More4 to screen unaired NYPD Blue series

Digital Spy is reporting today that the final three series of NYPD Blue, so far unaired in the UK, will be screened by More4 from Monday 8th May.

It doesn't give a time, but says they'll air three days a week so I'm guessing it's probably in the late slot currently occupied by Six Feet Under.


If it is earlier (say 10pm), it suggests More4 are abandoning their Monday events for now at least.


I'm not a massive fan but do dip into the series occassionally - and I know it's one of the main questions posed on the C4 forums - and More4 seems it's natural home.


I'm a bit surprised though they are going to air them three times a week - I'd have thought airing it weekly would be better for the channel which IMO is in need of more regular weekly fixtures.


Without a Trace is also airing on More4 from next Thursday at 9pm (stupidly scheduled against ER on E4 IMO). It's likely More4 will also get exclusive rights to the second series of The Closer considering it was pulled from the C4 schedules due to poor ratings.


There still doesn't seem to be a long term replacement to The West Wing though. More4 will screen Commander in Chief later this year, but ABC1 have first run rights and I think it's likely to get the axe in the US.

As far as a long term replacement for West Wing, there is one possibility. It's a comedy-drama called "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." It's being written and produced by the same team as West Wing, including the writer Aaron Sorkin.

The show is set behind-the-scenes of a live late-night topical sketch show (Think "Saturday Night Live"). The cast includes Matthew Perry ("Friends"), Bradley Whitford ("The West Wing") and Judd Hirsch ("Taxi"). The show-within-the-show has a celebrity guest host each week who will be incorporated in some way into the plot of the real show, usually playing themselves. Felicity Huffman ("Desperate Housewives") is the guest presenter in the pilot. There's a rumor about Ricky Gervais doing one, too.

I've read the pilot script and it looks fantastic. NBC have already ordered 13 episodes without even seeing the pilot, which is a pretty unprecedented thing for American TV. Apparently, they'll have to pay a $3 million get-out fee to the producers if they decide to rescind the order. To be honest, it looks like it can't fail, what with the combined involvement of the West Wing folks and Matthew Perry, plus a great script. There will, I can guarantee, be some fierce bidding going on between UK broadcasters.

Actually, it's most likely that if Channel 4 do get the rights, they'll put it on C4 rather than More4; after all, it's the return of Matthew Perry and it's 200 times better than "Joey." Though C4 is more likely than More4, "Studio 60" would in any case seem to be the natural successor to "The West Wing."

In that case it'll probably get the axe after the first episode!

As for the guest line-up - Felicity Huffman will be tied to Desperate Housewives for a good few years yet, while Ricky Gervais is the definition of over-rated!