Tuning In

Winging it

The search for Debra Winger appears to be winding down.

The former “It” actress became the subject of a well-received documentary by Rosanna Arquette in 2002. Dubbed “Searching for Debra Winger,” it examined how women in their 40s were treated by Hollywood.

Now, Miss Winger is slated to star in and co-produce an upcoming Lifetime feature, Reuters News Agency reports.

OK, it’s not “Urban Cowboy 2,” but it’s better than working dinner theater.

Miss Winger will star in “Dawn Anna,” a fact-based tale of a single mother of four suffering from a brain disease. She recovers from her illness only to face another health battle, this time involving one of her children.

The Oscar-nominated actress (“Shadowlands,” “Terms of Endearment”) will produce the film with her husband, Arliss Howard, who will direct.

“Dawn” begins production in July at a location to be determined and should air on the cable network for women by year’s end.

The film marks the first TV movie production to come from Sony-based Revolution Studios, better known these days for such feature films as the recent chart-topper “Hellboy” and the romantic comedy “13 Going on 30,” opening Friday.

’Joey’s’ fine footing

The new sitcom starring Matt LeBlanc should feel right at home next season on NBC’s schedule.

The Peacock network is close to confirming that the “Friends” spinoff “Joey” will inhabit the same 8 p.m. Thursday slot that the celebrated sitcom called home for a decade, an NBC source told Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

The network’s chief executive, Jeff Zucker, told NBC station affiliates in a meeting last week that’s where he’s leaning.

The spinoff features Mr. LeBlanc’s Joey Tribbiani character moving to Hollywood to further his acting career. Keeping him company will be a brainy 20-year-old nephew and Joey’s high-strung sister, played by Drea de Matteo of “The Sopranos.”

The high-profile role may have increased the chances of her character getting whacked on the HBO mob series.

Kevin Bright, Shana Goldberg-Meehan and Scott Silveri, who were part of the creative team behind “Friends,” are working on “Joey,” and the new series is expected to share the comic sensibility of its predecessor.

Until a few months ago, a huge burden of expectations would have come with the coveted Thursday time slot, which leads off the prime-time schedule on what is — in terms of advertising dollars — the most lucrative night on television.

Yet NBC’s success with “The Apprentice” on Thursdays has eased the pressure. The finale of the Donald Trump boardroom game was seen by an estimated 28 million people last week, according to Nielsen Media Research. It was the third-most-watched show of the season, behind the Academy Awards and the post-Super Bowl “Survivor” episode, among the 18-to-49-year-old demographic by which NBC, and every other network, measures its success.

NBC has signed the Donald for two more editions of “The Apprentice,” also slated for Thursday evenings next season.

“It clearly has become our improbable replacement for ’Friends,’” Mr. Zucker said of the program, the brainchild of reality-show guru Mark Burnett (“Survivor”). “I could never have predicted it.”

History gets ’Practical’

Former fighter pilot and “Survivor” contestant Hunter Ellis returns to the History Channel tonight for a new round of combat techno-speak.

“Tactical to Practical,” airing at 9, breaks down the innovations devised for combat through the years as well as devices that also help us in our daily lives. The network will air fresh “Tactical” episodes through August.

ABC OKs seven

Beleaguered ABC announced some good news for a change: It’s renewing seven prime-time series for the 2004-2005 season.

The seven shows getting the green light are “According to Jim,” “My Wife & Kids,” “Extreme Makeover,” “George Lopez,” “Hope & Faith,” “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

“These seven shows are all important anchor programs for the network, and we feel confident that they will continue to deliver for us next season,” ABC Entertainment President Susan Lyne said.

“America’s Funniest Home Videos” is wrapping its 14th season.

“According to Jim” and “George Lopez” enter their fourth seasons this fall, while “My Wife & Kids” notches its fifth year. The other returnees debuted this past season.

Compiled by Christian Toto from staff and wire reports.