Show may be a go, but its network isn’t

In Hollywood, television shows get canceled every day. But when an entire network -- or two, for that matter -- announce they are going out of business simultaneously, just before a new show is supposed to launch, what exactly is a producer to do?

This is not a rhetorical question. When it was announced last month that the WB and UPN were folding to form a new network, the CW, the artists and executives behind the new shows were left in a quandary.

Some take the philosophical approach: “The good news is that our show is going forward,” said Jeff Kleeman, co-creator of “Misconceptions,” a WB sitcom that is supposed to premiere in March or April. “The bad news is that the network it’s on is getting canceled.”

Veteran producer Tom Fontana, Barry Levinson’s longtime partner on both winners (“Homicide,” “Oz”) and losers (“The Jury”), has a similar attitude. Like Kleeman, he has a new show (“The Bedford Diaries)” scheduled to debut on the WB on March 22.

“It’s like when the Titanic is going down, you can either swim to the shore or you can sing along with the band,” he said. “Well, I’m singing along with the band. My attitude is that this is business. I think our cast is terrific, and I think it’s fun to watch and I’m very proud of it, and I can’t wait for people to see it. But obviously I’m worried about how many people will actually see it.”

The future is always precarious in the ruthless world of television. But this fall, when CBS and Warner Bros. launch the CW, a new youth-oriented network, and shut down the WB and UPN, there will be one less network renewing shows and buying new ones.

“The immediate effect this has on ‘Misconceptions’ is that we know going in that we won’t be getting the promotional ad dollars that normally accompany a midseason launch,” said co-creator Michael Saltzman.

Fontana’s “The Bedford Diaries” has the advantage of having an air date, even if it has been placed in one of prime time’s toughest slots -- 9 p.m. Wednesdays (against “Lost” and “American Idol”). The drama, set at a New York City college campus, explores those years in a young person’s life through the prism of a human behavior and sexuality class.

“I know my mother will be watching, but I don’t know if she will count for much,” Fontana joked. “In the past few months, it became clearer and clearer to us that the resources at the WB were shrinking, so it wasn’t like I expected a huge, massive, expensive promotional campaign to be coming. The hardest thing about premiering any television show in this day and age is that you have to make as much noise as possible.”

Of course, everyone wants their midseason shows to pop. But all eyes are really on May, when the networks announce their fall schedules to advertisers. Those who produce shows on the WB and UPN -- and those who had hoped to -- will be competing for 13 hours of programming available on the CW.

Contenders for renewal

The Jan. 24 news release that announced the new network listed a lineup of strong contenders for renewal on the CW. From UPN, those are “America’s Next Top Model,” “Veronica Mars,” “Everybody Hates Chris,” “Girlfriends” and the WWE’s “SmackDown!” Of the WB’s shows, “Beauty and the Geek,” “Smallville,” “Gilmore Girls,” “Supernatural” and “Reba” were highlighted.

If all of those shows make it to the fall schedule, UPN President Dawn Ostroff, who was named president of entertainment of the CW, will have only 3 1/2 hours of programming to fill. “Every one of the upcoming midseason series has a shot at being considered for the network,” said Chris Ender, CBS Corp. senior vice president of communications, who is temporarily acting as the CW’s spokesman. “And they will be evaluated in the same manner as any show premiering under ordinary circumstances -- the quality of the program, ratings performance and growth, and does the show generate a spark among young audiences.”

Not all of the slots will be filled with returning shows, however. Ostroff is reviewing the WB’s and UPN’s development rosters and has already picked up two pilots from UPN’s slate: A “Girlfriends” spinoff tentatively titled “The Game” and the soapy “Palm Springs.” The CW also has picked up the “Aquaman” pilot, the “Smallville” spinoff the WB was developing, starring Will Toale as the new superhero.

Additionally, the CW has picked up two reality series developed at the WB: “Fountain of Youth,” a competition that pits twentysomethings against senior citizens in a mad dash across the U.S. created by “Beauty and the Geek” partners Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg; and “Survival of the Richest,” a six-episode RDF Media venture that pairs up society’s disadvantaged with those who grew up wealthy.

“If I was in the middle of a show that was slated for fall, I’d certainly be in a much different frame of mind right now, but we’ve produced a show that we’re happy with and it’s in the can,” said Allison Grodner, executive producer of “Get This Party Started,” which will premiere on UPN today. “Certainly there’s the competition for the time slots, which will definitely be a lot more fierce in the fall,” Grodner said. “But if I can have a show that does air on that network, it will be supported by hit programming because now you have a combination of programming from both networks, which is certainly a better platform than either one had on its own. In the reality genre that I’m in, now I’ve got two hits -- ‘America’s Next Top Model’ and ‘Beauty and the Geek’ -- to launch a reality show and that’s exciting.”

Tyra Banks’ modeling franchise could also boost the television career of another former model, said Aaron Harberts, co-creator of “Pepper Dennis,” which will premiere on the WB at 9 p.m. April 4.

Starring Rebecca Romijn as a successful broadcast journalist with a not-so-hot love life and a tendency toward clumsiness, “Pepper Dennis” is a perfect match for “Top Model” or “Veronica Mars,” Harberts said.

“It’s about an exciting time in a woman’s life, a woman who is doing great at her career and trying to have it all,” he said.

“The comedy and the tone of it, I think, would appeal to audiences of those shows. I also think it could work with ‘Gilmore Girls.’ It’s strange to think of the TV landscape without these two little networks, but when you think about it, it’s kind of a no-brainer that they are merging. What’s on our minds now before we launch is making the shows that air before [May] fantastic so we can really hook the viewers in.”

Just getting on the air has proved challenging for the series. First, there was a production delay to accommodate Romijn’s movie career. The actress just completed “X-Men 3.” Then Brooke Burns, who plays Romijn’s sister, broke her neck while diving in her pool in November and was not able to work until last month. “There just doesn’t seem to be a straight line when it comes to this show,” Harberts said. “It just seems to be the nature of ‘Pepper Dennis,’ so our mantra has been let’s keep our heads down and do the best show, and it will find a way to work itself out.”

One advantage “Pepper Dennis” has over the other midseason shows clamoring for a spot on the new network, including Jerry Bruckheimer Television’s “Modern Men,” which premieres March 17 on the WB, is its star’s magnetism. The WB’s promotional coffers may be running low, but the gorgeous Romijn has been attracting media interest since the show was announced last May.

“I do know [The WB] plans to spend more money on ‘Pepper Dennis’ than they do on my show, but that’s OK. They can keep their lousy money,” Fontana joked. “I guess if we do any numbers at all against our competition, maybe the network might decide to take another look at us. But I think it’s a slim chance. You know, I’m not sitting here counting my residuals from next season.”