NBC yanks ‘Coupling’ off the air
NEW YORK (AP) — NBC is taking its highly touted comedy Coupling off its schedule for two weeks in what could be an ominous sign about its future.
The comedy, an American version of a British hit about six sexually active friends, will be replaced Thursday by a rerun of Whoopi. On Oct. 30, the first Thursday of the November “sweeps” period, an expanded version of Will & Grace will air.
Last week, Coupling was seen by 10.7 million people, ranking No. 37 for the week in Nielsen Media Research’s rankings — not a strong performance on NBC’s powerful Thursday schedule.
The shows surrounding it, Will & Grace and ER, drew 14.6 million and 20.1 million, respectively.
If Whoopi performs better in the prized time slot, the stage could be set for Whoopi Goldberg’s comedy to move there from its current perch on Tuesday night.
Coupling, considered by some critics to be NBC’s attempt to find a replacement for Friends, will air Oct. 23, NBC spokeswoman Rebecca Marks said.
“I don’t think we’ve given up on it by any stretch of the imagination,” she said.
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