Here's something the networks didn't count on while planning their schedules. Research indicates that most viewers who record programs on their cable box watch them at 10 p.m.
That means they aren't watching (or recording, it seems) whatever shows are actually on at 10 p.m. That has turned the time slot into death valley for weekly series and local evening news. Just ask the producers of Eli Stone, Dirty Sexy Money, and the long-running Boston Legal, all of which have gotten the axe.
ABC is not ready to throw in the towel, however. They're moving Life on Mars to Wednesdays at 10 p.m. until they can tool up The Unusuals for an April debut. That one stars Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia) as a homicide cop.