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25.01.2006
David Bianculli dla New York Daily News

Not much to show for UPN, WB tie-up

Yesterday's surprise announcement of the merger of the UPN and WB networks in September begs for a little perspective.
So here it is.

Even with two networks combined into one as the new CW network, there isn't enough good programming to fill a schedule - not even the abbreviated WB schedule.

In combining the networks, CW could have expanded to the "real network" model of the Big Three (8-11 p.m. nightly, 7-11 p.m. Sundays), or even to the seven-night, stop-at-10 p.m. model used by Fox.

Instead, the new hybrid will stay with the WB programming blocks: 8-10 weeknights, 7-10 p.m. Sundays, and dark on Saturdays.

That's a total of 13 hours of prime-time programming. Given the combined resources of WB and UPN, that ought to be easy to fill, right?

Wrong.

By my count, even a team effort by TV's fifth- and sixth-ranked networks falls a little short.

Start with the truly entertaining shows on the two networks, and WB begins with a distinct advantage. Even without "7th Heaven," which is in its final season, WB brings five solid hours of TV to the table: "Gilmore Girls," "Smallville," "Beauty and the Geek," the improving "Related" and the deteriorating but still watchable "Charmed."

UPN has only two shows, totaling an hour and a half of TV, but they're better than anything on WB: "Veronica Mars" and "Everybody Hates Chris."

So far, that's 6.5 hours.

Add the next level of shows, the ones most likely to be renewed, and you've got six more hours. WB has "Supernatural," "What I Like About You," "Twins" and "Reba."

UPN has "America's Next Top Model," "Girlfriends" and, sadly, "WWE Smackdown!"

That's a total of 12.5 hours, on what's supposed to be a 13-hour CW lineup. No wonder the partnership made sense - but even together, they're not quite a network.

The name for the combined network, The CW, could have been better, but it also could have been worse. Only WB has tried to force-feed "The" into its official title, and it's an unwanted intrusion. I wish the corporate owners of UPN hadn't gone along - but apparently, that's what The CBS wants.

As for the melding of letters between CBS (not UPN, notably) and WB into The CW, it sounds like a new countryWestern network. Clearly, though, CBS wanted top billing. Otherwise, if WB went first, the new network might be named WC, an old abbreviation for water closet, or bathroom. (TV history digression: Not being allowed to say "WC" was what led Jack Paar to walk off "The Tonight Show.")

Or worse, it might be named BS - good for truth in advertising and a great promotional gimmick (one slogan could be "Nothing but BS!"), but bad for morale.