TVSquad

Every year, there's a show that's on the top of viewers' "You mean that's still on the air?" list. Whether the show was good or not, it was one that hung on in obscurity for years and years, getting just enough of an audience to keep it going. You know the shows I'm talking about: The Facts of Life. Wings. Yes, Dear. Matlock.Just Shoot Me. George Lopez. King of the Hill. JAG. Heck, even the great Scrubs was at the top of this list for many people for awhile (still might be for some).

But for the last five years or so, the reigning champ of that list was According to Jim, both because of its inexplicable longevity and its questionable quality. Now, with Jim Belushi's vanity project finally gone, it looks like another show has taken its place: FOX's 'Til Death.

The network just doesn't want to let the show die. Every time the show is in a low-rated slot, the network moves it to one that's higher-profile in an attempt to boost ratings. Case in point: the Brad Garrett sitcom will be replacing Brothers on Sundays at 7, starting January 10, after football's regular season is over.

• At 8, CBS has a new Ghost Whisperer, followed by new episodes of Medium and Numb3rs.
• NBC has a new Law and Order at 8, then new episodes of Dateline and The Jay Leno Show.
• FOX has a new Brothers at 8, followed by the season premiere of 'Til Death and a new Dollhouse.
• The CW has a new Smallville at 8.
• There's a new installment of The National Parks on PBS at 8.
• MyNetwork TV has a new Smackdown! at 8.
• Nickelodeon has a new episode of The Troop at 8.
• ESPN2 has College Football at 8, Pittsburgh vs. Louisville.
• Cartoon Network has the season premiere of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
• At 9, Syfy has the series premiere of Stargate Universe.
• Lifetime has the season premiere of DietTribe.
• BBC America has a new Friday Night with Jonathan Ross at 9.
• TCM has Rear Window at 9.
• Also at 9: National Geographic has a new Dog Whisperer.
• At 10, HBO has a new Real Time with Bill Maher.
• E! has a new episode of The Soup at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Afte the jump, the late night talk shows.

FOX has only two live action comedies on their fall slate: 'Til Death and Brothers. As someone who's seen Brothers, I can see why they'd be concerned that this isn't going to be enough. So, if you're FOX and you haven't had a good long-running comedy hit since That '70s Show, what do you do? Find the guys who worked on that and see what the've been up to, of course.

Co-creator and executive producer Mark Brazill has been developing a new multi-camera comedy. "We'll take it!" It's just a spec script right now? "Okay, find the right cast and -- we'll take it!"

Like '70s, The Rednecks & Romeos is a coming-of-age comedy. Based somewhat on Brazill's own experiences, it's about a family trying to get by after the father loses his dealership business and the family home to bankruptcy. That may hit pretty close to home for a lot of people these days.

Fox showed some surprising stability in its schedule (our network is growing up) for the 2009-2010 season. But they are bringing in four new comedies, two dramas and a late night Saturday show.

Returning Summer: Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, Don't Forget the Lyrics!, So You Think You Can Dance

Returning Fall/Winter: 24, American Dad, American Idol, Bones, Dollhouse,, Family Guy, Fringe, House, Kitchen Nightmares, Lie to Me, The Simpsons, 'Til Death (for some reason), So You Think You Can Dance (yeah, two separate seasons summer and fall)

Gone: Do Not Disturb, King of the Hill (though there's still episodes in the can which will air sometime next year), Prison Break (a 2-hour film is being produced that may air next year), Sit Down Shut Up, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

New: Brothers, The Cleveland Show, Glee (sneak peek tomorrow), Human Target, Past Life, Sons of Tucson, The Wanda Sykes Show (late night Saturdays)

The schedule and some details on the new shows after the jump.

According to industry scuttlebutt, My Name Is Earl is on the ropes and at risk of being canceled by NBC. Nikki Finke is reporting that it's practically a done deal at NBC, but Earl could be moving to Fox.

It's not just the lousy Nielsen ratings that have done the shaggy-dog sitcom in, it's also the rising production costs. NBC has an entire line-up that's bleeding in the ratings, so surgery is required. It is very likely that Earl will get the ax.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

How can there be so many DVDs released in one day and there not be one that I want to buy? I never got into Stargate, I don't want to own Dallas on DVD, ditto Reba, and I refuse to buy Walker Texas Ranger because a.) it's not very good, and b.) it replaced a show that I really loved in the early 90s. I enjoyed Benny Hill, but I don't know if I enjoyed it enough to own it. So it looks like I'm going to save some money this week.

Yeah, right. Like I won't find something to buy that was released a while ago.

• Alvin & The Chipmunks - The Chipettes
• Ben 10 Alien Force - Season 1, Vol. 2
• The Benny Hill Show - Best of the Early Years
• Captain and the Kings - Miniseries
• Dallas - Season 10
• House of Payne - Vol. 3

Huh. That's the only thing I can say about the recent announcement that 'Til Death will be returning to the FOX lineup next year with a full season order. Well, I could probably add in a 'Hmm' or an 'Eh?' or even a 'Whaaaaa?', but they would all convey the same emotions.

I mean, who would have thought that the network had so much confidence in the show after it placed it on "hiatus" back in October (it still has 15 episodes left in its compliment)? It's not like the network had anything of importance to fill the time slot other than repeats of House or Fringe. Maybe the network felt bad that 'Til Death is, as of this moment, the only live-action, studio audience sitcom remaining on the network. Or, maybe they have some bigger ideas in the works.

Primetime Wednesday seems to be the toughest night of all for TV programmers. There's not one network that seems to do particularly well in the 8-9 p.m. time slot, and the juggling has begun. Fox yanked Do Not Disturb weeks ago, admitting it was a dud.

Now the Brad Garrett-Joely Fisher sitcom Til Death will be off the air for two weeks, effective immediately. In that time slot, instead, we'll be seeing more House, albeit repeats. Still, you watch, those reruns will do markedly better than the sitcoms did.

Til Death, to be frank, has regressed this year. I defended the renewal of the show when Fox gave it a third season, based on the episodes I watched last spring. But the comedy has really strained since its season premiere in September. There's no other way to put it -- Death is in the death throes and should be put out of its misery. This two week hiatus should be the end of the series.

• At 8, ABC has a new Pushing Daisies, then new episodes of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS has a new Old Christine at 8, followed by new episodes of Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds, and CSI: NY.
• NBC has a new Knight Rider at 8, then new episodes of Biggest Loser and Lipstick Jungle.
• FOX has new episodes of Bones and 'Til Death (two episodes).
• The CW has a new America's Next Top Model at 8.
• At 9, Discovery has a new Mythbusters.
• There's a new Ghost Hunters on Sci-Fi at 9, then a new Destination Truth.
• History Channel has a new MonsterQuest at 9, followed by a new Jurassic Fight Club.
• Also at 9, Showtime has a new Inside The NFL.
• At 9:30, A&E has a new Dog The Bounty Hunter.
• At 10, Comedy Central has the season premiere of South Park, then the season premiere of The Sarah Silverman Program.
• FX has a new Sons of Anarchy at 10.
• TV Land has a new Myths and Legends at 10.
• At 11, Food Network has the series premiere of My Life In Food: The Chef Jeff Project.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk show listings.

• AMC has a Breaking Bad marathon all night.
• At 6:30, TBS has the Cubs vs. the Dodgers, followed by the Red Sox vs. the Angels.
• At 8, ABC has a new Pushing Daisies, followed by the season premieres of Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.
• CBS has a new Old Christine at 8, then new episodes of Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds, and CSI: NY.
• NBC has a new Knight Rider, followed by new episodes of America's Got Talent and Lipstick Jungle.
• FOX has new episodes of Bones and 'Til Death (two episodes).
• The CW has a new America's Next Top Model at 8.
• At 9, Bravo has a new Project Runway, followed by a new Top Design.
• Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters at 9, then a new Destination Truth.
• At 9:30, A&E has a new Dog The Bounty Hunter, then a new Criss Angel Mindfreak.
• At 10, FX has a new Sons Of Anarchy.
• At 10:30, Comedy Central has a new Lewis Black's Root Of All Evil.

Check your local TV listings for more.

After the jump, the late night talk show listings.

Where are the family comedies these days? They're a rare commodity on the big three plus Fox, and even if you include the animated clans on The Family Guy and The Simpsons and American Dad, you can count the family-type comedy shows on one hand.

However, TBS has a throwback family comedy, one in The Cosby Show mode, and they're sticking with it. TBS's The Bill Engvall Show has just been given a third season renewal. The sitcom will be back in the summer 2009 with ten new episodes.

I've watched The Bill Engvall Show and enjoyed it. It's meant to evoke Cosby, but I also found a lot of Everybody Loves Raymond and Home Improvement in it as well, and that's a good thing. Engvall's a funny guy, and he's greatly aided in the show by sitcom vet Nancy Travis as his smart, attractive spouse.

• At 8, FOX has a new Bones, followed by the season premiere of 'Til Death and the series premiere of Do Not Disturb.
• CBS has the season finale of Greatest American Dog at 8.
• NBC has a new America's Got Talent at 8.
• There's a new America's Next Top Model on The CW at 8.
• At 9, PBS has a new Great Performances.
• Discovery has a new Mythbusters at 9, then a new Man vs. Wild.
• Bravo has a new Project Runway at 9, followed by a new Top Design.
• Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters at 9, then a new Destination Truth.
• GAC has a new Next GAC Star at 9.
• Sundance has a new Architecture School at 9.
• Showtime has a new Inside The NFL at 9.
• At 9:30, A&E has a new Dog The Bounty Hunter, followed by two new episodes of Criss Angel Mindfreak.
• At 10, FX has a new Sons of Anarchy.
• Food Network has a new Dinner: Impossible at 10.
  
• At 10:30, Comedy Central has a new Lewis Black's Root Of All Evil.
• Also at 10:30, TCM has Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Ladies, your dreams have come true. It looks like you will have a chance to date television star Brad Garrett. He's executive-producing and starring in an online dating reality show called, duh, Dating Brad Garrett.

Garrett is best known for his nine-year stint as Ray Romano's brother in the popular sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. He is currently entering his third season as one of the stars of the Fox sitcom Til Death.

"An online dating show seemed like a logical choice given that I'm in the midst of a midlife crisis and averse to pain, which makes getting my ear pierced out of the question," Garrett said. "And since I'm not picky about my choices, I hope women of all sizes, shapes and colors will be compelled to submit their videos."

Women can submit videos to the Crackle.com site at Crackle.com/DateBrad. I wonder if he'll be more popular than Tila Tequila?

Summer hasn't even started yet (though I always consider Memorial Day the start of summer), but FOX has all of the premiere dates for the new and returning shows. Some of the shows were announced as starting the week of August 25, but those dates have been pushed to September 1. In fact, all of the FOX shows bow in September this year. But that's OK. Better than waiting until October like a lot of networks, right? (Of course, the World Series starts on FOX at the end of October so there will be an interruption.)

After the jump, the rundown (except for 24 and Dollhouse, which premiere in early '09). Feel free to print out and post on your refrigerator!

Ok, it is after midnight here in the Jet City, and as I sit down to bang this post out on my beloved Model M it would appear that my tasty glass of juice is half empty. Maybe I'm just not in the right frame of mind to spin this news in a positive direction that will lead to a 2009 full of Dollhouse win.

Tucked away in a report on various network goings on over at Hollywood Reporter is a little line that says "Dollhouse is expected to launch mid-season." This is me shaking my fist in the general direction of Fox and screaming "Khaaaaan!" Just, because. Doesn't this seem like a road that has been traveled before? It's one that usually leads to a pretty disappointing destination. We haven't seen the finished fall schedule yet, but I would wager that most of us could easily find three or four hours where the network would be better served by inserting Dollhouse. Highlights of what the networks have planned are available after the jump.