The TV-Screener Industrial Complex

It has become something of an annual tradition, my kvetching about the networks frequently providing only the pilot episodes of their new series.

This year, I may have to be content with merely receiving updated versions of the pilots.

The fall season officially begins Monday, Sept. 24. As of today, here are the screeners (and number of episodes) that have landed on my doorstep:

ABC
Two new shows:
“Pushing Daisies” (the pilot)
“Private Practice” (the first episode – the “Grey’s Anatomy” spinoff episode being the putative pilot)

Four returning shows:
“Desperate Housewives” (one episode)
“Ugly Betty” (two episodes)
“Brothers & Sisters” (one episode)
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (one episode)

New shows Missing In Action:
“Samantha Who?”, “Cavemen,” “Carpoolers,” “Dirty Sexy Money,” “Big Shots,” “Women’s Murder Club”

CBS
One new show:
“The Big Bang Theory” (pilot)

Three returning shows:
"Shark" (one episode)
"Numb3rs" (one episode)
"The Unit" (one episode)

New shows MIA:
“Viva Laughlin,” “Cane,” “Kid Nation,” “Moonlight”
(By the way, pilots for “Kid Nation” and “Moonlight” were never sent out.

NBC
Four new shows:
“Chuck” (pilot)
“Bionic Woman” (pilot)
“Journeyman” (pilot)
“Life” (pilot)

Returning shows:
“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (one episode
“Deal or No Deal” (gimme a break; one episode)

Note: A second “Chuck” episode is supposed to be on the way, and “maybe” a “Journeyman.”

Fox
Four new shows:
“K-Ville” (two episodes)
“Kitchen Nightmares” (two episodes)
“Back to You” (two episodes)
“Nashville” (one episode)

Eight returning shows:
“House” (two episodes)
“Prison Break” (two episodes)
“Bones” (one episode)
“’Til Death” (one episode)
“The Simpsons” (one episode)
“Family Guy” (one episode – the hourlong “Star Wars” parody)
“King of the Hill” (one episode)
“American Dad” (one episode)

MIA:
“Next Great American Band,” but it’s a live reality show, so they can’t exactly help us out there.

The CW
One new show:
“Gossip Girl” (pilot)

No returning shows

MIA:
“Aliens in America,” “Reaper,” “Life is Wild” (also the pop-culture magazine shows “CW Now” and “Online Nation,” but those aren’t likely to be sent out)

Hence, only Fox seems to have its act together (and, to a lesser extent, NBC); everyone else looks to be cutting it close.

With shows that were particularly admired by critics (“Pushing Daisies,” “Chuck,” “Reaper”), it’s important to have additional episodes to see if the showrunners can maintain the pilot’s level of quality (particularly with “Pushing Daisies,” which was quirky and stylized to a degree that would seem to be difficult to sustain). Here’s hoping the networks see fit to help us help you, the viewer, make smart, sane viewing choices.