NBC, ABC engage in schedule gamesmanship

Remember all that stuff about NBC moving the premiere of "The Celebrity Apprentice" back a week? Yeah, never mind.

Late Thursday, the network decided to move the show's debut back to Thursday, Jan. 3. Earlier this week, NBC had moved the premiere to Jan. 10.

All that, however, was before ABC decided to move its last original episode of "Grey's Anatomy" to Jan. 10. The network is instead going with an all-repeat lineup on the 3rd and holding an original "Ugly Betty" for the next week. ABC also moved the premiere of its drama "Cashmere Mafia" from Jan. 3 to Sunday, Jan. 6, where it will follow the last pre-strike episode of "Desperate Housewives."

The upshot is that "Celeb Apprentice" will go back where it started on Jan. 3, staying out of the way of the highly rated "Grey's." It will still have to face off against FOX's broadcast of the Orange Bowl and may have to contend with interruptions for news reports from the Iowa caucuses. NBC News says it will provide updates on the voting with "special reports throughout primetime."

NBC will sandwich the "Apprentice" premiere between an episode of "Deal or No Deal" and an original "ER."