After writing about TV for nearly 17 years, there aren't many things that surprise me. But for the second Thursday in a row, I'm stunned.

There are five shows on at the same time that I want to watch. Not one, not two, not three, not even four.

Five shows.

These are shows on broadcast networks. On all the broadcast networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and The CW.

There are nights when there aren't five shows I want to watch. Heck, there are weeks when there aren't five shows I want to watch.

But tonight at 8, there's "Grey's Anatomy" on ABC/Ch. 4; "CSI" on CBS/Ch. 2; "Scrubs" on NBC/Ch. 5; "Supernatural" on The CW/Ch. 30; and "The O.C." on Fox/Ch. 13. (Truth be told, I had just about given up on "The O.C." early this season, but it's gone through a bit of a revival. And, what with this being the third-to-last episode ever, I've got to watch.)

Given that I won't be home in time to watch any of these shows live (I am my kids' chauffeur), both DVRs will be recording two shows apiece. And I'll have to remember once again how to program a VCR.

Talk about antique technology!

If you want your offspring to think you're really old, tell them that when you were a kid even VCRs had yet to be invented. That you'd have to choose which of five shows you wanted to watch the most and miss the others. (Well, there were only three networks and no cable channels back then, but you get the point.)

In these days of digital technology, we forget that the single greatest advancement in TV watching came when the average viewers acquired the ability to record shows to watch at their convenience. That made us each our own program directors.

It gets a little complicated when there are five shows to record at once, but it's hard to call that a problem.

THE 'UGLY BETTY' EPISODE that aired Jan. 4 was clearly out of sequence — an early episode that never aired and had a new scene tacked on the end.

It's no coincidence that it was a really weak episode of this very good series.

"A lot of times, we'll take episodes that, for whatever reason, we don't think fit or aren't strong, and we adapt them," said ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson. "And sometimes we won't air them at all. ... For that one, it was a show that was growing and really finding its momentum. We were finding the show, and we wanted to give them the opportunity to put their best foot forward."

In other words, the show got off to a strong start and ABC didn't want to risk its ongoing success by airing a sub-par episode when it hadn't yet established itself.