James Hibberd

“We never asked Nielsen for this,” says NBC’s research expert Alan Wurtzel. “Everybody got the notice in July that Nielsen was changing their rules. Nobody should have been surprised.”

“This,” of course, is CumeGate -- NBC opting to take advantage of a new Nielsen rule that allowed the network to get a single, cumulative rating for two airings of its “Heroes” premiere (from Monday’s debut and from tomorrow’s encore).

The move resulted in NBC’s competitors and advertisers crying foul all week, accusing the fourth-place network of double dipping to boost their premiere rating. The protests to Nielsen were so vehement, even mainstream press got into the fight, delving into the rather wonkish, headache-inducing underworld of Nielsen number-crunching idiosyncrasies.

The heart of the complaints goes like this: We don’t care if NBC wants a cume number to present to advertisers as long the original rating is still reported.

“NBC didn’t do anything illegal, they’re using a rule,” says Fox’s scheduling head Preston Beckman. “NBC has every right to run the show with the same commercials and have some kind of cume rating. It’s Nielsen’s obligation to still supply the industry with a separate program rating for both nights – because then NBC is using the rule to change their rating for the week.”

Another annoyance among rivals: Few can ever use the rule the way NBC did. Since the measure only applies for shows repeated within the same Nielsen week and carrying the exact same advertisers, the “Heroes” premiere was perfectly positioned to take full advantage. The show was singularly sponsored by Nissan, debuted at the top of the Nielsen week and repeats Saturday during a low-rated hour. ABC executives noted they couldn’t possibly double-dip Sunday night’s “Desperate Housewives.”

Nielsen has heard the complaints very, very clearly. Spokesperson Ann Elliot says they’re re-evaluating the policy. Nobody thinks the rule will stay the same. Shows will probably be allowed to encore within any seven day period for a cume with the original night’s numbers likely still reported as usual.

“We’re definitely going to take into consideration everything we’ve heard this week and, yes, we’ve certainly heard a lot,” Elliot says. “We didn’t tell NBC how to use this new processing approach because we thought that would be inappropriate. NBC took a creative approach and used it staying within the bounds.”

Asked if anybody besides NBC has given positive feedback about the rule, Elliot says, “I don’t think anybody has come out and said ‘this is great.’”

NBC paints a different picture, saying the network was merely complying with a change that everybody knew about; a shift that’s necessary given the way viewers increasingly watch television outside of traditional live premieres.

“We didn’t tell Nielsen how to calculate this, they told us,” Wurtzel says. “The fact that people were surprised stuns me on a whole bunch of levels. What Nielsen did is absolutely appropriate.”

Wurtzel’s right that getting Nielsen to combine ratings from more than one source is a necessary digital-era goal, the problem for NBC was the move played so weak.

Instead of headlines about “Heroes” coming back stronger than ever, reporters waded hip-deep into eye-crossing Nielsen processing issues, a place nobody wants to spend their time.

Combined with “Heroes’” jarring and off-note product placement in the opening minutes of the season premiere -- where Claire (The Cheerleader) practically did hand springs for a new Nissan (“Oh Dad! The Rogue!”) – the network needs to be careful not let its eagerness to appease advertisers overshadow its best brand.

ABC’s top-rated “Grey’s Anatomy” returned with the highest-rated premiere of the new season, but the network’s Thursday-night lineup endured time-period declines that allowed CBS to edge out a victory for the night.

Having shed two of its regular cast members this season, “Grey’s” came back to an 8.7 preliminary rating among adults 18 to 49. “Grey’s” was the highest-rated show of the evening, though down 21 percent compared to last year. Lead-in “Ugly Betty” was down 24 percent, earning a 3.8. Freshman premiere “Big Shots” earned a 4.7, placing it in the upper echelon of new series premieres, but the show lost a precarious 46 percent of its lead in and fell 26 percent in its second half hour.

Though ABC had the highest-rated show, CBS was taking a victory lap this morning. After getting beat up in the press all week for declines on returning veteran series, executives were relieved their lineup’s performance came back strong despite heavy competition.

Resolving a cliffhanger from May, “CSI” returned to an 8.0 rating, up 4 percent from last year. At 8 p.m., “Survivor: China” won its hour with a 4.6 and fell only 8 percent from last week’s premiere. At 10 p.m., “Without a Trace” matched last year’s 4.8.

Unlike Wednesday, when a 9 p.m. time-period struggle resulted in a ratings battlefield littered with casualties, last night three major shows managed to post top-shelf returns during a heavily contested hour.: Despite going up against "Grey's" and "CSI," NBC's one-hour version of "The Office" at 9 p.m. matched the show's series high with a 5.1 and was up 19 percent over its 8:30 p.m. debut last year.

Overall, NBC was in third place for the night. The premiere of “My Name Is Earl” earned a 3.7, down just a tick from last year. The return of “ER” was a disaster, falling 40 percent to 4.1, and finishing last in the hour.

With all the competition, Fox’s game show lineup was pummeled. “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader” posted a 2.0 and “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” had a 1.8.

The premiere of The CW’s “Smallville” was down slightly from last year to a 1.9. A “Reaper” encore at 9 p.m. had a 1.0—pretty good considering the lethal time period and that the Tuesday premiere only got a 1.5.

Kate Walsh and Isaiah Washington have left their protected Thursday night home to brave the harsh elements, protected only by their Wednesday night freshman dramas. So will viewers still flock to “Grey’s Anatomy” in the same massive numbers as last season?

Also, ABC hopes to convince viewers of its female-centric ensemble drama to stay tuned at 10 p.m. for a program whose working title was “Big Dicks”—it’s now called “Big Shots.”

Also, NBC tries its one-hour “Office” trick. Longer means funnier, right?

Last night Fox aired the infamous episode of “Kitchen Nightmares” that prompted a lawsuit accusing star Gordon Ramsay of faking scenes.

As the chef warned, the episode contained revolting footage of spoiled pantry food at an insect-plagued New York eatery. With the restaurant’s employees appearing to agree to Ramsay’s findings, the episode should remove suspicions that the sanitation issues may have been staged by producers of the show.

The lawsuit’s plaintiff, Martin Hyde, was the general manager of Dillon’s restaurant and lost his job during the production. Hyde says the restaurant’s sanitation problems were the fault of a kitchen manager who was fired a week before the show was taped. Without the other manager around, Hyde says Ramsay targeted him instead.

With an owner and several managers shown running the restaurant, the show did seem to stretch in blaming Dillon’s assortment of sanitation, culinary and customer service problems on a single person. At one point, a co-worker is shown defending Hyde, then she was silenced by Ramsay.

The episode concluded with an upbeat ending that led viewers to believe Ramsay’s makeover was successful.

The lawsuit claims the restaurant was shut down by the New York City Board of Health about a week after taping.

Why is Fox being stingy about making its record-setting “Family Guy” season premiere available online?

Because producer 20th Century Fox Television is readying a special DVD of the “Star Wars”-themed episode, sources confirm.

The DVD will feature an extended cut of the episode, which is titled "Blue Harvest,” and an assortment of extras.

The release date and features are still under discussion, but here’s the current plan: Extras include about three minutes of additional footage, bringing the show’s running time to about 47 minutes; commentary by creator Seth MacFarlane and other “Family Guy” staff; two minutes of footage converted to 3-D and viewable with 3-D glasses; interviews with MacFarlane, “Star Wars” creator George Lucas and others; and a booklet about the episode’s artwork.

The downside for “Family Guy” fans: The DVD might not come out until next year. The studio was originally looking to fast-track the release. Now the tentative release date is January.

Finally, the buzz paid off.

After a slew of much-hyped new shows premiered to merely average ratings, NBC’s heavily marketed “Bionic Woman” conquered a tough field of new and returning shows to win the Wednesday night battleground.

"Bionic" earned a 5.5 rating among adults 18 to 49, topping the premiere of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff "Private Practice," which earned a 5.1. "Bionic" is the highest-rated freshman premiere so far this fall, with "Private" coming in second. "Bionic" won its hour despite "Private" having a stronger lead-in and ranks as the highest-rated Wednesday-night NBC series premiere since "The West Wing" in 1999.

“Bionic” fueled the debut of NBC’s cop drama “Life,” which earned a strong 4.1 rating to win the 10 p.m. hour and rank as the third best-rated new show. “Life” topped the season premiere of “CSI: NY” (3.7, down 26 percent from last year) and the debut of ABC’s “Dirty Sexy Money” (3.6, down 22 percent from the premiere of “The Nine” last year, which benefited from a stronger “Lost” lead-in).

The “Bionic” vs. “Private” showdown wounded the rest of the 9 p.m. field. CBS’ “Criminal Minds” was down 22 percent from last year to a 3.5, Fox’s “Kitchen Nightmares” dropped 22 percent in its second week to a 2.4 and The CW’s “Gossip Girl” fell 25 percent to an anorexic 1.2.

At 8 p.m., the “Dancing With the Stars” results show won the hour (an on-par 4.0), followed by the second week of “Kid Nation” (2.8, dropping 10 percent). NBC’s “Deal or No Deal” (2.6) and Fox’s “Back to You” (2.8, down 10 percent) and “Til Death” (2.4) followed. The CW’s “America’s Next Top Model” stayed strong with a 2.4.

Overall, ABC nudged out NBC for the nightly win by a tenth of a point, followed by CBS, Fox and The CW. Among total viewers, ABC's Wednesday night victory was more pronounced, and "Private" topped "Bionic" in overall audience.

Ever since the May upfronts when networks unveiled their fall schedules, Wednesdays have been the most-discussed night, given the intense array of competition. “Bionic” has topped buzz-tracking measures all summer, while the reputation of “Private Practice” was dented by a backdoor pilot that aired in May. In the past week, however, any sense that buzz produces viewers seemed to go out the window as the drumbeats of publicity for CBS’ “Kid Nation,” NBC’s “Chuck” and The CW’s “Reaper” went largely unheeded.

The only safe bet for breakout numbers seemed to be with returning hits, such as NBC’s “Heroes” and Fox’s “House.” Both “Bionic” and “Private” (the latter of which, had it aired on any other night, would have likely dominated headlines this morning) show that freshman premieres can still draw significant tune-in.

Updated at 11:05 a.m.

Sept. 26, 9 p.m.: NBC's "Bionic Woman" vs. ABC's "Private Practice" vs. CBS's "Criminal Minds" vs. Fox's "Kitchen Nightmares" vs. The CW's "Gossip Girl."

Network oddsmakers are putting their chips on "Private" to beat key contender "Bionic." "Science fiction," said one analyst, holding his fingers a few inches apart, "compared to 'Grey's Anatomy' spin-off," spreading his hands wide. ("Heroes" notwithstanding, of course).

Other burning questions include how CBS’s "Kid Nation" wrangles week two, if viewers will check out ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" and whether NBC viewers will stick around after "Bionic" for a show that sounds like a breakfast cereal.

NBC’s “Bionic Woman” pilot has never quite been good enough. Parts have been re-shot. A part has been re-cast. An executive producer has been hired and fired.

The pilot is, in other words, like Jamie Sommers—an assembly of pieces by a team that keeps trying to build something that’s better and stronger.

The result has arguably been seen by more people than any other broadcast show before its debut—either downloaded illegally on BitTorrent or legally on Amazon. Free pilots normally don’t negatively impact premiere ratings. But an argument can be made that a fair chunk of potential “Bionic” fans have already seen the first episode and the resulting word of mouth is a resounding “Eh...”

The second episode and beyond is a whole ‘nother story. This is the potential fresh start to a still-promising series where the writers and producers either improved on their pilot awkwardness, or didn’t. Remember, last season “Heroes” didn’t really hit its stride for several episodes.

Beyond the creative, the second episode is also an industry keystone. Next week introduces controversial former “Grey’s Anatomy” cast member Isaiah Washington as a supporting character.

NBC Co-Chair Ben Silverman’s seemingly spur-of-the-moment decision in July to add the actor to the cast was a pure mad-scientist move, a so-crazy-it-just-might-work act of executive chutzpah that sent the industry and media into a puzzled spin. Did he cast Washington for the publicity? To irk and counter-program ABC, whose “Grey’s” spinoff “Private Practice” is scheduled against “Bionic”? Or simply because, as Silverman says, Washington is a good actor?

For all the Clinton-esque media gawking that the charismatic executive has inspired, Silverman’s NBC programming report card is still largely blank. Whatever logic powers Silverman's bionic decision-making process, viewer response to Washington will be one of the first primetime trials of his NBC tenure.

The return of “House” was Fox’s highest-rated drama premiere in nearly seven years.

“House” came back with a 7.7 rating among adults 18 to 49—the best showing ever for the show without an “American Idol” lead-in. The show was up 7 percent over its premiere last season and boasted the biggest premiere rating so far this fall.

New series, however, continued to struggle for break-out viewership, with CBS’s “Cane” and The CW’s “Reaper” posting average returns.

“Cane” placed second in the 10 p.m. hour with a 2.9, building slightly on its “The Unit” season premiere lead-in (2.8). “Cane” was down 19 percent in the demo from the premiere of last year’s “Smith” in the time period and matched the November premiere of “3 Lbs” in the slot.

“Reaper” had a 1.5 rating (and a 1.8 among the network’s 18-to-34 target demographic), matching its “Beauty and the Geek” lead-in. The network points out that “Reaper” improved its time period by 7 percent compared to the “Veronica Mars” debut last year and built slightly among 18-to-34.

Overall Fox took the night with the season premiere of “Bones” (3.2, up 19 percent from last year) and “House.”

NBC and ABC tied for second place. NBC had a two-hour “Biggest Loser” (3.0) and the premiere of “Law & Order: SVU” (4.8, slipping 8 percent from last year but firmly winning the hour).

ABC aired part two of their “Dancing With the Stars” premiere (4.7, dropping 19 percent from Monday’s launch), followed by the season premiere of “Boston Legal” (2.5, the show’s lowest premiere ever).

CBS came in third place with the most consistent viewership across the board, with the premieres of “NCIS” (3.1) and “Unit” (2.8), both slightly down from last year, and “Cane” (2.9).

The CW was last with “Beauty & the Geek” (1.5, dipping slightly from last week) and “Reaper” (1.5).

Looks like Fox isn’t going let “Nashville” coast after all. After two episodes, the network is pulling the Friday night docu-soap reality show in favor of “K-Ville” repeats for at least two weeks. The show debuted to a 1.0 rating among adults 18 to 49, then dropped to a 0.8 last week.

“K-Ville” repeats will run in the slot Sept. 28 and Oct. 5, then Major League Baseball will take over. Fox claims “Nashville” will return Nov. 9 (which is a shame – a network officially canceling a fall show on the first day of the season has a nihilistic ring about it).

No word whether Fox will make like NBC’s “Heroes” and take advantage of Nielsen’s new repeat-cume-ratings combo opportunity.

Also: Tonight is the debut of The CW’s much-loved “Reaper.” Since the re-shoots, the pilot has the bonus entertainment value of Bret Harrison’s hair and eyebrows switching from brown to dark blonde every time he shares the frame with newly cast love-interest Missy Peregrym.

Also: Rouse the Emmy voters, ABC’s “Boston Legal” returns. Plus, CBS’s reasonably entertaining “Cane” debuts. The show is burdened with the lamest marketing tagline of the fall season – “Power is Sweet” – while “Reaper” has the arguably the best – “Meet Satan’s Biggest Tools.” Not that such things count for much, but you gotta give points for style.

Plus, the return of Fox’s “Bones” and “House;” CBS’s “NCIS” and “The Unit.”

All of NBC’s buzz-building billboards, Comic-Con screenings, fan outreach and online pilots to promote its Monday-night lineup were edged out by the prospect of Mark Cuban waltzing.

ABC earned a narrow victory for the first night of the fall broadcast season with “Dancing With the Stars” and “The Bachelor,” while the return of NBC’s “Heroes” was the highest-rated show of the evening.

The 90-minute “Dancing” had a 5.8 preliminary rating among adults 18 to 49, up a tick from year’s premiere, followed by a 3.5 rating for “Bachelor,” up 13 percent from last year. ABC boasted it was the only network to enjoy across-the-board gains last night compared to last season.

NBC came in second with its trio of hero-driven dramas, a mere tenth of a rating point behind ABC. The premiere of “Chuck” garnered a solid 3.6 rating, but was down 18 percent from the premiere of “Deal or No Deal” last fall. “Heroes” came back strong with a 6.5, up 10 percent from last year’s premiere and its best rating since last March. Viewership dropped for the debut of “Journeyman,” however, which had a 3.7—disappointing considering its lead-in.

There won’t be any national ratings for “Heroes” later today, because NBC has opted to take advantage of a recent Nielsen rule change that allows broadcast networks to add an encore presentation and mix together the ratings for both airings. NBC will re-air “Heroes” on Saturday and add its viewership to the current “Heroes” tally. This is the first time a network has opted for this and some competitors are annoyed, feeling the move allows NBC to double-dip for a number.

CBS was third with the premieres of “How I Met Your Mother” (3.2, down slightly from last year), “The Big Bang Theory” (a respectable 3.7), “Two and a Half Men” (4.7, down a tick) and “Rules of Engagement” (4.4, also down a notch). At 10 p.m., “CSI: Miami” dropped 21 percent from last year’s premiere to a 4.6.

Fox came in fourth, with “Prison Break” holding up admirably in its second week with a 3.1 rating. At 9 p.m., “K-Ville” got k-illed with a 2.3 rating, down from last week’s 3.3.

This morning Fox’s competitors are chortling over a promo that ran during last night’s “Prison Break” that called “K-Ville” the “No. 1 new drama of the season” among adults 18 to 49. Given only two new dramas actually aired before Monday night, this claim essentially brags that “K-Ville” beat The CW’s “Gossip Girl.”

Speaking of The CW, the network came in fifth with repeats.

Also: The networks are pointing out the latest DVR-penetration estimates, which have increased to 19.4 percent. Instead of “flat is the new up,” one network analyst said he expects the premiere week mantra to be: “Down 10 percent is the new flat.”

If you’ve ever had an obnoxious friend who flirts with your dates and never picks up the tab, then finds religion and becomes serenely polite and empties his pockets for homeless panhandlers, then you know what it’s like to watch rascally Fox’s abrupt embrace of Rupert Murdoch’s eco-initiative. You respect and appreciate the effort, though you may have a hard time taking it all entirely seriously.

For its part, Fox leaves few stones unturned (or unprotected) when hosting its eco-themed events. On Monday night, the network hosted its second-annual eco-charity party at Area nightclub in West Los Angeles. From the e-mailed party invite: "Parking Password: 'Cool Change.' No other parking pass is required (we're saving paper)."

Arriving at the party, I was very much looking forward to using a secret parking password – “Cool change! [wink]” -- but the parking attendant didn’t ask for one.

Inside, Fox executives and talent mixed it up with the usual bar-and-buffet and casino games, with the eco-themed addition of a good-cause donation booth and charity spin. Executives were in high spirits following the performance of Sunday night’s “Family Guy,” which gave the network a clear win after a week of decent but unspectacular premieres.

On the way out, partygoers were handed gift bags made from recycled Fox billboards. The bags contained one of those energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs that “An Inconvenient Truth” recommended, a candle made from soybeans (no, it doesn’t smell like burning edamame) and a bottle of Icelandic Glacial bottled water.

The Icelandic Glacial bottled water has a picture of an iceberg on it. One can’t help but imagine a bottled-water company siphoning up the remains of a melting polar ice cap, then selling it to eco-conscious shoppers at Whole Foods for $2.80 a quart.

Finally, partygoers were given a tree. Not a house plant. A petite, potted tree.

“This will eventually grow into a tree that’s 25 feet high,” says the Fox staffer as she hands out the pots, not realizing how frightening a prospect this is to the apartment and condo dwellers of West Los Angeles.

Now at home, the tree sits on the coffee table like a challenge. Water me, see what happens…

Just how important is tonight for NBC?

It’s the official start of the fall broadcast season and NBC premieres “Chuck,” “Heroes” and “Journeyman.” That’s half the network’s new dramas and its biggest returning show.

The giant “Heroes” buzz machine is dimmed only by its May season finale, which disappointed some viewers (muddled writing, character fates unclear, anticlimactic staging). The relentless summer marketing for the show has likewise felt like the old song, “How can I miss you when you won’t go away?”

Still, industry oddsmakers predict a home run. The fate of “Chuck” and “Journeyman” are less certain. “Chuck” has the buzz; “Journeyman” has the lead-in.

Aside from NBC, executives at other networks, in a weird way, are also rooting for “Heroes.” With broadcast ratings continuing to degrade and “flat is the new up,” nobody wants to see a smart, young-skewing sophomore drama that’s mostly done everything right come back to a Nielsen face-plant. If “Heroes” drops, what does that mean for the industry as a whole?

Also tonight: Eyes will be on Fox’s “Prison Break” and “K-Ville” to see how last week’s performance holds up against heavy competition. ABC gets into the fall game with the return of “Dancing With the Stars” and “The Bachelor.” CBS’s comedy block returns with the addition of “The Big Bang Theory.”

NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” continues to climb, but premieres on the CBS and The CW fumbled in the overnight ratings.

NBC’s presentation of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys vs. Chicago Bears earned a 7.0 among adults 18 to 49, winning the night. It was the best Sunday game so far this month for NBC and was up 28 percent compared with last year’s comparable Broncos-Patriots game.

Fox came in second with some NFL overrun, followed by high-quality numbers for its animated comedy slate. “The Simpsons” was down 11 percent from last year’s premiere, but still managed its best rating in eight months (4.7). “King of the Hill” had its best rating in nearly four years (3.7). The one-hour “Star Wars”-themed episode of “Family Guy” scored its best rating since the show returned to Fox in 2005 (5.5). “Family Guy” was the highest rated non-sports programming of the night.

CBS was a distant third with the season premiere of “60 Minutes” (2.3), the finale of “Power of 10” (a series-low 1.7) and the premieres of “Cold Case” (3.0) and “Shark” (a series-low 2.7).

Compared to last year’s CBS lineup of “The Amazing Race,” “Cold Case” and “Without a Trace,” that’s down significantly. The network pointed out that NBC’s football ratings were ginormous and the shows were debuting out of season instead of in-season.

Another factor was the premiere of Ken Burns’ documentary “The War” on PBS. Although 18 to 49 ratings are not yet available, PBS said the two-and-a-half-hour premiere was seen by an impressive 7.3 million viewers, which likely impacted CBS’ viewership.

ABC was fourth with repeats and season-setup clip shows from “Desperate Housewives” (3.1) and “Brothers & Sisters” (1.7).

The CW was fifth. The premieres of newsmagazine show “CW Now” (0.2) and user-generated home video clip show “Online Nation” (0.3) crashed spectacularly. Repeats followed.

Also: The premiere of Fox’s Friday night docu-soap reality series “Nashville” was largely overlooked last week due to Emmy mayhem. Sometimes a network launches a show with low expectations and the program takes them by surprise. In this case, Fox launched “Nashville” and got roughly what they expected, though not as much as they’d hoped.

The Sept. 21st premiere earned a 1.0 rating. Last Friday, that dropped to a 0.8. The show isn’t doing any favors for partner “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader,” which had its worst performance to date on Friday (1.3).

Before holding any death vigils, sources say Fox plans to keep the series on the air for the time being. With fellow musical reality show “The Next Great American Band” hitting Friday nights starting Oct. 19 and some Major League Baseball games also coming soon, the network sees little point in yanking the show prematurely from its perch.

Sunday night’s one-hour “Star Wars” parody episode of Fox’s “Family Guy” was such a ratings success that producers are considering devoting an episode to “The Empire Strikes Back” next year.

The season premiere featured characters from “Family Guy” performing a compressed re-enactment of the 1977 film, using the original sound effects and John Williams’ musical score.

Posting a 5.5 preliminary rating among adults 18 to 49, the episode was the highest-rated “Family Guy” since the show returned to Fox in 2005 (full weekend ratings will be posted soon). A spokesman for 20th Century Fox Television said there’s no official announcement on a sequel, but doing “Empire” next year “seems likely.”

In an interview conducted before the episode aired, executive producer Chris Sheridan said the staff wants to do “Empire” if Sunday’s episode performed well. The parodies could give “Family Guy” an annual format-breaking event like “The Simpsons’” popular Halloween episodes.

But if you missed last night’s episode (titled “Blue Harvest”—the production code name of “Return of the Jedi”), future viewing opportunities are scarce. The day after airing, “Family Guy” episodes typically are available on Fox’s video player, or for purchase on Xbox 360 and other electronic retailers. For the time being, Fox is holding back “Blue Harvest” and has no current plans for an encore presentation. Fox also kept the episode off iTunes, where it uploaded premiere episodes for several other shows last week. (Note: A reader pointed out in the blog comments that Adult Swim airs "Family Guy" encores. According to the network's Web site, "Blue Harvest" is slated for Oct. 14 at 11 p.m.).

The parody was produced with the full cooperation of George Lucas. The unusual partnership between the envelope-pushing cartoon and the famously protective “Star Wars” creator was part corporate synergy, part creative respect.

“This is a relationship that’s built over time,” Sheridan says. “There are a lot of ‘Star Wars’ fans on staff. We do ‘Star Wars’ references on the show. Lucasfilm has been a fan.”

Parody doesn’t necessarily require the permission of a copyright owner. When “Family Guy” had the idea to do a full “Star Wars” parody, with some scenes matching shot-for-shot the original film, producers sought out Lucas for a couple of reasons. First, Fox distributes the “Star Wars” films, so there’s an existing relationship to protect. Second, “Family Guy” wanted access to the film’s original sound effects and music.

Then things got a little tricky. “Family Guy” writers wanted to retain the show’s wicked (and sometime lurid) sense of humor, without alienating Lucas.

“‘Family Guy’ is a pretty edgy show. There was some thought of [what Lucas might think] in the process, but we wanted to stay true to our show,” Sheridan says.

There were a few minor concessions, such as getting rid of some double-layered incest humor between Luke Skywalker (played in the show by the family’s teenage son) and his sister Princess Leia (played in the episode by Chris’ mom).

“There was a couple things that they wanted us to tone down, but we’re used to getting those kind of notes from Standards,” Sheridan says.

UPDATE: Why is Fox being stingy about making "Blue Harvest" available online? Because 20th Century Fox Television is fast-tracking a special DVD of the episode, sources say. The DVD will feature an extended cut of "Harvest," possibly include an interview with George Lucas and other features. Running time and release date are not nailed down.

An unexpected byproduct of NBC offering its fall drama slate for free download on Amazon.com’s Unbox video service: The shows are being formally reviewed by customers, just like any other Amazon product, before most critics take their turn next week.

“Chuck” is receiving the highest marks, as of Friday earning four-and-a-half stars out of five. “Life” and “Journeyman” average four stars. The most heavily promoted show of the pack, “Bionic Woman,” is deemed worthy of merely three-and-a-half stars.

Some of the reviews, particularly on “Bionic,” give low marks due to gripes about the Unbox player. But the reviews provide a rough consensus of opinion on the strengths and weaknesses of the slate. Though NBC officially takes little notice of fan comments, sources said network executive are aware of the reviews and can’t help but read along as premiere week looms.

Unlike most Amazon products, the free downloads are not ranked by popularity. If the number of reviews are an accurate indication, “Bionic” is the most downloaded, followed by “Chuck,” “Journeyman” and “Life.”

Of course, fans critiquing pilot previews online is nothing new. But the established Amazon.com system of registered customers provides more credibility and organization than your typically chaotic message board.

This isn’t to say the Amazon.com system is anywhere close to foolproof. Though an NBC representative denied using viral marketers to post bogus reviews, some of the comments seem suspect. Take this first-time Amazon.com poster reviewing the upcoming cop drama “Life.”

“This show has something for everyone. Plenty of ‘eye candy’ thanks to Damian Lewis and Sarah Shahi. Wonderful performances from Damian (as always!), from Sarah and from everyone in it. A very clever, well-written script that will appeal to people who like television that is intelligent, engaging, entertaining, suspenseful, humorous, ... I am so-o-o-o hooked! I'm looking forward to the official broadcast premiere on September 26, and for the weeks, months and years of Life that follow!”

Hmmm….