Bringing Out the Dead

Now that the entries are set and the new shows are set to begin in earnest, here's how I went for my entry into the Alison LaPlaca Open TV dead pool:

Happy Hour - It's been the virtually unanimous leader in "show most likely to get the first axe" among all the things I've read, and with its anonymous cast and very vague plot description, it seems like a sure goner. So much so that I put it in my top spot, where I'd get the most points for it being cancelled.

The Class - Probably a little risky to put it here, given how the Monday lineup on CBS can buoy an otherwise crappy show - hello, Out of Practice - but with The King of Queens returning in January, there will five shows and only four slots. What are the odds that this show, with its bizzare plot device of an elementary school class reunion, will take out How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, or The New Adventures of Old Christine?

Men in Trees - It's quirky, but I'm not so sure that quirky will work on Friday nights. And I'm not sure that many people are sold on Anne Heche.

What About Brian - Not only does this show have the longing to be cancelled The Bachelor as its lead-in, it also has to go against the most hyped show of the season, Studio 60. I can't help but think of this as Jake in Progress 2.0.

King of Queens - I'm under the impression that the show is ending this season, but wasn't able to find a lot of corroborating evidence. So I'm hedging a bit by putting it in the middle of the pack.

Justice - The way I look at it, there are enough lawyer-type shows out there that at least one has to fail. For all of the talk that Justice will give us the behind-the-scenes look at state of the art criminal defense, it has an incredibly generic title, ads, and only Victor Garber for star power. Which, in comparison to James Woods in Shark and most of the cast of Boston Legal, isn't much. And did I mention that it's up against Lost?

According to Jim - In the 2001-02 competition, two shows thwarted me by not getting cancelled. One was Reba, whose treatment by the nascent CW makes me wary. The other was According to Jim, whose continued first-run presence is a little mind-boggling. I figure the time is ripe for it to go. I'm also hoping that the combination of House, Gilmore Girls, and the family-friendly Friday Night Lights will help.

Notes From the Underbelly - I'm normally against chosing shows that will debut in mid-season, as there's no guarantee that they'll see the light of day. Given that this show was supposed to debut in the fall, I went with it as the change suggests that the show isn't good enough to start now, but is on some level considered good enough to air. Just so they don't improve the show enough to avoid cancellation.

Help Me Help You - I feel badly about going with this one, as I still give Ted Danson a bit of a free pass due to Cheers. I'm also a little leery that this will go all Becker on me and air for at least twice as long as necessary. On the other side, I take some solace from the network not feeling like the show was strong enough to start the hour.

Twenty Good Years - This rounds out my entry, and I'm not sure about choosing this at all given the odd mystical power John Lithgow's overacting seems to generate. I don't particularly think that Arrested Development fans will seek out Jeffrey Tambor, and I think the demographic for this show will work against it. But I'm still nervous.

Five of my shows (Happy Hour, The Class, Men in Trees, What About Brian and Notes from the Underbelly) were among the top 10 overall selections from all entrants. And the five shows I didn't choose that were in the top 10?

Til Death, the newlywed versus oldiewed Fox sitcom starring Brad Garrett. Fox has hyped this show tremendously, and I don't think they're going to let go too easily. But it wouldn't shock me if it got the heave-ho at the end of the season.

The Knights of Prosperity, formerly Let's Rob..., which is a sitcom built around a bunch of guys who are going to rip off Mick Jagger. It was hard to pass this show up based on premise alone, not to mention the lack of success for shows based around thievery, but I figured it was just different enough to sucker people in. I mean, if According to Jim can go six seasons, this show can go two.

Brothers and Sisters, the troubled ABC drama starring Calista Flockhart. If it were going anywhere but the post-Desperate Housewives slot, I'd think Dead Show Walking. But it may just eke out enough viewers who are waiting for their significant others to finish with Sunday Night Football.

Jericho, the CBS drama where a town tries to sort our where they stand after seeing a mushroom cloud go off in the distance. It wants to pull of a Lost vibe, but may turn out to be more like Invasion. Not sure if the time slot will help or hurt - if it can survive Dancing With the Stars it may just make the season and beyond.

Ugly Betty, the telenovela-derived ABC show backed by Salma Hayek. I'm not sure this wil work, either, but it's leading off ABC's Thursday power play. Getting to be the show before Grey's Anatomy suggests a certain amount of confidence, as does moving the show from Friday.