Get Lost In A New Timeslot

'Lost' finds new timeslot
Shift ensures the show won't have to battle 'American Idol'
By JOSEF ADALIAN
ABC is moving "Lost" out of the way of the "American Idol" juggernaut.
Alphabet's January sked, set to be unveiled later today, has "Lost" moving
to Wednesdays at 10 when it returns Feb. 7, insiders said. Shift ensures the
third-year skein won't have to battle the Fox behemoth.

A year ago, "Lost" took a notable ratings hit once "Idol" returned. Skein
has held steady in the ratings this fall vs. last spring, but ABC execs
clearly don't want to take the chance of further slippage.

Net's affils should be happy with the shift. With "Lost" at 10 p.m., ABC
will be delivering local stations their best numbers for the slot in years.

ABC isn't completely backing away from "Idol," however.

Net has decided to slot its buzzworthy laffer "Knights of Prosperity"
Wednesdays at 9 p.m., directly against the "Idol" results show. It'll be
paired at 9:30 with another new comedy, "In Case of Emergency."

New laffer block is set to debut Jan. 3, a month before "Daybreak" was set
to end its run. Skein may shift to 10 p.m. Wednesday before "Lost"
premieres, though it's more likely it'll simply be yanked at the end of
December or moved to another night.

ABC will round out its Wednesday lineup with new episodes of "George Lopez"
and "According to Jim" from 8-9 p.m. Net will double-pump "Jim" for a few
weeks, with "George" bowing Jan. 24 at 8 p.m.

On Tuesdays, "Show Me the Money' will shift to 8 p.m. on Jan. 2. It'll be
paired with "Big Day" and "Help Me Help You." Latter laffer may eventually
be replaced by newcomer "Notes from the Underbelly," though no decision has
been made.

ABC's Sunday, Monday and Thursday skeds will remain unchanged for now. At
some point, net will have to make room for the return of "Dancing with the
Stars."

On Fridays, ABC will continue to vamp with repeats. Saturday will be a mix
of movies and specials.

Still on the bench: six episodes of "The Nine" and "Six Degrees."