NBC's "Celebrity Circus": Another Sucker-Born-Every-Minute Move

Tonight at 9:30 ET, NBC proudly presents its latest reality-TV competition show, Celebrity Circus. I say "proudly," because here it is, occupying valuable prime time at a time when network TV desperately needs to attract viewers, not repel them.

I haven't seen Celebrity Circus, so I can't say whether it's as lame, unwatchable and insulting as I suspect it is. We'll all pass judgment soon enough. But my expectations are low - about as low as they were for Secret Talents of the Stars, a similar showcase proudly presented by CBS in April, then not-so-proudly canceled after a single telecast.

As someone who loves quality TV, I've come to resent poorly made, low-aiming unscripted television series -- not only because they're a waste of time, but because they waste time that otherwise could be devoted to something better. Something, say, scripted.

Look at tonight's prime-time five-network lineup -- if you dare. Celebrity Circus is just one of eight unscripted offerings this evening, the others being ABC's Wife Swap and Supernanny reality shows, CBS's Price is Right Million Dollar Spectacular game show, Fox's So You Think You Can Dance competition show, NBC's Deal or No Deal game show, and CW's doubleheader of competition series, America's Next Top Model and Farmer Wants a Wife.

Because several of those shows are expanded episodes, that's a total of 10 hours of unscripted programming in a single night of prime time. Scripted shows, on the other hand, are represented only by ABC's Men in Trees, which leaves TV for good after tonight, and reruns of Criminal Minds and CSI: NY on CBS.

That's it. And that's sad.

And that's by no means a one-night anomaly. Yesterday there were five scripted shows in prime time, all repeats, and five unscripted ones -- nine, if you include news and sports. And tomorrow, on one of the most active nights for scripted TV, there are six shows featuring actors and actual scripts: new episodes of Swingtown and Fear Itself, and reruns of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Smallville, Supernatural and My Name Is Earl.

Unscripted fare? Four game and competition shows, including Million Dollar Password and Last Comic Standing. Add ABC's NBA Finals coverage to the mix, and it's a total of seven unscripted shows.

Celebrity Circus is setting up shop in what looks less and less like a Big Top -- and more and more like a Big Bottom.