But I'm not going to criticize NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly for doing it. He obviously believes in the show, and I'd rather a network president stick with a show he believes in than throw anything and everything on the air, hoping something sticks.

CBS PULLED THE PLUG on the medical drama "3 Lbs." after only three episodes.

This is becoming a bit of a habit for the network, which did the same thing to the previous occupant of the Tuesday-at-9 p.m. time slot, "Smith." And, last spring, CBS aired "Love Monkey" in the same time slot for exactly (you guessed it!) three episodes before yanking that show.

The big difference is that "Love Monkey" was a good show, and CBS should have been patient. "Smith" and "3 Lbs." were both well-intentioned but hugely flawed series that were never going to work.

The network has already planned to air the "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show" tonight at 9, but a scheduled episode of "3 Lbs." at 8 p.m. has been scrapped. (A repeat of "The Unit" is there instead.)

There's no word on what CBS will do to fill the hour on a more long-term basis, in part because "3 Lbs." was supposed to debut sometime next year but had been rushed onto the air when "Smith" tanked.

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com