ABC takes a cue from HBO

With 10 thriving comedies on its prime-time lineup but no dominant ratings winner, ABC executives announced on Thursday that they are ready to tinker with long-standing network television traditions with their new dramas. Taking a page from HBO and British TV, ABC is moving toward launching dramas with shorter original seasons that run without the repeats and preemptions of the usual scheduling.

At the top of the list is Stephen King’s new thriller, “Kingdom Hospital,” which will premiere March 3 and run for 13 weeks (instead of the customary 22-episode season), announced ABC’s president of entertainment, Susan Lyne, at the industry’s midseason press tour in Hollywood.

“This is vintage King,” she said. “It’s got a lot of scares and it’s got more humor than you’ve seen in a Stephen King show in a long time ....We’ve looked at the HBO model of a straight run of original episodes. In such a cluttered landscape, where people move around so much, committing for 22 weeks over a season is a lot. That doesn’t mean we wouldn’t bring ‘Kingdom Hospital’ back, but there’s a lot to be said for a series that plays out in straight weeks.”

Citing “Alias” as the network’s last successful drama, Lloyd Braun, chairman of the ABC Entertainment Television Group, said he and Lyne are still evaluating why new shows such as “Line of Fire” and “Karen Sisco” have not scored well. Four new episodes of “Karen Sisco” will air in March.

“Notwithstanding the daily pressures we have in our jobs with ratings and performance, we will continue to have patience with our new shows,” Braun said. “I’m not saying we’re not going to be aggressive or [resort to programming stunts], but we will not make changes that interrupt momentum that our young shows have, even if it means taking a short-term hit in ratings. And believe me when I tell you that’s easier said than done.”

ABC will also premiere “The D.A.,” a new legal drama starring Steven Weber and based on L.A.’s massive prosecutorial division, in March and run it for four weeks, Lyne said.

“We could not find a spot for this show on the fall schedule, but we didn’t want to give up on it either,” Lyne said. “We will promote [“The D.A.” and “Karen Sisco”] as mini-events. There’s a narrative built in each, though each episode is self-contained. I don’t think there’s a formula anymore for how you introduce a show or bring an audience to a show.”

Although ABC does not have the luxury of repeating its original series the way HBO can, cable deals for those encores are always an option, Braun said.

“In a very challenging year for all the networks, our comedies have held up very well,” Braun said. “But we have to be fair and say that we still don’t have a show or a night that is dominant.”

Other announcements from ABC Thursday:

* Comedian David Spade (“Just Shoot Me”) has joined the cast of the second-year comedy “8 Simple Rules.” James Garner was previously added to the cast as well.

* “NYPD Blue,” which was pulled to make room for “Line of Fire,” returns to 10 p.m. Tuesdays on Feb. 10.

* The new sitcom “Big House,” starring comedian Kevin Hart, joins ABC’s Friday night lineup April 2.