Speculation about the future of the American version of Coupling has started up after it emerged NBC has yanked it from its primetime lineup for two weeks.

This Thursday, the show will be pre-empted for a repeat of smash-hit comedy Whoopi, which usually airs on Tuesday nights. The following week - the first in the critical ratings sweeps season - the show will be replaced by a one-hour long Will & Grace.

After initially good ratings, Coupling now puts something of a dent in NBC's Thursday night ratings; Nielsen Media Research numbers put the show at being watched by around 10.6m viewers last week. By comparison, its lead-in show, Will & Grace pulled 14.6m, and the show following it, ER, 20.1m.

Speculation is mounting that if the Whoopi repeat does well on Thursday, it could move permanently to that timeslot to shore-up NBC's "Must See TV" lineup. However, an NBC spokeswoman told the AP that the network has not "...given up on [Coupling] by any stretch of the imagination."