Report Cards '08, Bonus: Cable

With 6,000 networks now available, I'm not giving every one of them a grade, especially since I don't watch them all.

But here are a few highlights:

FX: "The Shield" is coming off a typically terrific season, but this is the network that also renewed the likes of "Dirt." In addition, "Rescue Me" and "It's Always Sunny..." had inconsistent years. Grade: C+

AMC: The Jay Bruce of networks, in that this was the first year AMC produced original TV programming, and had a hit every time. Both of AMC's shows, "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad" should be on every critic's Top 10 list and will make noise come Emmy time. Grade: A+

USA: I've found both "Monk" and "Psych" to have become tiresome, but the network deserves points for the very clever "Burn Notice," which returns next month, and the solid "In Plain Sight." The experiment of moving "Law & Order: CI" over to USA for the first-run episodes seems to have translated well. Grade: B

Bravo: Bravo has gone from arts programming to reality heaven, but the transition has been a good one with the likes of "Top Chef" and "Project Runway," which Bravo is about to lose to Lifetime. Grade: B-

Sci-Fi: "Battlestar Galactica" is still the network's flagship (but really, guys, do we have to wait SO long between seasons?) and Mary McDonnell would have sewn up an Emmy after last week's episode if the Emmy voters ever watched. "Eureka" has turned out to be a sleeper, but "Dresden Files" fizzled despite showing some promise, as did "Painkiller Jane" and "Flash Gordon." Grade: C

BBC America: The king of the cult hits, with the likes of "Robin Hood," "Life on Mars" and "Torchwood," plus the fantastic miniseries "Jekyll," no network out there may provide more pure fun programming. Grade: A-

Lifetime: It's quietly putting together a solid roster of programming, led by "Army Wives," and grabbing "Project Runway" will be a big boost next season. Grade: B

TBS: It's starting to find a niche with "The Bill Engvall Show," "My Boys" and a few other sitcoms. Grade: B-

TNT: "The Closer" is still one of cable's highest-rated and critically acclaimed shows, but "Saving Grace" and "Heartland" didn't work out so well. Grade: C+

MTV: You know, back when I was young, this network actually played music. Now it litters the airwaves with the likes of "Tila Tequila." Grade: F

And, for Pay TV:

HBO: This is the network that once gave us the likes of "Larry Sanders" and "The Sopranos." While "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Entourage" turned in solid years, "Tell Me You Love Me" and "John From Cincinnati" didn't pan out. But the TV movie "Recount" deserves Emmy consideration. Grade: C-

Showtime: With "The Tudors" and "Dexter," Showtime has surpassed HBO creatively, and "Weeds" and "Californication" still draw good numbers. Grade: B

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: Well, "The Mole" (ABC, 10 p.m.) has produced one of the most irritating contestants in the history of reality programming after just one episode. That the woman doctor's behavior earned her immunity ultimately hopefully means her karmic payback will be that much the sweeter. It follows a new "Bachelorette."

It must be cross-promotions week: CBS airs a rerun of "Bill Engvall" at 8 p.m., teasing the season 2 premiere Thursday on TBS. Meanwhile, Lou Forrigno makes an appearance on "American Gladiators" (NBC, 8 p.m.) just before the movie premiere of "The Incredible Hulk" this weekend.

The documentary "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired" (HBO, 9 p.m.) earned a lot of kudos on the independent film circuit and may be worth checking out.

Cool Web Site

Every so often I throw my screenwriting experiences onto this blog.

For those of you who ever thought of penning your own TV script, have I got a Web site for you: http://tvwriting.googlepages.com/

On that site are actual sample scripts and some show bibles to dozens upon dozens of TV shows, some still in production, some defunct. Most of the scripts are saved in .pdf formats and are easily accessible.

For the average TV fan, it's an interesting way of looking at how your favorite show is filmed by putting the shooting script out there to be compared to the final episode that hit the airwaves. For the budding writer, it's a good way in hearing "the voice" that producers of the show use to create their product.

Even if your favorite show or writer isn't listed, who couldn't learn something from reading the likes of Aaron Sorkin or David Milch?

MONDAY RATINGS: Maybe reality/game shows aren't the instant moneymakers people thought they were. While "Dancing With the Stars" easily won its time Monday night with 18.27 million viewers, the return of "American Gladiators" got dunked into a water tank, pulling in only 4.9 million - a 37 percent dip from what "Deal or No Deal" drew in the same timeslot.

"How I Met Your Mother" got another Britney Spears bump, pulling in 9.02 million, surpassing lead-in "Big Bang Theory" (7.88 million) and almost equalling "Bones" (9.4 million). Meanwhile, "The Bachelor" finale (9.18 million) edged "Medium" for second place at the 10 p.m. hour, behing some 13 million for "CSI: Miami."

WEDNESDAY'S BEST BETS: Of course, a dip in the ratings doesn't mean the networks will stop putting reality/game shows into primetime. The aforementioned "Deal or No Deal" (NBC, 8 p.m.) occupies two hours tonight before a new "Law & Order" at 10 p.m.

"American Idol" (Fox, 9 p.m.) cuts from three finalists down to two, following new episodes of "Til Death" and "Back To You."

"Criminal Minds" (CBS, 9 p.m.) and "CSI: NY" (CBS, 10 p.m.) are both new, as is "Boston Legal" (ABC, 10 p.m.)

Oscars - Will The Show Go On?

With Academy Award nominations set to be announced Tuesday, it's becoming an interesting game of chicken between the WGA and the Academy.

The WGA has yet to grant a waiver to allow the show to go on with writers working on the program and nominees to cross picket lines in order to receive their statuettes.

Producers for the Oscars have said the show will go on regardless of whether they get the waiver or not, but seeing what a fiasco the Golden Globes were when it was boycotted last week, it's hard to imagine what the producers could do to fill air time successfully.

But the WGA is in a tight spot as well. Though most polls indicate the public is on the side of the WGA, the guild could lose a lot of public goodwill if the ceremony is boycotted or cancelled. The Oscars are typically the second-most watched TV event each year, behind only the Super Bowl.

On the other hand, if the WGA wants to deliver a swift kick to the groin of the AMPTP, the group negotiating on behalf of the studios, deep-sixing the Oscars would be a giant blow. It would be crushing to Disney/ABC to lose all of those ratings and ad revenue, and all of the studios would suffer since they wouldn't be able to use the bump of an Oscar nomination in their marketing schemes.

There are flickers of hope around Hollywood that the recent AMTMP deal with the Directors Guild of America might provide a spark between the studios and the WGA, but it's important to note that the DGA conceded a lot of points that the WGA is striking over in the first place, so the DGA deal hardly provides much of a framework for the WGA to use.

In the end, like the strike itself, no one is going to be the winner in this fight: not the writers and actors, who lose out on a career-making night; not the studios, who lose millions in revenue; and not the public, which loses its traditional night to celebrate the motion picture industry.

R.I.P. SUZANNE PLESHETTE: The actress, who died over the weekend, would have turned 71 on Jan. 31. Pleshette, a veteran performer for both films and television, was the linchpin of the one of the single greatest moments in the history of TV when she reprised her role in 1990 from "The Bob Newhart Show" for the brilliantly conceived series finale of "Newhart," Bob Newhart's second TV series. No TV series before or since has ever touched that twist of an ending (which probably wouldn't have been possible in today's era of Internet spoilers).

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" (Fox, 9 p.m.) suffered a big dropoff in ratings from its pilot to the second episode, but here's hoping viewers give it another chance. It follows a new "Prison Break."

"Medium" (NBC, 10 p.m.) follows reality game show hits "American Gladiators" and "Deal Or No Deal." While I'm personally glad that "AG" has returned to the air, the Hulk Hogan/Laila Ali interviews are coming off as insipid. And the play-by-play voiceover guy makes me long for the days of Mike Adamle and Larry Csonka. But some of the new games are cool and the Eliminator has been pretty interesting, plus I like all of the pools the competitors keep getting dunked into.

ABC follows its newest "Dance War" (ABC, 8 p.m.) with new episodes of "Notes From The Underbelly" and "October Road."

Tonight marks the return of the very popular teen series, "Wildfire" (ABC Family, 9 p.m.), following an all-new "Kyle XY."

If you missed AMC's much-anticipated pilot for "Breaking Bad," you can catch it again tonight at 10 p.m.

Gladiators Ready!

This weekend sees the revival of one of the guilty pleasures of my youth - the return of "American Gladiators" (NBC, Sun., 9 p.m.) to the airwaves.

Yes, I was a fan of the original "AG." And why not? If shows like "Jeopardy" can test the minds of the average American, why not have a show that tests them physically? Besides, seeing the average American get pummelled by 250-pound guys named Laser and Nitro is a helluva lot of fun.

I remember one episode of the old series in which they had international contestants and there was this 275-pound Olympic weightlifter from Sweden or Norway who absolutely flattened the gladiators. Ah, memories.

I worry that the new version, with hosts Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali, will be too glitzy because it's now on network TV rather than syndication, and with the Hulkster on board, the gladiators might become wrestling-like caricatures where half the show is people yelling into the camera.

I hope not. It would cut down on the pummeling time.

WEEKEND'S BEST BETS: There may be a writers' strike going on, but some of TV's most talked-about shows are starting the weekend with new episodes.

"Friday Night Lights" (NBC, 9 p.m.) is new tonight and next week, as the Dillon Panthers get some unwanted guests as a rival team's school is destroyed by a tornado and the teams must share facilities. Needless to say, that doesn't go over well. Meanwhile, Landry continues to try to define his relationship with Tyra, and Tim Riggins moves in with the Taylors, leading to a lot of fun moments. And, next week, Smash and his family continue to be overwhelmed by college recruiters. It's followed by a new "Las Vegas" at 10 p.m.

"Women's Murder Club" (ABC, 9 p.m.) is brand-new tonight.

Also new tonight is the return of "Flash Gordon" (Sci-Fi, 8 p.m.) and "Stargate: Atlantis" (Sci-Fi, 10 p.m.) Meanwhile, Lifetime reveals its all-new reality lineup with "Look Good Naked" (Life, 9 p.m.), followed by "Matched in Manhattan" at 9:30 and two episodes of "Top This Party."

As for the weekend, one of TV's most acclaimed dramas is back as "The Wire" (HBO, 9 p.m.) kicks off its final season.

While I believe its the only new episode left in the can, "Desperate Housewives" (ABC, 9 p.m.) answers who lived and who didn't in the aftermath of the tornado cliffhanger (what is it with tornado subplots? Do the housewives also move in with the Dillon Panthers?)

Also on Sunday, Fox gives us a new "Simpsons," "King of the Hill" and "American Dad," but not a new "Family Guy." CBS is brand-new with "The Amazing Race," "Cold Case" and "Shark." VCR ALERT: With the NFL playoffs, expect all of these shows to not start on time.