FOX Pulls Bateman-Bateman Arrested Development Reunion Episode From Schedule; Other TV Notes

Next week's episode of Arrested Development, which was going to feature a reunion of Justine and Jason Bateman, has apparently been pulled from the schedule by FOX. They are airing a rerun of "House" instead according to the FOX.com website. No word on if or when the four remaining episodes will air. The show could be moving to Showtime or ABC next season. Discuss the fate of Arrested Development on our message board.

Speaking of "House," it will begin airing on the USA Network starting tonight at 11PM ET/PT (right after "Monk"). They are starting with the pilot episode and will go in order from there. It will air every week on Fridays at 11PM ET/PT.

George Lopez is executive producing a pilot for ABC starring Lisa, Christina, and Tanya Vidal. It will be based on the Vidal's real-life and centered on the three sisters and their racially mixed families.

Drake Bell, the star of Nickeloden's popular sitcom "Drake & Josh," is recovering from injuries, including a broken jaw and severe cuts, he suffered in a car accident. The series debuted on Nickelodeon in January 2004 and regularly draws 3 million viewers a week. Drake Bell's other sitcom appearances include Seinfeld, Caroline in the City, The Drew Carey Show, and Home Improvement.

ABC's telecast of the Rose Bowl game between Texas and USC drew an average of 35.6 million viewers on Wednesday night. It drew 21.7 of U.S. households. It was the most-viewed bowl game since 1987, and the highest rated pro (non Super Bowl) or college game on ABC in the same period. Whoa Nelly, what a game!

The annual WPIX New Year’s “Honeymooners” marathon once again proved to be among the most popular programs of the New Year’s holiday on New York Television. “The Honeymooners” marathon, which was seen from 12:30 am until 5 pm New Year’s Day on WPIX Channel 11 (The WB11), Tribune Broadcasting’s WB Television Network Affiliate, peaked with a whopping 359,000 viewers for the episode, “Brother Ralph,” which was seen from 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm on January 1. “Brother Ralph,” wherein Jackie Gleason’s Ralph Kramden is laid-off from his job as bus driver, forcing Audrey Meadows’ Alice to find work, won its time period handily, more than 100,000 viewers ahead of its nearest competitor according to Nielsen Station Index (NSI) overnight Local People Meter (LPM) ratings. It was a remarkable performance for a ,TV program which is 50 years old. In “Brother Ralph,” Alice can find a job only by pretending to be the only single woman in an office staffed completely by men, a turn of events that prompts significant jealousy by husband Ralph.

Debmar-Mercury distribution company has acquired the domestic television distribution rights for ALF. They are looking to off-license it, so we could see ALF reruns return to cable and local syndication in the future.