Comedy Central has canceled both of the sports-related programs it debuted this year: “Onion SportsDome” and “Sports Show with Norm Macdonald.” No one’s going to weep over the loss of “SportsDome,” but I think “Sports Show” should have been given another season to grow, if only because it’s Norm F’n Macdonald, who aptly described himself as “Comedy Central’s fourth most popular host.”

Macdonald quipped to EW that he had not been “officially” informed of the bad news, noting, “A Minute with Stan Hooper is still officially on hiatus,” a reference to his short-lived 2003 Fox sitcom. He also said that he was open to hosting a similar-style program (“I like doing a funny show where I don’t have to act and fall in love with a girl”) and talked up “an Internet campaign to save the show, almost like they do with shows about witches and vampires and aliens from outer space…. Maybe I’ll call [the network] and ask them to bring it back. I’ll say, ‘Just bring it back. How much could it hurt television, really?’” [EW]

Macdonald averaged 1.1 million viewers in his slot behind “Tosh.0,” which isn’t terrific but isn’t bad, either. I figured that the cachet of certain bits and stunts — like the Blake Griffin sketch and Macdonald’s $25,000 wager on Manny Pacquiao — would have been enough to get him another season. But I was wrong, and that’s why I’m a blogger and not a television executive. Because my head’s not inside my ass.

Further reading: The Very Best (and Last) of ‘Sports Show’; In Defense of ‘Sports Show’

Sports Show with Norm MacDonald (Comedy Central) — Series premiere. I’m skeptical but hopeful. Drew Magary, who spent a week in L.A. working on the pilot but ultimately didn’t join the show’s staff, writes:

Norm’s set is going to be all digital, as it is on “Tosh.0”. The opening of the show will feature Norm doing lots of jokes, as he did masterfully over at SNL when he was the “Weekend Update” anchor. There will also be a handful of field pieces from various sources, including possibly the folks at Good Neighbor. Most importantly, the show will be current, unlike “Onion Sportsdome,” which is bizarrely evergreen. [Watch the first 90 seconds of tonight's show below]

Deadliest Catch (Discovery) — Season premiere. True to the show’s name, Captain Phil died last season — although I suspect it was cigarettes and a terrible diet that did him in, and not the crabs.

Dancing with the Stars (ABC) — Last night, Kirstie Alley survived the mistake of briefly losing her shoe. I did you all the favor of not wasting your time with a post about that today.

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution (ABC) — Season premiere. After being attacked with pitchforks in West Virginia* last season (*source needed), Oliver hopes to have better luck in Los Angeles. Good luck and Godspeed, sir. If this fails, I volunteer to be America’s new Reichskommissar of Exercise. All obese children and adults will be transported to my Spartan exercise camps, where they will be transformed into healthy, productive citizens. OR DIE IN THE PROCESS, MWAHAHAHAHA!

LATE NIGHT GUESTS: Gordon Ramsay and Hayden Panettierre (incredibly hot in person) on Conan; Ricky Gervais and Foo Fighters on Letterman; Kristen Bell on Leno; Emma Roberts and the latest “DWTS” castoff on Kimmel. Full listings at TV Squad.

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Pretentious Dog is skeptical.

As someone who likes both sports and comedy, I’ve always wondered, “Why isn’t there a funny sports show? How come there’s no ‘Daily Show’ for sports, or a humorous alternative to ‘SportsCenter’?” Then “Sports Soup” came along, and I wondered, “Why isn’t there a funny sports show?”

Well, the long wait for such a show may — may – be coming to an end, as Norm MacDonald is developing one with Comedy Central.

The show would be a satirical look at the sports world. On board with MacDonald is Daniel Kellison, a veteran TV producer whose credits include ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “The Man Show,” according to person familiar with the project…

The project is still in early stages and has a long way to go before getting a green light from Comedy Central. It may face competition from another sports news spoof show that the Viacom-owned cable network is developing with The Onion, the satirical newspaper. [Show Tracker]

As much as I love Norm MacDonald’s comedy, I’m not sure how well he works as a TV host. As anyone who saw him behind the desk of “Weekend Update” can attest, the man LOVES bathing in failed jokes. And while I happen to enjoy his celebration of anti-humor (see: his intentional bombing at the Bob Saget roast), I’m not sure how well it will play to a more Neandethal-y base of sports fans. So I guess I’ll just keep my fingers crossed. You know, wish in one hand, sh*t in the other, and see which fills up first.

I’ve spent entirely too much time writing about late-night shows recently, especially “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.”  But I have to satisfy my comedic nerdiness by pointing out that Conan’s guests last night were Norm MacDonald and Jim Gaffigan (video clips below).  For any non-believers: Conan wrote the monorail episode of “The Simpsons,” Norm intentionally bombed at the Bob Saget roast, and Gaffigan once did three and a half minutes of jokes about bacon.  Amazing.  That’s a mere Patton Oswalt away from having a Mount Rushmore of underrated comedy geek heroes.

Of course, every one of these guys is the kind of comic that doesn’t appeal to Leno-loving old people, and Conan’s musical guest was indie darling Neko Case, so I won’t be surprised when the news comes that Letterman — who had Denzel Washington and the freakin’ Jonas Brothers last night — won in Thursday’s ratings.  But I don’t care.  Most people don’t have taste.  Last night’s “Tonight Show” kicked ass.  Period.

UNSURPRISING UPDATE: Letterman 3.5, Conan 3.0. You’re so predictable, America.

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