European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 28, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                To Vietnam Back in the living room by Peter Oyer now York times h s Buck napalm firefights body bags Huey Rico paddies Victor Charlie search and destroy the quagmire the living room War. After 1 b years the viol Nam War returns to american television. This Lime it s playing prime tiny Anil the on my is Bill Cosby. This fall lbs will attempt some Lhing  some 01 its executives believe the network has no business trying and Little Chance of succeeding in sensing a Vietnam Vogue lbs Means to make a weekly enter ailment of the Vietnam War with a series called tour of duty and to use the show in 3 counteroffensive against Abc s hugely popular thursday night lineup headlined by Trie Camby show. Ii is a High risk High Cost undertaking for lbs appropriately framed in contradiction. Tour of duly Means to Lell the Story of a politicized Var without being political. Ii will try to draw .1 portrait of american fool soldiers grunts without employing foul language or dope or graphic violence. It Means to depict War Wilh Only a sparing use of costly battle1 scenes. Although it s one of the most expensive new series Ever mounted by lbs the Pilot alone Cost $2 million it s being thrust into the most difficult time period lbs has Ever faced. Its chances in Short. Would not appear in Bognot. Brandun Tartikoff the Abc entertainment chief has jokingly referred to the show As the six Day War that s How Long he figures it will last against Cosby. But tour of duty is a kind of crucial fur a Young lbs program executive named Earlo h. Lemasters Iii the Vietnam generation vice president of lbs  who is pressed to develop some hits. He is convinced that the Vietnam drama can work and that if it does ii could be the most important television series of its time. Some Vietnam veterans who have seen the Pilot find Balm and redemption in 3 network series seen from their perspective and Hope that Lemasters is right. Tour of duly looms As the biggest bust or the biggest breakthrough of the aiming season. It is certainly the most inter Sling programming Gamble. Tour Odu y is on the lbs fall schedule for the most practical and compelling of television reasons desperation. Afler two seasons of being roundly trounced by Abc in the prime time ratings after a year in which the network s profits dropped precipitously lbs needed to make a bold move. The network is traditionally conservative in its programming approach but this season lbs is trying to attract a new younger and More Urban audience not Only to combat Abc but in the Hope of winning Back some viewers from Cable when network program executives consulted Vilh the producers of tour of duty Alliey would in Quelly mention thai a third of lbs s viewers arc Cable viewers the very people mostly men who have been abandoning Tho networks for the unrestricted fare of pay to. But More immediately. Tour of duly is a direct assault on the hitherto unassailable allure of 77it Cosby show Abc s enormously successful family St com that has turned thursday night into a quagmire for the other iwo networks. Lemasters who is starting his second season is vice president of programming at lbs became Vitri Gued with Vietnam As television material when he was the lbs executive in charge of television movies and worked on the abandoned attempt to the  the books Jinn into a lbs mini series in lids. Lemasters who As a Urcla student in the Lite 1  and Early 70s had been an , protester pen lived a shifting of attitudes inward , almost a kind ii to Many americans Slid Felt Tori strongly Ghoul the War in Ilcent Ilas a  i Ali Raj nigh it u  s. I Aley the founder ind chairman if lbs   i feelings Ghoul the Vixtrum War remained so throng the he withdrew from offering an opinion on the series. Lemasters himself Wenmei that women vein not Walch a  drama. But i Hen remained that pressure Dir inn Valmy. In gel lbs Nio ving and Levasier i a allowed in Ujiie Disston a St Ripi i Willen in its Tirol Drall. By .1 Vic Lium i . I  is . At  to Slep Irti in sin it Pupil ii Tosi a  there  ii i Plum irom within the Milf. Ollk but a a skims Mil , .11 id the a