Think whatever you want about NBC's Law & Order franchise. I know it has its adherents. But I think it's a gross, stupidly written collection of shows that passes off profound human suffering as casual entertainment. Every time I accidentally stumble onto it, some five-year-old is playing with Legos and describing how he was recently raped, while Ice-T and Richard Belzer make wisecracks in the background. How is this acceptable? It isn't.

Well, it seems that not even a return from a four-month hiatus following a massive round of retooling could spark much interest in the West Coast edition of Law & Order. Last night's two-hour episode (well it was really two separate eps, but whatever), which killed off poor Skeet Ulrich and demoted Alfred Molina from DA to detective, posted a meager 5.3 million viewers, not a good sign for an already troubled show.

That's what the movies would have us believe, anyway. Also today: HBO goes on a comedy-ordering bonanza, Terra Nova is not on terra firma, neither is Law & Order, and a new reality show actually sounds... good?