New network TV shows compete with controversy for attention

When broadcasters staged their annual, extravagant showcases for next season's shows, they were after media-buyers' hearts and wallets and headlines about, say, wooing award-winner Edie Falco for a police series or Jimmy Smits of "L.A. Law" fame back to a new legal drama. Then unwelcome plot twists smacked several networks.

Consider Fox's predicament with "Empire" and Jussie Smollett. The network made the surprise announcement that next season would be the show's last, enthusiastically trumpeting a plan to make it "a large television event," as Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier described it during a news conference this week.

But would the embattled Smollett be welcome at the party? There's an option to include Smollett "but at this point we have no plans for that," Collier said, carefully.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019 file photo, actress Constance Wu attends the National Board of Review awards gala at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York. Wu appeared to be unhappy her ABC sitcom "Fresh Off The Boat" was renewed for a sixth season. Wu wrote "No, it's not" in a since-deleted tweet Friday, May 10, 2019, responding to a fan who called the renewal "great news." (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP, File)

Terry Bradshaw fumbled at Fox's presentation. The former football star and Fox Sports analyst, attempting a joke about being bounced from "The Masked Singer," dissed panelist Ken Jeong as "the little short guy from Japan." Bradshaw later apologized for what he called an insensitive remark about the U.S.-born actor-comedian, who is of Korean ancestry.

CBS faced controversy involving "Bull" star Michael Weatherly . The show was renewed for a fourth season despite claims by actress Eliza Dusku that she was let go after complaining that Weatherly made jokes and crude comments about her in front of cast and crew in 2017. She got a hefty settlement under then-CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves, himself later fired for alleged misconduct.

When CBS executives were asked how the renewal matched a company vow of zero-tolerance for misconduct, they said they were unaware of what occurred until the newspaper report. The decision was made after considering what they called Weatherly's remorseful apology and otherwise spotless record after years with CBS, including on "NCIS," they said.

Patricia Heaton attends the CBS 2019 upfront at The Plaza on Wednesday, May 15, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Charles SykesInvisionAP)

ABC had a less weighty situation to address: An online meltdown by "Fresh Off the Boat" star Constance Wu, who greeted news of the sitcom's renewal with a meme-inspiring outburst of anguish. Did the network consider recasting her role?

No, said ABC entertainment president Karey Burke , diplomatically adding that she choose to believe Wu's subsequent assertion of being happy to return to the show. But Burke's inner comedian emerged at the presentation: "Fresh Off the Boat" will air Friday nights, she said, "still starring Constance Wu."

LET US ENTERTAIN YOU

This image released by NBC shows, from left, Caitlin McGee, Jimmy Smits and Michael Luwoye in a scene from "Bluff City Law." Four new NBC dramas are slated for the coming season, with one set for fall. "Bluff City Law" stars NBC alum Jimmy Smits ("The West Wing," ''L.A. Law") as head of a celebrated Memphis, Tennessee, law firm who is joined by his estranged daughter. (NBC via AP)

Monologues delivered by Jimmy Kimmel and his CBS late-night counterpart, Stephen Colbert, are reliable highlights of the presentations that are heavy on statistics and boasts about why THIS network is the best place to advertise. The comedians generously targeted their own companies, the competition and, of course, got in a few topical jokes.

Among Kimmel's highlights:

— "I've been doing this so long, I remember when we previewed 'Lost' and 'Alias' and 'Desperate Housewives.' Those were back in the days when Felicity Huffman only played a scheming suburban mom."

Jimmy Smits, from the cast of "Bluff City Law," attends the NBC 20192020 Upfront at The Four Seasons New York on Monday, May 13, 2019. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP)

— "NBC has 'This is Us,' which is so popular they renewed it for three years. Or as Constance Wu would call it, a death sentence."

— "The good news is, here at ABC we've been running a lot of focus groups ... and we know exactly what Gen Z-ers want. The bad news is, it's Netflix."

And Colbert's:

This image provided by Fox Broadcasting Co. on Monday, May 13, 2019, shows Jason Biggs and Maggie Lawson in a scene from the network’s upcoming comedy “Outmatched.” The show is one of several new additions to Fox’s prime-time lineup and the network describes it as a sitcom in which Biggs and Lawson are a blue-collar couple raising four kids, three of whom are geniuses. (Michael BeckerFOX via AP)

— "As you can see, despite Lindsey Graham's advice I honored my subpoena to be here today."

— "Before I came here today, I received a massive document from the network, full of details about how well CBS performed this year. Now, I did not have the time to get through it all, so I just read Bill Barr's four-page summary. Turns out, Les Moonves, totally exonerated. I did not see that coming."

— "CBS has very successful crime dramas. For some reason, Americans these days just really want to watch people who have obviously committed crimes go to jail for them."

This image provided by Fox Broadcasting Co. on Monday, May 13, 2019, shows Kim Cattrall in a scene from the network’s upcoming drama “Filthy Rich.” The show is one of several new additions to Fox’s prime-time lineup and the network describes it as a gothic Southern family drama that mixes wealth, power and religion with "outrageously soapy results." (Alan MarkfieldFOX via AP)

YOU LIKED THEM BEFORE

Remember how great Falco was in "The Sopranos" and "Nurse Jackie"? CBS hopes that you'll want to see her portray Los Angeles' first (fictional) female police chief in "Tommy." The network also has former "NCIS" star Pauley Perrette switching gears in the sitcom "Broke"; Patricia Heaton ("Everybody Loves Raymond") as a middle-aged medical intern in the comedy "Carol's Second Act," and Marg Helgenberger ("CSI: Crime Scene Investigation") in the courthouse drama "All Rise."

Billy Gardell, formerly of "Mike & Molly," gets a plum assignment starring in "Bob Hearts Abishola," producer Chuck Lorre's follow-up to CBS' just-ended hit "The Big Bang Theory." His co-star is Folake Olowofoyeku

This image released by NBC shows Sarah Wayne Callies, left, and Michele Weaver in a scene from "Council of Dads." NBC's midseason newcomers include "Council of Dads," about a family man who makes sure his brood will always have the fatherly help they need. (Quantrell ColbertNBC via AP)

Smits stars in NBC's "Bluff City Law" as a celebrated Memphis, Tennessee, lawyer with family issues. Bradley Whitford, his one-time castmate in "The West Wing," tops the comedy "Perfect Harmony," about a small-town church choir, while Fran Drescher ("The Nanny") and Steven Weber ("Mom," ''Wings") are paired in the network's boomer-offspring sitcom "Indebted."

Cobie Smulders counts as a TV fave for "How I Met Your Mother," but her "Avengers" credits are more to the point for ABC's "Stumptown," based on the graphic novel series about a tough private eye.

Fox has a full roster of veterans, including Rob Lowe in a new iteration of drama series "9-1-1" set in Texas ; Kim Cattrall ("Sex and the City") in the soapy Southern drama "Filthy Rich"; John Slattery ("Mad Men") in the cautionary AI tale "neXt," and Tom Payne ("The Walking Dead") and Michael Sheen ("Masters of Sex") in the serial killer drama "Prodigal Son."

FILE - In this May 20, 2016 file photo, actor and singer Jussie Smollett attends the "Empire" FYC Event in Los Angeles. The Fox network says "Empire" will be back next year for one last season. Whether Smollett is part of it remains to be seen, Fox executives said in announcing the 2019-20 season. There is an option to have Smollett in the final sixth year but there is no plan to include him at this point, Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier told a teleconference Monday, May 13, 2019. (Richard ShotwellInvisionAP, File)

Fox's beefed-up animation slate is a boon for TV stars, if not so much for voice actors. Listen for Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Mary Steenburgen in "Bless the Harts," husband-and-wife Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally in "The Great North," and Amy Poehler, Ty Burrell and Rashida Jones in "Duncanville."

FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLED

Here's the roll call of the dearly departed — as in canceled — by network.

Kim Cattrall, from the cast of "Filthy Rich," attends the FOX 2019 Upfront party at Wollman Rink in Central Park on Monday, May 13, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Andy KropaInvisionAP)

ABC: "Whiskey Cavalier," ''For the People," ''Dancing with the Stars: Juniors," ''Child Support," ''The Alec Baldwin Show," ''The Kids Are Alright" and "Splitting Up Together" and "Speechless."

CBS: "Murphy Brown," ''Happy Together," ''Fam" and "Life in Pieces."

Fox: "Star," ''Lethal Weapon," ''Proven Innocent, "The Cool Kids," ''The Gifted," ''Love Connection," ''The Passage" and "Rel."

NBC: "I Feel Bad" is the sole victim, for now. On the bubble: "Abby's," ''A.P. Bio," ''The Village" and "The Enemy Within."

Lynn Elber can be reached at lelber@ap.org and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lynnelber .

WASHINGTON (AP) — Israel this week briefed Biden administration officials on a plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians ahead of a potential operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah aimed at rooting out Hamas militants, according to U.S. officials familiar with the talks.

The officials, who were not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity to speak about the sensitive exchange, said that the plan detailed by the Israelis did not change the U.S. administration’s view that moving forward with an operation in Rafah would put too many innocent Palestinian civilians at risk.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to carry out a military operation in Rafah despite warnings from President Joe Biden and other western officials that doing so would result in more civilian deaths and worsen an already dire humanitarian crisis.

The Biden administration has said there could be consequences for Israel should it move forward with the operation without a credible plan to safeguard civilians.

“Absent such a plan, we can’t support a major military operation going into Rafah because the damage it would do is beyond what’s acceptable,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said late Friday at the Sedona Forum, an event in Arizona hosted by the McCain Institute.

Some 1.5 million Palestinians have sheltered in the southern Gaza city as the territory has been ravaged by the war that began on Oct. 7 after Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.

The United Nations humanitarian aid agency on Friday said that hundreds of thousands of people would be “at imminent risk of death” if Israel moves forward with the Rafah assault. The border city is a critical entry point for humanitarian aid and is filled with displaced Palestinians, many in densely packed tent camps.

The officials added that the evacuation plan that the Israelis briefed was not finalized and both sides agreed to keep discussing the matter.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Friday that no “comprehensive” plan for a potential Rafah operation has been revealed by the Israelis to the White House. The operation, however, has been discussed during recent calls between Biden and Netanyahu as well as during recent virtual talks with top Israeli and U.S. national security officials.

“We want to make sure that those conversations continue because it is important to protect those Palestinian lives — those innocent lives,” Jean-Pierre said.

The revelation of Israel's continued push to carry out a Rafah operation came as CIA director William Burns arrived Friday in Egypt, where negotiators are trying to seal a cease-fire accord between Israel and Hamas.

Hamas is considering the latest proposal for a cease-fire and hostage release put forward by U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators, who are looking to avert the Rafah operation.

They have publicly pressed Hamas to accept the terms of the deal that would lead to an extended cease-fire and an exchange of Israeli hostages taken captive on Oct. 7 and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Hamas has said it will send a delegation to Cairo in the coming days for further discussions on the offer, though it has not specified when.

Israel, and its allies, have sought to increase pressure on Hamas on the hostage negotiation. Signaling that Israel continues to move forward with its planning for a Rafah operation could be a tactic to nudge the militants to finalize the deal.

Netanyahu said earlier this week that Israeli forces would enter Rafah, which Israel says is Hamas’ last stronghold, regardless of whether a truce-for-hostages deal is struck. His comments appeared to be meant to appease his nationalist governing partners, and it was not clear whether they would have any bearing on any emerging deal with Hamas.

Blinken visited the region, including Israel, this week and called the latest proposal “extraordinarily generous” and said “the time to act is now.”

In Arizona on Friday, Blinken repeated remarks he made earlier this week that "the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a cease-fire is Hamas.”

The Chahine family prepares to bury two adults and five boys and girls under the age of 16 after an overnight Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 3, 2024. An Israeli strike on the city of Rafah on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip killed several people, including children, hospital officials said Friday. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

FILE - Palestinians line up for free food during the ongoing Israeli air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip in Rafah, Jan. 9, 2024. A top U.N. official said Friday, May 3, 2024, that hard-hit northern Gaza was now in “full-blown famine" after more than six months of war between Israel and Hamas and severe Israeli restrictions on food deliveries to the Palestinian territory. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali, File)

Palestinians rescue a woman survived after the Israeli bombardment on a residential building of Abu Alenan family in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, early Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah)

President Joe Biden walks across the South Lawn of the White House as he talks with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Washington, after returning from a trip to North Carolina. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)