Joy and sorrow for new shows

We're a month into the new television season and already four of the 31 new series on the six broadcast networks have been canceled.

Which is about par for the course. And we've only just started this round. Those three shows — Fox's "Head Cases," NBC's "Inconceivable," the WB's "Just Legal" and UPN's "Sex, Love and Secrets" — are going to be joined by others in the coming weeks. Or days. Or hours.

On the other hand, while there are no break-out hits in the "Desperate Housewives" or "Lost" mold this season, there are a number of solid hits. Nine shows have received full-season, "back nine" orders — nine additional episodes in addition to the original 13 for a total of 22.

And some very good shows are going to be with us through the end of the season — dramas like "Prison Break" and "Supernatural" and comedies like "My Name Is Earl" and "Everybody Hates Chris."

There's a certain irony with those two sitcoms — both are shows that Fox developed and ended up rejecting, leaving them available for NBC and UPN, respectively, to pick up.

"I wish our competitors well, to a certain degree, on those shows," said Fox Entertainment president Peter Ligouri, whose predecessor made those decisions. "But, no, we're not second-guessing ourselves."

Perhaps he should do some second-guessing, and not just about passing on "Earl" and "Chris." Ligouri has given a full-season order to the single worst sitcom of the season, "The War at Home."

Of course, over at CBS they've picked up the single worst drama of the season, "Criminal Minds," so Fox is not alone.

And it's still more evidence that you can be successful in television without being good.

Here's a quick rundown of where the 31 fall series stand at the moment:

ABC

Commander in Chief: Not officially renewed for the season, but will be.

Freddie: Too soon to tell, but not off to a good start.

Hot Properties: Too soon to tell, but not off to a good start.

Invasion: Pretty much a sure bet for renewal.

Night Stalker: Could be canceled any day now.

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CBS