First on TVNewser: ABC has added the primetime editions of “Nightline” to its schedule starting Wednesday, May 29. “Nightline: Two Truths and a Lie” will debut May 29 at 10 PM.
The primetime editions of the late-night program were originally scheduled to debut March 1, 2013, in response to the network’s decision to move the show back an hour to 12:35 AM to make room for Jimmy Kimmel. We noted earlier this year that the network wasn’t going to make that original launch date, as the news division sought a hook for the primetime editions.
That hook will be consumer-centric, featuring undercover investigations and reports into how consumers should and should not spend their money. The program will also “separate fact from fiction” and will be “offering tips along the way about how to maximize value, and avoid costly mistakes,” ABC says.
Cynthia McFadden and Bill Weir will anchor the primetime editions of the program.
ABC says that unlike the last run of primetime shows (billed as specials) in Summer 2011, this year’s primetime run will have a permanent place on the network’s primetime schedule. It will be taking the timeslot of “Nashville,” which will have its season finale May 22. That said, it will have to prove itself in the ratings in order to last beyond the first season.
While “Nightline” is still competitive at 12:35, it has lost more than 50% of its viewers compared to its performance in its earlier time period. ABC notes that the program routinely improves upon ABC’s 12:35-1:05 performance compared to last year, although “Nightline” does not top NBC and CBS in total or demo viewers every week, as it so often did an hour earlier.