Changes loom for three series: Yes, it's almost sweeps again

E-mail this article Print this article

LOS ANGELES - Can this series be saved?

The question looms over CBS' "Bette," Fox's long-running "The X-Files" and even ABC's "Dharma & Greg," which will try a risky plot next month.

"Bette," the freshman comedy starring Bette Midler, is in the most trouble. The Divine Miss M whined about the sitcom on late-night talk shows and hurt colleagues' feelings. On her show's huge set, she tried to repair the damage this week when appearing before TV critics on their winter tour.

Midler said she has no idea whether "Bette" will return for a second season. "I'd certainly like to come back," she said. "I certainly wouldn't go down without a fight." Of the last nine episodes this season, she said, "We're going to knock ourselves out to make the best TV we possibly can."

Midler said the series tried to be too ambitious early on and faced strong competition from "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." She said the hectic pace and long days wore her out, but her workload has since been lightened.

Another sign of trouble: Kevin Dunn has departed as Midler's TV husband after asking to be let go. "He didn't like what he was given to do," Midler said. Releasing him from his contract was better than making him suffer through it, Midler said.

Midler listed several possibilities about replacing Dunn. "Bette" could go the "Bewitched" route and bring in a replacement as if nothing had changed. Or her TV character could go through a divorce. Or Midler might have a different husband every week, just as Murphy Brown had a different secretary.

She put the last idea to a hand vote of the critics, who overwhelmingly liked it. But a sharp-witted critic shot back, "You know how many series we've killed?"

Asked what she thought of Midler's proposal, CBS Entertainment President Nancy Tellem said, "I appreciate her wanting different husbands every week. Frankly, I would like a different husband every week, but we're trying to make the series as realistic as we can, and we are currently looking to cast a husband, and I think we're going to end up with only one."

CBS Television President Les Moonves said "Bette" could definitely be saved. "The show started off strong," he said. "It got a bit too broad, we felt. I think we made the necessary corrections. We feel very good about the show. We still think we have one of the best stars on TV who clearly has a great deal of popular appeal."

The diva plays an over-the-top version of herself in the series. But some critics have carped that the character comes off as incredibly inept, a complaint that Midler said the show is addressing. She also wants more comic actors around her.

"What kind of star am I? I have no help," she said. "We need more and funnier characters, we need a true ensemble. I think that's what we're going to go for."

Despite all the problems, she generously graded the sitcom with a high B. "I think it's a freshman show that's looking for its legs," she said. "I think it's going to find its way in the next six weeks."

She'll need huge gusts of wind beneath her wings to pull that one off.

Anderson stays with "X"

Gillian Anderson is signed for another season as Agent Dana Scully. Robert Patrick has a multiyear deal as Agent John Doggett. But David Duchovny has no contract for next season as Fox Mulder.

"Everything is set for a ninth season," "X-Files" creator Chris Carter said. "I haven't yet signed on. We're talking. Is there a reason for a ninth season?"

There sure is for Fox, which wants to keep the series in its lineup. Carter said the series could go on without him, but added, "I would hate for someone to come in and ruin the show."

Gary Newman, president of 20th Century Fox Television, said the studio and network were thrilled with the episodes this season and that the series could go on for more years. "We could do the show without Carter, but I wouldn't want to contemplate that, unless Chris supported the idea," Newman said.

Carter said Mulder's absence gave the series a reason to continue this season. Agent Mulder returns in the Feb. 25 episode, which explains his disappearance, and Duchovny will be back for the remainder of the season.

But "The X-Files" will leave the schedule for four weeks to make room for its spinoff, "The Lone Gunmen," which debuts March 4.

Agent Scully's mysterious pregnancy will play out through the end of the season, and a February episode will explain the context of her condition. Does Anderson know who the father is? "Yeah, I think so, but things can change, as they have changed," she said. "I never know."

Carter and Anderson met critics on the Fox studio set where, according to Carter, "David Duchovny was so horribly tortured" in early episodes this season. "He was lying here buck-naked. I'm sorry he's not here today. That would be something to write about, wouldn't it?"

Entanglement for Dharma?

Is America ready for a wayward Dharma Montgomery?

The married heroine of ABC's "Dharma & Greg" will have a romance and not a flirtation with a history professor (played by "Hercules" star Kevin Sorbo) in two February episodes. "It's very threatening for the series," creator Chuck Lorre said.

Being against "Frasier" isn't threatening enough? "There's nothing we can do about that," Lorre said. The NBC sitcom has widely outpaced "Dharma & Greg" this season.

The Dharma and the professor story "gets a little bit thornier than feelings," Lorre said. "Greg is not there for her and this man is. No one is acting out of malice. Dharma is ruthlessly honest. It's a bewildering experience."

"I played it in a way that it creeps up on her," "Dharma" star Jenna Elfman said. "It's a story that has happened to a lot of people. The hero stumbles sometimes." She said she would like to take the audience "on this journey."

That journey carries risks. "We can't destroy the marriage, but we do the best to threaten it," Lorre said. But they could destroy the series if enough fans are alienated.