Uncertain Anniversary for ‘Incorrect’

Anniversary shows are normally a way to celebrate one’s stability, but in the case of “Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher,” which celebrates its fifth anniversary on ABC this Friday, survival has been the more operative word.

Last year, after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Maher touched off a firestorm by making reference on his show to “cowardly” U.S. military action, prompting some major advertisers to pull out and ABC affiliates to drop the program. There are markets, including Washington, D.C., that still haven’t returned “P.I.” to the air, but Maher survived that incident and became, in some camps, a 1st Amendment martyr. (In fact, he will be honored later this month at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colo., as part of a free speech tribute.)

For ABC--which acquired “P.I.” from Comedy Central, where the show was developed and originally aired--Maher is a stable ratings force weeknights at 12:05 a.m. Still, the future of “P.I.,” with Maher’s contract set to expire at the end of this year, is unknown.

Asked if the show would have more anniversaries, Marc Gurvitz, one of the show’s executive producers and Maher’s manager at Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, conceded the issue was unresolved, but said Maher loves doing the show and would like to continue. Calls to ABC were not returned.

Compiled by Times staff writers