'Columbo' Tops Monday For ABC
Tue, Aug 8, 2000 10:04 AM PDT
LOS ANGELES (Zap2It.com ) -
Overnight-Metered Market Ratings for Monday, Aug. 7, 2000.
ABC swept the competition in the overnight-metered market ratings race for Monday (July 31), aided by the return of Columbo in the rebroadcast of the TV movie "Columbo: Ashes to Ashes," winning an overall primetime 8.7 rating/14 share (last week, 4.7/8). NBC fell to second this week, with "West Wing" earning the net's highest ratings of the night, 6.6/11 (7.4/12). CBS followed, thanks to "Everybody Loves Raymond," 6.2/10 (6.4/10). FOX placed fourth, aided by "Ally McBeal." 3.8/6 (3.5/6). UPN was next, helped by "The Parkers" earning a 2.9/5 (2.9/5). Close behind, The WB rounded out the group with a 2.9/4 (3.0/5).
ABC kicked off the night with Peter Falk as the famous bumbling detective Columbo in the 1998 TV movie "Columbo: Ashes to Ashes," pulling an average 8.9/14 (last week: "NFL Preseason" from 7-10 p.m., 7.9/13). At 10 p.m., "Vanished," the documentary about the disappearance of news anchor Jodi Huisentruit aired, 8.1/13 (last week: "ABC News Republican Convention," 4.7/8).
At 8 p.m., NBC started with the third episode of the new series "Mysterious Ways," earning a 5.4/9 (6.7/11). A repeat of "Law & Order" followed at 9 p.m., 6.6/10 (8.2/13). A "West Wing" rerun aired at 10 p.m., earning the Peacock's highest ratings of the night with a 7.9/13 (last week: "Third Watch," 7.6/13).
CBS began at 8 p.m. with a half-hour "Big Brother," which pulled a 6.1/10 (6.7/11). A repeat of "King of Queens" followed, 6.2/10 (6.7/11). At 9 p.m., an encore of "Everybody Loves Raymond" earned the Eye's highest ratings of the night with an 8.5/13 (8.7/13). A rerun of "Becker" was next, 7.0/11 (7.9/12). An encore of "Family Law" ran at 10 p.m., 4.7/8 (last week: "48 Hours," 4.4/7).
FOX aired its new teen series "The Opposite Sex" at 8 p.m., attracting a 3.6/6 (3.0/5). A rerun of "Ally McBeal" followed at 9 p.m., fetching a 4.1/7 (4.0/7).
UPN began a night of reruns with "Moesha" at 8 p.m., grabbing a 3.1/5 (last week: 3.2/5). "The Parkers," followed with a 3.2/5 (3.1/5). At 9 p.m., "Grown Ups" pulled a 2.7/4 (2.6/4). "Malcolm and Eddie" finished off the night with a 2.5/4 (2.6/4).
A repeat of "7th Heaven" ushered in The WB's Monday lineup at 8 p.m., grabbing a 3.0/5 (3.6/6). A rerun of "Roswell" was next at 9 p.m., taking in a 2.0/3 (2.4/4).

Getting Away With "Mysterious Ways"
Mon, Aug 7, 2000 04:33 PM PDT
by Kate O'Hare
LOS ANGELES (Zap2It.com) -
After holding its own ratings-wise in its second outing on Monday at 8 p.m. (Eastern), against the debut of Dennis Miller on ABC's "Monday Night Football," the drama "Mysterious Ways" continues to be the subject of speculation about whether it will return to NBC after its initial eight-episode run on the Peacock Network.
The drama -- developed by Pax after being passed on in script form last summer by NBC -- is still set to make it Aug. 22 debut on Pax, which is partly owned by NBC. But whether it earns a more permanent NBC berth, either this fall or as a midseason replacement, remains an open question.
But, in a way, being for all intents and purposes a Pax show has offered producers Peter O'Fallon and Carl Binder a certain freedom. "One of the lucky things about us being, for lack of a better term, under the radar," says O'Fallon, "is we've gotten away with a lot of thing that I don't think we would have had we been flying in the radar with everyone else."
But if you're picked up by NBC past this summer run, you'll be in the radar. "Yes, we will," says O'Fallon.
"Right in the middle of it," says Binder.
"We're just praying," says O'Fallon, "that it's so terribly successful that everyone will think we're geniuses. The whole goal and idea was to keep it on NBC. We swung to the fences because we knew we had this shot, we knew we had this eight-episode slot, and a lot of things worked in our favor."
But the producers aren't expecting an answer from NBC anytime soon. "I'm sure you know how networks are," says O'Fallon. "They'll wait till the last possible second."
And in case you were wondering, the title of the show comes not from a biblical reference, but from the song by the same name by Irish rock band U2. "Originally," says O'Fallon, who's from a large, Irish-Catholic family in Denver, "the name of the show was 'One Clear Moment.' "
That phrase sprung from an incident which O'Fallon and the show's main character, Declan Dunn (Adrian Pasdar), an anthropologist who teams with a psychiatrist (Rae Dawn Chong) to investigate possibly miraculous phenomena, have in common. Both had their lives changed after nearly being killed by an avalanche.
"I write and profess this much better than I live it," says O'Fallon, "but one of the things that happened afterward is it, to some extent, gives you a priority. I was, as a young man, a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I used to wait for those moments when it was all perfect. It was always all perfect on a very steep slope with deep powder and danger around me, and being able to beat the danger.
" I was a recovering Catholic. I spent about 10 years away from the Catholic Church and all that, then I started thinking about spirituality, for lack of a better term.
"I don't want to say this, because I'm by no means like those people who run 'Touched by an Angel,' but having said that, then I realized you can also get clear moments by getting quiet and simple. So that's Declan's theory.
" I was driving into NBC to pitch it, and I loved the name 'One Clear Moment.' I turned the corner and turned in, and 'Mysterious Ways' came on the radio. I'm singing along with it, not even thinking about it. I pulled to a stop and the last thing it said was, 'Spirit moves in mysterious ways.' I turned the car off, and I said, 'I love that name!,' walked in and pitched it."
O'Fallon did try to license the original song for the series' theme (it did appear on a rough cut of the pilot), but when he called U2 for permission, " We never heard back. The boys are on some island recording their album, and supposedly they have great control over all these things.
"I was going to plead with them -- the Irish thing, the Catholic thing, the whole nine yards."

ABC, CBS, NBC Each Claim Victory in Nielsen Ratings
Wednesday, August 02, 2000
By Rick Kissell
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - A closely contested summer among the broadcast networks got even tighter last week as ABC, CBS and NBC each placed first by one of the major ratings measures.
According to Nielsen, NBC edged ABC and CBS by one-tenth of a ratings point in the closely watched adults 18-49 demographic for the week of July 24-30, while ABC edged ahead of CBS in total viewers. CBS could claim a first-place tie with ABC in homes.
And it was just as close in the fringe adult demos, with NBC edging CBS in adults 25-54 (4.0 to 3.9) and Fox tying ABC for first in adults 18-34 (3.0), just ahead of NBC (2.9) and CBS (2.8). NBC doesn't have a hot reality show like CBS' "Survivor" or a phenom gamer like ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," but its top comedies and a strong crop of Sunday theatricals are keeping the network very much in the game this summer. NBC also got a strong performance from the premiere of "Mysterious Ways," although the supernatural/spiritual drama cooled considerably this week in its second outing.
"Survivor," meanwhile, posted its fifth consecutive week as the No. 1 program in adults 18-49 (11.9 rating, 36 share) -- the longest streak for any program this season. It again was tops in all key demos, including best-yet performances in total viewers (27.18 million), adults 25-54 (12.8/36) and adults 18-34 (11.8/38). "Millionaire" again paced ABC as the quizzer's three episodes finished second, third and fourth in viewers and third, fourth and seventh in adults 18-49.
It was also a good week for the most Emmy-nominated broadcast series, as more viewers appeared to have sampled the front-runners. NBC's "The West Wing" hit a summer high in viewers (10.25 million) while "Will & Grace" posted NBC's top 18-34 rating in its Thursday slot this summer. And both CBS' "Everybody Loves Raymond" (13.27 million) and ABC's "The Practice" (14.29 million) had their largest audiences in seven weeks.
The networks' adults 18-49 averages for July 24-30: NBC, a 3.5 rating/11 share (up 6 percent in rating vs. a year ago); ABC, 3.4/10 (up 17 percent), tied with CBS, 3.4/11 (up 42 percent); Fox, 2.7/9 (down 13 percent); UPN, 1.3/4 (up 63 percent); the WB, 1.0/3 (down 17 percent); Pax, 0.4/1 (up 33 percent).
In homes: ABC, 6.6/12 (up 20 percent), tied with CBS, 6.6/12 (up 2 percent); NBC, 6.2/11 (even); Fox, 4.0/7 (down 13 percent); UPN, 2.0/4 (up 43 percent); the WB, 1.6/3 (down 30 percent); Pax, 1.0/2 (up 11 percent).
Adults 18-49 averages for the top cable services: USA, 1.2/4 (up 20 percent); HBO, 1.1/3 (down 8 percent); TNT, 0.8/3 (even); TBS, 0.7/2 (even); Lifetime, 0.6/2 (up 20 percent).
MONDAY
The much-anticipated debut of comedian Dennis Miller in the "Monday Night Football" booth didn't pay off in the ratings, as the New England-San Francisco contest became the lowest-rated NFL preseason opener ever (7.3/12); an early 7 p.m. EDT starting time -- necessitated by the Republican convention -- didn't help. CBS (4.7 in homes) topped ABC (4.3) in the election coverage battle; that represents a 21 percent gain for CBS and a flat perf for ABC vs. the first night of convention coverage in 1996. NBC, which unlike ABC and CBS did not air convention coverage in the 10 p.m. hour, was rewarded with the largest repeat audience for "Third Watch" (10.06 million) this summer. NBC's "Mysterious Ways" slipped by 21 percent in viewers (9.48 million vs. 12.01 million) and by 25 percent in adults 18-49 (3.3 vs. 4.4) compared with its week-earlier bow. The series is slated to begin airing on Pax on Aug. 22, although there has been talk that NBC (which partly owns Pax) may keep it for itself if it continues to perform well.
........SOME OF THE ARTICLE CUT FOR BREVITY........
MONDAY
NBC won its second straight Monday in 18-49 as the "Mysterious Ways" premiere (4.4/14) matched the network's best score in the leadoff hour since May 1999. Each household rating point represents an estimated 994,000 homes, or 1 percent of the country's TV households. Each adults 18-49 rating point represents 1.239 million viewers, 1 percent of the U.S. total. A share is the same sort of percentage, except it's measured against only the homes or viewers watching TV during the time slot involved.

'Mysterious Ways' Still A Contender
Tue, Aug 1, 2000 04:00 PM PDT
by Vanessa Sibbald LOS ANGELES
"Mysterious Ways" is still in the running for a permanent place on NBC's schedule, although last night's "Hall of Fame" football game may have taken some of the wind from beneath the show's wings. However, it is clear that if the show continues to pique viewer curiosity, it certainly won't need a miracle to stay on NBC.
"Ways" has the unusual position of belonging to both the Peacock and the NBC-majority owned net PAX -- at least for now. The series, which was first developed then passed on by NBC, they eventually found a home at PAX.
Ironically, the show is now back on NBC. Shortly after moving to PAX, the Peacock acquired the network's stock, giving NBC majority control over PAX and an interest in seeing the traditionally low-rated network succeed.
To further that end, NBC is premiering the first six episodes of "Ways" before moving it to PAX in an effort to draw viewers to the family network and creating original summer programming for the Peacock at the same time. At least that's what the plan was before the show's debut drew ratings high enough to compete with long- running successful shows such as "Law & Order" and "Third Watch."
In its debut broadcast on Monday July 24, the show pulled the highest 18-49 demographic rating for the summer premiere of a new series since 1993, drawing an overall average of 10.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. The 18-49 ratings for "Mysterious Way" (4.4/14) represented the highest Monday ratings of the summer (excluding the NBA Finals) tying CBS' "Big Brother's" (4.0/14) for the 8-8:30 p.m. half-hour and beating all other competition. 'Ways'" rating was also better than the two shows which followed it, veteran crime drama " Law & Order" (4.2/12) and " Third Watch" (4.2/12) which followed on NBC.
It is still too soon to tell whether the show's success will continue. Last night's ratings show some promise, although not as much as before. While " Ways" lost much of its younger demographic to football, in household ratings the programs were close. Nielsen Media's national numbers show that ABC's Hall of Fame game earned a 7.3 rating/14 share in households for the 8-9 p.m. hour with " Ways" drawing a 6.8/12 average for the hour. Although 'Ways" did beat "Big Brother" (6.3/11), the household numbers fell below NBC's remaining line-up (7.2/13 average).
How much of the drop is due to the NFL has yet to be determined, yet NBC executives are hopeful that the show will remain strong.
"We think it's a good show," said Dan Harrison, NBC's vice president of program planning and scheduling, who also serves as a creative executive on the series. "It has obviously tapped into something that the public seems to respond to, a message of hopefulness and spirituality, in that sense we're pleased with the show."
Harrison also said that the jury's still out on whether NBC will keep the show after the first six episodes.
"Next week there is no football again, so we'll get a better sense of how the show is holding up and can see how it might do in a time period where it doesn't have football -- or perhaps follows football - - to get a sense of how it will do on a weekly basis," he said.
"What's good for NBC is also good for PAX in this case and it's only going to benefit them by ultimately driving audiences to them and it only benefits NBC by having a strong show," Harrison said, "a show we can keep on our air."
So far, the forecast looks good. NBC has pre-empted a planned Aug. 7 re-airing of "The 10th Kingdom" and has opted to keep with "Ways" for the time being, that is.

'Mysterious Ways' To Stay On NBC?
Mon, Jul 31, 2000 01:30 PM PDT
by Kate O'Hare
LOS ANGELES - Call it a miracle, call it a cure for the summer rerun doldrums, call it what you will, but for right now, "Mysterious Ways" is putting a lift in the Peacock's feathers.
Passed on by NBC and developed for Pax, the one-hour drama produced by Peter O'Fallon ("Party of Five," "Northern Exposure") and Carl Binder ("Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" ) stars Adrian Pasdar ("Profit") as anthropology professor Declan Dunn, who survived an avalanche and became fascinated with paranormal phenomena.
Joining him in his quest to explore strange happenings is skeptical psychiatrist Peggy Fowler (Rae Dawn Chong) and Dunn's assistant, Miranda (Alisen Down).
With NBC now owning a 30 percent stake in Pax, Pax chief Jeff Sagansky put forward the notion that the series could first air on NBC -- creating an opportunity for original summer fare -- before moving over to its permanent home. NBC agreed to screen six original episodes, starting July 24.
Then, to NBC's pleasant surprise, the premiere of "Mysterious Ways" gave the network its best 8 p.m. rating among adults 18-49 since November.
NBC's eyebrows may have shot up, but Pasdar saw it coming.
"Peter O'Fallon and Carl Binder, both of those guys have such a good concept of what kind of story they wanted to tell," Pasdar said, "what kind of TV show they wanted to put on the air, that originally when it started out as Pax series, they said they took it as an opportunity to jump from the minor leagues to the big leagues, by making NBC promise that if it was good, they would indeed put it on.
" NBC, owning part of Pax, might have made that promise early on, just thinking, if it's not good, we're not going to put it on. It'll be no skin off their noses, no risk, and Pax, if it gets a 2 share, we're a hit."
Does he think the show will keep its NBC berth?
" I can't say anything, but if you can use a metaphor, if they bring you up to the big leagues and you hit home runs, are you going back to the minor leagues, or do you think they're going to make you a franchise player? "So, that's all I can really say."
If NBC does decide to keep "Mysterious Ways" -- and a lot of that depends on the ratings tonight -- the network could order up additional episodes to air midseason or earlier. The shows could run on NBC first, then air in second-run on Pax, similar to the situation with "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," which airs on NBC and USA, and "Once and Again," which airs on ABC and Lifetime.

A Mysterious Quandary for NBC, as a Spiritual Drama Pops
By Stephen Battaglio
Friday , July 28 11:23 a.m.
In this dog-eat-dog summer of reality TV, finding an audience for a traditional drama -- especially one with a feel-good tinge -- would almost require a miracle.
But NBC may have found one in Mysterious Ways, a one-hour drama that combines the supernatural and the spiritual in a cross between Touched by an Angel and The X-Files. The drama's premiere Monday gave the network its best 8 p.m. rating among adults 18-49 since November.
Pax chief Sagansky has made a career of championing unhip, uplifting shows with spiritual themes that other network executives tend to sneer at.
But it's a potential hit that NBC didn't see coming. The network initially passed on the idea for the show, handing it off to Pax TV, the network that NBC now owns a chunk of. Indeed, until the show's big premiere numbers, NBC wasn't even planning to continue airing the show. The idea was that it would give the series an initial boost by running the first six episodes, then hand it off to Pax for its regular fall run starting August 22.
Now, not surprisingly, NBC is turning into a Mysterious Ways fan. If the second airing of the show on Monday delivers close to what it did in its premiere, NBC will ditch the earlier plan, ordering up 13 episodes that could begin airing mid-season or sooner, according to the network's entertainment president Garth Ancier.
''We could run this continually if this is a hit,'' says Ancier. ''There is a license fee for the little experiment during the summer and a different license fee if we decide to put it on as a regular show.''
The initial script for Mysterious Ways first showed up at NBC more than a year ago. Ancier, who wasn't at the network at the time, described it as ''one of those projects that people were kicking around that people liked but no one was passionate enough to make.'' The network passed on making a pilot and it was shopped elsewhere.
Pax development executive Tim Johnson saw the script and decided with Pax chief Jeff Sagansky to take another shot at the show. They had to take what was conceived as a show about an anthropology professor obsessed with debunking unexplained phenomena and make it palatable for the God-fearing Pax audience. Pax executives made the lead, played by Adrian Pasdar, into a Mulder-esque character who is open to the idea of miracles. They added a character -- the skeptical Agent Scully-like psychiatrist portrayed by Rae Dawn Chong -- to play off Pasdar. But the key was to make the stories ''more emotional,'' according to Sagansky, who developed Touched by an Angel at CBS. ''The show is not religious,'' he says. ''It's more about emotional catharsis.''
Sagansky has made a career of championing unhip, uplifting shows with spiritual themes that other network executives tend to sneer at. In addition to Touched by an Angel, he developed Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman for CBS and Highway to Heaven at NBC, all of which became hits. NBC learned more recently that such shows can work when it put Providence on the air, even though some of the network's executives thought it was too square for their audience.
If Mysterious Ways works, it could, almost on its own, justify NBC's Pax deal. The network took a 30 percent stake in Paxson Communications' Pax -- to the tune of $415 million -- so that it could use Pax as an outlet to air second runs of its programs. While some analysts thought NBC had lost its mind -- Pax programs are, to put it gently, somewhat out of NBC's upscale demographic -- the deal gave NBC an extra distribution source if it someday wanted to launch a second version of its flagship network.
It was through the new relationship that Sagansky was able to suggest using a few episodes of Mysterious Ways as first-run summer programming on NBC before moving the show to Pax. NBC was happy to use its promotional muscle to launch the show. Even if it just became a hit for Pax, NBC would benefit because of its equity position in the network.
Now it looks as if Mysterious Ways could end up on NBC, with Pax getting a second run on a permanent basis. Sagansky says he's fine with that, since Pax only needs a 1 Nielsen rating for the show to work on his network. ''I don't really think the viewer differentiates what the first run and the second run is,'' says Sagansky. ''Anything that works these days, you find a way to keep it.''

Sunday July 23 7:57 PM ET
Promising future for ``Mysterious Ways''
By Phil Gallo
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - ``Mysterious Ways,'' the first shared series between NBC and Pax, looks a lot like a refugee from CBS, mixing the supernatural, family themes and an overwhelming sense of hope.
Certainly two of the three are qualities Pax series aspire to; with NBC entering the mix they get the assurance of top-notch production values, something the Pax series to date have desperately needed. Given a little time to blossom, ``Mysterious Ways'' could become the most watchable show on Pax.
Declan Dunn is a college anthropology teacher hot on the trail of miracles, attempting to gather evidence that disproves miraculous phenomena -- basically doing a job that frustrates him because, deep down, he really wants to believe. In the pilot, it's the case of a 11-year-old boy (Devin Douglas Drewitz) who makes a full recovery from death -- remember, we're dealing with miracles here -- after falling into a frozen lake. Dunn investigates and, even after he had the whole scenario logically plotted, a homeless woman who was perceived as hero denies her involvement and cast and audience is back to believing that miracles exist.
Dunn experienced his own miracle as a skier who was trapped in an avalanche. His tale gets told through one of several hackneyed plot devices the pilot's trio of writers uses to expose each character's background. Once reasons come to light for Dunn's obsession and the bitterness that surrounds psychiatrist Peggy Fowler (Rae Dawn Chong), the story is able to proceed in a manner as likable as any episode of ``Profiler.''
Pilot lacks connective tissue in its first half-hour as it's not entirely clear where any of the stories are going. Dunn is on a warm weather campus teaching a course that involves a discussion on the slave runner who wrote ``Amazing Grace''; in another unnamed area it is winter and a mother (Lynda Boyd) is watching her boy (Drewitz) sled. Climate alone makes them seem like distantly related stories. (Dunn learns about the boy's return from the grave in the local paper).
In the final half-hour, when Chong and Pasdar get to sink their teeth into their characters, the show starts to sparkle. The script displays a folksy charm and Carl Binder's direction has the pace of a good vintage detective show such as ``Columbo.''
Pasdar's Dunn alternates between demanding and playful in somewhat startling fashion -- his character is still being focused and it could turn into something out of the ordinary.
Chong, in her first starring role in episodic television, shows considerable promise as the skeptical psychiatrist who appears to enjoy tagging along with Dunn for the metaphysical ride. Alisen Down is considered a co-star in the role of Miranda, Dunn's assistant at college, but she is used almost exclusively as victim of Dunn's abuse in the pilot. One imagines she will become Della to Dunn's Perry.
Pax will air the pilot episode Aug. 22 to launch the 22-episode run of the show.
Declan Dunn ........ Adrian Pasdar
Peggy Fowler ....... Rae Dawn Chong
Miranda ............ Alisen Down
Reuters/Variety

NBC-Pax Deal's Mysterious Ways
by E! Online News Staff
Jun 30 2000 11:00:00:000AM
Network television life does indeed work in mysterious ways.
And that is a good thing for the new Pax TV drama series Mysterious Ways.
In an unprecedented move, NBC, which has a $415 million stake in the fledgling network, announced Thursday it will preview six episodes of Mysterious Ways this summer before the series lands on Pax in the fall. It could be a huge boost to a show that might never have survived solely on the little-seen Pax, which, despite reaching about 80 percent of the nation's 100 million TV homes, averaged a mere 1 million viewers last season.
Mysterious Ways stars Rae Dawn Chong and Adrian Pasdar (recently married to Dixie Chick Natalie Maines) as an anthropologist and a psychiatrist investigating paranormal events.
The one-hour drama premieres July 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
"It's easy to see how the series will benefit from the marketing and promotional support offered by both networks. But this is really about joining together to create quality programming," Pax boss Jeff Sagansky says in a statement.
"We are excited about the potential of our new association with Pax," adds Garth Ancier, NBC Entertainment president. "Our creative collaboration should yield a bonus of bold new programming...to the attention of viewers, who will be the ultimate winners."
The Peacock also hopes the move helps it shake the rap of being a status quo summer progammer. The net has been criticized for just re-airing the same-old same-old during the summer season (Mysterious Ways will replace the omnipresent Dateline NBC in the Monday slot) instead of launching new series like its rivals.
Mysterious Ways, a Lion's Gate production, was originally developed at NBC three years ago. When Pax said it wanted to make it into a series, NBC helped out with the casting.
Just last week two Mysterious Ways episodes were viewed by NBC executives, who then gave the go ahead for a limited preview run.
Of course the NBC-Pax partnership only goes so far. Pax has also announced it won't produce new episodes of Twenty One, the Millionaire wannabe game show NBC canceled, just reruns.
Instead the network will hop on the other programming bandwagon du jour and do a reality-based show.

Thursday June 29, 10:37 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
PAX and NBC Expand Programming Partnership With Shared Premiere of ``Mysterious Ways''
Original Dramatic Series Starring Adrian Pasdar and Rae Dawn Chong to have Multi-Episode Preview on NBC Beginning Monday, July 24 Prior to Tuesday, August 22 Premiere on PAX
STUDIO CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 29, 2000-- PAX TV and NBC today announced that ``Mysterious Ways,'' the compelling, new series slated to premiere Tuesday August 22, at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on PAX will have an unprecedented, multi-episode preview this summer beginning Monday, July 24 at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on NBC. The ``shared premiere'' will benefit both networks, providing original summer programming for NBC, and increased sampling and exposure for the series before ``Mysterious Ways'' takes its place on PAX's fall schedule. The plan is a further indication of the unique relationship between the two networks and an added benefit for NBC affiliates participating in the Joint Services Agreement with PAX.
``This unprecedented premiere strategy says a good deal about the mutual benefits to be reaped by both NBC and PAX as an outgrowth of our partnership,'' said Jeff Sagansky, President and CEO, Paxson Communications Corporation in making the announcement. ``It's easy to see how the series will benefit from the marketing and promotional support offered by both networks. But this is really about joining together to create quality programming. Our two programming departments have collaborated creatively on `Mysterious Ways' and the result is a highly-entertaining series that both NBC and PAX audiences will enjoy.''
``We are excited about the potential of our new association with PAX,'' said Garth Ancier, President, NBC Entertainment. ``Our creative collaboration should yield a bonus of bold new programming to a larger audience which NBC's first-class promotional team can bring to the attention of viewers, who will be the ultimate winners.''
Starring Adrian Pasdar (``Profit,'' ``Carlito's Way'') and Rae Dawn Chong (``Quest for Fire''), the 22- episode series follows the personal quest of Anthropology professor Declan Dunn (Pasdar), whose fascination with inexplicable phenomena has become a relentless pursuit. The series is produced by Peter O'Fallon (``Party of Five,'' ``Northern Exposure'') and Carl Binder (``Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,'' ``Little Men'').
Buried under an avalanche and given up for dead, Declan has always wondered: Why was he chosen to survive? Did unbelievable coincidence and human intervention conspire to rescue him, or was it predestined? Now a Professor of Anthropology at a leading university, Declan investigates uncanny phenomena that happen to people everyday. Each week, with the assistance of skeptical psychiatrist, Peggy Fowler (Chong), and his by-the-book aide, Miranda (Alisen Down), Declan embarks upon an adventure into the impossible: How could a ten-year-old child survive drowning in a freezing lake? How can two college students who act like twins not even be related? How can the simple touch of one woman be responsible for a town's ``good luck?'' Every week, a powerful human drama will take Declan and Peggy to the precipice of fact or faith.
Adrian Pasdar most recently starred in the critically acclaimed 1996 Fox series, ``Profit.'' He also has been featured in films such as ``Top Gun,'' ``Streets of Gold,'' ``Carlito's Way'' and Katherine Bigelow's 1987 cult vampire movie, ``Near Dark.'' In addition to his impressive body of work, Pasdar wrote and directed the short film ``Beyond Belief'' and the feature film ``Cement,'' which won Best Picture awards on the festival circuit and is scheduled to be released this fall.
Rae Dawn Chong made her film debut in the motion picture, ``Quest for Fire.'' Since then she has appeared in more than 20 films including the critically acclaimed ``Choose Me,'' ``The Color Purple,'' ``Commando,'' ``Soul Man'' and ``Tales From the Darkside: The Movie.'' Chong's latest film is ``The Visit'' starring Billy Dee Williams and scheduled for release this summer. Her recent television work included a recurring role on ``Melrose Place'' and television films ``Alibi,'' ``Boulevard'' and ``Curiosity Kills.'' An up-and-coming director, she recently made her directorial debut with the feature film ``Cursed Part Three'' followed by ``The Babylon Sisters.''

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