from this juncture in 1998, though the competition will become more formidable when “Ally McBeal” begins its third season next week.

Ratings for another CBS show, the military drama “JAG,” are also flying 8% higher at 8 p.m. Tuesdays, a time period in which four comedies--among them “Spin City” and “Just Shoot Me”--butt heads with “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” for the younger audience.