TBS Schedules Season 2 of Men at Work; Gimme a Break Star Lara Jill Miller Speaks with Retroality.tv

Monday, February 04, 2013

TBS Schedules Season 2 of Men at Work; Gimme a Break Star Lara Jill Miller Speaks with Retroality.tv

TBS has announced premiere dates for two of its original series set to hit the air in April. The network's hit original sitcom Men at Work is scheduled to launch its second season Thursday, April 4, at 10pm (ET/PT) following the conclusion of TBS comedy reality series King of the Nerds (which actually finales on March 7). And TBS's new competition series Who Gets the Last Laugh? is set to premiere Tuesday, April 16, at 10pm (ET/PT), as Cougar Town has its season finale the week before on April 9. Cougar Town will actually have a two-episode season finale on that date from 10-11pm. Returning for its second season, TBS's hit original sitcom Men at Work stars Danny Masterson (That '70s Show, Yes Man), Michael Cassidy (The O.C.), Adam Busch (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Meredith Hagner (Royal Pains) and James Lesure (Las Vegas). The series centers on four buddies who help each other navigate the treacherous waters of work, friendship and women. Men at Work comes to TBS from Sony Pictures Television. The series was created by Breckin Meyer (TNT's Franklin & Bash). The series has been ordered for another 10-episode run, like in its first season last summer. No word yet on when TBS will air the second season of Sullivan & Son, but it is likely they will start that series' second season once Men at Work wraps its 10-episode run this June. Stay tuned for news on that.

As for Who Gets the Last Laugh?, TBS's new hidden-camera competition series, hosted by Donald Faison (Scrubs, The Exes), will pit some of the industry's best-known comedians and comedy actors against one another to see who can pull the most outrageous practical jokes. Among the comedians who have lined up to participate are Andy Dick (NewsRadio), Tom Green (The Tom Green Show), D.L. Hughley (The Hughleys), Chris Kattan (The Middle, Saturday Night Live), Bam Margera (Jackass), Bill Bellamy (Any Given Sunday), Charlie Murphy (Chappelle's Show), Cheri Oteri (Saturday Night Live), Alan Thicke (Growing Pains), Nicole Sullivan (MADtv), Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory) and Finesse Mitchell (Saturday Night Live). Who Gets the Last Laugh? is produced by Jason Goldberg and Ashton Kutcher's Katalyst in association with Warner Horizon Television. Katalyst co-founder Jason Goldberg serves as executive producer and showrunner. TBS has ordered 9 episodes of the series.

Lara Jill Miller

After a 15-episode run in 2011-12, Reimagine That! with Chris Mann is back for an all-new season of fun with classic TV stars! If you forgot, the series is a popular podcast "where retro pop meets forward thought" as Retroality.TV's behind-the-scenes "TVographer" Chris Mann talks rebooting pop culture's past, re-envisioning reality (TV and otherwise) and reinventing life after 35 -- spiritually, professionally and otherwise -- with Hollywood storytellers and survivors, retro aficionados and "re-creative" visionaries. Also: Chris reviews headline-making pop culture controversies. In episode 16, Chris talks with Lara Jill Miller of Gimme a Break! fame. Lara of course talks Gimme a Break!, Nell Carter, her appearance on Disney's Doc McStuffins, and other voice-artist success.

Lara Jill Miller grew up before our eyes as Nell Carter's sweet-faced "little girl" Samantha Kinisky on the hit NBC sitcom Gimme a Break! In the '90s she went back to the East Coast, earned a law degree and became a practicing New York attorney ... but her passion for showbiz brought her back to Hollywood once more. In the last decade, Lara Jill has become one of the industry's most in-demand voice artists, with starring roles in several animated series (like Clifford's Puppy Days), films, video games and more. In a special Valentine-themed episode of the hit Disney Jr. series Doc McStuffins, which premiered on Friday on the Disney Channel and Disney Junior, the former child star again takes the spotlight, this time as Doc's lovable pal Lambie. In this exclusive, in-depth interview about her amazing journey, Lara Jill opens up about her close relationship with the late Carter, revealing how being the "Ain't Misbehavin'" star's "baby" kept Sam in the Gimme a Break! fold after the show was extensively retooled (and much of the original cast let go) during its final season. Lara Jill recalls some of the long-running sitcom's landmark episodes (Joey in blackface?! Katie has an IUD?!) and discloses that, had the show been renewed for a seventh season, the focus would have shifted to Nell's misadventures with Sam in college. (NBC, instead giving us A Different World, missed the boat on this one, folks.) Chris also fondly remembers Nell Carter, and three other TV greats we've lost more recently: Dallas icon Larry Hagman, Three's Company Regal Beagle bartender (and stage star!) Paul Ainsley and Maude and Diff'rent Strokes star Conrad Bain.
Head on over to Retroality.tv and listen to episode 16 of this wonderful podcast from the great Chris Mann! "Gimme a break I sure deserve it...It's time I made it to the top."

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Friday, July 3

The Dick Van Dyke Show - Now in Living Color! - (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
CBS will honor the memory of legendary actor, producer, director, writer, comedian and Emmy Award winner Carl Reiner with THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW – NOW IN LIVING COLOR! A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO CARL REINER, featuring two colorized back-to-back classic episodes of the beloved 1960s series, Friday, July 3 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. As series creator and co-star, Carl Reiner personally supervised the original colorization of the episodes.

The special features “Coast to Coast Big Mouth,” which ranked #8 on TV Guide’s list of the “100 Greatest TV Episodes of All-Time,” and “October Eve,” which Mr. Reiner considered to be one of the series’ funniest episodes. Both were written by Bill Persky and Sam Denoff.

In “Coast to Coast Big Mouth,” Laura Petrie blurts out a top secret on a national television quiz show, revealing that comedian Alan Brady wears a toupee. The episode, which was the show’s fifth and final season premiere, was originally broadcast on Sept. 15, 1965. “Coast to Coast Big Mouth” won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 1966.

In “October Eve,” a painting of Laura returns to haunt her when, despite her having posed fully clothed, the artist (played by Carl Reiner) takes the liberty of “undraping” her. The episode was first presented on April 8, 1964, during season three.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 29)

Friday, July 3

Kevin Hart (The Big House/Undeclared) - Watch Kevin on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12:35am on ABC.
Tina Fey (30 Rock) - Tina appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Laura Dern (Enlightened) - Laura is a guest on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Mark Duplass (Togetherness/The Mindy Project/The League) - Mark appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly/Samantha Who?) - Melissa guest hosts a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Brett Gelman (Camping/Fleabag/Love/Married/Go On) - Brett appears on a repeat of A Little Late with Lilly Singh at 1:35am on NBC.
Tika Sumpter (mixed-ish/The Game) - Tika talks about the season finale of mixed-ish and her latest project helping new moms on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Peter Gallagher (Grace and Frankie/The Secret Lives of Men) - Peter talks about Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist and Grace and Frankie on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.