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It’s no secret that I like all three of these shows, though “Heroes” has emerged as a clear favorite. All of these shows have survived because they’ve received those all important ratings numbers. But I wonder if ABC hadn’t switched “Ugly Betty” from Friday to Thursday if it would still be surviving?

“In just two weeks ‘Ugly Betty’ has given us an impressive foothold leading into the ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ hour on Thursday night,’ says Stephen McPherson, president of ABC Entertainment, in a press release. This is funny since it was the television critics who first suggested to the ABC big dude had screwed up when he’d first put the Selma Hayek comedy on Fridays. It was one of my fellow TV critics who said, “If you like ‘Ugly Betty’ so much, why don’t you pair it with a show that has decent ratings and is a proven winner like ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ Isn’t Friday still a death march for most shows?”

A few days later the announcement was made that “UB” would lead into “Grey’s,” and that my friend is the power of the press. And honestly I feel like that person may have saved a really great comedy. While “Men in Trees” is holding steady (I like this show, I don’t care what you guys say.) it doesn’t have near the viewers of “UB.” Of course, that has a lot to do with being stuck on Friday nights. Fridays and Saturdays have long been considered kind of a graveyard for television programming.

CBS has had some success with shows like “Numb3rs” and “Ghost Whisperer” on Friday. But that’s CBS. This week NBC is trying to get back in the Friday night game with the return of “Las Vegas.” We’ll see what happens.

I’d been set to talk about Donal Logue’s new comedy “Knights of Prosperity” this week, but ABC has shelved the show. It now carries a TBD (To Be Determined), which always makes me think, “You aren’t worthy. We haven’t determined if you are special enough to be on our airwaves.” Out of all the new comedies, this one isn’t bad. Hopefully, I’ll have a chance to talk about it later in the season.

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