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ABC has announced the season finale dates for the 2010-11 season during May. The first season finale will be on Sunday, May 8 at 10:01pm for Brothers & Sisters. It is still on the bubble, so no word yet if it will be back next season. On Wednesday, May 11 at 8:30pm the season finale of freshman sitcom Better With You will air. On Sunday, May 15, there will be two finales. At 8:00 p.m. it is the season finale for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which is returning to the schedule on April 17 following the season finale of Secret Millionaire on April 10. Then from 9:00-11:00pm, Desperate Housewives gets a special two-hour season finale. On Monday, May 16 at 10:01pm it is the season finale of Castle. And on Tuesday, May 17 at 8pm, reality series Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution closes its second season. The reality series has its season premiere on April 12.
The final Thursday of the season (May 19) will feature three finales. At 8:00pm it is the season finale of Wipeout (Spring Edition). ABC has ordered three more Spring Wipeout episodes so it can fill the Thursday 8pm slot for the rest of the season. Previously, it was going to be a repeat on March 31 after new episodes (March 17/24) because it only had 4 episodes, but now ABC will air an all-new episode on March 31 with Grey's/Private being new. Repeats will air on April 7, 14 and 21, just like Grey's/Private. Then it will be back for sweeps for the remaining four Spring episodes (April 28, May 5, 12 and 19). The regular summer edition will start over a month later after the NBA Finals are over with and 16 all-new episodes will air, as previously planned. This means Wipeout will produce 31 total episodes this season (8 for winter, 7 for spring and 16 for summer). Airdates for the summer edition will be announced soon. So stay tuned. Anyway, back to Thursday May 19, following the Spring Wipeout finale are the season finales of Greyis Anatomy and Private Practice from 9-11pm. On Friday, May 20 at 8pm, Shark Tank closes its second season. The final Sunday of the season will have the season finale of America's Funniest Home Videos on Sunday, May 22 at 7pm leading into the Billboard Music Awards from 8-11pm. As we knew, Monday, May 23 will have the final Dancing with the Stars performance show at 8pm leading into the summer staple The Bachelorette from 9-11pm. On Tuesday, May 24 from 9:00-11:00pm it is the grand finale for season 12 of Dancing with the Stars. And finally on the last day of the TV season, Wednesday, May 25, the ABC comedies get their finales. At 8:00pm it is The Middle, followed by a repeat then at 9:00pm the megahit Modern Family has its season finale leading into the one-hour Hawaiian season finale of Cougar Town from 9:31-10:30pm.
ABC has not announced season finale dates for Mr. Sunshine, Happy Endings or Body of Proof since all three will have leftover episodes. Depending on their plans for them, they could air in summer or be held for next season. Everything else is pretty much set except ABC News series Primetime What Would You Do? and 20/20, which are likely to continue into summer.

Moving on to NBC, they have pulled Perfect Couples starting April 14. NBC announced that The Paul Reiser Show, a new comedy series starring Paul Reiser (Mad About You), will premiere on Thursday, April 14 at 8:30pm ET.
NBC's The Paul Reiser Show is a new single-camera comedy from Emmy and Golden Globe Award-nominated actor/writer/producer Reiser and writer/producer Jonathan Shapiro. The show stars Reiser as -- Paul Reiser. It's been a few years since his hit TV series went off the air. Since then, he's been enjoying the quiet life at home with his lovely wife, Claire (Amy Landecker), and kids and generally minding his own business, writing and producing television but enjoying life out of the spotlight. Getting him into trouble -- and into adventures -- are a group of new "friends," most of which he didn't choose since they're the husbands of his wife's friends and the dads of his kids' classmates. Thrown together by circumstance, Reiser and his cohorts, including Jonathan (Ben Shenkman), Habib (Omid Djalili), Fernando (Duane Martin, All of Us) and Brad (Andrew Daly, MADtv), form an unlikely comradeship -- and a pretty lame basketball team.
The new comedy will air Thursdays at 8:30pm through Thursday, May 19. It will also air at a special time of 8pm leading into the finale on May 19. As a result of the premiere of the new sitcom, Community will now be all-new on April 14, thus its season finale on Thursday, May 12 is no longer two episodes. The Community season finale is now a half-hour on Thursday, May 12 at 8pm. As for Perfect Couples, as of this writing it would have 4 episodes still to air after April 14, though it could be as low as only 2 because on March 31 and April 7, currently repeats are listed, so NBC could change those to new episodes--then only two would remain. It is almost 100% certain this series is all but done though.

ABC announced yesterday they will have some extra comedy exposure in April. New series Happy Endings will now premiere immediately after Modern Family on Wednesday, April 13 at 9:31pm. It was previously scheduled to debut at 10pm. The comedy will air its second episode at 10pm that night, though, so it is a two-episode premiere. Mr. Sunshine would have wrapped up its season on April 6. The special time for Happy Endings means that Cougar Town (which goes on a break after tonight's episode), will now return to Wednesdays a week later starting April 20. However, Cougar Town will get a special Monday airing two days before that on Monday, April 18 at 9:31pm immediately following a 90-minute Dancing with the Stars. That should help promote its return certainly. Also getting a special airing after Dancing with the Stars will be sitcom Better with You on Monday, April 25 at 9:31pm. The episode airing will have Dancing with the Stars pro Derek Hough and TV legend Larry King guest starring on the episode. Speaking of Dancing with the Stars, the competition returns on Monday, March 21 from 8-10pm. The Results Show will premiere the following week on Tuesday, March 29 at 9pm leading into the premiere of drama Body of Proof. Episode two of that drama will air on a special night right after Desperate Housewives on Sunday, April 3 at 10:01pm. That is good because Body of Proof star Dana Delany was a fixture on Desperate Housewives that past few years.
View more on the special airings in April. There could be another special airing or two in May after Dancing with the Stars on Mondays, so stay tuned. The cast announcement for Dancing with the Stars will be announced on Monday, Feb. 28 on ABC during The Bachelor.

The winter storm of the century has most parts of the country in its grip; it's a perfect time to chill! Tonight, Wednesday, February 2, at 8PM ET/7PM CT, Me-TV Network invites you to "Chill with Me: A Night of Snowed in TV!" It's a flurry of snowy weather-themed episodes from classic comedies The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Cheers, M*A*S*H, The Bob Newhart Show and The Honeymooners in a three-hour block. Among the stories are a snowstorm leaves Mary producing her first program; Rob wants to go skiing but Laura worries that he will hurt himself; Christmas Eve is almost spoiled when Bob is trapped in the office because of a power failure; Sam lies to Diane about the weekend he has planned chasing snow bunnies in Vermont; Charles becomes the most unpopular man in camp when his parents send him a winter-ized polar suit that he insists on flaunting in front of everyone; and Ralph and Alice are stuck in the cold after a rent strike.
View the promo for "Chill with Me: A Night of Snowed in TV." Me-TV, memorable entertainment television is a classic TV network owned and operated by Weigel Broadcasting Co. It is currently seen in the Chicago, Milwaukee and South Bend-Elkhart markets.

ABC Family is currently airings its annual 25 Days of Christmas, but once the annual festival is over, there will be some changes to the regular schedule in January 2011 starting Monday, Dec. 27. Weekdays at 11am & 11:30am will now be back-to-back Full House replacing the morning airing of Gilmore Girls. Weekdays at 2pm & 2:30pm will have My Wife & Kids, replacing Full House, which moves to 11am-12pm. Then we get a second hour of Still Standing airing weekdays at 6pm & 6:30pm, replacing My Wife & Kids which is moving to 2-3pm. Still Standing remains in its 12 noon & 12:30pm slots as well. There will be times when an ABC Family movie starts at 7:30pm, so if that is the case Still Standing will air in the 7pm half-hour, but when that happens it won't air in the 12:30pm half-hour that day, and instead we get a third airing of 8 Simple Rules (which airs 1-2pm). The final change to weekdays is the return of Whose Line Is It Anyway? airing at 12 midnight & 12:30am, replacing the second hour of My Wife & Kids.
As for ABC Family January 2011 stunts and highlights, Pretty Little Liars returns for its second half of the first season on Monday, Jan. 3 at 7:58pm for 12 weeks (season finale is slated for March 21, bitches). A marathon will air from 11am-7:58pm leading into the premiere on Jan. 3. Then at 9pm, Greek has its fourth season premiere with 10 all-new episodes (through March 7). A few days prior, on Saturday, Jan. 1, ABC Family will have a New Year's Day marathon of America's Funniest Home Videos from 7am-1am. What I Like About You will be preempted for two weeks, the week of Jan 17 and 24, for special 700 Club programming from 9am-11am. The sitcom airs in the 9am half-hour. There will also be a marathon of The 700 Club on Sunday, Jan. 30 from 12 noon to 12 midnight.
Movie wise, ABC Family will premiere the original movie Mean Girls 2 on Sunday, Jan. 23 at 8pm (encores at 10pm). The original feature film from 2004 will air right before at 6pm. This sequel stars Meaghan Martin (10 Things I Hate About You), Maiara Walsh (Desperate Housewives), Jennifer Stone, Nicole Gale Anderson, Claire Holt and Diego Boneta (Pretty Little Liars) in a classic high school story about good versus plastic. When new girl Jo (Martin) arrives at North Shore High School, her main goal is to skate under the radar to survive her senior year and definitely not get involved in any of the typical high school trappings. But her plan goes awry quickly when she meets Abby (Stone), a girl stuck at the low end of the high school food chain and favorite target of "The Plastics" (Walsh, Holt and Anderson). After defending Abby against the queen bee of the school and lead Plastic, Mandi (Walsh), Jo is dragged into the very same girl drama she was hoping to avoid. Tim Meadows returns as the school's principal, Mr. Duvall. ABC Family will also premiere the big screen movies Enchanted, Bruce Almighty, and The Game Plan for the first time, while encores of movies include Mean Girls, The Notebook, Evan Almighty, The Flintstones, Dennis the Menace, Cheaper by the Dozen, Liar Liar, Along Came Polly, Aladdin, and Freaky Friday.

And we will have a special ABC Family contest giveaway starting tomorrow at 12am ET (early Thursday) on our Facebook page. So stay tuned for information on how three very lucky winners will win an ABC Family gift bag filled with goodies just in time for the holidays! Also, if you haven't entered already, enter our Boy Meets World Season 4 DVD Contest, because the giveaway ends at 11:59:59pm ET tomorrow (Wednesday). Who will be the lucky two winners?

ABC has announced premiere dates for new comedies Mr. Sunshine and Happy Endings, representing the final mid-season scripted dates for ABC. Matthew Perry returns to series television in Mr. Sunshine, also starring four-time Emmy winner Allison Janney (The West Wing), on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 9:30 p.m., ET, and Happy Endings, an all-new ensemble comedy including Elisha Cuthbert (24), will premiere Wednesday, April 13 in the new 10:00 p.m. ET comedy half-hour. ABC's upcoming medical drama Off the Map, will finish its 13 episode run on Wednesday, April. 6.
With the addition of Mr. Sunshine on Feb. 9, ABC's critically acclaimed comedy Cougar Town will take a two-month break and return to the schedule in its regular time slot of 9:30 p.m, ET following Modern Family on Wednesday, April 13 leading into the premiere of Happy Endings at 10. And the Emmy-winning Modern Family will air "Fan Favorites" episodes beginning that same evening at 10:30 p.m. out of Happy Endings, to try a new comedy hour in the 10 p.m. hour for the final 7 weeks of the season.
As of now, ABC has scheduled 9 episodes of Mr. Sunshine to air for 9 consecutive weeks from February 9 to April 6. The series will still have four episodes left in its 13 episode order after these nine weeks, but no word as of this writing on if and when they will air those this season (or next season). ABC has scheduled Happy Endings to air for the final 7 weeks of the season (April 13 to May 25). This series also has 13 episode order, so ABC will have seven still left to air. Perhaps for a week or two ABC could double-up on both Mr. Sunshine and Happy Endings to cut down repeats of other ABC Wednesday comedies. We'll let you know if that is the case. ABC's The Middle and Modern Family will each have 24 episodes each this season, with Better With You and Cougar Town having 22 episodes each. By taking Feb. 9 to April 6 off, Cougar Town is avoiding American Idol (except the two-hour premiere on Jan. 19), where it had a bit trouble last winter/spring. Mr. Sunshine will be facing Idol every week except its first week (Feb. 9, season finale of Human Target is airing) and its last week (April 6, series premiere of Breaking In is airing).
Yes, ABC is trying comedies in the 10 p.m. hour starting April 13, which is still months away, but ABC will try comedy repeats in the hour starting this week through the end of the month! ABC has pulled the burn-off episodes of canceled legal drama The Whole Truth effective immediately. So, now comedy repeats will air. This Wednesday (Dec. 8), following new episodes from 8-10pm, ABC will air a repeat each of Modern Family and Cougar Town in the 10pm hour. Next week (Dec. 15), ABC will air a Modern Family repeat at 9:30pm, followed by two repeats of Cougar Town in the 10pm hour. Wednesday, Dec. 22 will see an encore of CMA Country Christmas from 9:30-11pm, but on Wednesday, Dec. 29 we once again see a Modern Family repeat at 9:30pm, followed by two repeats of Cougar Town in the 10pm hour. ABC's comedies are all-new tonight and after that won't be new until Wednesday, Jan. 5...so enjoy the holiday episodes tonight!

ABC has picked up additional episodes of new and returning series for the 2010-11 Season. New series Better With You and No Ordinary Family received full season orders, and additional episodes were ordered for Detroit 1-8-7 and returning series Brothers & Sisters.
Sitcom Better With You and family sci-fi drama No Ordinary Family are at least getting the back nine, for at least 22 episodes this season. Better With You has done OK in its Wednesday at 8:30pm slot in between hits The Middle and Modern Family. Meanwhile, No Ordinary Family has improved ABC's Tuesdays at 8pm hour by a lot from last fall despite being up against two of TV's top series (Glee/NCIS).
As for the gritty cop show Detroit 1-8-7, ABC has ordered 5 additional episodes, giving it 18 episodes for the season. That should last it until March or so, unless ABC orders more episodes. The series has done OK in its timeslot (Tuesdays at 10) on a tough night where DVR usage is very high. And the fifth season of family drama Brothers & Sisters is getting 4 more episodes, giving it now a full 22 episode season. That's down from the 24 episodes it has done the last few seasons. The series was only supposed to do 18 episodes this season because ABC was going to launch upcoming tropical medical drama Off the Map in mid-season, but it looks like that series might be used on another night now. Brothers & Sisters airs Sundays at 10pm and is consistent each week in the ratings.
Finally, with all of these series getting good news, it's not good news for ABC's new Wednesday legal drama, The Whole Truth. The series will only fulfill its 13 episode order and complete its production. After tomorrow's episode, five episodes will have aired, but after tomorrow no other episodes are currently scheduled (though Nov. 17 and Nov. 24 is possible). Eight episodes will remain to air after tomorrow night. The series has not done well in its Wednesdays at 10pm slot.

This Shocktober, WPIX-11 in New York is the place for Halloween thrills and chills. The mayhem begins on Saturday, October 30 with the return of Chiller Theatre at 7pm and continues on Halloween night with the exclusive PIX11 broadcast of the Village Halloween Parade at 7pm.
The Village Halloween Parade, now in its 38th year, is the nation's largest public Halloween celebration and PIX11 is the official broadcast home of the Parade (7-10pm on October 31st) hosted by PIX's Jill Nicolini and Tamsen Fadal.
As part of PIX11's Shocktober spooks, CHILLLLLLER THEATRE will return to the station on Halloween weekend with four frightening films: White Zombie, Bride of the Monster, Dolls and Child's Play. Chiller Theatre, which returned to PIX11 in 2008, originally aired on the station from 1961-1978 and again from 1980-1982. PIX11's Chiller Theatre weekend will feature the original franchise opens: "The Six-Fingered Hand" and the "Monster Montage."
On Saturday, October 30, PIX11 will air a Bela Lugosi double feature, White Zombie (1932) from 7-8:30 pm and Bride of the Monster (1955) from 8:30-10 pm. On Halloween, Sunday, October 31, PIX11 will air Dolls (1987) from 2-4 pm and Childs Play (1988) from 4-6pm. On Halloween night, there will also be a Friends Halloween episode at 6:30pm leading into the Village Halloween Parade at 7pm, that makes us happy to have a sitcom in the mix this year as well!
View more info on WPIX's Shocktober and you can also discuss this year's line-up.

Better With You - Wednesdays 8:30PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at 8:30PM ET/PT

From Friends producer Shana Goldberg-Meehan comes a comedy about three different couples at various stages in their romantic relationships. There's a couple in a happy, long-term relationship and not married. Another couple is in a brand-new relationship and unexpectedly motivated to make a rush to the altar. Last but not least, there's a longtime married couple who've been together for 35 years but may have a new take on life.

Maddie, a lawyer, and Ben, a hotel manager, are a career-oriented couple who are head-over-heels in love. Both in their 30s, they've been together for nine years but never felt the need to get married. They know each other inside and out and are in a relationship marked by contentment and affection. They've thoroughly analyzed their commitment to each other and say they're happy with their "valid life choice," something they proclaim often -- and loudly.

Maddie's younger sister, Mia, is a free spirit and creator of a paperless web invitation company. She is in a very passionate seven-and-a-half-week-old relationship with Casey, a musician in an avant-garde metal band. Both in their 20s, they're smitten. Things are moving along at a fast rate for these two lovebirds who can't wait to discover the oh-so-many things they don't know about each other.

The girls' parents, Vicky and Joel, have been married for 35 years. Like Mia, they've adopted a carpe diem sort of philosophy. One reason for this new attitude is that they lost a good portion of their savings when the economy tanked. At this stage in their lives, they don't feel the need to take things too seriously.

When Mia invites Maddie and Ben to meet Casey, they think they're meeting just another in a long line of boyfriends. But Maddie soon realizes how serious the relationship is when Mia and Casey excitedly announce they're engaged. Surprised by the news, she feels like her little sister has leapfrogged over her -- jumping ahead of her in some major, life-changing way -- and sees the light it shines on her own life choices. In addition, Maddie worries that Mia is just plain moving too fast. But reluctant to be a negative voice, she resolves to be supportive and let her parents, the critical Vicky and Joel, be the ones to object when the time comes.

Mia is nervous about introducing Casey to her parents, who are hard to please or impress -- they once made a former boyfriend of hers cry. But when Mia tells them that she and Casey are getting married, Vicky and Joel greet the news with celebration, much to Mia's delight and Maddie's surprise. Evidently they'd given up on Maddie and Ben ever marrying. Now they seem all too eager to toast Mia and Casey's sudden union. Things get even more complicated for Maddie when it turns out that Casey has shared something with Ben but not with her, and then Ben accidentally blurts it out - that Mia is pregnant! Although Vicky and Joel are ecstatic to become grandparents, Maddie wonders why her sister kept this from her.

Maddie and Ben have been together a long time, and the relationship they have works, but they'll come to learn that there may be value in Mia and Casey's impulsiveness and spontaneity. And both sisters could surely learn something about relationships from their long-married parents. With three very different relationships intertwined in one family, is it free thinkers vs. over-thinkers, or will each couple begin to see things a little bit differently?


Cast Details:

* JoAnna Garcia as Mia
* Jennifer Finnigan as Maddie
* Josh Cooke as Ben
* Jake Lacy as Casey
* Kurt Fuller as Joel
* Debra Jo Rupp as Vicky

JoAnna Garcia's (Mia) recent memorable guest turns include her recurring role as Bree Buckley on the third season of the CW's Gossip Girl and her guest starring role as the girl who continues to get away from Josh Radnor on How I Met Your Mother. She also appeared in the ABC Family telefilm Revenge of the Bridesmaids, opposite Raven-Symone. In 2008 Garcia portrayed the lead character in the teen angst comedy, Privileged. Based on the book "How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls," she starred as Megan Smith, a Yale graduate hired to tutor two wealthy teenage twin girls to ensure their entrance into an Ivy League college. Although Privileged only aired for one season, it gained a huge fan following and earned Garcia rave reviews. She also starred in the 2008 primetime series Welcome to The Captain, alongside Jeffrey Tambor, Chris Klein and Raquel Welch. Previously she dazzled audiences for six years on Reba as Reba's teenage daughter, and earned a Teen Choice Award nomination for Breakout Star. Earlier in her career, she starred as Fiona in the television series Clarissa Explains It All and from 1994-96 as Samantha in Are You Afraid of the Dark? In 1998 Garcia was cast in a recurring role on the acclaimed drama Party of Five. After graduating from high school, she briefly attended the University of Florida before heading to Los Angeles to further her acting career. Almost immediately she landed a key role opposite John Ritter in the TV movie Holy Joe. She also had a memorable role in 2000 on the series Freaks and Geeks. On the big screen she starred in two hit teen comedies in 2001, American Pie 2 and Not Another Teen Movie.

Jennifer Finnigan (Maddie) is an actress with great depth and comedic talent. Born and raised in Montreal, she started acting professionally at the age of 18, taking roles on various television shows on Nickelodeon and Fox Family in Montreal. Landing the role of Bridget Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful in 2001 spawned Finnigan's move to Los Angeles. That role earned her the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series for three consecutive years, 2002, 2003 and 2004. Additional television credits include the CBS drama Close to Home, in which she played Annabeth Chase, a young, aggressive prosecutor with a perfect conviction record. Prior to that she starred in the NBC comedy Committed (opposite Josh Cooke) and the NBC drama Crossing Jordan.

Josh Cooke (Ben) has quickly jumped onto Hollywood's radar screen. He landed back-to-back lead roles on two NBC shows, including Committed (which also had Jennifer Finnigan) and the half-hour comedy Four Kings, in which he starred opposite Seth Green for director James Burrows. In 2006 Cooke starred on ABC's Big Day for creators Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, playing a newlywed opposite Kurt Fuller, Marla Sokoloff and Wendie Malik. In 2007 he appeared in the one-hour drama Law Dogs for creator Barry Schindel, as a slick district attorney opposite Janeane Garofalo.

Jake Lacy (Casey) grew up in Vermont and graduated from The North Carolina School of the Arts in 2008. His recent work includes a Sundance Institute Theatre Project with director Mark Brokaw and a lead role in the 2010 Columbia thesis film, "C'est Moi."
Lacy has been seen on stage in Hartford Stage's production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" as Demetrius. He was a member of the Oberon Theater Ensemble and appeared in their production of "Much Ado About Nothing" as Conrad.

Kurt Fuller (Joel) is best known for his work in the films Wayne's World with Mike Myers and Anger Management with Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler. Others will remember him as the wacky sheriff who likes to pose in Speedos in Scary Movie. Kurt is no stranger to ABC. His last regular role on a TV series was on ABC's Big Day, with Josh Cooke and Wendie Malick. He had previously been a regular on That's my Bush!, from South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Last year he had recurring characters on both Supernatural and Psyche, and in the past has had arcs on ABC series Desperate Housewives, Boston Legal and Alias. Other TV appearances include HBO's Live from Baghdad with Michael Keaton, as well Glee, Ugly Betty, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Men of a Certain Age, The West Wing, In Justice, Eyes, Karen Sisco, Grey's Anatomy, House M.D, My Name is Earl, Monk and Drop Dead Diva.

Debra Jo Rupp (Vicky) has made over 300 television appearances, but is probably best known as Kitty Forman in the long running series That '70s Show. As a result, in her current role as Vicky in Better with You, she's excited to actually "live" in the 21st century and wear fashionable clothes. Other notable TV roles for Rupp include Seinfeld's booking agent, Katie, and Phoebe's sister-in-law on Friends. Sally Field directed her in HBO's acclaimed From the Earth to the Moon, and she was listed as "crowd member" when she actually got to go to the 2004 World Series and watch her Red Sox win. Rupp was most recently seen in the feature film She's Out of My League, playing Jay Baruchel's mom, Mrs. Kettner. Other film credits include Jackson, the award-winning short The Act, Kickin' it Old Skool with Jamie Kennedy, Clockwatchers with Toni Collette and Parker Posey, Spymate, Lucky Thirteen with Lauren Graham, Sgt. Bilko with Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd, and her first film ever, Big, with Tom Hanks. In addition her voice can be heard in the Emmy-winning Teacher's Pet with Nathan Lane (both cartoon and feature film), Garfield, Air Buddies and in various other projects with tiny animals.


Pilot Plot:

#1 "Pilot" (Airs September 22, 2010)
Mia invites Maddie and Ben to meet Casey, and they think they're meeting just another in a long line of boyfriends. But Maddie realizes how serious things actually are when Mia and Casey excitedly announce that they're engaged. Surprised by the news, Maddie feels like her little sister has leapfrogged over her -- jumping ahead of her in some major, life-changing way -- and sees the light it shines on her own life choices. But reluctant to be a negative voice, she resolves to be supportive and let her parents, the critical Vicky and Joel, be the ones to object when the time comes. But when Mia tells them that she and Casey are getting married, Vicky and Joel greet the news with celebration, much to Mia's delight and Maddie's surprise. Things get even more complicated for Maddie when it turns out that Casey has shared something with Ben but not with her, that Mia is pregnant! Maddie and Ben have been together a long time, and the relationship they have works, but they'll come to learn that there may be value in Mia and Casey's impulsiveness and spontaneity. And both sisters could surely learn something about relationships from their long-married parents.

Guest starring are Tiya Sircar as Reena and Jerrika Hinton as saleswoman.
"Pilot" was written by Shana Goldberg-Meehan and directed by James Burrows.


Analysis:

The pilot episode is very strong. It is a traditional half-hour comedy and we really need more of those as they repeat well and are better players in syndication. Anyway, there is nothing groundbreaking here but it is just plain funny. And that is the point of sitcoms, isn't it? The episode starts off with three different couples in three different cabs. It is startling the difference you see inside. The first couple (Mia & Casey) have only been together 7 1/2 weeks. The next couple (Maddie & Ben) have been together for 9 years. And the final couple (Vicky & Joel) have been together for 35 years. The twist? They are all related, like on Modern Family. Except here we find out they are related very early on rather than at the end of the pilot. Mia & Casey want to meet at a restaurant with Maddie & Ben so they can see Casey. Mia and Maddie are sisters and their parents are the older couple, Vicky & Joel. It is pretty easy to follow. Maddie and Ben have been together 9 years but are still not married.

Casey wants to propose to Mia and he tells her sister Maddie that, but there is a twist in the pilot. Mia is pregnant, but she didn't tell her sister Maddie. Though Casey DID tell Ben! Hilarity then comes after with that. It's good old fun! You need to watch to see how it plays out. All of the characters are pretty damn funny, especially Casey (Mia's fiance). He steals the pilot with laughs. Kurt Fuller, who plays the father (Joel), is always funny, as is his wife Vicky (played by Debra Jo Rupp). The cast have worked together in other sitcoms before. Jennifer Finnigan and Josh Cooke were both on NBC's Committed, while Cooke was with Kurt Fuller on ABC's Big Day. Both sitcoms didn't last, so maybe they just needed to find a sitcom together? I think this one will click.


Conclusion:

While this is nothing new, it is familiar. And familiarity always does well in the ratings because people want sitcoms like this. I think this is the best sitcom pilot of the fall season. So far we have reviewed Mike & Molly (Todd gave it a 4/5, a B), Raising Hope (Todd gave it a 4.5/5, an A) and Running Wilde (I gave it a 3.5/5, a C). To me (or "to I" as Casey would say), this is the best one so far. And as a preview S#*! My Day Says and Outsourced are not good, but stay tuned to see our reviews of those the next two days. Anyway, Better With You is perfectly placed in between The Middle and Modern Family, so it has a shot of finding an audience. The only question mark is can it succeed in an all-single camera comedy block? I don't see a reason why it wouldn't since the show is pretty similar to Modern Family with the extended family. This is a good mix of a romantic comedy and a family comedy. I haven't seen a sitcom tackle both of those in one show in a while. JoAnna Garcia is stunning in the show and plays the role of Mia very well. Be on the look out for newcomer Jake Lacy, who played Casey. He is outstanding in this and is a scene stealer. As the show's opening theme says, "you and I, we smile inside," you'll certainly be smiling or laughing after watching this pilot but on the outside not inside! Good 'ole fun and let's hope the episodes continue to be like this!


Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 4/5
Funniness: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5

-- Reviewed by Pavan on 09/21/10

Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday, September 22 on our message board.

Related Links:

ABC.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

Better With You Photo Gallery

Preview:

B&C reports tha Titan Broadcast Management's KAZH Houston will switch from Spanish-language programming to English starting next Monday (Sept. 27). The station will get new call letters, too. It will now be KUBE. KAZH currently airs Vasallo Vision Network programming. It claimed $2.1 million in 2009, according to BIA/Kelsey, which is 0.5% of DMA No. 10's market revenue.
"There are an equal number of Spanish language and English stations in Houston," said Titan CEO Dan Sullivan. "However, the Houston English language television market revenues are [five times] the Spanish market revenues in Houston. With the same amount of competitors, we prefer to compete for the dollars in the bigger market."
Sullivan said the Houston TV market looks strong. "The prospects for the success of KAZH as an English language independent station are very promising," he said. "The availability of quality classic television programming was also a driving force in this decision to change format." We will have the schedule of shows very soon, so stay tuned. If the schedule is out todayfor KUBE, check back right here in this spot...so come on back!

We are preempting our weekly summer ratings today to give you full coverage of the Summer 2010 TCA Press Tour, as today ABC's day. We also have a recap of the winners from the annual TCA Awards last night. Our friend Mike of TVTango.com gave us the full scoop on what was going on at the press tour and you fans have an opportunity to ask a question to a panel member! View live coverage of the tour from TVTango! The day started off with a panel for new Tuesday drama Detroit 1-8-7 with stars Michael Imperioli, James McDaniel, Jon Michael Hill, Natalie Martinez and executive producers David Zabel and Jason Richman. Then the most anticipated executive session was next with new ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee. Among the items we learned were:

In a special Monday night event, the new cast of Dancing with the Stars will be revealed during Bachelor Pad on MONDAY, AUGUST 30 from 8-10pm ET/PT! Paul Lee said, "I am super-unprepared since I've been on the job for 36 hours. I do know one thing, Modern Family should win an Emmy." On adding a possible second night of comedy: "I'd love to. To be sitting on a network that has such a strong comedy block." On making any schedule changes before premiere week: "We're locked and loaded. If you make changes in the entertainment sense, you can make more damage than good." We asked "Will Shark Tank and Food Revolution be back in the mix with reality staples Supernanny and Wife Swap?" and Mike of TVTango.com got an answer: Paul said he just hasn't had enough time to sit down and evaluate the ABC brand and what to do moving forward since he's only been on the job for 36 hours. We asked more questions but since Paul has only been on the job for 36 hours, nothing specific is being learned today. MORE TO COME SO KEEP CHECKING BACK MANY TIMES TODAY...ASK YOUR QUESTIONS TO TVTANGO.COM!
After the executive session, it was back to show panels with upcoming new comedy Mr. Sunshine with stars Matthew Perry (also EP), Allison Janney, Andrea Anders, James Lesure, Nate Torrence and executive producers Alex Barnow, Marc Firek, Matthew Carlson. Following that was a panel for new crime drama Body of Proof with stars Dana Delany, Nicholas Bishop, Jeri Ryan, creator Christopher Murphey and executive producers Matthew Gross & Sunil Nayar. Then it was lunch time with new Thursday drama My Generation with stars Michael Stahl-David, Jaime King, Kelli Garner, Keir O'Donnell, Mehcad Brooks, Daniella Alonso, Julian Morris, Sebastian Sozzi, Anne Son along with creator Noah Hawley and executive producer Warren Littlefield.
After lunch it was back to more panels with new Tuesday family supernatural drama No Ordinary Family! One of my best upcoming pilots for the season and at then panel were stars Michael Chiklis, Julie Benz, Stephen Collins, Romany Malco, Autumn Reeser, Kay Panabaker and Jimmy Bennett, along with co-creators Greg Berlanti & Jon Harmon Feldman and executive producer David Semel. Then there was a panel for new Wednesday night legal drama The Whole Truth with stars Rob Morrow & Maura Tierney along with executive producers Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, Ed Zuckerman, Tom Donaghy.
Then it was coffee break time with the cast of Modern Family! How cool is that! After the break, it was back to some more panels with new Laugh On Wednesday sitcom Better With You with stars JoAnna Garcia, Jennifer Finnigan, Josh Cooke, Jake Lacy, Kurt Fuller, Debra Jo Rupp, along with creator Shana Goldberg-Meehan and executive producer Greg Malins. Then it was off to unscripted series with a panel for the new season of Secret Millionaire, now on ABC, with millionaires/donors John Ferber, James Malinchak, Gary and Diane Heavin and more! The last panel of the day had new comedy Happy Endings with stars Elisha Cuthbert, Eliza Coupe, Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, Damon Wayans, Jr., along with creator David Caspe and executive producer Jonathan Groff.
Then it was off to the Disney-ABC Television Group All-Star Party where talent and showrunners from ABC, ABC Family, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Radio Disney were on hand to answer questions and have drinks!
Stay tuned for Fox tomorrow!

The Television Critics Association had its 26th annual awards last night (July 31). Members of the Television Critics Association (TCA) recognized the top programs and actors representing the 2009-2010 TV season at its 26th Annual TCA Awards, held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Dax Shepard, star of NBC's Parenthood, introduced the ceremony that bestowed 11 awards in categories reflecting comedy, drama, miniseries, news and youth programming at its annual event in conjunction with the TCA's summer press tour. Among the big winners were newcomers Glee and Modern Family, with LOST and Breaking Bad on the drama side. Full winners:

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: Glee (Fox)
OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM: Glee (Fox)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: TIE - LOST (ABC) and Breaking Bad (AMC)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: Modern Family (ABC)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS & INFORMATION: Life (Discovery)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING: Yo Gabba Gabba (Nickelodeon)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINI-SERIES & SPECIALS: The Pacific (HBO)
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: Jane Lynch, Glee (Fox)
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
HERITAGE AWARD: M*A*S*H (CBS)
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT: James Garner (Maverick/The Rockford Files/8 Simple Rules)

On Monday (July 12), "MTV Tr3s" will become "Tr3s" and the name "MTV Tr3s" will no longer be used. Tr3s will continue to celebrate the bi-lingual/bi-cultural reality that embraces the three aspects of Latino life in the US - Latin American, American and US Latino.
Tr3s will air sitcoms and Spanish series along with Nickelodeon blocks that teens will enjoy past seasons of Nickelodeon favorites in Spanish. Tr3s' biggest addition will the be the addition of sitcom George Lopez! The series will be borrowed from sister network Nick at Nite, and will air weeknights at 9pm & 9:30pm on Tr3s. Leading into George will be Casados Con Hijos, an adaptation of Married... with Children, at 8pm & 8:30pm. Casados Con Hijos will also air weekdays at 3pm & 3:30pm. Also of note, Comedy Central's Mind of Mencia will air weeknights at 12 midnight, followed by Team Sanchez at 12:30am. Nickelodeon's series will air in Spanish are Blues Clues weekdays at 8am & 8:30am and Wonder Pets weekdays at 9am & 9:30am. SpongeBob SquarePants will air in Spanish on Sunday mornings from 8am-10am.
Discuss this rebranding and the addition of George Lopez here.

ABC announced most of their Fall premiere dates for the 2010-2011 season. Premiere dates for Fall Friday drama series Body of Proof and Friday reality series Secret Millionaire will be announced at a later time. As previously announced, Saturday Night Football premieres Saturday, September 4 at 8:00 p.m. ET. ABC launches the 2010-2011 season on Monday, Sept. 20 during premiere week with the season premieres of Dancing with the Stars from 8-10pm and Castle at 10pm. On Tuesday, Sept. 21, a special two-hour performance show of Dancing with the Stars will air from 8-10pm leading into the series premiere of drama Detroit 1-8-7. On Wednesday, Sept. 22, ABC returns their comedies with "Laugh on Wednesday" with the season premiere and a new time for The Middle at 8pm, followed by the series premiere of Better with You (formerly titled Better Together) at 8:30pm, the season premiere of megahit Modern Family is at 9pm, and the season premiere of quirky Cougar Town is at 9:30pm. ABC closes the night with the series premiere of new legal drama The Whole Truth at 10pm. On Thursday, Sept. 23, ABC launches the series My Generation at 8pm, followed by the season premieres of one-two punch Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. On Friday, Sept. 24, ABC launches another season of newsmag 20/20 at 10pm, but 8-10pm is still not determined for the first few weeks. ABC closes out premiere week on Sunday, Sept. 26 with season premieres of their Sunday line-up of AFV, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers and Sisters. And finally perhaps the most buzzed new series is No Ordinary Family and it will premiere on Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 8pm leading into the first Dancing with the Stars Results Show.
ABC is the second network to announce premiere dates for Fall, as The CW did a few weeks ago. View these ABC Fall 2010 premiere dates in a list form.

It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars (but we won't cover movie stars like Tom Hanks or John Travolta, since they won't be talking about their past sitcoms likely), so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of July 12-16, 2010, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, July 12, 2010

• Peter Facinelli (Nurse Jackie) - Catch Peter on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly so check your local listings.
• Christine Lakin (Step by Step) - Christine is the sidekick on Craig Kilborn's new talk show The Kilborn File airing on a few Fox stations today and every weekday

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

• Jeremy Piven (Entourage) - This is a REPEAT, but catch Jeremy again on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12:06am on ABC.
• Jennifer Lawrence (The Bill Engvall Show) - Catch the young Jennifer on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:35am on NBC.
• Bill Engvall (The Bill Engvall Show) - Catch Bill again on this repeat of The Bonnie Hunt Show so check your TV listings.
• Caroline Rhea (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) - Watch Caroline on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly, so check your local listings.
• Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother) - Jason is on The Early Show on CBS between 7-9am.
• John Amos (Good Times) - Catch John on BET's The Mo'nique Show at 11pm.
• Busy Phillips (Cougar Town) - This is a repeat of Busy on The Bonnie Hunt Show so check your listings.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

• Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock from the Sun) - Joseph visits CBS's The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm.
• Tracy Morgan (30 Rock) - Catch Tracy on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Jack McBrayer (30 Rock) - Watch Jack on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:35am.
• John Corbett (United States of Tara) - Watch John on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly so check your local listings.
• Peter Facinelli (Nurse Jackie) - Catch Peter on NBC's Today show sometime between 7-9am.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

• Kevin James (The King of Queens) - This is a REPEAT, but catch Kevin on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12:06am on ABC.
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock from the Sun) - Watch Joseph this time on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT/PT.
• Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother) - Catch Jason on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
• Carol Burnett, Henry Winkler and Valerie Bertinelli - Catch a special repeat of three classic sitcom stars on The Joy Behar Show at 9pm on HLN.

Friday, July 16, 2010

• Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock from the Sun) - Catch Joseph on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:35am on NBC.
• Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle) - This is a REPEAT, but catch Bryan on NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am.
• Joey Lawrence (Melissa & Joey/Blossom/Gimme a Break!) - This is also a REPEAT, but catch Joey on NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am.

Also of note, catch Ben Rappaport (Outsourced) on NBC's Today Sunday edition at 9am.

Leave us comments on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us to let us know what you think of this Friday feature! We do listen!