Even when those expectations are the lowest in history.

If you’ll excuse my going off on a small political tangent which is barely related to the topic of this article, take, for example, Sarah Palin.

Please.

Because she managed to get up on stage in her tight little Matrix outfit and talk without accidentally shooting any audience members with a moose gun, she exceeded expectations. And in this age of mediocrity, that’s really all you need.

Further proof lies in the USA Network’s announcement that it’s planned to pick up Burn Notice and PSYCH for new seasons following their record-breaking summer performance. “Burn Notice” was the #1 series in its demographic over the summer, beating its biggest rival, TNT’s “The Closer.” Jeff Watchel, USA’s executive VP, has gone so far as to call “Burn Otice” “one of the best shows on television.”

No, having Bruce Campbell and a bunch of viewers over the T.V. wasteland that is summertime doesn’t make your show “one of the best on television. I’ve read a lot of things about “Burn Notice,” and I don’t see many people claiming that it’s a great show, or even a good show. I believe the most positive thing I’ve seen is “pretty fun.”

Here’s a hint about “Burn Notice’s” objective quality: it was produced by Fox Television Studios, yet was not aired on Fox. They gave it to USA instead. Think about that. The show wasn’t good enough for Fox, the redheaded stepchild of network television.

You can call it a “sly take on the spy genre” all you want, USA Network, but “Burn Notice” was only popular because there was nothing else to watch. T.V. addicts can only watch the same re-runs so many times. Eventually, they’ll turn to something new – anything new.

If they try to put “Burn Notice” up against fall primetime shows, I think they will begin to discover how much expectations affect outcome. And if people actually start watching it when there are no other options, I will be very disappointed in humanity.

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