Giving Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood Daily a run for her money in the news-breaking department, yesterday’s Hollywood Reporter Live Feed broke the news that ABC plans on moving LIFE ON MARS’ from its cushy post-GREY’S ANATOMY time-slot to Wednesday night’s following LOST come January 2009.
Now this TV Addict is the first to admit that it doesn’t take a rocket scientist brain surgeon to see that the one-two combo of GREY’S ANATOMY and PRIVATE PRACTICE just makes perfect medical sense. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for LIFE ON MARS’ prospects when it moves to Wednesday at 10PM following LOST.
Remember INVASION? The short-lived thriller THE NINE? Two shows that spectacularly failed with LOST as their lead-in. In fact, no show has ever succeeded following LOST. Probably because when the average viewer thinks of LOST, they’re most likely thinking of a complex mythology laden show that requires far too much of an investment of time and energy to enjoy (Not that there’s anything wrong with that!)
Which if you ask this TV Addict, isn’t the message ABC should be sending to potential fans of LIFE ON MARS. ABC should be taking a page from CBS (See: WITHOUT A COLD CSI IN NEW YORK) and sell LIFE ON MARS as your standard procedural so that it even has an outside shot of becoming the mass appeal procedural hit that it so richly deserves to be. 
