TVSquad

Is it really a big surprise that television advertising isn't as effective as it used to be? As TV watchers -- okay, we're uber-watchers -- we know that with DVRs and TiVos we're zooming through ads, or we're channel surfing in between segments of our favorite shows, or renting/buying content in formats that allow us to avoid commercials altogether. Now, according to the Association of National Advertisers and Forrester Research's TV & Technology Survey, we learn that six out of 10 marketers believe that TV advertising has become less effective in the past two years. And it's getting worse.

Now that the fall shows are drying up, those midseason replacements are becoming more and more essential. Zap2It tells us CBS has shifted the premieres of The Captain and The New Adventures of Old Christine from January 28 to February 4 (so as to not compete with the State of the Union Address). And furthermore, The Captain has been redubbed Welcome to the Captain.

In this new series, Fran Kranz plays a young man who moves into a legendary Hollywood apartment complex. His new neighbors are played by the likes of Raquel Welch, Jeffrey Tambor, Chris Klein and more. Which I guess means it's a show about a bunch of wacky neighbors, as opposed to the requisite one.

So is it yet another Star Trek alumnus coming on-screen, or a reunion of former Murphy Brown costars Candace Bergen and her on-screen amore Scott Bakula, as TV Guide says. Looks like it's both, as Bakula has signed on to join Bergen and William Shatner for an upcoming episode of Boston Legal. In it he will play one of Shirley Schmidt's (Bergen) exes who runs into her at a bar. No word on if his will be a multi-episode arc or a one-time appearance.

Bakula has shown himself to have a bit of comedic chops recently on The New Adventures of Old Christine, and with BL being a dramedy, he might do very well there. Either way, it is good to see Bakula back on the small screen. Quantum Leap remains one of my all-time favorite shows and I'm still mad they haven't found a way to bring it back (despite periodic rumors that they may), while Knight Rider gets a revival. It'd be great if they can get Bakula's character and Denny Crane (Shatner) together in a scene and have them salute one another or slip some other Trek teaser for the audience in the know.

Here are AOL Television's top picks of the week.

The New Adventures of Old Christine (Mon., 8:30PM ET, CBS) 2nd season finale
A few months ago in Vanity Fair, Christopher Hitchens pondered, "Why Women Aren't Funny." We beg to differ. Week after week, Julia Louis-Dreyfus consistently knocks it out of the comedy park. And, of the three Seinfeld sidekicks, she (the only woman) is only one to break the "curse" and succeed in her own show. Tonight's finale has Christine fretting over a possible pregnancy -- and the end of any chance of dating hottie Mr. Harris (Blair Underwood). Hopefully, CBS will wake up, laugh and renew this sitcom for a third season.

(S32E15) Julia Louis Dreyfus hosted less than a year ago, so I was surprised to see her back so soon. She did an all right job last time, but I wonder what drove Saturday Night Live to have her return this quickly. It's not like she had anything new to promote. Hmm.

This episode was pretty boring. If I wasn't planning on writing this review, I probably would have tuned out a little after "Weekend Update". Yawn.