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(Wednesday, October 20 09:38 AM)

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) It takes great strength to move a mountain, but The WB has already moved freshman drama "The Mountain" twice. In a decision expected by many in the industry, The WB has shifted the critically hailed "Jack & Bobby" to Wednesday nights and shunted the critically reviled "The Mountain" off to Sunday nights.

"Jack & Bobby" is set to make its Wednesday 9 p.m. ET time period premiere on Oct. 27 with the episode "Valentino," while "The Mountain" will have its first Sunday 9 p.m. episode, titled "Best Laid Plans," on Oct. 31.

"'Jack & Bobby' is a smart family drama with an inherently youthful storyline, and that's been reflected in its consistent retention of teens and female teens out of 'Charmed,'" says WB Entertainment President David Janollari. "Patient nurturing has long presaged success for WB dramas, and by pairing 'Smallville' with 'Jack & Bobby' we think we have two powerful shows with dual audience entry points and strong upscale appeal."

Given a full season pick-up almost immediately, "Jack & Bobby" has struggled to hold onto its "Charmed" lead-in, averaging a sub-"Tarzan" 3.23 million viewers. This past week, "Jack & Bobby" was the least watched original program on any of the six networks, drawing only 2.25 million viewers. With the stronger "Smallville" as its lead-in, the drama from "Everwood" creator Greg Berlanti may get a boost. Additionally, the new home will have "Jack & Bobby" executive producer Thomas Schlamme facing his old employers on NBC's "The West Wing."

The WB originally set "The Mountain" for a Thursday night home, but slid it back to Wednesday after FOX announced that "The O.C." would try to stake a claim to Thursdays. Although the move to Sundays may seem like a punishment for "The Mountain," which has only averaged 2.98 million viewers per night, The WB also announced that four additional "Mountain" scripts have been ordered, usually an indication that a network is at least considering a back nine pick-up.

"We believe this show will prove more compatible with a fun show like 'Charmed,' which continues to be a major player for the network," Janollari says of "The Mountain." "Taken together, we believe this change gives both these new dramas their best chance to succeed on our schedule."

Both dramas may need to watch their backs, because "Summerland," already a minor hit in the summer, will be ready to return in January.


Chris

Sweet, this means I get to watch Deperate Housewives in HDTV because I usually watch Jack & Bobby in HDTV on Sunday nights.

Is it really smart to move this show up against the West Wing? And up against the American Idol results show later this year.

Seems to me like the WB hasn't figured out all their shows will get a 2-3 million viewership no matter what. It's the exact number of people that accidently leave their TVs on the WB when they walk to another part of the house to do something. You got Angel there with a 2.5, you replace it with The Mountain, BAM! still a 2.5 ... Guess what, Jack and Bobby's gonna get a 2.5 also. It'll be an improvement for J&B but i can't see the mountain getting a boost out of it.

It's better off in that timeslot than it is on Sunday nights at 9/8 Central.

Wise decision.

Great news. I'll have to catch King of Queens a bit earlier on a local station I guess.

I was just coming here to post this-- Christine Lahti was on Regis & Kelly this morning and mentioned the new time slot.

I'm glad, because now I can pad "Cold Case" on my downstairs DirecTivo, since it is always delayed by football. This will free up a tuner on Sunday night.

Crap, that takes care of Jack & Bobby. Wednesday is already overloaded for my Tivo.

I'm sure it can only help their ratings, but that Sunday timeslot was working perfectly for me.

Agreed. Sunday was great because there was nothing else on. Wednesday is no good for me either.

Disagree. There is nothing else on at 8 (central) that I want to see so this is a win-win situation for me. The only downside is I work most Wed nights so I will have to tape it and watch it on crappy ass VHS. At least until I get a DVD recorder.

I love "Jack & Bobby" and was unfortunately having to tape it on the VCR because the DVD recorder was recording "Boston Legal". This may make the recording schedule better, though I have another DVD recorder on the way, anyway.

I just hope it picks up viewers because it's a TERRIFIC show. Logan Lerman is excellent.

Good move. Now I can check out Desperate Housewives and see if it's really any good.

I hope this switch boosts ratings for J&B. I don't give a damn about the mountain, but Jack and Bobby is easily the best new show this season.

MATT