Letterman's launch on CBS puts 'Crime Time' in limbo
By Jefferson Graham
January 21, 1993
All you Crime Time fans have until May 1994 to continue enjoying the late- night CBS action dramas.
Crime Time, which currently airs at 11: 35 p.m. ET/PT, will move to 12: 35 in August when David Letterman's new show premieres on CBS.
After that, its fate is not certain. Letterman has a contractual deal with CBS to produce a companion late-night show, though his first priority will be launching his own show.
Rod Perth, CBS' vice president of late night, says that the network is committed contractually to the shows through May 1994, but that he would expect the producers of his shows to try to keep them going in syndication.
''Most of them will have 66 episodes in the can by then,'' Perth says. ''All they need is another 35 and they have a very attractive package for syndication.''
Crime Time's brand of sexy action fare - best exemplified in shows like Silk Stalkings and Dark Justice - are now quite popular in syndication, where Star Trek: The Next Generation is now the No. 2 show.
Perth says the producers of the Crime Time shows - Sweating Bullets, Justice, Forever Knight, Dangerous Curves and Stalkings - also hope that they might live on in prime time.
CBS Entertainment President Jeff Sagansky ''is considering each show on its merits,'' Perth says.
Now airing at 12: 35 are reruns of older Crime Time shows Monday-Thursday and reruns of HBO's comedy series The Kids in the Hall on Fridays. ''We see enormous upside to that show,'' Perth says. ''It's a well-produced, critical hit, and we would give some thought to upgrading its time period, in the short run.''
About 82% of the CBS affiliates carry Crime Time, but only 45% at 11: 35. Perth believes Crime Time --would have ended up a close No. 2 to Tonight in the ratings if more affiliates had run the shows, and if more had run them at 11: 35 (99% of NBC affiliates run Tonight).-
''Crime Time was never given the credit it deserves,'' Perth says. ''We get a lot of mail on the shows, and viewers loved them. It was successful counter-programming, but not in a league with a David Letterman.''
Copyright 1993 Gannett Company, Inc.