Friday, March 02, 2007
FOX Mid-Season Pilot Review: The Winner - Premieres March 4; 'Cheers' Star Joins 'Dancing with the Stars'!
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.
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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
Thursday, April 3
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Goddess of the Music Store" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie helps Connor impress his new crush, while Mandy, Audrey and Jim struggle to butt out of Connor’s love life.
Ghosts - "His Girl Shiki" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Pete makes good on his promise to find someone for Sasappis by bringing in a wisecracking 1940s screenwriter who also has the ability to roam.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 31)
Thursday, April 3
- Jenny Slate (The Great North/Big Mouth/Married/Bob's Burgers) - Catch Jenny on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. She also talks about Dying for Sex on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Bill Burr (F Is for Family/Townies) - Bill appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Kate Hudson (Running Point) and Keanu Reaves (Swedish Dicks) - E! News has interviews with Kate and Keanu at 11pm on E!.
- Rami Malek (The War at Home) - Rami talks about The Amateur on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Laurence Fishburne (black-ish) - Laurence chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Judy Greer (Kidding/Married/Mad Love/Miss Guided/Arrested Development) - Judy talks about Eric LaRue on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia talks about Your Friends and Neighbors on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and co-hosts in the 10am hour.
- Kevin Bacon (I Love Dick) - Kevin talks about The Bondsman on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
- Patti LaBelle (Out All Night) - Patti talks about The Queens Tour: 4 Legends, 1 Stage, featuring Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Stephanie Mills, kicking off this May in Las Vegas on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Ike Barinholtz (The Studio/The Afterparty/Bless the Harts/The Mindy Project/Eastbound & Down) - Ike is joining Drew and sharing what it was like working with co-stars Seth Rogen and Kathryn Hahn on their comedy series The Studio on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Giancarlo Esposito (Bakersfield P.D.) - Giancarlo talks about Netflix's The Residence on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Cristela Alonzo (Cristela) - Cristela is a guest on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Abby Quinn (Mad About You - Abby appears on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 8:5am.
New on DVD and 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
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
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