It seems like barely a week ago that the February sweeps period ended . . . say, it was barely a week ago.
But you couldn’t tell that last Sunday, where several programs of the kind normally reserved for sweeps went against each other.
Among the highlights were ABC’s “Oprah Winfrey Presents: Amy & Isabelle,” and NBC’s Part 1 of the mini-series “Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot.” Fox premiered its “X-Files” spinoff “The Lone Gunmen,” and CBS kind of sat things out with a repeat of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Eraser.”
They all had to contend with the two-hour, third-season premiere of HBO’s “The Sopranos” which, although the premium cable network is only in about 33 million homes (one-third of U.S. households with TVs), was still the monkey with the wrench.
The winner: “Amy & Isabelle.” With 19.4 million viewers, it became the second highest-rated movie of the season, positioned between two other ABC films — part one of “Life with Judy Garland” and “The Miracle Worker.”
“Gunmen” narrowly won the 8 p.m. hour with 8.2 million adults ages 18-to-49, significant because Fox is a close second in that audience with NBC. The series was second overall with 13.2 million viewers.
As for the “Women,” it had a disappointing 10.8 million total viewers on Sunday, placing fourth behind “Eraser.” Preliminary Nielsen figures show Monday’s conclusion of the mini-series, which NBC pulled from both the November and February sweeps, had roughly the same number of viewers as on Sunday.
“The Sopranos” probably kept “Gunmen’s” young-skewing demos down. It was ranked No. 1 among HBO-watching males age 18-to-49. From 8 to 9 p.m. it had 11.26 million viewers, and from 9 to 10 p.m. 11.35 million viewers.
More tossed salad and scrambled eggs: “Frasier,” which NBC and Paramount have been haggling over how long the show will continue and for how much money, will be around for three years. Star Kelsey Grammer says he “jumped around the room” upon hearing the news.
NBC wouldn’t say how much cash is involved but that Paramount’s reported request of a $5.5 million-per-episode license fee was off base.
Back in the future: The Web site TrekToday reports Paramount is looking for the following for its proposed new incarnation of “Star Trek”: A middle-aged, physical captain, an “austere yet sensual” Vulcan female sub-commander, an alien medical officer who practices some kind of new-age “intergalactic medicine,” and a shy British lieutenant commander.
TrekToday says the series is to be set sometime in the 22nd Century, predating the original 1960s series, and could replace UPN’s “Star Trek: Voyager” this fall.
Avert your eyes from the following: One of the more entertaining aspects of the World Wrestling Federation’s TV shows has been former wrestler and ring analyst Jerry “The King” Lawler, who could produce a hilarious line or a funny wisecrack at the flip of a body.
But The King has left the microphone. He quit the WWF last week when the company didn’t renew the contract of his wife, Stacy Carter, better known as “The Kat,” whose wrestling talents were overshadowed by her scanty outfits.
“Tempting” fate: Fox will do another edition of “Temptation Island.” Despite protests that the show is salacious and advocated couples breaking up, adults 18-to-49 liked it.
A job for Jerry Lawler? With the news that producer Don Ohlmeyer is leaving ABC’s “Monday Night Football,” how long will analyst Dennis Miller, who Ohlmeyer brought aboard last year, be around? Miller is signed for another season, but a new producer may want someone who won’t require viewers to have a dictionary handy.
“Hyped” out: The WB canceled “Saturday Night Live” wannabe “Hype.” CBS axed “Seinfeld” wannabe “Bette,” which on Wednesday was Robert Hayes’ (“Airplane!”) first — and apparently last — appearance as Bette Midler’s husband.
Give that man a TV show: Rocker Chris Isaak was destined to have his own sitcom. The guy is funny.
On playing himself on his Showtime comedy (debuting at 9 p.m. Monday): “I just figured the stretch would do me good as an actor.”
On why people should watch: “If you already own a TV and you don’t have any friends, it’s better than watching a spot on the wall.”
On comparisons between his show and “Seinfeld”: “I was going to call it `Isaakfeld,’ but there were legal problems.”
On how the real Chris is different from the TV Chris: “He’s a nicer, kinder person, he dresses better, and his house is cleaner.”
Is he more talented? “Oh, by all means.”
On how the series came about: “A judge gave me a choice: It was this or a community project that he would pick out for me.”
On why he’s with Showtime instead of a network: “I think networks can be so precise. And I think precise and safety are good things for running an airline, but maybe not for running a comedy show.”
On the nudity that appears periodically on his show: “That wasn’t a big issue. The funniest shows that I liked in reality were like `The Honeymooners’ and things like that. And they never had nudity. God knows, we wanted to see Jackie Gleason nude, but we never did. And maybe that’s what kept us coming back for more.”
On the benefits of doing a TV show with his real band: “I knew I could keep my guys together and play on the weekend or record and stuff. So this has kind of worked out well . . . we’re certainly no Michael J. Fox, but when it comes to throwing down a blues number or something, we can beat ’em.”
On how funny “The Chris Isaak Show” is: “It’s the funniest half-hour on TV. It’s an hour show, but still, there is a funny half-hour in there. You just have to look for it.”
