'Loop' link

Today's column is a two-fer, with a review of the Summer Burn-Off Theatre run of "The Loop" (allegedly set to begin on Sunday, but, as mentioned below, I'll believe that when I see it), and a brief preview of tomorrow night's "Shield" finale:

The next time someone at Fox complains about my annual mockery of the net work's unreliable new schedule announcement, I'm going to say, "Then what about 'The Loop'?"

A year ago, the three-tiered schedule for the 2006-07 season that Fox announced had "The Loop," a comedy about a young guy named Sam trying to balance his ambitious career with an age- appropriate level of partying, re turning in the spring and airing after the "American Idol" results show. But when spring and the results show came, it was " 'Til Death" that got the plum timeslot. "The Loop," meanwhile, got consigned to Summer Burn-Off Theatre status, and star Bret Harrison moved on to "Reaper," a new show on the CW's fall schedule. So much for schedul ing.

And even the summer schedule has been written in crayon. The show was set to come back this coming Sunday, then got pushed up to tomorrow night, and then, shortly before this column went to press, got pushed back to Sunday at 8:30 and 9:30 again. (If you care, you may just want to record all of Fox primetime for the next week just to make sure you don't miss it.)

To read the full thing, click here.