TVSquad

Later this afternoon I'll have my What's On Tonight picks posted, but I did want to give Top Chef Masters fans a heads up about tonight's episode: there isn't one.

For some reason, Bravo is replacing this week's episode of the cooking competition show with a special episode of The Fashion Show. And this isn't one of those deals where one show is put in place of another show but that other show is rescheduled to another night during the week, maybe in the slot of the first show. No, Top Chef Masters won't be seen at all this week (except for reruns of previous episodes, of course).

Fans will have to wait until next week for the next new episode. (And if you're wondering what's on tomorrow night at 10 in the regular time slot for The Fashion Show, it's a repeat of tonight's episode.)

Oh well. I'm not watching The Fashion Show so I guess I'll catch The Philanthropist.

Now I have two chances not to watch this show.

CBS' Power of 10, carrying on the proud and recent tradition of primetime game shows that involve absolutely no skill whatsoever, will air Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. in addition to its usual timeslot of Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. The two-nights-a-week format will continue for the remainder of the summer, bumping NCIS to 10:00 p.m.

Who knew that putting a niche-y comedy up against American Idol, then sandwiching it between two aging and unfunny shows, was a bad strategy? Just about everyone, including me. But that didn't stop ABC from putting The Knights of Prosperity at 8:30 on Wednesdays, between According to Jim and George Lopez. The strategy was designed to give the show a bit of a safety net, taking it away from the 9 PM airing of Idol, but the ratings remained anemic, sinking like a rock when Idol started airing at 8.

So, ABC did the inevitable and pulled the show from the schedule, starting this week, replacing it with reruns of Jim and Lopez. No word on whether the pulled episodes (the announcement linked above lists three) will be rescheduled. But given the fact that the show only averaged just over five million viewers, it doesn't seem likely the show will return any time soon.

[thanks to Trevor for the tip]

When it returns from a 13-week hiatus, Lost will have a new time slot. ABC has bumped the sci fi/drama back one hour to 10 pm. The reasoning behind this, according to Variety, is the unstoppable power that is American Idol. Lost has consistently finished second to CBS's Closer to Home Criminal Minds this fall and apparently ABC can't stomach the thought of coming in third during the 9 pm hour on Wednesday nights. Last year, Lost took a pretty big hit on Wednesdays once American Idol started up. The new Wednesday schedule makes it pretty obvious that ABC is bowing down to American Idol.

Here's the new Wednesday schedule at ABC:

Well, it's not the big announcement I had hoped for. NBC is reorganizing its post-football schedule, but it's only shuffling a few things and adding some other stuff to the open slots on its schedule. So far, only Sunday and Wednesday nights are changing:

Sundays (starting Jan. 7)
8 pm: Grease: You're The One That I Want
9 pm: The Apprentice
10 pm: Crossing Jordan

Wednesdays (starting Jan. 3)
8 pm: Friday Night Lights
9 pm: Deal or No Deal
10 pm: Medium

Lost is over until February 7th. Tonight, ABC is filling Lost's time slot with a new series, Day Break. (Think: Groundhog Day meets Die Hard) To keep Lost fans murmuring about the show, the network plans to air teasers from next year's episodes during the entire run of Day Break. But, you don't have to watch Day Break because the 30-second clips will also be available on ABC's Lost webpage every Thursday... and probably all over the internet immediately after they air. The network is also keeping the first six episodes of Lost available on its website for refreshers or in case you want to watch that Sawyer/Kate sex scene again. And to keep fans from bitching about the big, fat hiatus, the network has also started up its own Lost wiki, which it wants fans to create the content.

According to The New York Times, NBC will announce some shifts in its schedule this week-- which will likely include a new night and/or time for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. In an article about the network's announcement that it is picking up Studio 60 for the entire season, there's also a little quote from NBC entertainment president Kevin Reilly, saying Studio 60 will "not necessarily stay on Monday."

Where can it go? There's an open time slot on Wednesdays at 10pm since NBC pulled Kidnapped off the air. That would put Studio 60 up against The Nine on ABC and CSI: NY on CBS. Or, NBC could separate the two Law & Order franchises on Tuesday night and slide Studio 60 into one of those time slots.

Any other ideas? Maybe NBC stole my ideal schedule.

Ratings are so poor for NBC's Kidnapped that it's being pulled from its crappy Saturday time slot. The show was sent there earlier this month from its Wednesday night time slot, where it was also tanking. Previously, NBC had ordered the show to stop production after 13 episodes, which is why we dubbed it the first canceled show of the Fall 2006 season.

Last Saturday, Kidnapped got only about 3.7 million viewers, making it the lowest-watched program on television that night. Only five episodes of Kidnapped have aired so far and there's no word from NBC on whether it will even play out the rest of the 'season'. Starting this Saturday, reruns of Law & Order: Criminal Intent will play instead of Kidnapped.

Is that Wednesday? my babysitter asks. Are you sure that's not Wednesday?

It is Wednesday, a.k.a. Christina Ricci, with her hand inside a patient. Actually, her name is "Hannah," and maybe she's going to have a recurring role: she thinks Alex is cute.

In other news, Bailey is in labor, her husband is MIA, and that chick from Judging Amy is screaming at the top of her lungs. Oh, and Meredith has a "feeling." And this feeling, we all know it isn't good. Shivers are running up and down my spine and every word is full of import.

I mean, except for the first bit, to keep the post-Super Bowl crowd hooked - the girl-on-girl-on-girl shower scene. Oh yeah, baby. It's entirely delicious, superfluous fluff. The whole room loves it despite its salaciousness. And I have to say, although Izzie is always the most babe-ilicious, the makeup and camera people should be given kudos - all three of them are soft porn-worthy.