I saw a short 45 minute film on HBO at my neighbour's the other night. And it was far better than I was expecting it to be. It was called "Miller Night Football," a mini-documentary on the years (2000-2001) when comedian Dennis Miller became a regular on ABC's "Monday Night Football."

I'm not a football fan, as many here know, but this was more about the inner workings and philosophy of putting a comedian in the booth once ratings on the Monday night staple began to sag. The guy who made the decision says it was worth taking the chance to see what would happen. 

It worked, but maybe not the way he'd hoped. Ratings went up, more from curiosity than anything else, with some critics complaining Miller was too smart for the room, with jokes and allusions to Greek literature and Shakespeare that may have gone above the heads of your typical NFL fan. 

The experiment only lasted two years, and Miller found himself on the outside looking in when John Madden became available. 

It's quite a good special about the inner workings of TV, with the people who were right in the middle of it, including Miller, Al Michaels, analyst/former player Dan Fouts and even Miller's former SNL colleague Dana Carvey chiming in. 

I'm not sure if it's aired in this country yet, but if you have HBO Canada, it's worth keeping an eye out for it.