TVSquad

I have to admit, this made me chuckle.

You know how you latch on to a show that gets so-so ratings (Arrested Development, Jericho, Moonlight, etc.) and then the show is canceled and you're forced to scramble fans together to send nuts or whatever to the network to demonstrate how much you want the show to stick around? Well, why wait until the show is canceled to do that? In fact, why wait until the show even premieres?

Fans of the new FOX/Joss Whedon show Dollhouse (can you be a "fan" if the show hasn't debuted yet?) have already started a "Save Our Show" campaign, because they fear that FOX will cancel the show quickly, like they did another Whedon show, Firefly.

So the networks have given their upfront presentations. It's not easy to pick which shows look the best. Sure, we can base our judgments on what "type" of show we usually like anyway or a producer that's involved or someone who is in the lead. But we're still just basing it on a description (or a snippet from each show). It really comes down to the writing and the execution in general.

Having said all that, here are the shows that look great to me, based on the upfront description, the cast and crew involved, and how my tastes run in general.

It's getting hard keeping track of what's going on at NBC. The Peacock Network first announced that they weren't going to do an upfront presentation this year. Then came word that they would. And now comes word that they, well, aren't doing an upfront presentation, but they are doing is changing their programming from a "fall to spring" schedule to a "52 weeks, year round" schedule.

This seems to be NBC Announcement Week. A day after we reported that the Peacock network was going to scrap their upfront presentation this year comes this news: they're getting rid of pilot episodes too!

Jeff Zucker says that pilots are too expensive and often aren't even a good indication of what the rest of the show's episodes will be like (we've seen this with many shows recently - the first episode is big and expensive and incredible and then the following episodes...not so much). Also, many shows never even get beyond a pilot episode, so he doesn't want to spend millions on pilots.

Hollywood is the most impatient entity in the entire galaxy. Industry experts and execs are already worried that the new season isn't living up to expectations.

Please note that we are one week into the new season.

There are only two new shows so far that have shown any strength: Bionic Woman and Private Practice. Of course, they've only had one episode each, less than a week ago, so who knows if those numbers are even solid? Returning shows, such as Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, and CSI: Miami are still big ratings-getters, but even their numbers are down. ABC, CBS, NBC are down in the 18-49 demo too

Ricky's leaving, Bill's staying, and a bunch of other things are happening at HBO in regards to comedy (and drama). Here's what's what:

The new drama series, Tell Me You Love Me, kicks off September 9 at 9:00 p.m. It delves into the lives of three couples who all go to the same therapist. There's a couple in their 40s who no longer have sex, a couple in their 30s struggling to have their first child, and a couple in their 20s struggling to remain faithful to one another. So, there's a lot of struggling, in case I didn't use that word enough. The cast includes Jane Alexander, Michelle Borth, Tim DeKay, Aislinn Paul, Adam Scott, Kate Towne, Sonya Walger and Ally Walker.

Comedy Central has announced what's on the slate for the upcoming season. Here's the rundown:

Pilots:

Held Up: a series about a group of bank workers who are held hostage and slowly develop a "comedic version of The Stockholm Syndrome."

"Larry the Cable Guy" Animated Project: a series that features Larry as the owner of a cable station. His character is always at odds with the stations other owner, who doesn't care for Larry's ideas. Isn't that pretty much the plot of the Weird Al movie UHF?

Studio 60!

I'm kidding. Readers just love it when I mention that show.

I'm talking about the shows created by The TV Show Pitch Generator. Just click on the "Pitch It" button and it will randomly create a new show for you. Most of them are better than the stuff that's been announced for this fall. It's too bad they don't have an option where you can actually create the cast/plot yourself, but it's pretty fun. My favorites are after the jump.

Every April we can be sure that several things will happen: the weather will alternate between warm/sunny and cold/rainy, kids will enjoy spring vacation before going back to school for the end of the year push, and a bunch of people will decide "hey, this is the week I won't watch television!" for some reason.

Yup, it's that time of year again. Today is the start of TV Turnoff Week (they've changed their name to "The Center For Screen-Time Awareness"), that week when all the misguided souls around the country decide to shut off their televisions and read a book and eat salad. Or so they'd have you believe. I write about this every year, and a couple of years ago even debated a guy on MSNBC about it, so I won't rehash all the points here. Check out this post, where I give all the reasons why this week is such a silly idea.

In short, don't celebrate TV Turnoff Week this week. To quote Jim Halpert on The Office when Pam told him to get a life, "but who will watch my television?"

The History Channel has five new weekly series currently in development and set to premiere in 2007 and 2008.

The first series, Ice Road Truckers, is a documentary series focusing on long haul truck drivers in northern North America who drive their rigs across frozen lakes and risk falling through the ice, therefore having to keep one hand on the door at all times in case they need to bail out. The series will focus both on the truckers and on the miners who rely on them. If you're into shows like Deadliest Catch on the Discovery, this show may also be right up your alley.

USA is developing some new series. Here's what's on the menu:

The Negotiator, a show about a hostage negotiator who becomes a relationship counselor, is being developed by film producer Donald De Line (The Stepford Wives, The Italian Job).

Meanwhile, Battlestar Galactica co-executive producer Toni Graphia is developing American Girl, about a Wal-Mart employee whose personality changes after she witnesses a robbery. I was hoping for a show either based on the line of dolls, or possibly the Tom Petty song of the same name, but I guess this works, too.

Every year, the networks have their pilot season. Many of the shows don't make it and you never hear about them again. Some actually make it on the air and onto the fall schedules. The networks are going to announce their new fall schedules in May (and we'll complete coverage here, of course), but Buzzsugar has a sneak peek at some of the pilots that are competing for a slot on the nets.

But it's not your typical sneak peek, it's a quiz! They list the plots for ten shows. Some of them are real, some of them are fake. Can you tell which is which? My favorite plot descriptions, whether they're real or not, are the comedy about "two soda salesmen on a never ending business trip," and the drama about "a girl raised by a pack of wolves who goes to boarding school."

(When you're done, the answers are here.)

Hello, people who like Adult Swim. Here's some news and random coolness for you:

First of all, Adult Swim has updated its schedule, and as you can see, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters is on the schedule for April 1, which is most likely a gag, considering it's not even scheduled for theatrical release until April 13.

Speaking of Aqua Teen, check out some more alternate endings to the movie here.