ABC has decided to air the Oct. 11 premiere of its new medical drama Gideon's Crossing without commercial interruption -- a network first for a made-for-TV drama.

Today's (Thursday) Washington Post reported that the decision came after ABC Entertainment co-chairmen Stu Bloomberg and Lloyd Braun expressed reluctance to cut the pilot episode, which wound up about 10 minutes too long. (An additional ten minutes was eventually added.)

A single commercial for Johnson & Johnson will be carried before the show starts and when it ends, ABC said Wednesday. One of the spots, the Post indicated, will promote a new Johnson & Johnson drug product that is used to counteract anemia experienced by persons undergoing chemotherapy. (The drama itself concerns a chemo patient.)

Source: Studio Briefing