The odds of much of anybody going to work tomorrow morning and talking about Hanson and Seger are long. As long as the odds of "3 Lbs." surviving on CBS's schedule for more than a few weeks at most.

It's not that it's a terrible show. Again, I still think all the pieces were in place to make "3 Lbs." into a good hour of television. But, somehow, when those pieces were put together, they didn't quite fit.

Too bad.

OCKO IS QUICK to deflect any criticism that "3 Lbs." looks too much like "House." Both shows are about supremely talented doctors who lack interpersonal skills, but. ...

"I don't think anyone invented the grumpy-doctor-is-God complex," he said. "This project's been in development for years now, so I can't say I reverse-engineered it (to look more like 'House') in any way."

He's right, of course. "House" didn't invent the grumpy doctor.

However, the success of that show may well have had something to do with CBS's decision to put this one on the air. But ...

"Anyone who sees the pilot and sticks with the show for an episode will realize we're very different from 'House,"' Ocko said.

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com