11.10.2005

Man, I am Pissed Right Now.... :(

FOX Sweeps Away 'Arrested,' 'Kitchen'

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Time to restart those vigils for "Arrested Development." And while you're at it, light a candle for "Kitchen Confidential" too.

The two FOX comedies have been shelved for the remainder of sweeps -- "Kitchen Confidential," in fact, hasn't aired since the first week of October -- in favor of repeats of "Prison Break," which have performed better in the 8 p.m. Monday hour than either "Arrested" or "Kitchen" this season. The network says the comedies will return Dec. 5, following the close of sweeps.

Starting Monday (Nov. 14), the previous week's "Prison Break" will air at 8 p.m. ET, followed by a new episode at 9. That pattern will continue through Nov. 28, when the show has what FOX is calling its "fall finale." The remainder of the season will air sometime next year, although it hasn't been scheduled yet.

The scheduling change comes a few days after "Arrested Development" returned to meager ratings from an October hiatus driven by the baseball playoffs. Back-to-back episodes of the show drew a little more than 4 million viewers, a little below its season average. In the previous two weeks, repeats of "Prison Break" had averaged 5.9 million viewers in the 8 p.m. hour.

The underwhelming lead-in also hurt Monday's "Prison Break," which had its weakest showing since late September.

Five episodes of "Arrested Development" have aired thus far this season, while "Kitchen Confidential" has run just three times. Neither show was part of the midseason lineup FOX presented to advertisers last spring.

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