My first thought upon learning that NBC might air Madonna's "Truth or Dare" was, "Well, a few years ago it might have surprised me — but the bottom has dropped out of standards.
"Not only that, but we're talking about NBC — the home of 'Fear Factor,' 'SPY TV' and the most sexually oriented sitcoms on TV." (Home of the quality shows, right?)
But we're not talking about the R-rated, behind-the-scenes film that documented Madonna's 1990 Blonde Ambition Tour. (Not that all that stuff above doesn't remain true.) Madonna's production company, the aptly titled Maverick TV, has produced a pilot of a game-show version of the "Truth or Dare" parlor game.
You remember — people have to either reveal some deep, dark secret about themselves or accomplish some goofy, often embarrassing task. Which could be fun.
But, of course, we are dealing with both Madonna and NBC, which has called the show "slightly edgy" and "adult." Which is probably a warning.
There is, of course, no guarantee that the "Truth or Dare" pilot will ever make it on TV. NBC is reportedly looking at it for a summer series, along with an updated version of "Let's Make a Deal."
Which is not a bad idea. Game shows make for light summer entertainment — they' don't require a big investment of time or effort on the part of viewers, and if you miss an episode you're not lost.
(And these days, what with continuing storylines in just about every drama and sitcom on TV, you can feel lost if you miss an episode or two.)
At my house, the summer TV doldrums seem to find the TV tuned to the Game Show Network a lot more often. And it's programming that both kids and adults can enjoy.
Whether "Truth or Dare" is something the kids ought to be watching remains to be seen.
ORIGINAL IDEA? NBC will be coming at us in July with a summer series titled "She Spies." Natasha Henstridge — and two actresses to be named later — star as a ex-cons recruited by the government to tackle top-secret missions.
Sounds like "Alias" meets "Charlie's Angels."
While the concept may not be new, the scheduling is. "She Spies" won't air on NBC in the fall, but it is going into first-run syndication around the country. (Which means that local stations in each market will have a chance to buy the show like they do everything from "V.I.P." to "Relic Hunter" to "Andromeda.")
And, despite the fact that NBC Enterprises is partnering with MGM Television to produce the series, a network launch for a syndicated series is all but unprecedented.
ORIGINAL IDEA (PART 2)? Fox, which copied "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" with "Greed" and "Survivor" with "Boot Camp," has somehow come up with this brilliant idea — a show called "Pop Idol," in which thousands of singing hopefuls are whittled down to one, who receives a big recording contract.
Hmmmm . . . does this sound anything like "Making the Band"? Or "Pop Stars"?
Fox didn't exactly steal the idea, however, it licensed it. "Pop Idol" will be an American adaptation of a British show of the same name.
The show will debut in June.
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com