Drew Carey show departs to little fanfare

CNN ran an article this morning about the final episode of The Drew Carey Show, which will run this summer. Apparently ABC has simply forgotten its once-hit show, mostly due to internal politics. Just when I though ABC couldn't possibly screw up more, here they go again.

Not that I even write much about the former "Big Three" networks any more -- these are likely the final days of mega-network TV, if it even exists at this point. I suppose the hoopla over the Friends finale could be considered a last hurrah. Or maybe a death rattle. Take your pick.

That's not to say that the networks won't go down fighting. Who knows, maybe they'll wise up and parlay what cash and infrastructure they have left into producing good shows to be released on DVD. Certainly the companies themselves will continue to exist, publishing their back catalogs on disc. But will they remain a relevant and powerful force in television? They seem too disconnected from the new entertainment realities (Tivo, pay cable, more accurate Nielsen numbers that show fracturing audiences) for that to seem likely.