Friday (with the Stars) was not affected back then, since the audience watched that show first. With the episode coming to an end, the audience would definitely finish watching it.
Moreover, many people did not have high expectations for Lu Man's episode back then, even going so far as to watch The Performer first.
Classic X Files then tried the "secret guest" ace card, and after word-of-mouth through the Net, stole the audience from The Performer.
Another point to note was that Friday (with the Stars) was actually scheduled to broadcast at 9 pm, but to make way for The Performer, the station had shifted the broadcast timing for Friday (with the Stars) forward.
This showed the high hopes the broadcasting station had had for The Performer.
Then The Performer stopped airing and underwent changes.
