SIBERIA
NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET
Already, this new NBC series, which premiered Monday, is awash in symbolism and irony. Its premiere, opposite the second episode of CBS’s summer hit Under the Dome, drew only an estimated 3.2 million viewers. Both new series are scripted shows about a suddenly isolated group of people – a small town in Dome, contestants in a reality show in Siberia (actually filmed on location in Manitoba, Canada). Dome, by Stephen King, grabbed viewers immediately. Siberia, scheduled against it, not so much. One irony is that, as “fake” reality shows go, Siberia was more watchable than many real ones, at least as it set up its premise. But the real irony is that NBC is showing a same-week repeat of this series premiere on Friday nights, during the summer, on a holiday weekend. If that isn’t the TV equivalent of Siberia, I don’t know what is.