If George Lopez really isn't happy about Conan O'Brien coming to TBS in November, he's doing a really good acting job.
And, having seen his sitcom, I don't think he's that good an actor.
Lots of people — including yours truly — were taken aback when it was announced that O'Brien will be getting Lopez's time slot on TBS, pushing "Lopez Tonight" back an hour.
The irony was instant and apparent. O'Brien rejected NBC's plan to push his "Tonight Show" back a half hour to accommodate a half-hour, late-night Jay Leno show. And now O'Brien was doing the same thing to Lopez that Leno did to O'Brien.
Except ... Lopez is welcoming O'Brien with open arms. Obviously, he's hoping that having Conan as a lead-in will help him attract a larger audience.
"I want to say that I am completely, 100 percent on board with this move," Lopez said during his "Lopez Tonight" monologue. "I talked to Conan on Wednesday, and I talked to him last night, and I said I welcome you into my deep, loving embrace."
And a bit later, he re-created O'Brien's familiar bit in which he speaks to a still picture as someone else's mouth speaks on a big screen.
Only in this case, it was Lopez talking to a picture of O'Brien.
"We're going to be like a classic TV team," fake O'Brien said.
"A Latino and a redhead. It's worked before," Lopez said. "Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. ... A same-sex Lucy and Ricky."
"We got some 'splaining to do!" fake O'Brien said.
If Lopez wasn't sincere about welcoming O'Brien, he's a much better actor than I thought.
And, either way, he handled this in an extraordinarily classy way.
WILL THEY USE LASERS? We all knew that the WWE was fiction, but who would have suspected it was science?
Syfy — the channel that loves to annoy fans of science fiction — has proudly announced that, as of Oct. 1, it will be the new home of WWE's "Friday Night SmackDown!"
Yes, that's the pro-wrestling show that began life on UPN. When that network more-or-less merged with The WB to form The CW, "Smackdown!" moved there.
When The CW finally wised up and dropped it, "SmackDown" moved to My Network TV.
Now it's basic cable and Syfy.
It's not like this is the first time Syfy — previously known as the Sci Fi Channel — has jumped headfirst into the wrestling cesspool ... er, uh, pond. Four years ago, it began airing Extreme Championship Wrestling (a product of WWE).
Syfy currently has WWE's "NXT" on its schedule. (It's going away in October, when "SmackDown" moves to the channel.)
Syfy also announced that it will move its Friday-night shows — "Caprica," "Stargate Universe" and "Sanctuary" — to Tuesdays.
How, exactly, "SmackDown!" fits Syfy's professed slogan — "Imagine greater" — isn't exactly clear.
"SmackDown" is greater than ... what? "NXT"? "ECW"?
Syfy has been trumpeting its improved ratings since it remade itself a year ago. The effort to broaden its audience has worked, but at what cost?
Increasingly, the channel looks like any other general appeal cable network.
And this will continue the love-hate relationship that science fiction fans have with Syfy. Just about any one of its shows could be on another network — there's not much of anything distinctive.
"Ghost Hunters"? "Destination Truth"? There actually are shows on other channels that greatly resemble these.
And when you look at series like "Warehouse 13" and "Eureka," well, those could slide over to sister channel USA with no trouble at all.
Yes, there's more to science fiction than just outer-space shows. And Syfy does at least have an outer-space show in "Stargate Universe."
Syfy is capable of greatness. "Battlestar Galactica" was a fantastic show — one of the best on TV — and its prequel, "Caprica," is on its way to being great, too.
They're actually distinctive. Unlike "SmackDown," which will help turn Syfy into just another nondescript channel.
SPEAKING OF SYFY: James Callis, who spent four seasons playing Dr. Gaius Baltar on "Battlestar Galactica," is joining the cast of "Eureka."
He'll still be a doctor. Callis will play Dr. Grant, "a former resident of the town whose unexpected return is cause for serious alarm."
Well, at least this time he won't be playing a guy responsible for the deaths of billions.
BOXING PIGEONS: From the almost-impossible-to-believe file — Animal Planet has announced it is partnering with former heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson for a new series.
"Taking on Tyson" will "explore his love of pigeons and the insider world of pigeon racing."
I am not making this up.
The show is supposed to debut in early 2011. Really.
e-mail: pierce@desnews.com