New York -- Nick at Nite and TV Land will add more vintage
sitcoms and series to their lineups this summer, while Nickelodeon has joined the growing
bevy of cable networks doing made-for-TV movies.
At an upfront presentation here, Nick at Nite officials
said they will bring three shows from the 1970s to their schedule during the coming year: WKRP
in Cincinnati, All in the Family and Three's Company.
WKRP will kick off with a special weeklong marathon
July 5 through 9.
Nick at Nite has also planned "Nick at Nite's
Marathon to the Millenium," a 10-week showcase of Nick's highest-rated marathons
ever. That event will start Oct. 25 and continue through the end of the year.
Nick at Nite spinoff TV Land has acquired six classic TV
series that it will begin adding to its lineup in August, rolling them out through January
2000.
Maude will be the first to debut this summer, followed
in January by The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., The
Honeymooners, The Beverly Hillbillies and The A-Team.
In other news,Nickelodeon is now jumping on the
original-movie bandwagon, with plans to produce one-dozen made-for-TV movies per year.
Nick will join a growing contingent of cable networks
producing original movies, including Home Box Office, Showtime, Turner Network Television,
TBS Superstation, VH1, FX, Fox Family Channel, A&E Network and Black Entertainment
Television. Univision announced similar plans to produce original telepics last week.
Nick has been spurred to expand into original, 90-minute,
made-for-TV movies based on the success of its theatrical hit Rugrats movie, which
grossed $100 million at the box office.
Nick's made-for-TV movies will also in great part be
expanded versions of its series. The first on is based on Nick show The Journey of
Allen Strange.
