TVSquad

Including gay characters on your TV show is good, unless it's two lesbians who fall in love with a straight man, as they do in a storyline on New Amsterdam. FOX learned that the hard way when they received a failing grade from GLAAD (The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) on their second annual GLAAD Network Responsibility Index. The index measures the "quantity, quality and diversity of images of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people on television."

Even though GLAAD gave FOX a failing grade, the network's cable counterpart, FX, received top honors for cable channels. The advocacy group praised them for including the most original programming that featured members LGBT community. Special notice was given to Nip/Tuck, which had a gay, lesbian, or bisexual character in every episode. Rescue Me's commitment ceremony storyline was also viewed favorably by the group.

Did your favorite show get canceled? Yeah, mine too. It makes you think twice about investing time into a new show, because you never know how long it'll last. Sometimes even shows with fairly good ratings are sent to the chopping block.

Here at TV Squad, we're doing our part to bring attention to cool shows that were axed in the recent upfront announcements. Last week, I put out a call for considerations for The Arrested Development Award, a.k.a. The Show Least Deserving of Cancellation Award.

You made your opinions known - thank you! - and now we're into Phase 2: The Nominees. The Squad will pick our own winner, but we're giving you the chance to pick a Reader's Choice winner. Here are the nominees, and be sure to vote in the poll at the bottom.

The TV Squad Awards are in full swing, and I have the pleasure of moderating The Arrested Development Award, a.k.a. The Show Least Deserving of Cancellation Award.

Since we're focusing on shows from the 2007-2008 season, that lets out a few contenders, like Veronica Mars , Firefly, and the award's namesake, Arrested Development. But there are plenty of recent shows deserving of the honor. Five that made my list:

1. Journeyman (NBC). This time-shift puzzle starring Kevin McKidd as deer-in-the-headlights Dan Vasser took a while to hook me, but by mid-season, I was there. I love shows that make you think, and although this one developed a formula (Dan saving someone who would later go on to change history), the logistics always had you scratching your head. I was sad to see it absent from NBC's Fall 08 schedule.

Last month, Anna told you which shows were on the bubble, the shows that were might not be coming back. Now TV Guide's Michael Ausiello has an updated list of which shows are in trouble. He gives a 1-10 rating for each show, 10 meaning the show is definitely coming back and 0 meaning the stars should start looking for work right now.

(S01E08) As this is probably the final episode of New Amsterdam, I'm going to take an extra hard look at the show tonight. Consider yourself warned.

Tonight, we got to see an example of how John once used his powers for evil. It's about time!

So far, we've seen John as a lawyer, a soldier, a medic, and an artist, just to name a few, but aside from the time he spent as an alcoholic club emcee, he seems to have led a fairly honorable life. It seems to me that a guy who has the ability to live forever would spend a good deal of time exploiting that ability for profit, if nothing else. Sure, his conscience would catch up with him eventually, but when you live forever, you have to be expected to explore everything immortallity has to offer.

• At 8, ABC has a new Dancing with the Stars, followed by new episodes of Samantha Who? and The Bachelor.
• CBS has a new Big Bang Theory at 8, then new episodes of How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, and CSI: Miami.
• NBC has new episodes of Deal Or No Deal and Medium.
• FOX has a new Bones at 8, followed by a new New Amsterdam.
• ABC Family has a new Greek at 8, then a new America's Prom Queen.
• Also at 8: CMT has the 2008 CMT Music Awards.
• At 8:30, Food Network has a new Heavyweights.
• At 9, The CW has a new One Tree Hill.
• Stephen Colbert is the guest on a new episode of CNN's Larry King Live at 9.
• USA has a new Monday Night RAW at 9.
• There's a new Dirty Jobs on Discovery at 9.
• GSN has a new World Poker Tour at 9.
• At 9:30, Food Network has a new Unwrapped, then a new Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
• At 10, MTV has a new episode of The Hills, then the series premiere of The Paper.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S01E07) A show like New Amsterdam is bound to have a lot of unanswered questions. Luckily for us viewers, many of those questions get answered in each episode. For instance, in this episode we finally learned that Chris Bauer is the father of Buffy Summers.

Seriously though, it sure was nice to see familiar faces from two of my favorite shows of the past. I understand that Kristine Sutherland has taken a break from acting but I don't understand why we don't see more of Chris Bauer. I always thought his character on The Wire could easily have his own show.

• At 8, ABC has a new Dancing with the Stars, then new episodes of Samantha Who? and The Bachelor.
• NBC has a new My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad, followed by new episodes of Deal Or No Deal and Medium.
• PBS has a new Antiques Roadshow at 8.
• TLC has two new episodes of Little People, Big World at 8.
• There's a new Greek on ABC Family at 8, then a new America's Prom Queen.
• Also at 8: TCM has the original King Kong.
• At 9, CBS has the NCAA Basketball Final.
• USA has a new Monday Night RAW at 9.
• FOX has a new New Amsterdam at 9.
• Food Network has a new Chefography at 9, featuring Julia Child. It's followed by a new Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
• At 10, E! has a new episode of The Soup Presents.
• MTV has two new episodes of The Hills starting at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S01E06) Nice to see a little more personal information about the other characters. I was curious when we would get to meet the famous Eddie Marquez. Nestor Serrano is one of my favorite character actors and he's a good choice for the role. My only worry is that Eva's "Papa Don't Preach" routine is already wearing thin.

Not that you can really blame her for being so pissed off all the time. In this episode alone, there were numerous occasions where John worked the case by himself. If I found out my partner was more willing to discuss the case with his dog than with me, I'd be pretty bent out of shape about it too.

• At 8, ABC has a new Dancing with the Stars, followed by a new Bachelor.
• CBS has a new Big Bang Theory at 8, then new episodes of How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, Old Christine, and CSI: Miami.
• NBC has new episodes of My Dad Is Better Than You Dad, Deal Or No Deal, and Medium.
• ABC Family has a new Greek at 8, followed by a new America's Prom Queen.
• At 8:30, Food Network has a new Heavyweights.
• At 9, FOX has a new New Amsterdam.
• The CW has a new Pussycat Dolls at 9.
• There's a new Monday Night RAW on USA at 9.
• GSN has a new World Poker Tour at 9.
• At 9:30, HBO Comedy has a One Night Stand featuring Bill Hicks.
• At 10, Food Network has a new Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
• E! has a new episode of The Soup Presents at 10.
• MTV has two new episodes of The Hills at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

(S01E05) "You want the truth?" - John Amsterdam

There are a lot of jobs I can believe that John has had. Lawyer? Sure. Soldier? Of course. Coachman? Okay, but a comedian? No way in hell. I don't care how long this guy lives, he will never acquire the skills to deliver a joke.

I have to admit I was intrigued by John's alcoholism. I mean, usually when someone has a drinking problem it takes a doctor to convince them that if they don't stop they will die. However, since John can't die he must have experienced something even worse. It gives a whole new meaning to "one day at a time."

Here are the weekly TV ratings, by number of viewers.

OK, OK, so we know that American Idol grabbed the top two slots again (get used to it). But I'm getting a little tired of putting a picture of AI on this post each and every week. Not because of any dislike for the show, but because it's the same old thing every week. So, above is a picture from the number 15 show, The New Adventures of Old Christine.

1. American Idol - Tues (FOX)
2. American Idol - Weds (FOX)

(S01E04) I was never a fan of the other shows like New Amsterdam. Highlander, Forever Knight and shows of that kind never really appealed to me. Which is why it's so puzzling that I enjoy this show. Case in point...since our dreams are a manifestation of the way our subconscious reacts to our life experiences, a dude who has been alive for over 400 years must have some pretty crazy-ass dreams. That's kind of cool to me.

When this show premiered, I wondered if there was ever going to be some real New York style crimes featured. I guess I have my answer.

(S01E03i) I don't know about you but this week's episode almost lost me in the opening scenes. I like exposition as much as the next guy but when a cop show takes that long to get to the first crime, I start to lose interest.

I was glad to see the return of Robert Clohessy. When he wasn't in the second episode I feared that he might have gotten axed from the series. With all of John Amsterdam's philosophical ramblings, this show desperately needs a sarcastic character like Clohessy's.

• At 8, FOX has the premiere of Canterbury's Law, then a new New Amsterdam.
• ABC has a new "Where are they now?" episode of The Bachelor, then the two hour season finale of October Road.
• NBC has new episodes of My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad, Deal Or No Deal, and Medium.
• TLC has two new episodes of Little People, Big World at 8.
• ABC Family has a new Kyle XY at 8, then a new Wildfire.
• Also at 8 (special time this week): USA has a new Monday Night RAW.
• At 8:30, CBS has a new Old Christine.
• At 9, The CW has a new Pussycat Dolls.
• At 9:30, CBS has another new Old Christine.
• Also at 9:30, HBO has a new episode of In Treatment.

Check your local TV listings for more.