NBC has pulled Love Bites from the fall schedule and will instead put the latest iteration of The Apprentice in the Thursday at 10 p.m. slot. The network announced the swap July 1.
The move was precipitated by multiple factors: the pregnancy of series regular Becki Newton, who plays a young, single woman; and creator Cindy Chupack's desire to relinquish show runner duties citing personal reasons.
In a statement, Mitch Metcalf, NBC's chief scheduler, professed the network's support for Love Bites.
"Everyone at the network loves Love Bites," he said. "But for a number of reasons, it now makes sense to showcase the comedic anthology series a little later in the new season. We're extremely fortunate to have a potent show such as the new and contemporary version of Donald Trump's The Apprentice ready to step into the slot and keep our Thursday lineup moving forward from a position of strength."
The upcoming season of The Apprentice recently wrapped shooting in New York. Reflecting the tough economic times, the show will take a more supportive tone this time around. Many of the 16 contestants have recently lost jobs and others are recent college graduates with few prospects. Instead of the ostentatious rewards traditionally bestowed on the winning team, project managers will be rewarded with one-on-one meetings with business leaders and CEOs. The winner will get a six-figure salary job with Trump.
