Every season there's a pilot or two with a joke that, for one reason or another, no one expects to hear on the air come fall.

This year, it's a line in ABC's "Help Me Help You" in which a character uses the name of CNN anchor Anderson Cooper in the same sentence as the word "gay."

And no, not in the sentence, "Anderson Cooper had a gay old time in New Orleans."

When a reporter asked producers if that joke might be missing when the show hits the air, everyone started talking at once. My digital recorder not being as dependable as the court reporters who transcribe sessions, I can't necessarily tell you who said what, but here's a sample:

"We are not sure it's staying in the pilot. We generally do a ton of improv...we have 14 different versions of that scene, so we're not sure."

"Everything's up for grabs."

"Well, the scene is long, and -- "

"We love that joke...but it's much longer" than they need.

Finally, star Ted Danson, first among equals in the ensemble comedy about a therapy group, was asked for his opinion as a "veteran."

"Being a veteran, I wouldn't go there. Not my job," replied Danson.