“Baby Blues” Highlights New Friday Night Line-Up On The WB

(June 27, 2000 – Burbank, CA) - With its second high-profile original series to be launched this summer, The WB is proud to announce the debut of its new primetime animated comedy “BABY BLUES,” premiering on Friday, July 28, airing at 8:00 p.m. ET and 8:30 p.m. ET. The announcement was made today by Susanne Daniels, President, Entertainment of The WB. The series will continue to be double-run from 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET for the rest of summer. Ms. Daniels stated, “We believe ‘BABY BLUES’ is our best foot forward in animation to date. This is a project that we have nurtured for five years and the result is an extraordinarily funny and relatable series. It is clearly an eight o’clock show and until now we haven’t had any 8:00 p.m. slots available. ‘BABY BLUES’ is the perfect fit to help create momentum for our new Friday night lineup in the fall, anchored by ‘Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.’ If it is successful, as we expect, ‘BABY BLUES’ will be brought back for mid-season.” The WB will broadcast encore episodes of its other summer series “YOUNG AMERICANS” from 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET, beginning on July 28. Original episodes of the drama “YOUNG AMERICANS” are set to debut on Wednesday, July 12 at 9:00 p.m. ET. In addition, The WB has moved its current Friday comedies, “THE STEVE HARVEY SHOW,” “FOR YOUR LOVE” and “THE JAMIE FOXX SHOW” to Sunday nights (beginning 6/25; see attached released dated 6/23), and they will double run on both Friday and Sunday nights until the “BABY BLUES” debut on July 28. The scheduling move helps align both nights with programming similar to what will air on those nights in the fall. “We’re also excited to get Sunday nights switched over to a comedy schedule, utilizing three of the anchor programs, ‘THE STEVE HARVEY SHOW,’ ‘FOR YOUR LOVE’ and ‘THE JAMIE FOXX SHOW,’ that are set for the same night in the fall,” said Ms. Daniels. The genesis of “BABY BLUES” comes from the award-winning, internationally syndicated comic strip of the same name. The series expands the world seen in the strip and offers stories for the whole family, exposing the humorous underbelly of suburban parenting. Set in a slice of suburbia on the outskirts of normal, this irreverent new series follows the daily exploits of Darryl (voiced by Mike O’Malley, “28 Days,” “Deep Impact”) and Wanda (voiced by Julia Sweeney, “Saturday Night Live,” “God Said Ha!”) MacPherson. A career couple in their late 20s recently transformed into two well-intentioned but weary young parents, Darryl and Wanda are dealing with the dual pressures of their new little bundle of joy, Zoe, and the dysfunctional family living next door. “BABY BLUES” amplifies the comic strip’s world by adding their mismatched fence neighbors, Carl (voiced by Joel Murray, “Dharma & Greg”) and Melinda (voiced by Arabella Field, “Godzilla”) Bitterman, who serve as a shining example of how not to raise children, judging by their son Rodney (voiced by Kath Soucie, “Rugrats”), an 8-year-old hellion who controls both sides of the fence. He is closely followed by 5-year-old Megan (voiced by Soucie) and 4-year-old Shelby. While Darryl and Wanda often wonder what past-life crimes they must have committed to deserve Rodney’s constant visits to their house, baby Zoe adores this pint-sized rogue with a bowl haircut and an appetite for destruction. Adding to the mayhem is Zoe’s terminally hip baby-sitter, Bizzy (voiced by Nicole Sullivan, “Mad TV”), an indifferent student with a penchant for bad boys. At work, Darryl’s best friend Kenny (voiced by Diedrich Bader, “The Drew Carey Show”) is quick to accuse Darryl of bungling a domestic situation, even though his own family ranks as a priority somewhere below his golf game. “BABY BLUES” also will feature the recurring voices of E.G. Daily (“Rugrats”) and Phil LaMarr (“Mad TV”), with special guest voice appearances by Drew Carey (“The Drew Carey Show”) in the premiere episode “Bizzy Moves In,” David Boreanaz (“Angel”), Bob Costas (NBC Sports), Dan Cortese (“Veronica’s Closet”), Steven Weber (“Wings”), Peri Gilpin (“Frasier”), George Takei (“Star Trek”) and Philip Baker Hall (“Rules of Engagement”). Developed and executive produced by Jeff Martin (“The Simpsons”) and Pete Ocko (“Weird Science,” “Dinosaurs”), and based on the award-winning comic strip with a worldwide readership of 62 million from Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott who serve as co-executive producers, the series is produced by Warner Bros. Television. # # #