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Who's up for 'Seinfeld' time slot?
May 2, 1998
Who will replace 'Seinfeld?'
Web posted at: 5:40 p.m. EDT (2140 GMT)(CNN) -- While it may be difficult for some fans to fathom, there will be a replacement for "Seinfeld."
Okay, so maybe in your view Jerry and his gang are irreplaceable. But not if you're NBC.
After May 14 there will be a gaping half-hour black hole in the network's "Must-See TV" lineup on Thursday nights.
In the realm of television, dead air falls under the heading of "no can do."
So what show might NBC Entertainment President Warren Littlefield have in mind to move into "Seinfeld's" 9 p.m. EDT slot?
"'Friends,' 'Frasier,' 'Just Shoot Me,' the new kid on the block, 'Mad About You,' '3rd Rock from the Sun,'" Littlefield said recently, adding that he believes all are good choices. "What we want to look at is to continue to have a dominant Thursday night."
But ask the stars of Littlefield's top picks, and you'll find them reluctant to discuss filling Jerry's shoes.
"I don't know a thing about the 9 o'clock time slot, except that I used to be there, and who knows, I might go back," said "Frasier," Kelsey Grammer.
As for newcomer "Just Shoot Me," the show's David Spade says "Seinfeld's" replacement could face a difficult audience.
"I don't want people throwing stuff at the TV.... 'Where's Kramer? Your show is stupid ... bunch of idiots, showbiz phonies. Where's my 'Seinfeld?'" commented the comic.
"3rd Rock's" Jane Curtin doesn't even want to think about it.
"I don't get involved in that aspect of it," Curtin said. "I just go and do the job."
What industry watchers say
The folks at TV Guide have their own opinions on the "most likely to succeed" candidate from Littlefield's short list.
Littlefield "The least likely is 'Frasier,'" Mary Murphy of TV Guide told CNN. "Because, what would they do on Tuesday night?"
Murphy also doesn't think the network would put a new show in the "Seinfeld" time slot because putting a show without a track record in such a popular slot would be too risky, and the advertisers probably wouldn't like it.
Murphy predicts the slot will go to a show already in Thursday's lineup.
"Right now, I think they're going to go with 'Friends,'" she told CNN.
What do the "Friends" folks think about that?
"Those are going to be some heavy shoes to fill," Jennifer Aniston said. "I don't know if anybody can actually do it, but you know ... somebody will."
Correspondent Dennis Michael contributed to this report.
CNN Community:
- Message board: Yada yada yada
- Subscribe to Seinfeld Special Delivery!
Extended coverage:
- The Seinfeld E-mail -- April 22, 1998
- The Seinfeld E-mail -- April 15, 1998
Related stories:
- Faking New York: How it's done on 'Seinfeld' - April 22, 1998
- 'Seinfeld' co-creator Larry David turns to the big screen - April 14, 1998
Related sites:
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- National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
- Seinfeld - Columbia TriStar Television
- Castle Rock Entertainment
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
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