‘Nightline’ summer series gets creepy

By David Bauder

AP Television Writer

NEW YORK

ABC’s “Nightline” is creeping into prime time this summer — or maybe it’s just getting creepy.

The late-night show begins a 13-week summertime series at 10 tonight, covering topics such as satanic possession, religious miracles, psychics and out-of-body experiences.

Later in the summer, the “Nightline” hourlong reports will touch on how the entertainment industry creates child stars and real-life “modern family” tales that include mail-order brides.

Juju Chang’s report on whether some twins have a psychic connection with one another was supposed to kick off the series this week, but ABC said Tuesday that “Nightline” would do a special hour on Casey Anthony’s murder trial instead. Chang’s story was put off for a week.

“Nightline” is in the midst of a strong stretch as a traditional newsmagazine in its 11:35 p.m. time slot. Its average of 4.1 million viewers this year is 10 percent over 2010, the Nielsen Co. said. Its typical audience each night is bigger than Jay Leno’s or David Letterman’s, although Leno leads during the time the three shows compete directly (“Nightline” lasts 30 minutes, the two comedy shows are an hour).

Success earned the “Nightline” team a prime-time shot. Executive Producer Jeanmarie Condon said the goal is to gain more exposure for the brand, possibly leading more people to watch the show regularly.

The “Nightline” ethos Condon promotes is to tell stories in a narrative form, in a conversational style. “We really are like the friend in your group who tells the best stories at a dinner party,” she said.

The prime-time “Nightline” hearkens back to the show’s roots in the Ted Koppel days, with each hour tackling a single topic.

“We set out to make them like that great beach read — that big, fat book you take to the beach where you know it will be a page turner but at the end you feel like you’ve learned something,” Condon said.

After the Anthony hour, “Nightline” will begin a five-part series titled “Beyond Belief,” an exploration of topics that defy easy scientific explanation.