After losing NFL football and “Seinfeld,” NBC decided it wasn’t going to go into the 1998-99 season without television’s most successful dramatic series, “ER.” The network announced Wednesday it had reached an agreement with Warner Bros. Television to continue airing the top-rated series for the next three years at an estimated cost of $13 million an episode, more than six times the current price. The unprecedented deal was concluded weeks before negotiations were expected to heat up in February.
With “ER” securely back in place, NBC can begin working to replace “Seinfeld” on its powerful Thursday night lineup. Without its anchor drama at 9 p.m., however, the whole night might have gone up for grabs and local affiliates would have lost a dominant ratings force as a lead-in for their late newscasts.
– In other TV news, ABC is shifting “Nothing Sacred,” the controversial drama about an unconventional inner-city priest (Chicago’s Kevin Anderson) to 7 p.m. Saturdays beginning this weekend and adding Jennifer Beals to the cast. To publicize the move, the network invited three Roman Catholic priests to meet with reporters at the Television Critics Association’s press tour. One of the priests, Rev. Andrew Greeley, told reporters, “Father Ray troubles me sometimes. He represents an ideal within the priesthood I don’t always live up to.”