When Old Becomes New Again

NBC made it official over the weekend when it announced it would be picking up "Knight Rider" as a full-time series once more.

The TV-movie garnered big ratings during a time when the strike had knocked out original programming, and at this point, NBC needs a hit. I'm guessing, though, that people watched the movie because of a sense of nostalgia, heavy promotion and the lack of anything better on. I'm guessing a weekly version of "Knight Rider" probably won't do as well.

But it does underscore the notion that the networks are running out of ideas, between sequels, remakes and grabbing ideas off foreign TV. For every "Battlestar Galactica" that is remade and done better than the original version, you get many more "Bionic Woman"-type failures. (Ironically, both shows were recreated in part by David Eick.)

Newsday's Diane Werts writes about the phenomenon here: http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/wednesday/partii/ny-ettell5625063mar26,0,3166293.column.

BRAVES ON TV: A regular reader of this column e-mailed me a while ago, asking me where the Braves games would be shown in Macon when they were scheduled for the new Peachtree TV. The answer? Cox Cable Channel 15.

The games will be split between Peachtree TV and Fox SportsSouth, but the Braves will also take part in the national game of the week on both Fox and ESPN. On the radio, Maconites can listen to the team on ESPN 105.5 FM.

When I worked in The Telegraph's sports department, one of my biggest pet peeves was people calling and asking where the Braves' game was that night. It's pretty simple; check Channel 15 or Fox Sports South (Channel 64 on Cox Cable) first; if it's a Wednesday night or a Saturday afternoon, check ESPN or Fox, respectively.

MONDAY'S BEST BETS: Jason Alexander makes for a mini-"Seinfeld" reunion as Julia Louis-Dreyfus' physician on the season finale of "Old Christine" (CBS, 9:30 p.m.), part of a night of all-new CBS sitcoms, followed by a new "CSI: Miami." (BTW, anyone catch the David Caruso glasses takeoff on "The Simpsons" last night?)

Viewers meet another of John's many kids on "New Amsterdam" (Fox, 9 p.m.), while "Medium" (NBC, 10 p.m.) wraps up a two-parter.