Friday, March 02, 2007

FOX Mid-Season Pilot Review: The Winner - Premieres March 4; 'Cheers' Star Joins 'Dancing with the Stars'!

The Winner

The Winner - Sundays at 8:30PM and 9:30 PM ET/PT for three weeks on FOX
Premieres March 4th at 8:30PM ET/PT

The summer of 1994 was a magical one – O.J. Simpson was on the run, Snoop Dogg was climbing the charts, Olympic hopeful Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed on the knee and 32-year-old GLEN ABBOTT (Rob Corddry) was finally on his way to becoming a man.

Back in 1994, when the series begins, Glen is still living with his parents when the only girl he’d ever kissed, ALISON McKELLAR (Erinn Hayes), returns to town with her 13-year-old son JOSH (Keir Gilchrist). The recently divorced Alison inspires Glen to become a “grown-up” and win her heart. There may be hope for late-bloomers everywhere as Glen moves through his formative years a mere 20 years later than most. But, hey, some people’s “Wonder Years” just happen a little later.

Luckily, Glen doesn’t have to go through this awkward period alone. He becomes best friends with Josh – a fellow hypochondriac and the only person he can truly relate to – and receives parental advice from his enabling mother IRENE (Linda Hart) and quasi-rage-aholic dad RON (Lenny Clarke). As narrated by present-day Glen, this story proves that an unlikely underdog can eventually transform from fear-riddled underachiever to the richest man in Buffalo.

THE WINNER comes from 20th Century Fox Television and is executive-produced by Seth MacFarlane (FAMILY GUY, AMERICAN DAD) and Ricky Blitt (FAMILY GUY, “The Ringer”).

Cast: Rob Corddry as Glen Abbott, Erinn Hayes as Alison McKellar, Lenny Clarke as Rob Abbott, Keir Gilchrist as Josh McKellar, Linda Hart as Irene Abbott

Read our review of the pilot and other episodes here.

Discuss the show after you watch it on Sunday on our message board.

Related Links:

  • FOX.com Official Site
  • TV.com
  • epguides.com
  • Internet Movie Database
  • Wikipedia
  • The Winner Photo Gallery

    Looks like I got my wish! A former sitcom star is joining Dancing with the Stars. Following the departure of Sopranos star Vincent Pastore, the producers of Dancing has chosen none other than John Ratzenberger, of Cheers fame. John of course played the mailman Cliff on the hit sitcom. Everybody knows his name and I'm sure fans are glad that he came! Show producers had previously extended an invitation to him to participate this season, but a scheduling conflict prevented him from accepting until now. He takes on the added challenge of having less time to train than his fellow competitors before the series premieres – two weeks versus four. The series' fourth season premieres March 19 on ABC.
    Read the details here.

  • Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

    Monday, November 17

    The Neighborhood - "Welcome to the Walk of Roses" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
    Calvin receives an unexpected honor that sparks mixed emotions, while Malcolm’s ghostwriting gig takes a wild turn after a viral outburst from his celebrity client.

    DMV - "Blindspot" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
    Colette is crushed to learn that Noa is dating someone. So, Ceci encourages Colette to fight for him using magic. Meanwhile, Barb tries to find out who is defacing DMV property with childishly inappropriate drawings.

    St. Denis Medical - "Two Docs, One Conf" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
    Ron and Bruce butt heads at a medical conference; Joyce tries to show her nurses some love for Nurse Appreciation Week.

    The Paper - "The Five W's" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
    Ned slowly starts with his volunteer crew until Esmeralda forces an accelerated scramble for stories; Detrick and Travis, Mare and Barry, and Adam and Adelola form Woodward and Bernstein teams with limited results.

    TV We Love - "Dynasty" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT)
    Cast and crew spill the secrets behind the on-set drama, outrageous glamour, and iconic '80s excess.

    Complete TV Listings


    Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 17)

    Monday, November 17

    • Ms. Pat (The Ms. Pat Show) - Watch Ms. Pat on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
    • Hank Azaria (The Simpsons/Brockmire/Free Agents/Herman's Head) - Hank is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
    • Jeff Goldblum (Search Party) - Jeff stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
    • Jane Krakowski (Schmigadoon!/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/30 Rock) - Jane appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
    • Jimmie Walker (Good Times/At Ease/Bustin' Loose) - Jimmie is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
    • Josh Hutcherson (Future Man) - Josh talks about Five Nights at Freddy's 2 on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
    • Billy Bob Thornton (Hearts Afire) - Billy Bob, Andy Garcia and Demi Moore talk about the return of the hit show Lamdman and how each of them first met Drew on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
    • Samuel Arnold (Emily in Paris) - Samuel talks about Netflix's Emily in Paris on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


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