Showtime - The New HBO?

A couple of years ago, the most telling promotional tool on the tube was the phrase, "It's not TV; it's HBO."

And with the lineup of shows HBO had, that promotion was pretty accurate. "The Sopranos," "Deadwood," "Rome," "Six Feet Under," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Larry Sanders," "The Wire," et. al. were some of the best offerings anywhere on the dial. Indeed, you look at the anticipation and reaction of the finale to "The Sopranos," and there's no arguing the cultural impact the network has had.

But all those shows, save "Curb" and "The Wire" are gone, and HBO hasn't come up with much in terms of replacement. "Big Love" has gotten some critical praise, but that's about it. Shows like "John From Cincinnati" have been a bust, both in the ratings and among critics.

Meanwhile, Showtime has stepped up and is looking to fill the void of having the best and most original shows on pay-TV.

I recently switched from HBO to Showtime (I'd have both, but The Telegraph doesn't pay me enough to do so) basically because I wanted to catch "Dexter" on reruns, to see if the show was worth the hype.

Good choice on my part. Michael C. Hall may have been the performer most robbed by being left off the Emmy nominees.

I am also hoping to catch "The Tudors" when Showtime decides to rerun it.

Meanwhile, Showtime is airing a lot of its original new stuff, including "Brotherhood," "Weeds" and "Californication." "Weeds" (Showtime, 10 p.m.), which had a strong Emmy presence, begins its third season tonight, followed by "Californication," which follows at 10:30 p.m.

Since I haven't had Showtime in the past, I haven't caught "Weeds" before, though it's enjoyed a lot of commercial and critical success. Meanwhile, the network seems to have high hopes for "Californication," starring David Duchovny as an alcoholic, divorced writer. The network seems to be promoting a lot of sex in the show, for what it's worth.

Not everything Showtime has done of late has turned to gold. I watched the pilot for "Meadowlands," and it was awful. But with its other offerings, and a lack of compelling stuff by HBO, Showtime may soon start becoming the viewers' pay-TV of choice.

R.I.P. MERV GRIFFIN: The TV icon and businessman died Sunday at 82. Though well-known as both a singer and talk show host, Griffin's lasting legacy was the creation of "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!"

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: For those of you who haven't ordered Showtime, there are still options on regular old cable. TNT's strong lineup includes "Heartland" at 8 p.m., followed by "The Closer" and "Saving Grace," which got an order for 15 additional episodes over the weekend.

TV Guide's Matt Roush discusses on his site today how ABC Family is becoming the new CW with shows like "Kyle XY" (ABC Fam., 8 p.m.) and "Greek," so if you like teen-oriented dramas, you may want to check them out.

"My Boys" (TBS, 10 p.m.) is also new, and after three episodes, is as strong as it was at the end of its first season.

Finally, NBC is re-airing the cast's choice for the best of "Heroes," (NBC, 9 p.m.), with each episode hosted by actors from the series. Tonight, Ali Larter and Adrian Pasdar are the hosts.