Six Degrees

The story of ABC's "Six Degrees" could really be a metaphor for this whole sorry TV season. The show had the right pedigree ("Lost" creator J.J. Abrams) and the right time slot (right after "Grey's Anatomy"), yet it never gained traction with viewers. So ABC yanked it from the schedule before the holidays, revamped it, and trotted it back out in March, only to pull it again two episodes later. The final chapter of the saga starts tonight, when the first of five unaired episodes will arrive where so many canceled shows have gone this season: the network's online video player.

I'm glad that the episodes starring Josh Charles (Dan Rydell of "Sports Night") will end up somewhere besides the editing room, but I have to wonder if anyone will be watching. Will any of you "Six Degrees" fans see the show through to its conclusion online? Or has ABC moved it around so much that you're beyond caring now? To watch a clip of the first few minutes of the series, read more

Hope you weren't getting too attached to "The Wedding Bells" or "Six Degrees." They were two of the shows axed this week as the networks reshuffled their schedules. Among the other casualties: "The Black Donnellys," which might only get to air two more episodes, and "7th Heaven," which is being canceled (supposedly for real this time). According to Variety, the networks said low ratings were behind all of the decisions.

Here's a summary of the changes:

• "The Wedding Bells" will air this Friday but is unlikely to be back after that.
• "The Black Donnellys" will get bumped from its time slot on April 23 to make way for "The Real Wedding Crashers." It's unclear if NBC intends to pull "Donnellys" completely before the 23rd or air the remaining episodes at another time; it only will have aired eight of its 13 episodes by then.
• "Six Degrees" is done, effective immediately, and — for the moment, at least — it will be replaced by episodes of "Wife Swap" (hey, at least it's not more "George Lopez").
• "7th Heaven" is scheduled to air its finale on May 13.

There's some good news for fans of "October Road": The show was only going to get to air four of its six episodes, but it's doing well enough that ABC is planning to let it finish out the season on Thursdays at 10. It will take a one-week break April 12 to make way for the premiere of "Notes from the Underbelly," but then "Notes" will move to Wednesdays at 8:30.

The CW's "Hidden Palms," which sounds like "Desperate Housewives" crossed with "Dawson's Creek," also finally got a time slot, and it will start May 30 at 8 p.m.

Photos courtesy of ABC, Fox, and NBC

"Six Degrees" was supposed to be the new hit show of the season. It had pedigree — stars Hope Davis and Campbell Scott; executive producer J.J. "Lost" Abrams — and the plum post-"Grey's Anatomy" time slot. Instead, the show about six New Yorkers discovering their connections to each other faltered in the ratings, and ABC yanked it from the schedule in early November.

Tonight, it's back with the first of a batch of previously unaired episodes — and, potentially, a shot at another season. Dumping the show in the TV wasteland of Friday nights isn't exactly a vote of confidence, nor is the fact that "Six Degrees" wasn't among the many that ABC already promised to renew. Still, a chance to finish out the season on TV is more than many of this season's yanked shows got (I hear you, you other three "Day Break" fans).

If you want to refresh your memory of the show (or, like me, check it out for the first time), you can watch four of the six episodes at ABC's video site. For a clip that will give you a sense of what it's all about, read more

From Executive Producer J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias) comes this somewhat original drama based on six New Yorkers who don't know each other, but are all connected in different ways. There is Laura, a grieving widow, Whitney, a high powered PR Executive, Steven, an artist who has hit rock bottom, Damian, destined to be a criminal but trying desperately to live an honest life, Carlos, the young Assistant DA and finally Mae, a runaway hiding something mysterious. The show takes place in Manhattan and is a clever play on the "Six Degrees of Separation" theory. Notable cast members include Bridget Moynahan (Sex and The City) as Whitney, Erika Christensen (Traffic) as Mae and the adorable Jay Hernandez (Crazy/Beautiful) as Carlos. While it's definitely no Lost or Alias, I was thoroughly entertained and will definitely be tuning in for the rest of the season. Six Degrees premieres tonight at 10/9c on ABC.