It's one of several new fall series that already are doing so poorly, network executives with itchy trigger fingers are ready to yank them off the schedules. In some cases, that would be a good thing. I don't think I could survive another week knowing that Fox's " 'Til Death" is still on TV.
Here's a list of new series that I think might be nervously waiting on deck for pink slips:
* "Happy Hour" - The characters who like to douse themselves with afternoon cocktails aren't the only ones getting hammered. So is this series, which has been getting dismal ratings.
Two weeks ago, it was 81st, getting just 4.4 million viewers, few enough to warrant the first ax of the new season.
But a Fox spokeswoman insisted to me that the show is still in production and is expected to return on Nov. 2 after the network airs baseball playoffs and the World Series.
* " 'Til Death" - Fox's other failed comedy, with former "Everybody Loves Raymond" co-star Brad Garrett, is a domestic comedy about the trials of a longtime marriage.
Even worse than being in a bickering marriage, this awful comedy has not fared much better than "Happy Hour." But the Fox spokeswoman says the series is also scheduled to return Nov. 2. Even so, I'd be suprised if it lasted much longer.
* "Justice" - I'm not picking on Fox, really. But because the network launched its fall season nearly a month before the other networks, it's had more time to test the viewing waters.
And its new slate of programs has not performed well. (Maybe it's because they all, um, reek.)
This legal drama starring Victor Gerber ("Alias"), about a hot-shot law firm that defends high-profile cases, has not had high-profile ratings. And it's only going to get worse now that "Lost" is back on the air against it.
* "Kidnapped" - What if someone kidnapped a local teenager and nobody cared? That's apparently what's happening to NBC's new serialized drama about a wealthy businessman and his missing son.
Last week, it was 65th in the ratings, a drop from the previous week.
* "Men in Trees" - The title of ABC's new drama refers to a road sign in a small town in Alaska where the ratio of men to women is so high, males can even be seen working in the trees. Unfortunately, there are no viewers to shake out of trees anywhere.
Last week, it fell from 50th in the ratings to 59th; it's not faring well against CBS' "Close to Home."
* "Runaway" - The CW's series about a family on the run from the police after a murder is hardly a runaway hit. In fact, it's been teetering at the bottom of the ratings list at 120th.
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* VINCE HORIUCHI'S column runs Mondays and Fridays. He can be reached at vince@ sltrib.com or 801-257-8607. For more television insights, visit Horiuchi's blog, "The Village Vidiot," at http://blogs. sltrib.com/tv/ and catch his PopCast podcast every Tuesday at http://sltrib.com/entertainment. Send comments to livingeditor @sltrib.com.
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