The TV Zone

Joe Mantegna makes his first appearance on the now Mandy Patinkin-less “Criminal Minds” this Wednesday (Oct. 31 at 9 p.m. on CBS).

Mantegna plays David Rossi, a long-retired agent who once helped found the Behavioral Analysis Unit and now returns to action, sez CBS’ press, with “some unfinished business of his own.” (Why are we not surprised?)

Sneak a peek at him here, in a video preview with Jayne Atkinson, “24’s” Karen Hayes.

And stay tuned to “Criminal Minds” for a Nov. 14 sweeps shot by Jamie Kennedy in an episode about “a cannibalistic serial killer.”

Critics will cry, but all the viewers who fell in love with “October Road” will rejoice when last spring’s soapfest returns to the ABC lineup Nov. 22, in a one-time broadcast in the Thursday 10 p.m. “Big Shots” timeslot after “Grey’s Anatomy.”

(Of course, “OR” might actually be better than “Big Shots.” But that isn’t saying much.)

“October Road” then moves to its regular slot of Monday 10 p.m., where “The Bachelor” will have ended. Trapped -- I mean, starring -- in the suds are “That ’70s Show” fave Laura Prepon and “One Tree Hill’s” Bryan Greenberg. (Watch previous "October Road" episodes online here.)

Also coming back is another critically reviled ABC entry -- the hee-larious pregnancy comedy “Notes From the Underbelly,” which will air in the Monday 9 p.m. hour after the deserves-better freshman “Samantha Who?” All the Monday changes take effect Nov. 26.

[Above: “October Road” cast photo by ABC/Art Streiber.]

Now here's where it ain’t so great watching network preview screeners to review new shows (even sans commercials).

“Aliens in America” -- the smart cross-cultural comedy just premiered Mondays on The CW/11 -- arrived in critics’ hands without its main title sequence/theme song. Which turns out to be super cool.

Echoing the series’ American and Pakistani student pals, the show-open pairs Michigan-born PJ Olsson and Salman Ahmad of Pakistan’s rocking band Junoon to deliver “(What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding.” The song also appears on Olsson’s “American Scream” CD dropping Oct. 16.

Says The CW press release, “Both musicians grew up playing the traditional music of their cultures and were transformed by their experience with rock ‘n’ roll. Olsson grew up in an orchestral family and sang gospel music in church, but it was the experience of seeing Pink Floyd that inspired him to seek a career in music. In Pakistan, Ahmad played Sufi devotional music, but when he came to America at the age of 11 and saw Jimmy Page perform ‘Stairway to Heaven,’ everything changed for him as well.”

Find the pair’s music video and more info here. (Junoon videos here.)

Watch CW “Aliens in America” video here.

Don’t take my word for it. After you read Newsday’s reviews of the new fall shows, read everybody else’s. That’s easy to do at Metacritic, which aggregates up to 30 reviews for each series from around the country on one link-crammed page.

Metacritic also “averages” them, by assigning each review a numerical score (which, once you read the full reviews, doesn’t always seem accurate), then boiling them all down into one simple grade -- enabling each show to be labeled as green (acclaimed), yellow (maybe) or red (stinkeroo).

At Metacritic, “Reaper” tops the newbies with an 81, followed by “Chuck” at 74. Landing with a thud would be “Big Shots” at 33 and “Moonlight” at 36 (although I thought my own semi-appreciative assessment in Friday’s paper was scored way too low at 40).

Today’s debut of “Aliens in America” was still in the process of being compiled at Metacritic this morning, but looked promising with a preliminary 79. (My own review in Monday's Newsday was scored an 80.)

Metacritic is a great site to bookmark for TV opinions, and it also covers movies, music, DVDs, books and games (Halo 3 got a 95).

["Aliens in America" photo from The CW/Kharen Hill.]

As if “Jail” and “Decision House” weren’t low-rent enough, the makeshift MyNetwork TV network (operated by Fox) is adding more, uh, thrifty-budgeted shows this Monday, Oct. 1.

“Celebrity Expose” (Monday at 8 p.m. on WWOR/9) debuts with “the stories behind the headlines of today’s most compelling personalities.” Like we can’t get those anywhere else. This series is, in fact, produced by the team behind “Access Hollywood,” and hosted by that show’s Tony Potts. First subject: Lindsay Lohan. (Next week: Britney Spears! So hard to find news on her.)

“Control Room Presents” (Monday at 9 p.m. on WWOR/9) promises “concert performances from platinum-selling artists at venues from around the world, as well as behind-the-scenes interviews and back-stage access.” First up: Maroon 5 at Montreal’s Cabaret Club.

Could we please have UPN back?

[Above: Lindsay Lohan in AP photo by Jeff Christensen.]

The fall season claims its first victim.

“Nashville,” the low-rated Fox docusoap of country music wannabes, has been yanked by the network in favor of “encore” airings of Monday night’s New Orleans cop drama “K-Ville.” That’s for the next two weeks (the "K-Ville" pilot re-airs at 9 this Friday), after which major league baseball playoffs occupy the slot for a month.

Fox says "Nashville" will return to its 9 p.m. Friday slot on Nov. 9. During the big fall sweeps? Right.

Can’t wait for fall series premieres? Don’t have to. They’re all over the internet.

Among the online highlights:

YAHOO! TV -- The season premiere of “Friday Night Lights” doesn’t hit the tube till Oct. 5, but it’s already streaming here, along with CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” and NBC’s “Chuck” (both hitting TV Monday, Sept. 24). Soon to come are The CW’s “Aliens in America” (on Yahoo Sept. 24, on TV Oct. 1) and “Life Is Wild” (on Yahoo Sept. 30, on TV Oct. 7), Showtime’s “Dexter” and “Brotherhood” (on TV and on Yahoo Sept. 30), Lifetime’s “Blood Ties” (on Yahoo Oct. 4, on TV Oct. 12), and many more.

AMAZON -- The Unbox download service offers CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” and NBC’s “Chuck” (on TV Sept. 24), “Journeyman” (Sept. 24), “Life” (Sept. 26) and “Bionic Woman” (Sept. 26), plus encores of “Back to You,” “K-Ville” and more.

ITUNES -- Free downloads include CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory,” plus Fox’ already debuted “Back to You,” “K-Ville” and “Kitchen Nightmares” (the episode with Peter’s in Babylon). Fox plans to post its fall premieres here after they air.

AOL TV -- Premiere video is streaming for NBC’s “Life” (full episode) and “Bionic Woman” (first half).

MSN –- Shows include CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” premiere and “Kid Nation” encore.

You’d think being a WWE wrestler would toughen you up. Doesn’t seem to have happened, though, for Ashley Massaro [at center of CBS photo, with bandana]. The East Northport native makes quite an impression, all right, on Thursday’s season premiere of “Survivor: China” (8 p.m. on CBS/2). Just not the best kind.

The buxom blonde shows up in fishnets and combat boots (and lip piercings), and immediately rolls up into a ball saying she’s sick. Her yellow-themed Zhan Hu tribe isn’t so healthy competitively, either, beset by disorganization, infighting and endless whining. The rival, red Fei Long tribe manages to suck it up through a drenching rain at what “Survivor” host Jeff Probst calls the “harsh and remote land” of China’s Lake of a Thousand Islands.

The opening scenic tour is grand indeed -- a 16th century Buddhist temple, the Great Wall, pandas and monkeys, bamboo rainforests. The tribes are even handed scrolls from which to read the ancient Chinese treatise “The Art of War,” in which neither they nor the show evinces much interest. As always, the castaways are busier sizing each other up and plotting strategy.

The show meanwhile dedicates its energy to creating “characters.” Shy/hunky southern gravedigger James. Laconic/older farmer “Chicken.” Shallow NYC waitress Courtney. Bossy Chinese-American Peih-Gee. Gay Mormon flight attendant Todd. And his unlikely confidant, macho/cunning poker player Jean-Robert Bellande [right rear of photo, in black shirt], who hails from Commack but now lives in Vegas (natch).

They’re as mixed a bunch as any, but hardly earth-shakers. And the season’s vaunted China location quickly devolves into ethnic banality. The suspense-boosting music carries a vaguely Asian sound as the teams carry heavy parade dragons through the swamp and over the drawbridge in their premiere-night challenge.

Sneak a video peek here.

Wanna catch up to the new fall season on your iPod?

The iTunes store has posted free downloads of Fox’ “K-Ville” drama debut and CBS’ sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” plus Monday’s season premiere of “Prison Break.”

Other tube-tied downloads (for purchase) at iTunes include TNT’s “Saving Grace” and “The Closer,” the classic miniseries “Roots,” and a wide range of new and vintage shows. There’s even a quick click section devoted to this year’s Emmy winners (“30 Rock,” “Ugly Betty,” “My Name Is Earl,” “Lost” and more).

Remember, you can watch a lot of the networks' shows on their own web sites, too.

Sneak a peek at some of the new shows covered in Newsday's Sunday fall TV preview section.

Scroll down for clips of "Pushing Daisies," "K-Ville," "Dirty Sexy Money," "Back to You," "Bionic Woman," and other debuts.

Jerry Springer hosts the 13th season premiere of “MADtv” (Saturday 11 p.m. on Fox/5). From his own studio, the daytime ringmaster presents a best-of hour called “MADtv Ruined My Life: The Outrageous Sketches That Shocked a Nation,” recalling such buzz-makers as “The Wizard of Oz: The Lost Footage,” Michael McDonald’s “Secret Skill” and “Hot In Here,” a music video lampooning the church sex scandals.

Upcoming clip collections are hosted by “Survivor” emcee Jeff Probst (Sept. 22, with parodies of “The Sopranos” and “Grey’s Anatomy”) and web gossipmeister Perez Hilton (Sept. 29).

Interesting choices here by the "Saturday Night Live" folks for their Sept. 29 fall premiere. (Note: Sarcasm to follow.)

NBA-er LeBron James will host the NBC fave's 33rd season return. Shrinking violet Kanye West has replaced shrinking head Amy Winehouse as musical guest.

The Cleveland Cavaliers star follows in the footsteps of such hallowed "SNL" athlete hosts as Fran Tarkenton, Derek Jeter, Charles Barkley and Joe Montana, whose excuse for excusing himself to go upstairs remains an "SNL" classic.

And who could forget Peyton Manning's inspirational "SNL" United Way spot from earlier this year? (What the bleep?!)

While fall-premiere anticipation builds, "SNL" repeats shows from earlier this year featuring Molly Shannon and Linkin Park (this Saturday) and Jake Gyllenhaal and The Shins (Sept. 22).

What will all the cool kids be watching? According to pollsters, teens are dreaming of “Gossip Girl” and “Pushing Daisies.”

Online testing detailed in the trade pub TV Week says the CW teen soap (debuting next Wednesday, Sept. 19) and ABC’s whimsical fantasy (Oct. 3) scored highest in awareness among 13-to-17-year-olds.

Without seeing the shows, teens showed taste by also mentioning CW’s “Reaper” and “Aliens in America.” Not so much with NBC’s dud “Bionic Woman” remake and ABC’s excruciating “Cavemen” comedy.

More scoop on teen trends here.

Fall freshmen series “Chuck,” “Journeyman” and “Life” are available for free rental at Blockbuster. The chain’s video stores (and online rental queues) are stocking this "NBC New Fall Preview DVD" through Oct. 21.

If you’re time-pressed, watch ’em in this order: “Chuck,” “Life,” “Journeyman.” (I’ve seen them already.) NBC’s fall premiere week starts Sept. 24.

It’s the same sort of deal NBC offered last year through Netflix.

Here we are again: the time of year that UPS, FedEx and DHL just love -- all that money to be made from TV networks wooing TV critics to love their new fall slates.

Every day now for us, it’s Christmas in July -- make that September -- as delivery services dump upon us piles of not only episodes for review, but also title-slathered products, lest we forget what we’re writing about. These little “treasures” turn our desks into journalist versions of those doctors’ offices littered with pharmaceutical-branded pens, note pads, tissues and other inexpensive debris.

I mean, collectible premiums.

Right here is a “Back to You” notepad and pen from the new Fox sitcom debuting Sept. 19 with Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton playing quarrelsome news anchors. (There’s also a squishy mini news van for us to exercise our typing fingers with.)

And there’s a Regis and Kelly coffee mug (with a one-cup coffee press!), commemorating the live morning show’s 20th anniversary season starting Sept. 10.

We get show-branded T-shirts and Sharpies and bobbleheads and tote bags (“Two and a Half Men”! But only one bag!), and even DVD sets of last season in case we missed it.

But some publicists really put on their thinking caps and come up with promotional items so cleverly related to their shows, yet so off-the-wall, that somebody should be giving them high-fives.

Well, here’s my palm slap.

The people at “Cops” -- the Fox reality/verite series celebrating both its 20th season and 700th episode in the season starting this Saturday -- decided to worm their way into critics’ hearts by sending out a keychain-sized battery-operated alcohol breath tester (with, of course, the COPS logo emblazened upon it). They even included the batteries. Plus instructions explaining the green, yellow and red lights that, upon breathing onto the device, indicate how soused you might be (0.05% is yellow, 0.08% is red).

If only we’d had this handy little gadget back in the days when newspaper people were drinkin’, smokin’, hard-livin’ word crunchers with ink in our veins and clattersome presses ringing in our ears. We sure could’ve used it. (Please don’t check our rap sheets.)

But now we’re all college-educated, cyber-savvy, video-ready “professionals” who can’t smoke within X feet of tidy “media corporation” buildings, who’d be fired for having a bottle of booze anywhere near the workplace, who type on shiny computers that create pixels satellite-beamed to some distant press location whose noise and dirt never have to sully our refined senses.

Boy, do I want a beer. Or seven.

C’mon, “Cavemen.” Top this.

The networks are still trying to stir up interest (some interest, any interest) in a slate of new fall series that haven’t as yet generated much buzz.

They’ve put together on-air preview shows filled with clips and interviews to razzle-dazzle us into a sense of anticipation.

Some upcoming airings (with online viewing links):

“NBC Primetime Preview Party” (on WNBC/4) – Saturday at 5 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.; Saturday Sept. 8 at 8:30 p.m. (Also on Sci Fi: Sunday Sept. 9 at 10 a.m.)

“Fox Fall Preview” (on WNYW/5) – Sunday at 7 p.m., late Friday night Sept. 7 at 1 a.m., Sunday Sept. 9 at 1 p.m.

“CW Fall Preview” (on WPIX/11) – very early Tuesday-Wednesday at 2:30 a.m., early next Thursday-Friday at 4 a.m., Saturday Sept. 8 at 5:30 p.m., Sunday Sept. 9 at 10 a.m.

ABC has actually produced three separate half-hour sneak-peeks, but they haven't shown up in WABC/7 listings. ABC fall clips can be found online. CBS new-show previews are also online.

That's what celebrity-gossip-mongering site TMZ.com says. They've got the supposed list online for the new cast of twinkle-toed contestants hitting ABC Sept. 24.

Good thing billionaire Mark Cuban had that hip replacement.

This fall's "Dancing With the Stars" competitors were supposed to be announced by ABC on Wednesday's "Good Morning America."

Oops.

TMZ says these are them:
Aaron Carter
Wayne Newton
Mark Cuban
Jane Seymour
Tori Spelling
Jennie Garth
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Lou Ferrigno
Nia Peeples
Richard Quest
Giselle Bundchen
Helio Castroneves
Sabrina Bryan
Mel B (not dancing, but playing a role on the show)

Getting a jump on the competition, Fox has already put the premiere episode of its new fall Monday night drama “K-Ville” online at Fox.com, AOL, Yahoo and other sites.

“K-Ville” dramatizes New Orleans police officers trying to maintain order and some semblance of normal life post-Katrina. Starring as partners are Anthony Anderson (“The Shield”) and Cole Hauser (“High Incident”) [above in Fox photo]. The series debuts on Fox TV stations Sept. 17.

More online video from Fox: this fall’s return of “Prison Break,” or at least the first 17 minutes of it. That show [Fox photo below] starts its third season Sept. 17, leading into “K-Ville.”

CBS has announced the 40 kids it collected in a New Mexico “ghost town” this spring to create their own “Kid Nation” for a new fall “reality” series (premiering Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m.).

Turns out no Long Island parents are among those who thought this was an awwwesome idea.

On CBS’ web site, you can now meet the cast -- I mean, real-life event participants. These kids aren’t actors, no, of course not. Then they’d have to “work” fewer hours and be paid a lot more. But the site’s promo reel -- which is all that CBS has shown to TV critics at this point, too -- reveals that young players can be just as savvy as adults when it comes to the incidents, attitudes and “roles” reality producers favor.

Which isn’t to say “Kid Nation” won’t be a huge hit, as many industry analysts are expecting. But should it be? That’s the question that came up for debate at the recent TV critics' press tour, where CBS executives and series producers defended the project.

More fuel on the fire: this new story from our sister-paper Los Angeles Times talking to some of the kids, parents and series skeptics.

And now the ramp-up begins. TV networks/channels are starting to air sneak-peek rundowns of what’s coming this fall season.

On “NBC’s Fall Preview Party” (Saturday at 1:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., WNBC/4), “Heroes” star Greg Grunberg [right, with costar Ali Larter in NBC photo] hosts a half-hour of clips from such upcoming series as the “Bionic Woman” remake and the “Chuck” delight in which a big-box clerk becomes a super-secret agent. The preview will also pop up on NBC-allied cable channels (like CNBC Aug. 26 at 8:30 and 11:30 p.m.), digital cable’s on-demand service, online, and even on United airplane flights.

ABC has a fall preview special, too, but it’s not currently scheduled on WABC/7. (Philly-area viewers can watch it Saturday at 7 p.m. on WPVI/6.)

The web's TMZ celebrity scandal site comes to TV this fall in a syndicated series. The Sept. 10 arrival is teased in “TMZonTV Preview Special” (Saturday at 2:30 p.m., Sunday night at 1 a.m., WNYW/5).

Beverly Hills - Hey, networks are almost always happy to get a little pre-launch flak before a new show hits the air, but it's also always valid to ask - how much controversy? or what SORT of controversy? or can this controversy have the potential to humiliate both network, producer, cast member and viewer? This is the kind of stuff the new CBS reality show “Kid Nation" invokes because it IS about kids, and there AREN'T any adults involved, and there ARE such things as child labor laws, and, well, we could go on, but let Tom Forman tell you about all this stuff.

Tom's a reasonably well-regarded producer - talented enough to survive "Armed & Famous," his deliriously, deliciously bad creation, now thankfully cancelled. He was a top producer at "Extreme Makeover," and has a credit on CBS’s "9/11," and was once a network news producer, so maybe he deserves benefit of the doubt here.

Or does he?

There's not much to see with "Kid Nation" - CBS has released only a brief snippet - but it's still one of those shows that instantly prompts a visceral kind of response as in - "what were they drinking when they thought this up?"

The basics: forty kids spend forty days/nights in a New Mexico ghost town, Bonanza City, to "build a new world." They cook their own meals - and they are only about eight years old - haul water, run businesses, and create their own government. No one gets booted - this isn't "Survivor" - and at each episode’s end, the forty kiddies gather together for a town meeting where they hash stuff out. (By the way - no TV.) Seems harmless enough but there have been reports that the show somehow violated child labor laws, and Forman was even asked whether New Mexico was picked because the state has a loophole in said laws that he exploited.

"No," said he, "we picked New Mexico because it had the right location and...we checked with our attorneys, who said there was no problem." But - this persistent writer persisted - when the show started shooting, the New Mexico state legislature discovered the loophole and instantly closed it in response to “Kid Nation,” right? Foreman: "I don't believe that's true..."

"The truth is, it's less child labor laws than labor laws...the participants aren't acting, and we went ahead and made this show with he understanding they'll do what they do and we're not going to consider them actors" who get paid residuals.

He added, this kind of show would not have been possible in, say, California – where presumably the child labor laws have no loopholes.

UPDATE:
No sooner had we posted the link item below than CBS announced it will indeed revive "Jericho" for seven episodes next midseason.

“In success, there is the potential for more," CBS program chief Nina Tassler wrote in an email to the J-fans who successfully campaigned for the series' return. "But, for there to be more ‘Jericho,’ we will need more viewers.”

To that end, CBS plans to repeat the series on-air this summer, continue streaming episodes online, and put out the first-season DVD Sept. 25.

Full story here.

ORIGINAL POST:
Our sister paper The Los Angeles Times reports today more definitively that "Jericho" producers are talking with CBS executives about reviving the canceled series for eight episodes next midseason.

TV Guide is reporting online today that CBS' canceled cult fave "Jericho" might get a reprieve for a few (possibly midseason) episodes, which presumably could resolve its post-nuke cliffhanger storyline.

Full news flash here.

BIG body count on last night’s penultimate “Heroes.” If you don’t want to know, STOP READING NOW.

Click "Continue" to see who got it . . .

Are there any huge surprises in ABC's new fall schedule announced...ohhh...just about an hour ago?

Truth?

Not really. All pretty much as expected. Mostly in sync with expectations. No big mysteries. You got the picture.

But there are interesting tidbits, and here you have them:

- "Cavemen," AKA extended GEICO commercial, gets a Tuesday 8 p.m. slot, which would spell doom in the "Idol"-dominated winter months but at least offers a chance in the fall. ABC tries to give it a socially redeeming spin - "'Cavemen' is a unique buddy comedy that offers a clever twist on stereotypes and turns race relations on their head...'" - but they're not fooling anyone. This sounds like a Fred Silverman '70s creation. Here's more: "Inspired by the popular Geico Insurance commercials, the series looks at life through the eyes of the ultimate outsiders - three modern cavemen - as they struggle to find their place in the world..."

- Lotta stars: In case you didn't notice, NBC 2.0's lineup from Monday didn't really promise any stars, or any least any that you've ever heard of. (Ok, that I've ever heard of.) Stark contrast with ABC, which is strewn with familiar faces - Dylan McDermott, Lucy Liu, Peter Krause, The Great Victor Garber, and on and on. (TGVG, by the way, will be in a mid-seasoner called "Eli Stone, about lawyers.) Oh, and...

- Oprah's got what's billed as her first regular primetime series, in which "each week contestants will face a 'big twist' that will test their nerve, drive, ingenuity and passion. Big name stars will turn up throughout the series to join the 'Oprah’s Big Give.'" Over eight weeks, stakes climb, ratings too, and people win bucks. Etc. It's a limited run, so no specific date/time period given, though certainly mid-season with a conclusion during a sweeps month.

- "Grey's" spinoff: Yes, it's got an official name now, "Private Practice," and is pretty much as laid out during that recent two-hour launch.

- What's not on the schedule? Of course, "Lost," which will do a slightly shorter run in the winter. "What about Brian" didn't make it, nor did "According to Jim." No "George Lopez" either, which has already prompted George Lopez to noisily proclaim that he got dumped for a caveman, which he did, and which is kind of odd when you stop to think about. But really, don't stop to think about it.

Here's the lineup:

MONDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars” 9:30 p.m. “Sam I Am,” Christina Applegate, with amnesia. 10:00 p.m. “The Bachelor”

TUESDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Cavemen” 8:30 p.m. “Carpoolers,” Faith Ford, in male bonding sitcom. 9:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show” 10:00 p.m. “Boston Legal”

WEDNESDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Pushing Daisies,” Chi McBride/Swoosie Kurtz/Kristin Chenoweth in high-concept crime procedural. 9:00 p.m. “Private Practice” 10:00 p.m. “Dirty Sexy Money,”Peter Krause/Donald Sutherland/William Baldwin, about rich idealist.

THURSDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Ugly Betty” 9:00 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy” 10:00 p.m. “Big Shots,” Dylan McDermott's back, about CEOs.

FRIDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Men in Trees” 9:00 p.m. “Women’s Murder Club,” Paula Newsome/Angie Harmon, based on James Patterson novels, San Fran woman, solving crimes. 10:00 p.m. “20/20”

SATURDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Saturday Night College Football”

SUNDAY: 7:00 p.m. “America’s Funniest Home Videos” 8:00 p.m. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” 9:00 p.m. “Desperate Housewives” 10:00 p.m. “Brothers & Sisters”

NBC 2.0 lives! It really lives!

What's "2.0?"

The network's promise - or threat - earlier this year that it will lead off each night of the week (Thursday excepted) with a reality or game show. It all comes under the heading of "Money," as in what's cheaper, given the deteriorating economics of the network television business.

As promised, each night of the 2007-08 fall season on NBC will go reality (Thursday, as mentioned, excepted.) Here's the line-up, night by night, and a quick word on what it means and what you'll see:

MONDAY
8-9 p.m. "Deal or No Deal"
9-10 p.m. "Heroes"
10-11 p.m. "Journeyman"

My read: "Deal's" a major hit, so no need to move, while "Heroes" now owns 9. "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" is but a ghost memory, and for NBC a sober, grim reminder that "expensive," "buzz," "famous producer," "big stars," "fancy set," "press attention" are not what dreams are necessarily made of. Meanwhile, "Journeyman" is about a San Francisco reporter who time-travels.

TUESDAY
8-9 p.m. "The Biggest Loser"
9-10 p.m. "Chuck"
10-11 p.m. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

My read: "TBL" heads over from Wednesday to this very tough night for the Peacock (and you'll note that Simon Cowell's "America's Got Talent," which was here, is no longer here.) What's "Chuck?" It - he - is from "The O.C.'s" Josh Schwartz, and...well, let NBC tell you: "When Chuck opens an e-mail subliminally encoded with government secrets, he unwittingly downloads an entire server of sensitive data into his brain. Now, the fate of the world lies in the unlikely hands of a guy who works at Buy More..."

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. "Deal or No Deal"
9-10 p.m. "Bionic Woman"
10-11 p.m. "Life"

My read: What are the chances for success of two brand new back-to-back hours on NBC's Wednesday line-up? Even with another pump of "Deal or No Deal?" (Even if there was nothing else on any other network....?) "BW" is self-explanatory while "Life" is about a detective back on the force after serving years in prison.

THURSDAY
8-8:30 p.m. "My Name Is Earl"
8:30-9 p.m. "30 Rock"
9-9:30 p.m. "The Office"
9:30-10 p.m. "Scrubs"
10-11 p.m. "ER"

My read: Well, I guess this means Alec Baldwin has decided to return to "30 Rock." (He had - let's say - an emotional moment recently in the wake of well-publicized problems, when he declared that his TV days were behind him. "30 Rock," of course, doesn't exist without Alec, so NBC must have been very persuasive. (It's called "hey, bud, you're under contract...") Meanwhile, the rest of the night stays put (except, "Office" back formally at 9.) "Scrubs" is a pleasant surprise, but for the fact that there will now be endless stories asking "is this the last season...?"

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. "1 vs 100"/"The Singing Bee"
9-10 p.m. "Las Vegas"
10-11 p.m. "Friday Night Lights"

My read: "Lights" gets a reprieve - no surprise there - and a good time period (for it.) "Singing Bee?" A karaoke show. This really is a hugely difficult night for NBC, so maybe a couple of signature shows will help matters (even if "L&O" could not.)

SATURDAY
8-9 p.m. "Dateline NBC"
9-11 p.m. Drama Series Encores

My read: Saturday seems like it's been repeat night forever, so even the merest whiff of "first run" - even if it's "Dateline" - suggests to me that Saturday's long-standing "turn-off-the-light" strategy was an invitation to affiliates to just take over the night themselves.

SUNDAY

(Fall 2007)
7-8 p.m. "Football Night in America"
8-11 p.m. "NBC Sunday Night Football"

SUNDAY (January 2008)
7-8 p.m. "Dateline NBC"
8-9 p.m. "Law & Order"
9-10 p.m. "Medium"
10-11 p.m. "LIPSTICK JUNGLE"

My read: "L&O" is back - so much for the chatter about a cable venue - and on one of the most important hours/nights of the week. "Lipstick?" Comparisons with "Sex in the City" are beyond inevitable, as this is based on Candace Bushnell novel of the same name. NBC's begging comparisons too: "This fun dramedy follows three high-powered friends as they weather the ups and downs of lives lived at the top of their game." The other headlines here: Members of the trio include Kim Raver and another by Brooke Shields.

No official word yet from NBC, but several sources are reporting that the network has given a second-season order to the critically acclaimed but ratings-challenged "Friday Night Lights."

If those reports are right, the family/community drama will be on the fall schedule NBC announces to advertisers Monday afternoon at Radio City Music Hall.

Other networks announce their fall lineups later next week.

It's easy to catch up to the quality of "Friday Night Lights" -- NBC.com has all the first-season episodes available free for viewing online.

It's official -- Tom Selleck is returning to the scene of his biggest success. No, not Hawaii. Television, people.

He's joining the cast of "Las Vegas," which elder star James Caan recently left. (He'll hand off to Selleck in this fall's fifth-season premiere.) As the new billionaire owner of the Montecito casino, Selleck will have "a mysterious past." (OK, so maybe it does involve being a Hawaii private eye.)

The actor's TV claim-to-fame was starring in CBS' fabulously successful "Magnum, P.I." series from 1980 to 1988. But his CBS sitcom "The Closer" didn't last long in 1998. Selleck did better in a recurring role on "Friends," grabbing an Emmy nomination, and has been a hit in TV movies, too, including TNT westerns and CBS' Jesse Stone sleuth series. (The next film, "Jesse Stone: Sea Change" premieres on CBS Tuesday, May 22 at 9 p.m.)

NBC's announcement here.

How surprised are we to hear ABC’s ad-spinoff comedy pilot “Cavemen” described as “astoundingly awful”? That’s the verdict by an Ain’t It Cool News spy who’s seen the thing.

This is one of those brilliant ideas that just isn’t -- adapting the witty GEICO insurance spots into full-fledged, astoundingly obvious social satire. Not only that, they replaced the actors who made the campaign fly.

Their commercials do the job in 15 seconds. Which might be about as long as this show lasts, if it ever hits air at all.

Watch the original commercials here and here.

Wondering what the networks might have on the way for fall?

Advertisers got a peek at the networks’ fall leanings last week in development meetings with Hollywood TV execs. They previewed series pilot plans, as well as more esoteric ad strategies to keep consumers’ eyes glued to the commercials.

Check out detailed Pilot Charts for all 5 networks, put together by The Hollywood Reporter.