Lane sitcom gets stuck in summer slot

A year ago, Nathan Lane was coming off a Tony Award-winning performance in “The Producers” on Broadway, and CBS was happy to land him for a sitcom about a flamboyant first-term Congressman. The show was announced as a midseason replacement and seven episodes were produced.

But the season came and went, and the show, “Charlie Lawrence,” never turned up.

Until now. On Tuesday, the network finally got around to scheduling it -- as summer fodder, a sure sign that it has given up on the series even before viewers get to see it.

“Charlie Lawrence,” which also stars Laurie Metcalf, Ted McGinley, Stephanie Faracy and T.R. Knight, will air Sundays at 8:30 p.m., beginning June 15. Lane didn’t have much more luck with his previous sitcom vehicle, “Encore! Encore!,” which lasted just 13 episodes on NBC in the 1998-99 season.