January 2, 2000

TV

Doug Herzog: The president of Fox Entertainment Group endured a rocky first year in television's jumpiest hot seat, as most of Fox's new fall series--among them the envelope-pushing "Action"--were canceled. The recent promotion of Sandy Grushow to become his boss fueled rumors about Herzog's future at the network, though Fox officials say they intend to be patient, citing high hopes for the upcoming "Malcolm in the Middle."

Suzanne Daniels: The entertainment president of the WB network has had a mixed freshman year, introducing a number of dramas, with "Roswell" and "Angel," the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" spin-off, the most promising. She had less success with "Safe Harbor" and "Jack and Jill." Comedy, which Daniels put as a priority, remained an elusive proposition.

Seth MacFarlane: As the creator-executive producer of Fox's "Family Guy," the kid with the multimillion-dollar deal producing the animated series went close to bust. Audiences haven't shown up in big numbers since the show's post-Super Bowl premiere a year ago, though tough time slots, including Thursdays up against NBC's dominant lineup at the start of the season, didn't help. The show's been shelved for now, but at 26, no one's giving up on MacFarlane's potential--yet.

Carol Marin: The veteran news anchor, who made headlines herself in May 1997 when she resigned from NBC-owned WMAQ-TV in Chicago after the station hired Jerry Springer for on-air commentaries, began last year as a contributor to "60 Minutes II." Her on-point interviews earned her a correspondent spot, and next month she will take on additional duties for CBS as a news anchor at its Chicago station, WBBM-TV.