• by Wayne Friedman , October 3, 2005

Two weeks into the season, NBC has cried uncle. It finally made its first moves of the season after seeing its Wednesday night come in way below expectations. After two weeks of poor-performing ratings, two of its highly regarded shows--"The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" and "E-Ring"--will switch time periods on Wednesday night. Starting October 5, "Stewart" will air at 9:00 p.m., and "E-Ring" will try its luck at 8:00 p.m.

This past week, "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" dropped 9 percent from its weak premiere a week before, earning a scant Nielsen Media Research 2.1/6 in adults 18-49 and 6.1 million viewers, and tying for fourth place. Pentagon drama "E-Ring" didn't do much better, as it also remained in fourth place, with a 2.1/5 in adults 18-49 and 7.7 million viewers. It lost 16 percent versus numbers of a week before.

The problem for NBC's "E-Ring" is that it runs right into the teeth of ABC's monster "Lost" show, as well as four other dramas. "There is just an inherent problem with six dramas going up against each other at 9 p.m.," said Shari Ann Brill, vp of director of programming services for Carat North America.

Of chief concern is "Stewart," because it not only affects Wednesday night but Thursdays as well. "It's too much 'Apprentice,'" said Brill. "The biggest mistake is having them on both concurrently. It should have been a bridging show when the original 'Apprentice' was resting."

The original "Apprentice" has been suffering some itself--down 30 percent so far versus the second edition of the "Apprentice" when launched last fall. Last Thursday it posted a 4.8/12 in 18-49, and 10.4 million viewers overall.

"Apprentice: Stewart" doesn't have the same tension and drama that the original Donald Trump version has to offer, say critics. Stewart is too nice. She doesn't "fire" people at the end of the show; she says a bit more kindly: "You don't fit in."

But Brill said putting "Apprentice: Stewart" at 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday will at least give some viewers options from all that drama--and perhaps some better numbers.

NBC had early-season success with "My Name is Earl." In its second week, "Earl" dropped 23 percent to a 5.1/13 in adults 18-49--which, if it remained at that level for the rest of the season, would be a good performer for the network.