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

    Wednesday, February 18

    Abbott Elementary - "Team Building" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
    The teachers prepare for the upcoming school year with new faces and big changes on the horizon.

    Abbott Elementary - "Cheating" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
    Melissa tries to outsmart her students; Tariq causes chaos in Janine’s class, and a new guidance counselor joins the school.

    Abbott Elementary - "Ballgame" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
    The Abbott crew heads to the ballpark for Teachers’ Appreciation Night at the Philadelphia Phillies game.

    Abbott Elementary - "Game Night" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
    Gregory steps in to host game night at his apartment. Mr. Johnson, Ava, Barbara and Melissa head to the DMV to renew their licenses.

    Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Life Is Long" (BET, 8:00PM ET/PT)
    Calvin must come to terms with his breakup from Laura. Calvin encourages Malik to remain committed to their workouts.

    Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Figuring It Out" (BET, 8:30PM ET/PT)
    Anastasia is conflicted about continuing her walks with Reginald due to his memory loss; Detective Elliot warns Jeremy about a new DA on the case who plans to throw the book at the young robbers.

    Complete TV Listings


    Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 16)

    Wednesday, February 18

    • Tyler Perry (House of Payne/Love Thy Neighbor) - Watch Tyler on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
    • Kyle MacLachlan (Carol's Second Act/Sex and the City) - Kyle appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
    • Delroy Lindo (UNPrisoned) - Delroy talks about Sinners on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am. He also chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
    • Arielle Kebbel (Ballers) - Arielle talks about Marshals on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am. She also talks about her new film I Can Only Imagine 2 on Sherri, so check your local listings.
    • Wendell Pierce (The Odd Couple/The Michael J. Fox Show/The Weber/The Brian Benben Show/The Gregory Hines Show) - Wendell talks about Elsbeth on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
    • Tracy Letts (Mr. Throwback/Divorce) - Tracy talks about Bug on
    • Regina Hall (Black Monday/Grandfathered/Married/Second Generation Wayans) - Regina tells Drew all about her action-packed film One Battle After Another on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
    • Teri Hatcher (The Odd Couple/Sunday Dinner/Karen's Song/The Love Boat) - Teri is whipping up a delicious meal in the kitchen with her Desperately Devoted Podcast Co-Hosts onscreen daughter Andrea Bowen and real-life daughter Emerson Tenney on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.


    New on DVD and Blu-ray

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    07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
    08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
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    10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
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    12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
    12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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    01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
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    02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
    03/24 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)

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