But what's a few ringers in a near perfect year? 

By Andrew Wallenstein

   One of the advantages of being a TV critic is never having to say you're sorry. No doubt an occasional review steers a reader wrong, but the author never apologizes.
    Well,  here at Media Life Magazine, I do more than point a thumb up or down: I predict whether a new series will be a ratings success. With that in mind, I want to be held accountable for my take on the fall season so far. A retrospective on my reviews below indicates I've had a good track record with the rookie shows of 1999-2000, despite a few glaring gaffes.
     First, I would like to single out my best prediction and my worst prediction; would you believe they were for the same show? 
     That's right, ABC's phenomenal "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" brought out both my personal high and low.
    When the game show first hit the airwaves in August, I correctly estimated solid ratings "would be an achievement that would have profound effects" on primetime programming. 
   "Millionaire" went on to more than solid ratings, and "profound effects" is an understatement: Every network is preparing a game show of their own, and after demolishing the competition during sweeps month, "Millionaire" will be on three times a week beginning this month.
        But I truly blew the call when it came to sizing up the power of Regis Philbin in November: "Look for 'Millionaire' to fizzle in the face of strong competition, putting ABC in serious trouble," I wrote.
     Oops. ABC actually coasted to its first sweeps victory in years.
     Still, for the rest of ABC, I was at the top of my game. I noted the potential of "Once & Again." I was also sure the Friday "T.G.I.F." lineup would implode, including the benched "Odd Man Out," which I said "would be lucky to last the whole season." Ditto for the canceled "Wasteland" and the benched "Oh Grow Up."
      The ABC pick I relish most was the demise of "Snoops," the "awful" David E. Kelley series I knew had "flop written all over it." 
    Then again, I overestimated Kelley's power over on Fox, where the half-hour version of "Ally McBeal" tanked.
    Come to think of it, I overestimated Fox in general, which saw all of its new series endure cancellation or anemic ratings. I was surprised by how lackluster the quickly yanked "Harsh Realm" and poorly received "Time of Your Life" turned out.
    Then again, I did predict the merciful death of "Ryan Caulfield: Year One" and knew that "Get Real" would underwhelm.
    My favorite Fox prediction? 
     Just like every other TV critic in America, I described "Action" as "savvy as satires come," but I warned "the series' cynical streak and showbiz insider-ishness may not fare well between coasts."
   Those very factors were often cited in "Action" post-mortems.
     My other favorite prediction? 
     Gotta be "Freaks & Geeks," a NBC drama I knew would wither Saturdays at 8 p.m. 
    Not only did I urge NBC to move it, I recommended the very time slot the network did indeed transfer it to, Mondays at 8 p.m.!
    For the rest of NBC, I was good as gold, issuing Nielsen seals of approval to "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "The West Wing" and, grudgingly, the still-awful "Third Watch" and "Stark Raving Mad." 
    I also dug early graves for the canceled "Mike O'Malley Show" and "Cold Feet."
     At Viacom twins CBS and UPN, I made a few errors.
     The biggest was missing the boat on the hot rookie "Judging Amy," which I dismissed as "ho-hum."
     Nineteen million people proved me wrong in its first week. 
    Also I had too much faith in UPN's actioner "The Strip," which flopped, and too little in CBS's Monday lineup, which is still solid with two new entries I hated, "Ladies Man" and "Family Law."
      And yet even though I equally deplored UPN's "Grown Ups" and "The Parkers," I conceded they would form "an appealing programming block for ethnic viewers."
As for wrestling, it didn't take a genius to see "WWF Smackdown" would excel.
   I also didn't burn many brain cells touting WB's "Angel" and "Roswell, " given their cozy time slots, but the strength of "Popular" and  weakness of  "Safe Harbor" caught me by surprise.
     Lastly, I knew to turn my nose at the likes of "Work With Me" (CBS), "Love & Money" (CBS), "The Early Show" (CBS), "Mission Hill" (WB), "Jack & Jill" (WB) and "Shasta McNasty" (UPN). All were either canceled or struggling. 
    Pat me on the back as well for calling "Now and Again" (CBS) a possible "sleeper hit," which it is. But enough horn-tooting. Hopefully, I've made a case to keep you coming back to Media Life for the midseason. 

-Andrew Wallenstein covers television programming for Media Life.