Jim Belushi, who is a like a live action version of Fred Flintstone, will be back in 2009 in the show that the critics couldn’t kill.

ABC has renewed “According to Jim” for an amazing 8th season. That means the late John Belushi’s younger brother will keep getting a paycheck. Belushi, 53, has said that he likes the sitcom because of the hours.  The workload is not too hard and he’s basically playing himself - except in real life he has had three wives.

He has said that playing Jim is like “money for nothing and chicks for free.”

On the season finale, May 27, James Lipton guest stars as the devil. He returns to collect a debt from Jim.

I don’t know what this says about the state of the sitcom on television.  But it doesn’t look like sitcoms will be making a comeback next season.

ABC also announced today that also returning for the fall are: “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “Boston Legal,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Dirty Sexy Money,” “Eli Stone,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Pushing Daisies,” “Samantha Who?,” “Supernanny,” “Ugly Betty,” “Wife Swap” and “20/20.”

“According to Jim,” “The Bachelor,” “Lost” and ABC News’ “Primetime: What Would You Do?” come back at midseason.

“October Road” and “Oprah’s Big Give” won’t be coming back.

ABC officials said there will be only 13 more episodes of “Boston Legal” next season.  David E. Kelley, the executive producer of “Life on Mars,” plans to write most of those episodes himself and then throw himself in to “Life on Mars.”

James Spader and William Shatner are going to stick around for another 13 episodes