Watching good shows lose their way is the worst. Disappointment rises along with expectations.

This season, more good shows seem to be going off the rails than ever. A few have even been pulled from the schedules, including ABC's Pushing Daisies, a whimsical fantasy originally embraced by critics. Derailed early in its first season because of the writers strike, it never seemed to get fully back on track and has been shelved for now along with never-there shows like Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone and Lipstick Jungle.

There are theories already floating around that shows about the "glitzy rich," like Dirty Sexy Money or Gossip Girl, are out and that a new wave of blue-collar programming is more in tune with the times. Perhaps, but Dirty Sexy Money was a bust in any economy.

Here are five shows that, rich or poor, need a mid-course correction.

Heroes (Mondays on NBC and Global): Perhaps no show has gone from promise to problems faster than this action hour. The series soared two seasons ago, bringing a fun and smart comic-book sense of escapism to television. It aimed high, with a multicultural cast and international languages proving that North American audiences can handle a broader world view.

The writers strike seemed to take all the momentum away from Heroes, which was off schedules for nine months. Did that leave the producers with too much time to tinker? All that stunt casting that was fun at the beginning (Star Trek's George Takei, for example, as Hiro's dad) is starting to get old.

This season's good guys-bad guys switcheroo has also drawn mixed reviews, as has the annoying revelation that no one ever seems to really die on this series, taking away an element of jeopardy.

We'll still hang in to see if Hiro and the others can "save the cheerleader, save the world," but get back to giving us characters we can root for -- and stick with them.

Chuck (Mondays on NBC and Citytv): This modest little caper comedy may get a lift from the economic downturn. Hard not to relate to a guy working in a big box electronics store. Unlike Heroes, however, it has never broken through with a mass audience, and ratings are down 20 per cent this season.

Maybe things will pick up now that ABC's Dancing With the Stars is out of the Monday mix.

Little Mosque On The Prairie (Wednesdays on CBC): This cross-culture comedy opened big, scoring over two million viewers and gaining tons of publicity. In less than three full seasons, ratings are down to a quarter of that number and falling, and the buzz is as flat as a prairie horizon.

Even some in the cast concede that the series has struggled to find its footing and rhythm.

The first season, the focus seemed more on the culture clash in the town of Mercy. Season 2 -- where some veteran comedy writers were brought in -- was all about ramping up the situational laughs. Season 3 seems like a forced mishmash of the two, with the broadly drawn characters getting more, not less, cartoonish.

While I liked the brief Bollywood musical flourish from last season, this show should strive for the funny in the quieter moments, like they do on Corner Gas. More bowling, less desperate "will she, won't she" cliffhanger stunts.

Dexter (Sundays on Movie Central, the Movie Network): Everybody loved the first season of this show, with Michael C. Hall outstanding as creepy (yet sympathetic) crusading psychopath Dexter Morgan. Seasons 2 and 3, while still entertaining, don't seem nearly as special.

Part of the problem may be the result of a typical Hollywood power play. Original showrunner James Manos Jr., who wrote for The Sopranos, plotted the entire first season before being squeezed out of the series by two other Dexter producers. As he explained when he was in Toronto last month, he had a different blueprint for the series going forward, including the gradual revelation that Dexter's Miami compatriots in the forensic squad room were actually far crazier than he ever was. Too bad we didn't get to see that.

And as much as we love Jimmy Smits, his DA character has overwhelmed this season's shows.

Californication (Mondays on Movie Central, the Movie Network): The first season of this black comedy was outrageously perfect, 12 neat and tidy episodes all tied up in a bow, with runaway bride Karen (Natascha McElhone) hopping into that one-eyed Porsche with ex-hubby Hank Moody (David Duchovny) and daughter Becca (Madeleine Martin).

That tidy beginning, middle and end may have been a curse, as launching a second season was always going to be a risky restart. The opening episodes this season seemed to be more about topping the randiness of the first season, with new drug, sex and porn plot lines. Everything seems one step too far.

The great distraction, of course, has been the news that Duchovny checked himself into a sex addiction clinic. It's a bit like watching a compulsive eater host a cooking show. You understand the guy can't help it, so get him out of there. That doesn't help the funny.

The only way, perhaps, to save this show would be to have Duchovny's bed-hopping character check into a sex addiction clinic. If life is going to imitate art, why not write the happy ending?