All of the major broadcast networks – NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox – seem to have a problem with smart, funny, warm shows. They never given them proper time slots, they are unwilling to accept that a show is a success if it has a smaller-than-expected audience, and they won’t take a chance on letting a show find its feet.

Thus, the news that Love Monkey has been pulled by CBS is really aggravating. Love Monkey is a great show, with a top-notch cast and excellent writing. Filmed entirely in and around New York City (a rarity these days, when a backlot in LA is often portrayed as “the City”), the show’s characters were believable and warm, the music always a pleasant surprise (the plt revolves around an A&R man for an indie record label), and it provided a necessary respite from the current trend toward crime shows (it was up against one of the powerful-and-overexposed Law & Order franchises), soap operas (another opponent was Boston Legal, which is a great show, but over-the-top), and “reality” shows.

But CBS was unwilling to give Love Monkey a chance. It aired three episodes before pulling it from the lineup – ostensibly because of the Olympics, but in truth because they weren’t “hitting key demographics” for advertisers. I admit that I’m on the upper cusp of the highly-desired 18-35 viewing audience, and that the average viewing audience of network TV is inching ever upward, but the show just appeals to me. It averaged around 7 million viewers per airing, and usually finished behind the Law & Order and Boston Legal juggernaut. However, CBS now has a great lead-in with The Amazing Race (one of the few “reality” shows I actually enjoy watching), yet they’ve given up.

Granted, there’s a slim hope for the show’s return. The soon-to-be-defunt UPN network may pick up the remaining shows, and might be able to move the show to the new UPN-WB hybrid network, The CW. And this being the era of the ‘net, there’s an online petition to save the show (and yes, I signed it, even though I know these petitions seldom achieve anything more than ego stroking).

However, it’s another example of the big networks selling their shows – and their viewers – short. Is it any wonder that the best writers are flocking to cable, along with an increasing number of viewers?