Fall TV Update

Don't tune in to CBS tonight expecting to see a new episode of Smith, one of my fall season favorites. Chances are you weren't planning on it anyway.

Smith, rather sadly, appears to have suffered the grand indignity of being the first fall season casualty. Poor ratings on a network that doesn't need to tolerate audience apathy seem to be the cause for the rapid yanking (only three episodes aired).

Meanwhile, over on NBC (which needs to tolerate audience apathy pretty much seven days a week) the classy thriller Kidnapped has been told to wrap it up at 13 episodes. More insulting: the show has been banished from its 10 pm Wednesday timeslot to the TV Siberia of Saturday nights. But at least it appears NBC is giving it a chance to wrap up its storyline (and it's a sure bet for a DVD release).

Fox has made several changes to their schedule as well, banishing Vanished to Friday nights where it can die quietly and promoting Justice to Mondays where the network hopes the lame procedural can pull a House and grow an audience over time. Not that that strategy has worked yet for Bones.

They've also pulled Happy Hour (aka the Worst New Show) from the schedule, saying it will return but keeping the details so vague it's obvious they hope people will simply forget it ever aired. And seriously Fox, why did it air?

Oh and The CW is switching their Monday and Sunday night program blocks. Will anyone even notice?

But back to Smith. I haven't had time to watch the two episodes that aired after the pilot and it's possible the show started to flounder creatively, but this still has to be considered a disappointment for fans of good TV. CBS took a chance with a show that, well, took chances. And it turned out that didn't fit with the network's formulaic schedule.

I'm not sure how many episodes of Smith were produced or if they'll get to complete their order. At this point CBS won't even say the show is dead, but the network has plenty of midseason contenders to fill the holes created by fall flops (both Shark on Thursdays and especially The Class on Mondays are struggling as well).

The medical drama 3 lbs. with Stanley Tucci and Mark Feuerstein has already been pegged a likely replacement for Smith, while David Spade/Patrick Warburton relationship comedy Rules of Engagement is a clear fit for Mondays. There's also the multi-generational soap Waterfront that could work on Thursdays.

Smith falls down. CBS moves on. And so it goes.

Better ratings news for other standout shows: Ugly Betty, Heroes (picked up for a full season), Jericho and Brothers & Sisters, which are all performing well in their timeslots. The Nine's debut was underwhelming but as long as it doesn't bleed viewers the way Invasion did it should survive, and even that show got one full season which is all The Nine needs anyway.

November's right around the corner. Then things get really ugly.