I thought it was funny as hell. But then it kind of really hit me: Can a show in which one of the main characters is dying and paralyzed because of a hair transplant REALLY be expected to survive? Couple indifferent dying with parental sex, drugs and the desire for (unlikely) incest? As hilarious as it all is, are we surprised it's essentially cancelled?

And about the "classic episode" rerun question - they're doing that because "Kitchen Confidential" is already officially gone for good. They gotta fill that half hour with something.

Missed responding to this last week, sorry. I'd seen it posted on a couple TV-related sites when I read that Fox had revealed their winter-spring lineup - and AD was not on it. However, it appears now that all 5 shows will be shoe-horned into January, and then that's it . . .

Anyone bothered by all the push the show's suddenly getting from Fox? I've seen more ads this week than ever before. And what's with them showing a "classic" episode following last night's new one? What, so NOW they're calling this show a classic when they couldn't be bothered to throw a few commercials for the show into their other shows? Don't get me wrong - I'm glad to see the show getting any attention from Fox, but really, what the hell?

Inside Move: Nets keen to get 'Arrested'
Ratings-challenged laffer's third-season order recently cut

By DENISE MARTIN, JOSEF ADALIAN

Fox still hasn't officially canceled "Arrested Development," but if it does, other networks are interested in the show.
Both ABC and Showtime have had conversations with 20th Century Fox TV and indicated they're open to making a deal for new episodes of the critically beloved, Emmy-winning comedy from creator Mitch Hurwitz. No formal negotiations have taken place, and there are still numerous hurdles that might prevent such a move -- including the show's hefty pricetag.

That said, those familiar with the talks described them as serious, with Showtime said to be in particularly hot pursuit of the ratings-challenged laffer, now on life support at Fox. SkeinSkein's third-season order was recently cut to 13 episodes.

Showtime could be a good place for "Arrested." Skein's subversive humor and heavily serialized storylines always made it a tough sell as a mass-appeal broadcast series. What's more, Showtime already has a potential companion for "Arrested" in "Weeds," which just received a second-season pickup. That show is a suburban satire centered on a drug-dealing soccer mom played by Mary-Louise ParkerMary-Louise Parker.

Network entertainment toppertopper Robert GreenblattRobert Greenblatt has made an aggressive push to make Showtime a player in the comedy bizbiz. He's greenlit several since his arrival -- including "Fat Actress" and "Barbershop""Barbershop" -- and "Arrested" could be the piece de resistance. If even half of the skein's Fox viewers -- last averaging around 4 million per episode -- watched on Showtime, "Arrested" would be an instant cable hit.

ABC, meanwhile, is also looking to make its mark in comedy, having already established itself as the home of TV's most buzzworthy dramas ("Lost," "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy"). Net has high hopes for upcoming laffers, such as "Emily's Reason's Why Not," "Crumbs" and "Sons and Daughters," as well as a sophomore contender, "Jake in Progress."

Since Fox has yet to officially cop to canceling "Arrested," 20th can't formally make any deals with another net. There are other barriers to setting the show up elsewhere, however.

Studio has already deficited millions in order to produce the show, which costs about $1. 6 million per half-hour to produce. It's believed 20th deficits about $400,000 per episode.

Even if ABC or Showtime stepped up with the same license fee Fox now forks over for the show, 20th execs will have to decide whether it's worth it to sink more money into a show that isn't a proven ratings winner. That's one reason the studio might push for at least a 22-episode (or greater) commitment from a net.

Studio needs 36 episodes to get "Arrested" to the magic number of 88 episodes required for syndication. But even if it gets to syndication, there's no guarantee of a rich payday in the off-netoff-net market.

On the other hand, "Arrested" is a winner in the DVD market, and more episodes mean more DVD sales. Skein could also take off if given mass exposure on a cablercabler such as Showtime -- particularly now that the feeveefeevee cabler is part of Leslie Moonves' CBS Corp. family.

Moonves certainly knows something about making lemons out of lemonade. One of his first acts upon taking over CBS was picking up a show from NBC called "JAG." Skein ran for nearly a decade on the Eye and spawned the successful spinoff "NCIS."

Studio, Showtime and ABC declined comment.

I was talking more along the lines of ABC's comedy offerings - now, and even historically. I can't think of one show "AD" is remotely similar to or compatible with.

...hence Fox's struggles with pairing it with a compatible show. I mean, believe it or not FOX, despite a wide spectrum of failed dramas/sitcoms, is actually pretty full programmingwise, especially when you consider the Fall-to-Winter rollover (24 and American Idol debut then) and Baseball Playoffs in the fall pre-empting a lot of programming in October.

I still think AD could be a summertime ratings boon for the network but, at 1.4-1.6 mil/episode, is it really worth it? I mean, if another network picks up AD, Fox still will make the bulk of the revenue that the show produces (20th TV will still own DVD/Syn. rights) while that other network will pick up a great deal of the production costs.

My (uneducated) guess? Even if they keep doing 13 episode seasons, it'll make it to the 88 required for syndication, and then some. Remember, there were not 1, but 2 seasons of "The Drew Carey Show" that got produced, then dumped/shoved on Wednesday nights during the summer and pulled minimal ads/ratings. Why? Because, at the end of it's run, the Drew Carey show was pulling so much money on just the syndication rights per episode that ABC made money just by producing the show - and this was pre-TV on DVD.