Current TV turns out to be less serious than one would have predicted, and in some sense 4th and Forever might have benefited from some of the aura of earnestness that used to surround Mr. Gore before he took to making uncannily great guest appearances on enterprises like "30 Rock."

Football fanatics may appreciate 4th and Forever but to me it seemed more scripted than "FNL."

Without depth to its storytelling, all that's left is the question of whether Poly's football team will return to form in 2010. But after sitting through the repetitive premiere, some viewers will be tempted to visit Google for a quicker answer.

As gratifying as it is to see some of the inner workings of a local phenom, 4th and Forever falls far short of its subject matter, proving once again the limits of reality television.