Summer Television

Are you one of those people who complain that there’s little on TV during the summer? Besides watching sports, Wipeout and VH1’s I Love Money, I might agree with you, although I would never complain about it. I have great respect for television, even the bad television, and am a loyal follower of The Washington Post’s TV writer Lisa de Moraes. However, if you are one of those complaining folks, I have a challenge for you and it has nothing to do with visiting your local grocery store.

I’ve written about the Alison LaPlaca television death pool several times over the past few years. The LaPlaca Open is a contest where you pick ten television shows that will be cancelled during the season. Unfortunately, the LaPlaca Open is no more, apparently because LaPlaca’s lawyers made it stop. Instead, the LaPlaca Open has been renamed The Ted Marshall Open. In my first year in this league, I was brilliant finishing in sixth out of over 100 entries. My luck was not as good for the 2007-2008 season. Although the results are not final, I am going to finish in the middle of the pack largely due to Scrubs and According to Jim returning this year. Scrubs seemed like an extremely safe bet since it was announced that this past year would be its last. Nope. ABC has picked up the show from NBC. Meanwhile, how According to Jim remains on the air is a mystery to me. It is a terrible show with awful ratings. Jim Belushi must have a secret video of Mickey Mouse and is using it as blackmail to keep the show alive.

So my challenge to you is to start studying the fall TV line-up and predict what shows will fail. Entries for the 2008-2009 year will be accepted in August, and I will be sure to announce it again here. I promise that you will see television in a different light and appreciate even the bad shows.