Admittedly, I may be 20 years late with this article, but I want to pay homage to an insomniac's best friend, Nick at Nite. Nothing can distract from life's more constructive tasks like old sitcoms. But lately, this "friend" has been betraying its viewership.

I discussed the current conditions of late night TV with my friend Steve - when else? - around 2 a.m. as "Three's Company's" ('77-'84) familiar "Come and knock on our door ..." theme music introduced the show.

Me: This show's got a lot of sexual innuendo.

Steve: Half of it is not even innuendo. It's just blatant sex references.

I'm all for sexual innuendo. However, John Ritter and Suzanne Summers are two of the most annoying people to ever grace television. But not all programming can be perfect. Even N@N is fallible.

Me: Nick at Nite has its faults

Steve: No way, Nick at Nite's awesome.

Me: What about the double episode of "Family Ties" ('82-'89) at 4 a.m. and

4:30? That's wrong, twice over.

Steve: Yeah, that is a bit excessive.

It's a good thing Michael J. Fox got more out of his career than that little sitcom. Most TV stars aren't so lucky. The point is, N@N could use some tweaking. For example, who wants to watch "Wings"('90-'97)? It's a weak show, totally wishy-washy, and way too contemporary for N@N. Steve agrees, for different reasons, that "USA burned 'Wings' out. Even 'Married... with Children' made of fun of it. If I hear 'Wings' is coming on, I get nauseous."

Plus, N@N is getting younger. Less than six months ago, the schedule featured '70s staples such as "The Brady Bunch." ('69-'74). Such classics have been relegated to the TV Land Channel, leaving N@N as nothing more than a showcase for frizzy '80s hair.

What's great about watching old sitcoms is that not only do they recall fond memories and horrible fashion trends, but we can also see where the show ran into trouble, usually if a character was added or the show changed locations altogether. This is affectionately called "jumping the shark," (jumptheshark.com) in reference to The Fonz clearing a shark on water skis, a sure sign that "Happy Days" was desperate for content.

To "jump the shark" is to begin a show's downward spiral toward cancellation. "'Perfect Strangers' ('86-'93) jumped the shark when the characters all moved into the house together," says Steve. Fighting ghosts in their new haunted place and holding séances didn't do much for the "Strangers" ratings either.

Two additions I'd like to see on Nick at Nite: "ALF" ('86-'90) and "Small Wonder" ('85-'89). Steve even advocates the return of "Mr. Belvedere" ('85-'90). Hell, there could be space in the lineup if Bill Cosby didn't take up half the night; between four episodes of "The Cosby Show" ('84-'92) and "Kids Say the Darndest Things," Cosby makes up six hours of programming. What's next? Is Jell-O going to sponsor the whole evening? Seriously, Cosby's become the Lucille Ball of classic TV (meaning, he's everywhere).

And what is "Coach" ('89-'97) doing on N@N? Personally, I don't think "Coach" has yet earned its place on N@N, especially since it booted out "Charles in Charge," ('84-'90) a show I'd never seen before N@N but grew to love for its adorable cheesiness. "Coach" is way too new for the likes of Nick at Nite; it needs to ferment a little longer before they pull it from the TV vault. Likewise, "Wings" needs to go back into the vault, and stay there forever.

Shows will come and go, I suppose. Insomniacs should just be thankful there's something on in the middle of the night besides infomercials.