CBS has halted production of first-year sitcom The Ellen Show, starring Ellen DeGeneres, adding an air of uncertainty to a show that has searched all
season for an audience.
CBS has cut the number of episodes of
the Friday-night sitcom from 22 to 18.
According to network spokesman Chris Ender, the move was strictly a
scheduling issue.
Given the programming delays following Sept. 11 and the fact that the network
plans to counterprogram the Olympic Games with movies on Friday night, the network
didn't need as many episodes, he said.
Although the sitcom has been on a death watch in some circles, Ender said the
series, from co-owned CBS Productions, remains a candidate for the fall, although
that decision won't be made until May.
CBS picked up the production reins last year from Michael
Ovitz's troubled Artists Television Group.
