The football players of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS aren’t the only ones who’ll be using their muscle to shore up NBC’s schedule this fall. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the network is set to announce that THE BIONIC WOMAN has gone from pilot to series with EASTENDERS alum Michelle Ryan in the lead role. Anyone worrying that the world might not need a remake of a somewhat cheesy 70’s series should keep in mind that the show’s pilot was written by BATTLESTAR GALACTICA executive producer David Eick. Consider our DVR’s already set.
In other news, ABC’s Wednesday night line-up may be in trouble. When your much-publicized new comedy – NOTES FROM THE UNDERBELLY – can’t even hold onto the viewers who tuned in for ACCORDING TO JIM, that’s bad. Worse, LOST tied its low in the all-important 18-49 demographic and it’s second-lowest household rating. Even if you don’t quite understand ratings, it’s pretty easy to see that’s not a good thing. With that in mind, we’d like to make a recommendation to ABC: With only 16 episodes per season for the next three years, holding them until January might not be the smartest idea in the world. Yes, we get that the idea is to have a repeat-free season which covers both the February and November sweeps periods. But might it not be wiser to move keep the show away from demo-devouring AMERICAN IDOL? They may not share a time slot, but we can’t help thinking that for many households, “Seacrest, out!” is slang for “nighty-night” as opposed to “quick, turn the channel.” 
