Fox has Kelsey Grammer’s back
Sarah Hall

LOS ANGELES—Fox has invited Back to You back for more. The network has picked up a full season of the freshman comedy, ordering an additional 11 episodes to bring the total number of episodes to 24.
Back to You stars Emmy-owning sitcom veterans Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton as coanchors (and former lovers) at a Pittsburgh TV station. They are reunited at the news desk after Grammer’s character, Chuck Darling, has an on-air fall from grace at his previous job.
So far, the series has been averaging 7.4 million viewers each week—respectable, but not enough to make it the top-rated new comedy of the season.
That distinction is held by ABC’s Samantha Who?, starring Christina Applegate as a reformed bad girl struggling to make over her life after a bout of amnesia.
So far, the network has ordered six additional episodes, but is said to be preparing to commit to a full-season order, after already picking up full seasons of promising newcomers Pushing Daisies and Private Practice. ABC gave a shakier endorsement to another rookie comedy, Carpoolers, requesting another three scripts. No word yet on the net’s Cavemen, arguably the highest profile new comedy of the fall season. After a promising premiere, the show has been stinking up the Nielsens, and the network’s reticence on the Geico-spawned sitcom’s future is not a good sign.
Meanwhile, ABC has been busy reconfiguring its fall schedule to make room for the latest crop of midseason replacements.
October Road is scheduled to premiere Nov. 22, taking over Big Shot’s coveted post-Grey’s Anatomy slot for one night only; after that, the show will move to its regular 10 p.m. time slot on Mondays, taking over the spot vacated by The Bachelor. Following Dancing with the Stars’ final bow on Nov. 26, pregnancy comedy Notes from the Underbelly will return to the airwaves, paired with Samantha Who? in the 9 p.m. hour. Starting Nov. 2, Men in Trees and 20/20 will switch time slots, with Trees airing at 8 p.m. and the newsmagazine returning to its usual 10 p.m. spot.
So far, the fall season’s reject pile includes CBS’ Viva Laughlin, which was yanked from the schedule after two episodes, the CW’s Online Nation and Fox’s Nashville.