TVSquad

... Two Programming Blunders.

It's been an interesting year for network TV, especially since the new fall season began. The set of pilots that the networks presented to audiences were at the same time the highest-quality and hardest-to-follow in years. That's why, in mid-season, we're now seeing that most of those pilots have either quickly disappeared or are hanging on for dear life.

Of course, this is all the networks' fault. The short-sightedness they used when programming their schedules this year has been mind-boggling, causing more viewers to scurry to other sources -- cable, YouTube, BitTorrent -- for their entertainment. Here are two of their dumbest moves:

Two days, two upfronts, two completely different programming strategies. On Tuesday, ABC introduced fifteen new shows, with all but five scheduled to premiere this fall. Today, on the other hand, CBS, secure in its first place position, introduced only seven new shows, four of which will bow in the fall.

You heard that number right. This is the fewest number of fall premieres I've seen a network introduce in many, many years, and it seems that CBS has decided to use the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" axiom. They're in first place, so they have the right. But that schedule is built on the strength of procedural shows that don't seem to be all that different from one another. I mean, really: three CSIs, NCIS, Without A Trace, Close to Home, Cold Case, etc. It's pretty much the entire schedule. And, of the new shows introduced, only two -- The Class and Jericho -- look like they may hold my interest.