While it's chic to trash network TV, I'd argue that the much-maligned weekly series actually produces some of the culture's best writing. There are anti-war episodes of "MASH" which remain great to this day. There are "Frasier" episodes which rival the classic plays of Moss and Hart -- complete with gags based on a set full of doors. Hidden in the bewildering array of broadcast junk is some truly good work, work that should not be overlooked merely because of its genre.

My theory is the pressure in this field is tremendous, and that the talent level required to produce for weekly TV means the folks who climb to the top are seriously, seriously good. Forget the over-hyped David E. Kelley and remember these two names: Joe Keenan and Lydia Woodward. I'd mention an ex-girlfriend of mine who did great work on "LA Law," but it would just make me sad to think of such a wonderful woman long, long gone.

Nowdays, thanks to work, drinking, chasing women and hanging with my buds, I see three to four hours of TV a week. I focus on quality -- the first episode of Robert Altman's anthology "Gun" is the greatest hour of TV no one ever saw -- and I get annoyed when the shows that rate ("Homicide") get preempted.

As a general rule, if there's a show I really, really like -- Michael Moore's guerilla TV series for NBC comes to mind-- then it's doomed. So it completely bummed me out when I fell in love with "Sportsnight."

I'd really wanted it to succeed.

***

For the record, this show may be renewed, which would be great, and maybe this show will be reworked, which would be even greater. "Sportsnight" has as many pluses as minuses, but it has more potential than yet another put-down sitcom ala "Norm."

If you've never seen it, "Sportsnight" follows the off-the-air exploits of people who do sports attitude for a living. The level of realism is high, but it should be since Ron Howard ("Apollo 13", "Backdraft") is involved. The writing, though sometimes maddeningly repetitive, comes from Aaron Sorkin, author of the utterly terrific "An American President." The acting is solid -- Josh Charles defines hip and Felicity Huffman made me swoon even before she put her boogie shoes on. But here's the real beauty -- you don't have to be a sports fan to enjoy the show.

The show can be categorized as what the industry calls a dramedy -- a mix of quirky humor and seriousness on the lines of a "Picket Fences" or "Northern Exposure" -- and its greatest flaw is a network trying to squeeze it into the standard sitcom mold.The laughtrack is distractingly bad, and the level of dubs seems to vary week to week. An episode with little laughter, dealing with a locker room sexual assault, was one of the best of the season; the laugh track was also turned down for "The Apology," a worthy Emmy contender with a terrific twist ending.

My hope is ABC spends the money and puts this on the fall schedule as an hour-long show, which would water down the current emphasis of office romances and would allow for new cast members to beef up the ensemble. The show currently features no on-the-road reporters, an immediate source of material.

I worry because during February sweeps month, this show got preempted for a "Dharma & Greg" episode, and I worry because it was a show that wrapped its season in the first week of May. In a quick round of web research, I never could find it on a Nielsen list, furthering my suspicion it's not exactly a smash hit.

Now of course this is network TV, so the finances behind the show (it comes from subsidiaries of ABC's corporate parent) may have more to do with renewal than quality. And maybe this show will get renewed because other new ABC shows just plain suck.

All I can say now is "please tune in." With luck, I won't have to change that to say "tune in while you still have the chance."

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   G.L. Marshall found a "PJs" episode to be the funniest thing he'd seen since catching Rodney Dangerfield back when the legend was still working the front rooms in Vegas.