The Wedding Bells

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

Now, I know TV shows named after their main characters have been around forever: "Newhart," "Seinfeld," even "Caroline in the City." But right now, there's this whole crop of pseudo double meaning titles out there that I just cannot sanction.

I suppose it all started with "The Wedding Bells." They're wedding planners! Their last name is Bell! Suddenly, the show is infused with so much meaning!

Then along came "The Riches," in which the main characters assume the identity of a couple whose last name is Rich. And guess what? They're rich! How strangely apropos.

But I've really hit my limit with "Traveler," ABC's new thriller about friends who get blamed for a terrorist attack. I figured the title came from the cross-country road trip they're taking when the attack happens. Nope. It's actually from the name of a friend who might have framed them: Will — wait for it — Traveler.

Seriously, these sound like the names you'd use for the word problems in elementary school math tests. ("John and Sally Saver went to the bank ..."). What's next? A show about caterers named the Cooks? Patisserie owners named the Bakers? Farmers named the, uh, Farmers? Give it a rest, guys. We get it.

Photos courtesy of Fox and FX

From "Ally McBeal" to "The Practice" to "Boston Legal," nobody knows the formula for a television hit quite like David E. Kelley. And that's exactly why I'm both anticipating and dreading tonight's premiere of "The Wedding Bells," Kelley's latest creation. Kelley's built a career on one-dimensional, stereotypical characters who get themselves into one wacky situation after another while learning Meaningful Lessons about Life, and I'm afraid "Wedding Bells" looks like more of the same.

My reservations start with the title: See, they're wedding planners, and their last name is Bell! The Wedding Bells! Yuk-yuk! The clips I've seen stay close to the standard wedding cliches of run-away brides and overly demanding mothers. Add in the "twist" that the Bells themselves are still looking for love, and it starts to sound like a cloying, cutesy nightmare. (To see the clips for yourself, go to the show's site and click the link for video.) Or, to watch an extended preview that made me laugh several times, read more