Even the network heads have noticed that Friday nights weren't working out for the ABC comedy Ugly Betty. Several reports have confirmed that when 2010 rolls in, this series is getting a reboot. In time slots that is.
E! Online reveals that the network will be moving Ugly Betty to Wednesdays, starting on the 6th of January. It will be occupying the recently canceled Eastwick's former spot and filling those nights with comedy for ABC.
Joining
Ugly Betty on that day are
The Middle,
Modern Family and Courtney Cox's
Cougar Town. It's definitely a solid block of laughs for audiences then, even though we haven't heard news on what show will occupy the 30-minute slot left by
Hank.
TV Guide goes on to declare the replacement for the notoriously ratings-unfriendly Friday slot that
Ugly Betty was dismissed from. It's going to be taken by new episodes of
Shark Tank, starting January 8.
The move from Fridays to Wednesdays sounds like good news for both fans and showrunners of
Ugly Betty. Not only will TV schedules be thankful, ratings will too.
This also means ABC really isn't letting go of the Silvio Horta dramedy just yet. Even though the writers and producers themselves believed the series was on its last legs, the network doesn't think so. Still, the series creator remains thankful.
"Whatever happens, I'm just grateful to ABC for not just letting
Ugly Betty die there," Horta told the
Los Angeles Times. "Fridays nearly killed us."
According to
E! News, the deciding factor of
Ugly Betty's fate this fall is the Bahamas episode. If that installment can haul in enough numbers, then the show is most likely saved.
Well, that means our audiences will have to do their work. It looks like the only thing that can keep the series on the air is good ratings, so it'd be best to tune in when
Ugly Betty airs on ABC. As of now it's still on the dreaded Friday night slot, but things will look up when the new year arrives.
Source:
E! News,
TV Guide,
LA Times(Image Courtesy of ABC)