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Tuesday
TIME-SLOT SHOWDOWN When ''According to Jim,'' ''Frasier,'' and ''24'' went head-to-head-to-head at 9 p.m., none went rolling. And with NBC needing comedies, there's a remote chance that Kelsey and Co. (No. 29) won't bid adieu at season's end. '''Frasier''s down a bit,'' notes Zucker, ''but everyone feels that the quality is back to what it was.''
PEAK PERFORMERS ABC's ''8 Simple Rules,'' which tragically lost John Ritter, found comfort with plenty of viewers at No. 13. ''It seemed like the right decision to keep it going,'' says Bader. ''It's caught on, and they've done a very good job [of moving forward].'' Meanwhile, moneyed-chicks-meet-country-hicks reality series ''The Simple Life'' (No. 21) is helping Fox grab ratings and headlines, thanks to the tabloid-tastic Paris Hilton. ''We caught lightning in a bottle,'' says Beckman. ''You can never go wrong making fun of the rich. And there's no such thing as bad publicity.''
BLEAK PERFORMERS Would you rather read about No. 66 ''Good Morning, Miami,'' which loses nearly a third of ''Frasier'''s audience, or...''The Mullets''? Thought so. The infamous UPN sitcom groomed just 2.1 million viewers, making it the second-lowest-ranked series (No. 126). ''It's slapstick stupid funny, and no one's really doing that,'' says Kahl. ''So that's a shot you want to take.'' No matter how hair-razing it might be.
GAME CHANGER Prepare for pageantry in mid-January: Fox brings back ''American Idol,'' while UPN trots out round 2 of hottie-fest ''America's Next Top Model.''
