Having returned after a few weeks away (which, save for about two days, was not a vacation), I believe some catching up is in order.

For example, a few important things have transpired. "30 Rock" is coming back next year. "Andy Barker, P.I." has been punted to the Saturday night burn-off zone, a fate I felt coming even though I kinda liked the thing.

Still up the in air is the fate of "Friday Night Lights," concluding its first season tonight at 8 on KING/5 with the Dillon Panthers getting a shot at the State Championship. The game already promises to be a nail-biter before the players receive a piece of unwelcome news that shakes the team's tenuous cohesiveness. Without spoiling things, let's just say Taylor is in for a rough ride between dealing with his players and processing some surprising news concerning his family.

While fans are hoping this won't be "Friday Night Lights'" one and only season, be thankful that the writers had the good sense to grant us some solid closure with this moving finale. Nothing mars the memory of a terrific series more than a finale that leaves us hanging for all eternity.

But I wouldn't count "FNL" out just yet. The clamor for its renewal grows louder with each passing week. NBC is in the midst of a creative resurgence on multiple fronts. "FNL" just won a Peabody Award, confirming that overall opinion of excellence.

Announcing its renewal at the May upfronts sure would be a P.R. coup for NBC, and the man helming its turnaround, entertainment president Kevin Reilly. I hope he realizes that.

Keep your fingers crossed that we'll hear good news next month.

While we're on the topic of upfronts and fall plans, let's venture out "must-watch" territory to "must miss" land to talk about "Notes from the Underbelly," the latest rock on a growing mountain of proof that ABC desperately needs to overhaul its comedy situation.

Here's a note for ya: Skip this show.

This season ABC concretely proved that old adage that dying is easy but comedy is tough. Failed sitcom attempts included:

A) the story of a group of average joes intent upon robbing Mick Jagger -- definitely funny, but too odd to sustain our attention;

B) Watching Jonathan Silverman and an assortment of 30-something professionals fall apart...why did they think we would care?

This, in addition to perhaps the most baffling concept of all...

C) monitoring the hilarious minutiae of pre-wedding preparation, hour by hour. Whee. Except, not really.

"Notes from the Underbelly" is slightly funnier (which isn't saying much) but operates under a similar delusion: With the love and marriage bases covered, now we're supposed to giggle and coo over the pros and cons of diapers and pushing a pram.

The result? Ouch. Forget the epidural, you'll need laughing gas, stat.

Now, while I don't have kids, I've no doubt that aspects of pregnancy are, indeed, quite high-larious. How could a months-long experience that ends with a number of strangers staring at your Virginia Woolf not be?

But honestly, watching a fast-talking L.A. couple freak out about their pregnancy week in, week out does not sound like the height of entertainment after a long work day, even if the mommy-to-be is played by the adorable Jennifer Westfeldt ("Kissing Jessica Stein"). The boobs in this show lost me at the zygote's conception -- facilitated by, of all things, watching the subway boinking in "Risky Business."

God, that's vanilla.

Anyhoo, ABC programmers obviously have some sense that this baby ain't gonna get adopted. It's blowing out two episodes at 10 and 10:30 Thursday night after a "Grey's Anatomy" clip show hosted by Jeffrey Dean Morgan (aka Denny Duquette), and moving it to 8:30 Wednesdays starting April 18.