I'm bummed

Boy, I’m bummed. My favorite digital cable TV channel is history. NBC is pulling the plug on Trio (Time Warner Ch 126), which carries old 1980s NBC “Late Night with David Letterman” show. Trio also repeated short-lived shows under the banner “Brilliant but canceled.” How ironic? NBC says Trio will become a broadband service, accessible through www.Bravotv.com, on Jan. 1 – but it’s unknown what happens to Letterman reruns (which haven’t aired in several weeks). NBC dumped Trio because it dropped from 20 million subscribers to 8.8 million after DirecTV stopped offering it. Sigh.

John Spencer’s passing
I’ve got to tell you that John Spencer, “The West Wing” cast member who died Friday, was a total class act. I met him several times during his run on “L.A. Law” and “The West Wing,” and he was one of the nicest men in the world. At a Television Critics Assocation reception, he spoke with a group of us for about an hour, telling us how and why “The West Wing” was the greatest gig of his career. He was very humble and thankful, and (as he did through the years) he talked about how being a recovering alcoholic, like his character (Leo McGarry). No word yet how his passing will be handled, considering he’s the VP candidate running with Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits). Reports say the show has filmed 14 episodes, but aired only 9 – making it a problem for them to air a tribute episode right away. Not sure what they’ll do, but I can’t wait to see it. I’m sure it will be touching. The cast loved him

Hope for “Arrested Development”
Variety is reporting that ABC or Showtime could pick up “Arrested Development” (8 p.m. today, Ch 19), if Fox cancels it. Fox has only ordered 13 shows this season.