TVSquad

• At 8, FOX has two new episodes of Cops, followed by a new America's Most Wanted.
• At 9, TLC has a new episode of The Real Deal, then two new episodes of My First Home.
• BBC America has a new Robin Hood at 9.
• Also at 9: A&E has a new Flip This House.
• At 10, CBS has a new 48 Hours Mystery.
• HGTV has a new Design on a Dime at 10.
• There's a new episode of The States at 10 on The History Channel.
• At 11, FOX has a new Mad TV, then a new Talk Show with Spike Feresten (Michael Rapaport guests on both shows).

Check your local TV listings for more.

Recently Keith McDuffee posted an item about the lack of any original programming on Saturday nights. He mentioned that today's technology allows viewers to now go out and enjoy themselves and not miss any of their favorite programs, which couldn't be done in the days of The Bob Newhart Show, Gunsmoke and The Hollywood Palace. Hence, the concept of new network shows shouldn't be frowned upon. Like Keith, I too believe that there should be original programming on the last night of the week.

On the other hand . . .

There are some merits to this lack of original product. Playing devil's advocate, I present five of the reasons that a schedule full of repeats isn't such a bad idea.

You can catch up on all of the shows you recorded during the week: As Keith said, the technology is now there to record our favorite shows so we don't miss them. And, it's a blessing and a curse all in one. Especially if you have a TiVo or cable-provided DVR to record multiple shows at the same time. With this season perhaps being one of the best in a long time, there are many shows that are not being watched live. So, Saturday night is a good time to sit down and clear the queue of shows just waiting to be viewed.

I have a season pass to A&E's Flip This House, but this weekend my TiVo suggested I watch TLC's Flip That House. So I did. Besides the length-- This is one hour, while That is 30 minutes -- the differences between the two programs are subtle. A&E's program really digs into problems with contractors, negotiating prices, and time crunches. It's definitely more stressful to watch than the TLC version. I also think it has a different mission: to show exactly how hard it is to flip a house in a short amount of time and make money off of it. Whereas, Flip That House is less about the reality of being a house flipper and just more about the upgrades or fixes you can make to a house to improve its value. That said, I still like TLC's version better. I think the A&E version is way too long and I really hate some of the recurring flippers. Plus, I'm not considering going into the house flipping business but I would like to know how to get more money for my home someday when we do sell.

Which one do you like better?