Notes on "the Underbelly"

ABC hasn't really been knocking it out of the park as far as comedies go. In fact, I don't think there's really a watchable comedy on the network -- more than likely you'll get your laughs from dramedies like Boston Legal before guffawing at George Lopez or According to Jim.

Notes from the Underbelly isn't necessarily a great improvement. It's hipper than the family sitcoms mentioned above, but it's full of overdone-TV-archetype characters and fails to hit the quippy, quick Gilmore Girls-y dialogue it seems to be aiming for. Not to say it doesn't have moments worth actual laughs, but the pregnancy bit has been done on every sitcom that ever made it past 3 episodes and being fresh and even a little bit risky is the key.

The bright side is the second of two episodes Thursday night was much more entertaining than the first and showed a bit of promise. It's back next week at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday -- not a stellar time slot to catch on as bigger, better shows like Jericho and Bones head toward their finales. It's worth a look, though.

ABC's turn to feel my wrath

Yes... all 12 readers will now giggle at my banter and then forget this show ever existed... some wrath that is. From Zap2It:

The return of Six Degrees proved to be a decidedly brief one.

The on-then-off-then-on-again ABC series appears to be off for good now after a brief return to the schedule yielded pitiable ratings. Its yanking is one of several scheduling moves the network made on Tuesday, including the movement of comedy Notes from the Underbelly to yet another time period.

The comedy about expectant parents will still premiere at 10 p.m. ET Thursday, following Grey's Anatomy. The following week, though, it will move to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, where it will (presumably) stay for the remainder of the season.

For those of you keeping score, that's the fourth place ABC has put Notes since last spring. It was initially paired with Big Day on Thursday nights, an idea that was scrapped when Ugly Betty moved there for the start of the season. Then it was set to premiere at 9:30 p.m. this Wednesday, but then FOX expanded the American Idol results show to an hour, so ABC moved it again.

The show's next stop was 10 p.m. Thursdays, where it will live for all of one week before settling at 8:30 Wednesdays. The reason for the latest move was October Road's decent performance (8.25 million viewers, 3.5 rating in adults 18-49) following a Grey's rerun last week. Encouraged by those numbers, ABC will keep October Road in the 10 p.m. spot until it wraps its brief, six-episode season April 26.

Six Degrees, meanwhile, drew next to no interest upon its return (a Friday-night timeslot didn't help either). After drawing a less-than-impressive 4.45 million viewers in its March 23 return, it plummeted to 3.1 million viewers last week. Repeats of Wife Swap will replace it for at least the next few weeks.

I was less than enthusiastic about the show's return anyway, as good as it was, and this isn't really a big surprise, as Fridays are basically a hospice care center for TV shows.

As for Underbelly, they're really just setting this thing up to fail. Which means it's probably the best new comedy since Arrested Development (that's right, 30 Rock, I'm talking to you).