ABC is cleaning out its programming closet, giving summertime runs to a pair of projects that initially were scheduled to run last season.
The game show “Set for Life,” which way back when was slated to air in the fall, will premiere July 20. Two weeks after that, on Aug. 4, the anthology series “Masters of Science Fiction” will hit the airwaves for a four-week run.
ABC also has scheduled a brief return for the plastic-surgery version of “Extreme Makeover” in July.
When ABC announced its 2006-07 schedule a year ago, it had “Set for Life” filling an hour on Tuesdays after the fall run of “Dancing With the Stars.” Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the show offers contestants a chance to win a monthly check for the rest of their lives, ranging from a few bucks to thousands of dollars.
“Masters of Science Fiction,” from the same producers of Showtime’s “Masters of Horror,” initially was considered for midseason. ABC ordered six episodes but now plans to air only four, in the TV dead zone at 9 p.m. Saturdays.
There’s no word yet on which four installments will air. The hourlong shows feature adaptations of stories by the likes of Robert Heinlein, Harlan Ellison and Walter Mosley; actors taking part include Terry O’Quinn (“Lost”), John Hurt (“V for Vendetta”), Anne Heche (“Men in Trees”), Judy Davis (“The Starter Wife”), Sam Waterston (“Law & Order”) and Malcolm McDowell (“Heroes”).
“Extreme Makeover” will return for three weeks starting July 2. ABC aired one episode of the show in the fall, then pulled it after it recorded weak ratings.