Must See TV

The Olympic television coverage was not all that it could be - too much time for some sports like beach volleyball, not enough time for others such as the decathlon, major track and field events on a 24 hour delay, hyperventilating announcers. But it was still high-caliber broadcasting and good theater, with striking visuals and our introduction to some delightful personalities. Not surprisingly, NBC executives are reported to be ecstatic over their product and its ratings. Unfortunately, throughout the 14 days of competition, we were inundated with promos for NBC's fall lineup and this served as a harsh reality check. After being uplifted by gifted young and not-so-young athletes, we are about to be downgraded to mind-numbing, tasteless sitcoms and pointless, violent crime shows - from the sublime to the abysmal. The smog will not only be returning to Beijing, it will be returning to prime time programming.