NBC relocates ‘The Apprentice’

CBS didn’t wait long to claim the comedy crown that rival NBC has held for upwards of 20 years.

Reacting to the juggernaut of Fox’s “American Idol,” which trounced all competition Wednesday, NBC announced late Thursday that it was moving its promising new unscripted series “The Apprentice” from 9 p.m. Wednesdays to that same hour on Thursday, pushing “Will & Grace” to 8:30, and “Scrubs” to 9:30 Tuesdays.

With “The Apprentice” and “ER” now filling two of NBC’s three hours of Thursday prime time, this spells the end of the network’s “Must-See” comedy franchise, at least for the moment. Sure enough, Friday morning, CBS crowed that its Monday night lineup of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Two and a Half Men,” “Yes, Dear” and “Still Standing” now make up the most-watched comedy block on prime-time TV.

Don’t expect this new status quo to last for long; “The Apprentice” runs only through April, and NBC has two-hour finales for “Friends” and “Frasier” planned for consecutive Thursdays in May.

-- Jonathan Taylor