The CW's "Life Unexpected" has a premiere date, Jan. 18, where it will temporarily replace "Gossip Girl" as part of a CW strategy to keep original episodes airing on Monday nights.
"Unexpected" will take the place of "Gossip Girl" for its run, then "Gossip" will return for another 12 episodes.
The logic is that "Gossip" performs stronger when aired with fewer interruptions. Last year the show dropped significantly in the ratings during the early part of the year as the network cycled in repeats.
via our friend James Hibberd at THR.com
Not sure whether that "logic" is the CW's or Hibberd's, but how a repeat hiatus vs. a replacement hiatus is going to be any different for Gossip Girl doesn't quite make sense to me. And as I recall, it seemed to me that Gossip Girl went into repeats to prevent from getting pounded into ratings dust by new episode competition in its (last season) 8pm Monday timeslot.
Update 2: After that, it is expected that Life Unexpected will move to One Tree Hill's spot and that between the three shows CW seeks to reduce the number of low-rated Monday repeats.
“for its run”. Huh? So LuX will only be a few episodes?
Brad, I think James is wrong with the “for its run” bit, but I’m sure it’s been a busy night for him.
Joe Adalian says the plan is for Life Unexpected to air on Monday’s for a few weeks during the GG hiatus and then move to a TBD permanent slot:
http://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/cw-gives-life-unexpected-gossip-girl-boost-9877
I really thought Life UneXpected would get Tuesdays or Wednesdays at 9pm but Monday is a good slot and it’s got a compatible lead in with One Tree Hill, my guess if that if it remains on par on or even improves on Gossip Girl’s ratings then GG will end up in Melrose’s slot.
For a CW show, it has garnered some very good reviews.
Huh. Life Unexpected supposedly has 13 episodes ordered. If they really do air both of them straight through, they’ll be airing Gossip Girl into July. Either they cut the order and word of that hasn’t come out yet, or they are planning to move it, most likely to Wednesdays. If it airs on Monday for 7 episodes, Gossip Girl could return the second week of March and air straight through May 24.
Edited in a qualifier and link to Adalian’s post.
Stupid to debut the show on Monday and then move to another night.
Yes! Hopefully it beats Gossip Girl ratings which it probably will. and one tree hill is the best lead in it could of got. well besides Vamp Diaries, but it isn’t going on thursdays. lol
They could cut the order but I think that’s unlikely but then again Grey’s Anatomy debuted as a midseason after Desperate Housewives and aired 9 out of 14 episodes with the remaining 5 tacked onto Season 2, they did the same to Boston Legal.
It’ll be interesting to see what their plan is. Are they going to air it on Mondays for two weeks and then move it to Wednesdays for sweeps, so they can have a full schedule of new episodes? But what if it does better than Gossip Girl on Mondays? Will they put GG after Top Model?
I do think if Heather Locklear doesn’t save Melrose then it’s a goner and either LUX or GG moves to that slot, I think the docusoaps will air Wednesdays at 9pm with Blonde Charity Mafia filling in for ANTM.
Isn’t Blonde Charity Mafia a docu-soap, too? Plus, it’s half hour, so will they double it up? That would only last like 3 weeks.
I still stuns me that the CW has apparently given-up on the post ANTM slot. For being the strongest show for years on the CW and the UPN, it has yet to launch a hit show.
Regarding Blonde Charity Mafia, I’m sure they could use any unused footage to make a few episodes or just a repeat of BCM after a new episode. I’m sure there was another reality soap that The CW were going to air in summer but postponed it.
I’m hoping LUX would pull in good numbers or at least better numbers than Melrose and TBL.I like the teaser I saw on YouTube, very promising. If it works out well for LUX on that night, GG might move to Wednesdays at 9pm since ANTM could not launch a show after it then maybe GG could be the answer to their post ANTM problems
I just heard about this show last week and was wondering when it would premiere.
Does this mean GG is close to being canceled?
Charles, not at all.
Gossip Girl originally aired on Wednesdays during its first season but it moved to Mondays when it returned from the writer’s strike IIRC, don’t know what aired on the Monday in 2007 because One Tree Hill didn’t debut till midseason.
I can’t believe no one has mentioned the obvious (or does no one mention it, because it is obvious):
LUX has to be forced onto the schedule somewhere, to give the illusion that Melrose Place will be on the CW for years, and won’t be going anywhere!
I’m no fan of Gossip Girl but I’ll admit it gets decent CW rating so why are they putting it on hiatus and not Melrose Place. Melrose isn’t going to improve no matter how much they wish it to be so why hurt a show that’s ok ratings wise when you can just stick another knife in the one that’s already dead.
also why not just use that empty Wednesday timeslot you already have. I think I’d have an easier time understanding obscure ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs than I will the CW’s programming.
I guess this is smart. I had originally thought that Life UnXpected would replace Melrose Place or air post ANTM but it seems CW would rather use it to temporarily replace Gossip Girl. Looks like FLy Girls or Blonde Charity Mafia will air pos ANTM and when Gossip Girl returns, Life UnXpected will replace Melrose.