And moving established shows like ''Frasier'' or ''Will & Grace'' into the ''Friends'' timeslot would be risky. '''Frasier'' has been the only show to thrive on Tuesdays, which have been a problematic night for NBC since the 'A-Team' went off the air,'' says Steve Sternberg, a media analyst at Magna Global USA. ''So moving 'Frasier' to Thursdays would create an even bigger problem on Tuesdays.''
As for ''Will & Grace,'' the show may be a little too edgy for the family-friendly 8 p.m. slot. But if it does move up an hour, ''there's the question of what to put at 9 p.m., since 'Just Shoot Me' is too old to anchor a whole hour,'' says Berman. NBC had looked to its new hospital sitcom ''Scrubs'' to shore up the Thursday line-up, but that series hasn't performed well enough to be a serious post-''Friends'' contender. ''It's an adequate show, but it's not a hit,'' says Berman. ''And I don't think it has the legs to become one.''
So, for now, NBC needs ''Friends'' if it's going to hold onto its Thursday night dominance. At the same time, the network needs to develop the perfect sitcom to take its place, since it's unlikely the cast will return for more than a season or two. ''So far what NBC's been doing wrong is going to the producers and writers of their hits and giving them this plum timeslot to try out another show,'' says Berman, noting that ''Friends'' producer David Crane developed the stinkers ''Veronica's Closet'' and ''Jesse.'' ''NBC has to stop going back to the same talent pool and start looking for new creative minds.''
The jury's still out on whether the latest 8:30 p.m. contender, ''Leap of Faith,'' breaks the mold. On the bright side, the show, which stars ''Jack & Jill'''s Sarah Paulson, is the brain child of ''Sex and the City'' producer Jenny Bicks, who could bring an edgy HBO slant to NBC. But the premise, about a woman who turns to her friends for support after calling off her wedding to a handsome, wealthy attorney, sounds a tad familiar. Let's just hope she doesn't show up at her friend Monica's house wearing a dripping wet wedding dress.
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