Dave on Demand | It's time 'Heroes' shapes up - or, where the heck is Niki?

I don't want to seem fickle, but I'm in danger of falling off the

Heroes

bandwagon. Two episodes into the season and still not a single scene with Ali Larter's Niki. I don't know about you, but I'm not content to stick around just for Adrian Pasdar's bushy new Grizzly Adams imitation.

Speaking of new looks on the NBC drama, have you noticed how much the tightly shorn Milo Ventimiglia (Peter) resembles a better-looking version of singer Adam Levine? The Maroon 5 crooner, by the way, was great on another NBC show this week, kicking in the chorus of Andy Samberg's terrific "Iran So Far" video on Saturday Night Live. (Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfiaxPsvnTU.)

What really bugged me on Heroes this week was the fractured time line. The murder of Nakamura (George Takei) is front-page news across the country, even in Claire's California sanctuary, but sometime later, Matt (Greg Grunberg) and other Manhattan detectives are just showing up to investigate? And the witness, Ando (James Kyson Lee) is still there on the terrace being interrogated? The NYPD must work on its response time.

Acting is a life sentence. Weirdest cameo of the year so far came on the season opener of My Name is Earl. The oldest convict in the prison where Earl is serving time is Whiskey Pete, played by none other than Bill Macy. We know it's been a long time since he played Walter on Maude, but Macy was a little too convincing. He looked old enough to be the Count of Monte Cristo's cellmate.

Making a political statement. Apparently, spindly right-wing pundit Ann Coulter is what passes for sexy in Republican circles. She posed all slinky for the cover of her new book, If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd be Republicans, and she showed up for a Today appearance this week in a miniskirt so short it would get her tossed off most airlines.

Hit the mute. Ever wish your TV set was broken? I did on Tuesday night. In short order, I heard Air Supply's treacly "All Out Of Love" twice, first on ABC's Carpoolers and then as part of a Denny's ad in the commercials that immediately followed. I've done a pretty good job of avoiding this awful song for 27 years. I would have preferred to keep it that way.

Sending the wrong message. Speaking of bad songs, have you ever wondered if the advertisers who appropriate oldies actually listen to what they're buying? Case in point: all the carmakers who are using Badfinger's "Come and Get It" for a ubiquitous ad campaign.

Right after the lyrics urge you to "hurry cause it's going fast," they inquire, "Did I hear you say that there must be a catch?/Will you walk away from a fool and his money?"

This isn't a song about bargain-hunting, it's a cautionary against being ripped off by con men. In other words, the exact image car salesmen are trying to shed.

Term of endearment. What a precious season it's turning out to be. You have Kelsey Grammer as Chuck Darling on Fox's Back to You. The depraved protagonists on ABC's Dirty Sexy Money are the Darling family. And Chuck's eccentric aunts on ABC's Pushing Daisies have an act called the Darling Mermaid Darlings.

If the ratings for CBS's Kids Nation continue to slide, expect the network to change the title to Li'l Darlings.

Mock reality. Great opener to 30 Rock. "All my summer replacement shows were big hits," NBC programming exec Jack (Alec Baldwin) jubilantly tells Liz (Tina Fey), citing examples like America's Next Top Pirate and Are You Stronger Than a Dog?.

It gets harder and harder to spoof the television industry. It's like trying to board a Yugo plunging off a cliff. But this nimble comedy does an outstanding job.