21.   Stars of shows being readied as midseason replacements include Timothy Busfield and Meredith Baxter.

22.   The book, by the multiple Tony Award winner Terrence McNally, is sometimes as lame and pandering as a midseason replacement sitcom, especially in the first act.

23.   The failed midseason replacement show looks at life from the perspective of three couples at three different stages of their relationship.

24.   The latest evidence of that vision comes in the form of the two midseason replacements on ABC.

25.   The only possible reason for its existence is to perpetuate the tradition of midseason replacements.

26.   The timeslot strategy has been honed sufficiently to be the key force in scheduling midseason replacement shows.

27.   Then the series got bumped to midseason replacement status.

28.   Yet the midseason replacements trickling in are generally just as stale.

29.   You might as well snooze until the midseason replacements.