Pilots Gone Wild

It's not often one gets to say it, but VH1 stole my idea.

Kinda.

I won't get into the specifics of my idea (patent pending), but the premise of Acceptable.TV is pretty good: 5 shows crammed into a half hour show. There's some interactivity involved too, which is less interesting, but the idea of short shows that cycle every week is very appealing.

For one thing, it keeps things fresh. And sketches like "Operation Kitten Calendar" (The Apprentice, but instead of business, contestants compete in the art of kitten photography) are if not inspired, entertaining.

But it also allows for dead weight to drop away. How often have we seen shows stick around only because there's not enough reality shows waiting in the wings to take their place (I'm looking at you , Yes Dear)? This way, crap goes away and something else takes its place. Now more than likely, it's stunningly crappy. But them's the breaks--I'd rather have something that might be good than something I know is terrible.

So a tip of the hat to VH1: you've figured out that Americans have short attention spans and bad taste in television. You're way ahead of the game.