Preview of Week 02/07/10 - 02/13/09

Super Bowl XLIV / Undercover Boss - CBS, Sunday, February 7, 6:25pm ET

It's the biggest game of the year, so even if you're not a football fan, you should watch the game. My prediction is that the Colts will win, but if the Saints can rattle Peyton Manning like they did to Brett Favre two weeks ago, they may have a chance. Check out Favre's ankle to the right.

I never promote reality shows, but in the case of Undercover Boss, I think it's worth noting, because CBS thinks it'll become a huge hit. I have no clue why and there's nothing to indicate that it will, but watching the show should give us a clue.

Castle - ABC, Monday, February 8, 10:00 ET

Dodger's current manager and Yankee's ex-manager Joe Torre is in the episode as well as Ray Wise. Castle will also find out more about his father. Looks like fun.

Past Life  - Fox, Tuesday, February 9, 9:00pm ET

Fox has all but given up on the show, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't watch the pilot. The show is based on the book “The Reincarnationist” and is a police procedural with a supernatural twist. How bad can it be? (Based on the limited comments I've seen, pretty bad.)

Legend of the Seeker - Local affiliate, February 13

Kahlan loses her powers, so we know what that means. Sex scene! But first, there's going to be the inevitable enemies to kill. Without her powers, Kahlan won't be able to kill as many people, so the other characters have to pick up the slack.

CBS airing new show, Undercover Boss, after Superbowl. What?

This is CBS's description of the show:

UNDERCOVER BOSS is a new reality series that follows high level corporate executives as they slip anonymously into the lowest level jobs within their companies. Once undercover, they’ll get their hands dirty with the rank and file, find out what their employees REALLY think of them and discover how smoothly their companies are REALLY run. In the process, these senior executives learn about themselves, the perception of their company and the spirit of their work force.

Instead of airing the season premiere of Survivor's 20th season, The Big Bang Theory, The Mentalist, NCIS, or any of the other hit shows CBS has, the suits at CBS decided to air a new show -- a reality show no less.

I rarely watch reality shows (maybe 5 times a year) so I definitely won't be watching, but what matters is if people stick around to watch. Undercover Boss isn't a competition show like the immensely popular American Idol and Dancing With the Stars, so why does CBS think it can succeed in the long run? After all, that's the purpose of the post-Superbowl timeslot. It is intended to have huge ratings in the short run and have considerable ratings payoff in the long term.

Perhaps it is my bias towards reality shows, but I can't imagine how the show can succeed. The concept is sound for a run-of-the-mill reality show; the rich guy being the lowly laborer will produce heartwarming and humorous moments. I don't imagine how the audience will be captivated to watch different people each week. The draw of the popular reality shows (AI, DWTS, BB, AR, HK) is that there are memorable characters that compete each week. There is nothing in Undercover Boss that indicates it can produce the same results.