Local Favorite O’Boyle Returns To Spokane Screens
The changes this fall on the local TV scene include the return of Maureen O’Boyle to Spokane TV, the introduction of “Mad About You” re-runs to syndication, and a new nationally syndicated drama that has a Spokane connection.
Here’s a roundup:
KREM-2 - The big news here is the debut of “In Person With Maureen O’Boyle,” a nationally syndicated newsmagazine/talk show.
This is a homecoming of sorts for O’Boyle, who was a KREM news anchor for years before heading to New York as an anchor of “EXTRA.”
This one-hour show, produced in New York, will examine an issue in the news every day. It has been described as being more like “Nightline” than “EXTRA,” although there will be live audience discussion. The show runs weekdays from 3-4 p.m., beginning Monday.
KREM has also picked up a pair of syndicated dramas for weekends. The first is “FX: The Series,” based on the “FX” movies. It will air Saturdays at 4 p.m.
The other is called “Two,” and it has some Northwest interest. It’s about twin brothers, one good and one evil, and it takes place in Seattle and Spokane (the evil twin, apparently, lives in Spokane). It will air Saturdays at 11:30 p.m.
Other new syndicated shows include “America’s Dumbest Criminals,” a spin-off of the popular books about bungling criminals, at 5 p.m. on Saturdays, and “The Cape,” an astronaut drama starring Corbin Bernsen on Sundays at 2 p.m.
“Fresh Approach,” the local cooking show with Tom Sherry and Peter Tobin, will return for another season, Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
On the news side, KREM will expand its morning news program by a half-hour, signing on at 5:30 a.m. weekdays. This means that all three local news stations will have a 5:30-7 a.m. morning news show.
KHQ-6 - This station has added a major player to its syndicated lineup, “Mad About You,” the Paul Reiser-Helen Hunt sitcom. This is the first year of syndication for this wildly popular show, and KHQ will air it at 6:30 p.m. weeknights, beginning Monday.
It replaces “Inside Edition,” which will move to noon to fill the slot vacated by Rush Limbaugh’s TV show, which Limbaugh has decided to drop.
KXLY-4 - The weekday lineup stays intact, but there will be a few new syndicated shows on weekends. “Our House,” about home maintenance and energy-saving, will debut today at 8 a.m.
In addition, re-runs of the PBS series “This Old House” will be added to the Sunday morning lineup later this month.
In addition, KXLY’s adjunct station, KXLY EXTRA!, is working on a schedule of local high school football games, as well as Eastern Washington University and Whitworth College games.
KSPS-7 - Two local public affairs programs will return this fall.
The first is “Spokane This Week,” the weekly show in which newsmakers and newsgatherers discuss topical issues. This fall, most segments will be devoted to various election issues. It airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m., repeated Sundays at noon.
The second is “At Issue,” a monthly forum on local issues that will air the second Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. The first show, “Who Should Run City Hall?” airs this Thursday.
The big PBS event of the month will be Ken Burns’ eight-part “The West” documentary beginning Sept. 15. KSPS has decided to air each episode twice, at 8 p.m. and then immediately repeated at 9:30 p.m.
KAYU-28 - This local Fox affiliate has plenty of changes coming up. On weekdays, the new “Dating/Newlywed Hour,” an updated version of “The Dating Game” and “The Newlywed Game,” will premiere at 10 a.m. Monday. It will be followed by “The Gordon Elliott Show,” a talk show, at 11 a.m. “Jerry Springer,” originally in that time slot, has been moved to noon.
Also on weekdays, re-runs of the sitcom “Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper,” will air at 5:30 p.m.
KAYU will premiere several new syndicated sci-fi series. “The Outer Limits” will premiere Friday at 10 p.m. and continue every Friday in that slot. “The PSI Factor,” a dramatic anthology series dealing with the paranormal, hosted by Dan Aykroyd, will run on Sundays at 10 p.m. beginning Sept. 29. “Poltergeist, the Legacy” will run every Saturday at 7 p.m. beginning Sept. 28.
Meanwhile, a new version of “Tarzan” will run Sundays at 5 p.m., beginning Sept. 29.
In addition, KAYU will be carrying “Fox News Sunday,” a one-hour weekly news program at 6 a.m. Sundays beginning Sept. 22. The host is political columnist and commentator Tony Snow.
, DataTimes