By ROB OWEN, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

PASADENA, Calif. - "American Experience" executive producer Mark Samels pondered the question: When does history begin? At what point does it make sense for the respected PBS documentary program to profile a past U.S. president?

Fans of uncomfortable comedy ("Curb Your Enthusiasm") and the Ricky Gervais brand of uncomfortable comedy in particular ("The Office," "Extras") may be drawn to HBO's "Life's Too Short" (10:30 p.m. EST Sunday), but it's a little too familiar.

Q: Are there only two seasons to "Downton Abbey"? If so, the ending stinks!

-- Jeannette, 53, Crestwood, Pa.

"Comic Book Men" (10 p.m. EST Sunday, AMC), set inside film director Kevin Smith's New Jersey comics-and-collectibles store, struggles to find a raison d'etre in its premiere episode.

PASADENA, Calif. - American history often gets passed on in a too-simple narrative, especially in pop culture. It's presented as black and white; there were good guys and bad guys.

Q: Can you tell me if "Rules of Engagement" has been canceled or moved to another time? I had been watching it on Thursday night every week.

-- Peg Kasmer, Plum Borough, Pa.

According to one poll released last week, 55 percent of U.S. adults said they planned to tune in to Sunday's Super Bowl as much or more for the commercials than for the game. If that's true, and if those viewers also spend any time on social-media sites like Facebook or Twitter, odds are this was a pretty disappointing year for them.

Original online TV programming gets a boost this month as big-name tech companies make a push into territory that historically has been the realm of TV programmers.

These new series look like traditional TV shows, but you won't find them on a broadcast or cable network. They're shows made to be viewed online and via broadband streaming.

It is often the case that when networks are in their most dire straits they take the wildest swings. ABC unleashed "Twin Peaks" during a ratings downturn, and NBC's early-1980s desperation allowed for the creative rebirth of the network with "Hill Street Blues," "Cheers" and "The Cosby Show."

Q: I love "Storage Wars" on A&E, but I am extremely disappointed with the Texas version. Do you know if the ratings drop for the Texas version, and is there any chance of the network going back to airing two new versions of the original instead of one original, then one Texas episode?

-- Linda, 46, Cecil, Pa.