SNL vs. Palin, 'Mad Men,' CBS reviews

-- Hand-wringing SNL feels the need to defend satirizing made-for-parody vp hopeful Sarah Palin. "The trick with all of these people is to try to come out as fair and evenhanded as possible," says Seth Meyers .... Huh. I thought the trick was to be funny. You're not a news program, you're a comedy show. You think Jon Stewart, Seth MacFarlane or the "South Park" guys worry whether they're evenhanded? Meanwhile, the Palin camp continues to hedge their reaction to Tina Fey: She loved it. She watched, but didn't listen.

-- With the Emmys this weekend, here's a Q&A with AMC chief Charlie Collier about "Mad Men," "Breaking Bad" and his network's sudden rise. My favorite exchange from our two interviews for the article was cut out, so I'm adding it here:

THR: Some fans have said watching "Mad Men" makes them want to smoke. Does it bother you that your show could cause some viewers to pick up the habit?

Collier: No.

-- First-look reviews of CBS' "Worst Week" and "Project Gary." Pretty much what you expect given that CBS put "Week" on its powerhouse Mondays and "Gary" is on its we're-not-so-sure-about-this Wednesdays. But "Gary," with its father-as-moron aesthetic, is firmly more in the CBS comedy comfort zone, so I'm not making predictions on which will be left standing. Also reviewed, "The Mentalist."

-- The entire first regular episode of "Knight Rider" is online. The AICN talkbacker consensus: we're too cool/old for this, but kids might like it.

-- As I wrote earlier that night, NBC is waiting until the fall shows drop to make any leadership changes. Also, on Monday, screeners of “My Own Worst Enemy” go out to critics. Two NBC insiders are insisting the show came in surprisingly strong, but we’ll see.

-- Newly acquired CBS site CNET will provide a three minute sneak peak of the "Survivor" premiere in HD here starting tonight at 8 p.m.

-- I don’t buy this study: According to The Q Scores Company, “Survivor,” “Heroes” and “House” have the strongest “emotional connection” to fans among primetime series. Study is “based on likeability and viewing frequency.” Intensively fan-driven “Lost” and “Gossip Girl” are nowhere to be found, and “The Office” is low on the list. Yet pretty much every police or medical procedural drama is here. Not sure what’s being measured (hmm, viewer loyalty?), but I don’t think “emotional connection” is the right term.

-- As previously noted, Denise Richards reality show was not canceled. And, hey, it’s renewed.