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

    Saturday, January 18

    none scheduled

    Complete TV Listings


    Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 13)

    Friday, January 17

    • Jamie Lee Curtis (The Sticky/Anything But Love/Operation Petticoat) - Watch Jamie Lee on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
    • Billy Crystal (The Comedians/Soap) - Billy is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
    • Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) - Quinta appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
    • Matt Rogers (No Good Deed/I Love That for You) - Matt is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
    • Susie Essman (Curb Your Enthusiasm/Broad City/Baby Boom) - Susie chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
    • Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) - Nick will be on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
    • Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show/Cosby) - NBC's Today catches up with Phylica in the 10am hour.
    • Zach Cherry (Duncanville/I Feel Bad/Crashing) - Zach is a guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.


    New on DVD and Blu-ray

    Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series

    10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
    10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
    11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
    11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
    11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
    11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
    12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
    12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
    01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
    02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
    02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series

    More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


    Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

    01/17 - Remembering Bob Uecker of Mr. Belvedere, Punky Brewster Creator David W. Duclon, and Others We Recently Lost
    01/16 - Apple TV+ Prime Target Trailer; Apple Cider Vinegar Premieres in February on Netflix
    01/15 - My Three Sons to Join FETV Lineup Starting February 3; St. Denis Medical Renewed for Season 2
    01/14 - Game Show Network Acquires The Wall; NBC's The Hunting Party to Premiere After NFL Divisional Playoff Game
    01/13 - Antenna TV February 2025 Schedule; SNL First Two 2025 Episodes Before 50th Anniversary Event
    01/12 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 13, 2025)
    01/11 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Saturday Night Live Hosts Announced; The West Wing Returns to Max After Brief Disappearance
    01/10 - The Jeffersons 50th Anniversary Marathon on Antenna TV; FETV to Air Uncut Episodes of Most Series
    01/09 - Trailer for Apple TV+ Comedy Mythic Quest; Upcoming Season of Harlem Is Final Season
    01/08 - Roy Wood Jr. Comedy Special on Hulu; The Late Show Gets Post AFC Championship Game Airing
    01/07 - HGTV's Celebrity IOU New Season; Joey King and Cooper Koch to Announce 31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominations
    01/06 - 82nd Golden Globe Winners; Shoresy Returns in February on Hulu
    01/05 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 6, 2025)
    01/04 - SitcomsOnline Digest: HBO Cancels The Franchise; Alice Actress Linda Lavin Dies
    01/03 - Antenna TV Pays Tribute to Linda Lavin with Alice Marathon; Catchy Comedy Recreates Classic CBS Saturday Night Lineup from the 1970s
    01/02 - Abbott Elementary and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Crossover Event; The Night Agent Returns January 23 on Netflix
    01/01 - Happy New Year; Antenna TV's New Year's Day Fresh Start Marathon; ABC's Shifting Gears Official Trailer
    12/31 - In Memoriam: Remembering the Sitcom Stars We Lost in 2024
    12/30 - Remembering Linda Lavin of Alice; Hulu Releases Chad Powers Teaser
    12/29 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 30, 2024)
    12/28 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Cable Networks No Longer a Priority for Paramount; Paramount+ Removes Vintage Nickelodeon Series
    12/27 - Max Renews Creature Commandos for Season 2; Fox's Denis Leary Comedy Gets First Look
    12/26 - Cobra Kai Final Episodes in February on Netflix; HBO Slates 13th Bill Maher Comedy Special
    12/25 - Merry Christmas from Sitcoms Online; The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Coming to DVD in February
    12/24 - 2024 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day TV Marathons
    12/23 - Christmas Con Celebrates 5 Year Anniversary; Deli Boys Premieres in March on Hulu
    12/22 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 23, 2024)
    12/21 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Creative Team Put in Place for Big Bang Theory Spinoff; Girls5eva Canceled at Netflix
    12/20 - Netflix Announces You and Sweet Magnolias Details; Tell Me Lies Renewed for Season 3 on Hulu
    12/19 - Apple TV+ Bad Monkey Renewed for Season 2; Norman Lear's Clean Slate Comedy to Premiere on Prime Video in February
    12/18 - Netflix Renews A Man on the Inside; Silo Gets 2 Season Renewal for Apple TV+
    12/17 - Paramount Adds The Big Bang Theory to Nick at Nite and MTV Lineups; The White Lotus Season 3 in February