SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

It's time for 30 Rock to say goodbye. The critically acclaimed but ratings challenged comedy will end after its seventh season order of 13 episodes is complete on Jan. 31. Community returns the following week on Feb. 7. In addition, NBC will premiere the new drama Do No Harm on the same night on Thursday, January 31 at 10pm ET following the hour-long series finale of the Emmy Award-winning 30 Rock (8-9pm ET) earlier that same night. The new drama was announced at upfront for March on Sundays at 10, but NBC has changed their mind. As a result of this change on Thursdays, Rock Center with Brian Williams will move to Fridays beginning February 8 at 10pm ET following Dateline NBC, which moves to an earlier slot of 9pm ET. Grimm will return to the schedule on Friday, March 8 at 9pm ET after taking February off. No word on what will happen to Dateline NBC starting March 8, as Rock Center with Brian Williams will be airing in the 10pm hour from Feb. 8 to May 31. Presumably, Dateline will get its annual second slot on Sundays at 7pm beginning Jan. 6. New drama Do No Harm has 12 episodes and will run through April 11. No words on what will air Thursdays at 10 starting April 18.

Read the previous NBC mid-season schedule update. Still no premiere dates have yet to be announced for the Anne Heche comedy Save Me, the mutli-camera premiere for Up All Night, or the new drama Hannibal. Also, returning reality entry Fashion Star still has not been scheduled, as during upfront it was slated to return in March airing Sundays 8-9pm, but NBC changed their mind and will air two-hour episodes of new reality entry Ready for Love from 8-10pm leading into Celebrity Apprentice at 10. Stay with us for any updates and also details on the 30 Rock series finale.

Donald Faison (Scrubs, The Exes) is coming to TBS as host of Who Gets the Last Laugh?, the latest series from Punk'd co-creators Jason Goldberg and Ashton Kutcher. The series will feature some of the most well known comedians and comedy actors in entertainment today competing to pull the most outrageous practical jokes. The lineup includes 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) and Alan Thicke (Growing Pains), among others.

Set to premiere on TBS in spring 2013, Who Gets the Last Laugh? puts a new twist on the comedy format by pitting three comedians against each other in the ultimate hidden camera comedy sketch challenge. The guest comedians must dream up the funniest and most outrageous sketches possible and then successfully unleash them on the unsuspecting public. A live audience then determines which comedy star really got the last laugh and wins $10,000 for their charity of choice. Donald currently also stars on the TV Land sitcom The Exes which returns in 2013 with ten more episodes to conclude its 22-episode second season. He is best known to television audiences for his role as Dr. Christopher Turk, which he played for nine years on the hit series Scrubs. He earned five NAACPTM Image Award nominations and won two BET Comedy Awards for his performance on the show. Faison's extensive film credits include Clueless, Something New, Remember the Titans, Waiting to Exhale, King's Ransom, Uptown Girls, Josie and the Pussycats, Can't Hardly Wait, Big Fat Liar and Juice. For television, Faison reprised his role from Clueless for the spinoff television series, co-starred in the acclaimed J.J. Abrams drama Felicity and guest-starred on such series as Party of Five, Sister Sister and New York Undercover. Stay with us for any further updates on this TBS show!

NBC has ordered three additional episodes of Up All Night, which will bring their season two total to 16 episodes. The series will go on a winter break after episode 11 airs in December. When the show comes back in the spring 2013, it will return as a multi-camera sitcom for the final five episodes of the season. The sophomore comedy, which stars Christina Applegate, Will Arnett, Maya Rudolph, and Luka Jones, has struggled in the ratings on Thursday nights. It has averaged around only three million viewers.

NBC tried a switch like this before in 2003 with Watching Ellie. The series, which starred Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lauren Bowles (Julia's real life half-sister) and Steve Carell, originally aired as a single-camera comedy from February-April 2002. When they returned almost a year later in April 2003, they switched to a multi-camera format. Unfortuntely, the format change didn't work for them as they had even lower ratings. A couple of other sitcoms made the switch from single-camera to multi-camera with much better success. The Odd Couple's first season was shot single-camera with a laugh track added. The other four seasons were shot with three cameras and in front of a studio audience. Happy Days is the best-known series to switch formats. Their first two seasons were shot single-camera with the laugh track added. When they made the switch to the multi-camera format in season three, they became a huge hit.

What do you think of NBC's decision? Discuss it on our Up All Night message board. They have a couple of other multi-camera sitcoms in Guys with Kids and Whitney. They had much success with multi-camera sitcoms like Friends and Seinfeld in their glory days, so this seems like a good move.

Paramount's Insurge Pictures and Yahoo! announced yesterday that Burning Love, the popular comedy series that spoofs reality dating shows, will return for two more hilarious seasons on Yahoo! Screen in 2013. The break-out video program premiered June 4 domestically on the Yahoo! Comedy Channel to critical acclaim.

Burning Love is a web spoof of the series The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. The series follows fireman Mark Orlando (Ken Marino) in his search for the perfect woman to marry or at least be engaged. Many familiar actors from film and television have appeared in the scripted comedy series. Michael Ian Black appears as the host, Bill Tundle. Other characters are played by Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Adam Scott, Mo Gaffney, Mather Zickel, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Ryan Hansen and Paul Scheer. The contestants on the show include Kristen Bell, June Diane Raphael, Ken Jeong, Malin Akerman, Natasha Leggero, Abigail Spencer, Noureen DeWulf, Jennifer Aniston, Beth Dover and Janet Varney.

The series is written by Erica Oyama (Children's Hospital) and directed by Ken Marino. Seasons two and three will feature returning cast members Ken Marino, June Diane Raphael and Natasha Leggero as well as new characters in their quest to find true love. Season Two, which is coming in January 2013, will follow Julie (June Diane Raphael), who failed to capture Mark Orlando's heart in Season One of Burning Love, as she searches for love in a group of guys who are hopefully all there for the right reasons. In Season Three, Burning Down the House reunites our favorite rejected guys and girls as they return to the Burning Love mansion to compete for a hefty prize and for each other's affection.

NBC announced the premieres and sneak peeks of its new Fall 2012 primetime schedule that capitalize on the launch and promotional platforms provided by the network's coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, the finale of America's Got Talent and the return of The Voice and Sunday Night Football. Most of the new fall shows will premiere in advance of the start of the season.
The rollout of NBC's Fall 2012 season begins with commercial-free sneak previews of the new comedies Go On (Wednesday, August 8) after the evening's coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games and Animal Practice on Sunday, August 12, following the Closing Ceremonies of the Summer Olympics. One day after the conclusion of the Olympics, NBC will debut the new competitive series Stars Earn Stripes with a special two-hour episode on Monday, August 13 (8-10 p.m. ET), followed on the same night with the advance season premiere of Grimm (10-11 p.m. ET). Stars Earn Stripes will only run though September 3, because...continuing NBC's launch strategy, The Voice returns on September 10 (8-10 p.m.), handing-off to encore sneak peeks of the premieres of Animal Practice (10-10:30 p.m. ET) and Go On (10:30-11 p.m. ET).
The NFL Kick-Off Special 2012 and first NFL game of the season is on Wednesday, September 5, followed by Football Night in America (7:00-8:15 p.m.) and Sunday Night Football's (8:15-11 p.m.) return in their regular timeslots on September 9 kick off a launch week that includes the September 11 time-period premiere of Go On (9-9:30 p.m.) followed by the series premiere of The New Normal (9:30-10 p.m.), a sneak peek of Guys With Kids on September 12 (10-10:30 p.m.) after the next to last episode of America's Got Talent, and the season premiere of Parenthood on September 11 (10-11 p.m.). To provide additional sampling, the new comedy The New Normal will re-broadcast its first episode on Thursday, September 13 (10-10:30 p.m. ET), following the season finale of America's Got Talent.
Among other new NBC series for fall, the drama Revolution premieres on Monday, September 17 (10-11 p.m. ET); and the drama Chicago Fire debuts on Wednesday, October 10 (10-11 p.m. ET), due to a Presidential Debate on October 3. Animal Practice will start in its regular day and time on Wednesday, September 26 (8-8:30 p.m. ET) followed by the time period premiere of Guys with Kids (8:30-9 p.m. ET). As for returning series not yet mentioned, Up All Night, The Office and Parks and Recreation return on Thursday, Sept. 20 from 8:30-10, as 30 Rock will not launch until Oct. 4. Law & Order: SVU will launch with a two-hour season premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 26 from 9-11pm, as the following week is a debate, as mentioned. Grimm has its regular night premiere on Friday, Sept. 14. And finally, Whitney and Community will not return until Friday, October 19 from 8-9pm.
View the FULL day-by-day schedule for NBC After the Olympics.


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, so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of June 18-22, 2012, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, June 18, 2012

• Steve Carell (The Office) - Watch Steve on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World opens in theaters on June 22.
• Denis Leary (The Job) - Denis appears on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) - Aubrey stops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Niecy Nash (The Soul Man/The Cleveland Show/Reno 911!) - Niecy chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Suzanne Somers (Three's Company/Step by Step/She's the Sheriff) - Suzanne joins The Revolution on ABC at 2pm ET/1pm PT/CT.
• Cedric the Entertainer (The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric visits ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

• Steve Carell (The Office) - Catch Steve on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Cedric the Entertainer (The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric visits Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC. He will also be on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on you local stations.
• Mark Feuerstein (Good Morning, Miami) - Mark is a guest on LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
• Michael Strahan (Brothers) - Michael appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Kate Flannery (The Office) - Kate appears on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Mila Kunis (That '70s Show) - Mila stops by Jimmy Kimmel Live!: Game Night at 8pm on ABC.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

• Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) - Watch Alec on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Denis Leary (The Job) - Denis drops by Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at 11pm.
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Seinfeld) - Julia visits LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
• D.L. Hughley (The Hughleys) - D.L. guest co-hosts LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
• Steve Carell (The Office) - Steve appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Jerry O'Connell (Carpoolers/My Secret Identiy) - Jerry is a guest on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Tahj Mowry (Baby Daddy/Smart Guy) - Tahj stops by The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

• Courteney Cox (Cougar Town/Friends) - Courteney chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. She will also be on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Steve Carell (The Office) - Steve continues to make the rounds on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at 11pm.
• Beth Behrs (2 Broke Girls) - Beth appears on LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
• Tracey Gold (Growing Pains) - Tracey discusses anorexia on Anderson, so check your local listings.

Friday, June 22, 2012

• Denis Leary (The Job) - Watch Denis on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Patricia Heaton (The Middle/Back to You/Everybody Loves Raymond) - Patricia chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Michael Strahan (Brothers) - Michael guest co-hosts LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
• Kevin Nealon (Weeds) - Kevin appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
• Noureen DeWulf (Anger Management) - Noureen dishes on her new FX sitcom, Anger Management, and reveals what it's like working with Charlie Sheen on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.

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!

NBC announced the premieres of the new comedies Bent (March 21) starring Amanda Peet and Best Friends Forever (April 4), as well as the comedic hidden-camera series Betty White's Off Their Rockers (April 4) to its spring lineup. Community also will return to the Thursday schedule starting March 15. Bent will premiere on Wednesday, March 21 at 9:00 PM followed by a second episode at 9:30 PM. The series will continue with original back-to-back one-hour blocks on Wednesday, March 28 and April 4 on both nights, finishing off its six episode order. It is either that bad that NBC wants to finish it off in just three weeks or NBC is trying to capture Modern Family viewers, since it looks like 2 of the 3 weeks that series is in repeats. But in just 3 weeks, what is the point of trying to make something work? Currently airing at 9 is Rock Center with Brian Williams, but that will move to 10:00 PM from March 7 through April 4, as Law & Order: SVU will be on hiatus. Rock Center and Law & Order: SVU will return to their 9:00 and 10:00 PM timeslots on April 11 though May 23.
Following the season finales of Whitney and Are You There, Chelsea on March 28, Betty White's Off Their Rockers premieres the following week on Wednesday, April 4 at 8:00 PM followed by new comedy Best Friends Forever at 8:30 PM. Betty White's Off Their Rockers has a 12 episode order and had a sneak preview on January 16 so eleven episodes will be available to air and NBC will air ten of them as of now. It will air for 6 straight weeks through May 9 then on May 16 & May 23 a full-hour (8-9PM) will air both weeks, giving it ten episodes since its launch on April 4 (so one will be left to air for now). As for Best Friends Forever, NBC has a six episode order for this series, like Bent, and will air it for six straight weeks through May 9, instead of double-pumping it in three weeks.
On to Thursdays, Community returns on Thursday, March 15 at 8:00 PM as NBC re-sets the night with 30 Rock shifting to 8:30 PM followed still by The Office at 9 and Up All Night at 9:30 PM. Parks and Recreation goes on hiatus after the March 8 episode but comes back on Thursday, April 19 at a new time of 9:30 PM for four weeks to finish its season after Up All Night has ended its 24-episode original season run in the time period. The Parks & Recreation season finale is scheduled for May 10 (as The Office is likely having a two-episode finale on May 17). Community has 12 episodes to air and as of now NBC has booked it through May 24, so that's eleven weeks, but possibly it will be two episodes on one week.
View the complete NBC comedy changes for this spring. And stay with us for further information!


Nick at Nite will celebrate the Oscars with a marathon of sitcom episodes the night before the big night. On Saturday, February 25, Nick at Nite will air episodes of their sitcoms featuring award-winning actors. The line-up will air from 10pm-2am with Friends, George Lopez and That '70s Show episodes. Friends will start off the marathon with episodes guest starring Brad Pitt, Billy Crystal, Reese Witherspoon and Alec Baldwin. In fact, as you all know, Billy Crystal is hosting this year's Oscars for the ninth time! Then it is back-to-back episodes of George Lopez featuring Sandra Bullock, who also is a producer on the show. And finally two episodes of That '70s Show will feature the timeless Betty White. All of these stars have been nominated for an Oscar or have won an Oscar except Billy Crystal and Betty White. Crystal has taken home Emmy's though for his hosting of the Oscars and Betty White has won many Emmy's and Golden Globes, so this night is all about award-winning actors.
View more on this Nick at Nite event this Saturday and don't forget to watch the Oscars on Sunday night on ABC starting at 7pm ET/4pm PT.

Can you believe the holiday season is nearing? Thanksgiving is um tomorrow, which means Christmas is right around the corner! And then it will be 2012 already a week after Christmas. Time flies! Anyway as I mentioned, I have put together our annual network television (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, The CW) holiday specials list that we all like to watch every year like Frosty the Snowman and A Charlie Brown Christmas, new classics like Shrek the Halls and Disney Prep & Landing and we even get some all-new specials like Disney Prep & Landing 2: Naughty Vs. Nice. Sure the network holiday line-ups are not as detailed as some cable networks like ABC Family, but the main holiday specials are still on network television! These are just actual holiday related specials and movies, not movies or specials airing during the holiday season on broadcast network television, kicking it off tomorrow with A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on ABC:



ABC
Thursday, Nov. 24, 8-9pm: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving/This is America Charlie Brown: The Mayflower Voyagers
Thursday, Nov. 24, 9:30-11pm: A Very Gaga Thanksgiving (NEW!)
Monday, Nov. 28, 8-9pm: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated) and Shrek the Halls
Thursday, Dec. 1, 8-9pm: Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
Thursday, Dec. 1, 9-11pm ET: CMA Country Christmas (NEW!)
Monday, Dec. 5, 8-9pm: A Charlie Brown Christmas and Prep & Landing 2: Naughty vs. Nice (NEW!)
Thursday, Dec. 8, 8-9pm: Winter Wipeout: Deck the Balls (NEW!)
Thursday, Dec. 8, 9-10pm: America's Funniest Home Videos Christmas Spectacular (NEW!)
Monday, Dec. 12, 8-9pm: I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown
Thursday, Dec. 15, 8-9pm: A Charlie Brown Christmas/Charlie Brown Christmas Tales plus seven-minute short from Prep & Landing: Operation Secret Santa
Saturday, Dec. 17, 8-9pm: Winter Wipeout: Deck the Balls ENCORE
Saturday, Dec. 17, 9-11pm: CMA Country Christmas ENCORE
Sunday, Dec. 18, 7-8pm: America's Funniest Home Videos Christmas Spectacular ENCORE
Sunday, Dec. 18, 9-11pm: ABC Sunday Movie of the Week: The Santa Clause 3 - The Escape Clause
Monday, Dec. 19, 8-9pm: Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special and A Chipmunk Christmas (Both NEW! to ABC)
Thursday, Dec. 22, 8-9pm: Disney Prep & Landing and Disney Prep & Landing 2: Naughty vs. Nice ENCORE
Thursday, Dec. 22, 9-10pm: I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown ENCORE
Friday, Dec. 23, 8-9pm: Shrek the Halls ENCORE and Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation
Friday, Dec. 23, 9-10pm: Prep & Landing 2: Naughty vs Nice and Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special ENCORES
Saturday, Dec. 24, 8pm: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated) ENCORE
Saturday, Dec. 24, 8:30-11pm: ABC Thursday Movie of the Week: Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Monday, Dec. 27, 8-9pm: Rudolph's Shiny New Year
Thursday, Dec. 29, 8-9pm: Happy New Year, Charlie Brown/She's a Good Skate, Charlie Brown
Saturday, Dec. 31, 8-10pm New Year's Rockin' Eve: The 40th Anniversary Party (NEW!)
Saturday, Dec. 31, 10-11pm Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2012 (NEW!)
Saturday, Dec. 31, 11:30pm-2:11am Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2012, Parts 1 and 2 (NEW!)
For other non-holiday related movies and specials airing during the holiday season on ABC, view our schedule.

CBS:
Friday, Nov. 25, 8-9pm: Hoops & Yo-Yo Ruin Christmas and Elf on a Shelf: An Elf's Story (NEW!)
Tuesday, Nov. 29, 8-9pm: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Friday, Dec. 9, 8-9pm: Frosty the Snowman and Frosty Returns
Friday, Dec. 9, 9-10pm: Yes, Virginia There Is A Santa Claus and Elf on a Shelf: An Elf's Story ENCORE
Saturday, Dec. 10, 8-9pm: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ENCORE
Saturday, Dec. 10, 9-10pm: The Flight Before Christmas
Saturday, Dec. 17, 8-9pm: Frosty the Snowman and Frosty Returns ENCORES
Saturday, Dec. 17, 9-10pm: The Story of Santa Claus
Wednesday, Dec. 21, 8-9pm: 13th Annual Home for the Holidays
For other non-holiday related movies and specials airing during the holiday season on CBS, view our schedule.

NBC:
Friday, Nov. 24, 10-11pm: The 85th Anniversary of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (NEW!)
Saturday, Nov. 26, 8-9pm: The 85th Anniversary of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade ENCORE
Wednesday, Nov. 30, 8-9pm: Christmas in Rockefeller Center (NEW!)
Saturday, Dec. 3, 8-11pm: NBC Movie of the Week: It's a Wonderful Life
Monday, Dec. 5, 8-10pm: The Sing-Off Holiday Special (NEW!)
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 8-9pm: A Michael Buble Christmas (NEW!)
Tuesday, Dec. 20, 9-11pm: Saturday Night Live Presents: A Very Gilly Christmas
Saturday, Dec. 24, 8-11pm: NBC Movie of the Week: It's a Wonderful Life ENCORE
For other non-holiday related movies and specials airing during the holiday season on NBC, view our schedule.

Fox:
Thursday, Nov. 24 8-9:30pm: Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas and Happiness is Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown (NEW!)
Friday, Dec. 16 8-9pm: Happiness is Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown ENCORE
Wednesday, Dec. 28, 8:30pm: Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas ENCORE
For other non-holiday related movies and specials airing during the holiday season on Fox, view our schedule.

The CW:
Friday, Nov. 25 8-10pm: Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer and Olive, The Other Reindeer
Wednesday, Nov. 30 8-9pm: A Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa (NEW! to The CW)
Friday, Dec. 23 8-10pm: Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer and Olive, The Other Reindeer ENCORE
For other non-holiday related movies and specials airing during the holiday season on The CW, view our schedule.


NBC has picked-up a full season of the new Friday drama Grimm. The series has surprisingly done decently for a Friday, either winning its time period or coming in second place over its four airings to date. As a result, NBC has picked-up a full 22 episode season for the series. NBC will also air an all-new episode on a special night and time on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 10pm to try and expand its audience and drive more tune-in to its regular Friday airings. The series has averaged about a 1.8 rating among adults 18-49 in live+same day data.
Also at NBC, two more episodes of new comedy Up All Night have been ordered, bringing the number of episodes from 22 to 24. The single-camera starring Christina Applegate, Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph was picked up for a full season early last month, as we mentioned. The series will be moving to Thursdays after The Office starting January 11. After a decent start, the comedy has plunged in the ratings but NBC will give it a boost by moving it to another night and time. Will it work? We shall see.

Midseason is on the horizon and today we have the winter portion (Jan-Mar) for CBS and NBC to give you. CBS has announced midseason 2012 premiere dates for the new comedy ¡Rob! and the return of reality series Undercover Boss. Both series will start airing in January, 2012. ¡Rob!, a new comedy starring Rob Schneider as a lifelong bachelor who just married into a tight-knit Mexican-American family, premieres Thursday, Jan. 12 at 8:30PM, ET/PT following The Big Bang Theory on Thursday nights. ¡Rob! also stars Cheech Marin, Claudia Bassols, Diana Maria Riva, Eugenio Derbez and Lupe Ontiveros. The new comedy has an episode order for eight episodes. Veteran comedy Rules of Engagement will return to its Thursday at 8:30 PM, ET/PT time period later this season, but its episode order has been cut from 18 to 13 (it is actually 15 because the sitcom had two leftover episodes from last season). The sitcom will air its fifth episode of the season this Thursday and perhaps another one will air in December before it goes on a hiatus for eight weeks starting Jan. 12. If all goes well, you will see it return sometime in March at the earliest.

Meanwhile, Undercover Boss returns with its third season premiere on Sunday, Jan. 15 at a new earlier time of 8:00 PM, ET/PT. Each week, Undercover Boss follows a different executive as they leave the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their companies. It is unclear how many weeks the series will run in this timeslot, as The Amazing Race will return in this timeslot at mid-season with a premiere that will be announced at a later date. Other than that, CBS has not announced any other changes. Still to be scheduled is new cop series The 2-2, which is likely for March or later in the spring. CBS also has not announced what will air Wednesdays at 8:00 PM, ET/PT in January before Survivor returns sometime in February, but it will likely be encores. And finally CBS has ordered three additional episodes of struggling Friday drama series A Gifted Man. The series will now air 16 episodes this season. My inclining is that it will be on the bubble for a second season until the day of upfront. Anyway, view and discuss the early changes to CBS midseason 2012.




We have another early midseason schedule for you, covering January-March 2012 for NBC! NBC announced its new mid-season 2012 schedule which features the premieres of four new series in Smash (Monday, February 6), The Firm (two-hour premiere Sunday, January 8, time slot premiere Thursday, January 12), Fashion Star (Tuesday, March 13) and Are You There, Chelsea? (Wednesday, January 11). The new lineup also includes the return of The Voice, 30 Rock, The Celebrity Apprentice and Who Do You Think You Are? Newcomer Prime Suspect and third year comedy Community will go on hiatus, but will return later in the season. In addition, there are day and time period changes for Whitney, Up All Night, Rock Center with Brian Williams and Harry's Law.

Let's detail it night-by-night. On Mondays, last spring's hit vocal competition series The Voice returns even louder with an hour-long season debut following Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday, February 5 at approx. 10pm ET/7pm PT and then resumes in its regular day and time on Monday, February 6 from 8-10 p.m. ET. Following The Voice is the much-anticipated musical drama Smash which premieres Monday, February 6 at 10 p.m. ET for 15 weeks. On Tuesdays, Fashion Star - the new reality competition series hosted and executive-produced by Elle Macpherson - will premiere with a two-hour episode on Tuesday, March 13 from 9-11 p.m. ET and resume on Tuesday, March 20 airing Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET. The Biggest Loser will open a new edition on Tuesday, January 3 from 8-10 p.m. ET followed by Parenthood at 10 p.m. ET, but it concludes its season on Tuesday, February 28 with its season finale. On Wednesdays, the freshman comedy Whitney" moves into a new day (Wednesday) and time (8:00 p.m.) beginning Wednesday, January 11 followed by the series debut of the new comedy Are You There, Chelsea? at 8:30 p.m. ET also on Wednesday, January 11. NBC will move Rock Center with Brian Williams to Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET, starting Wednesday, February 8 as it has its last Monday telecast on Jan. 30. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit remains at 10 p.m. (ET).

For Thursdays, the new drama The Firm moves into the Thursday lineup at 10 p.m. ET beginning Thursday, January 12 following its special two-hour premiere the previous Sunday (January 8) from 9-11 p.m. ET. The first-season comedy Up All Night will also move to Thursday nights at 9:30 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, January 12 which is also the night that multiple Emmy Award-winning 30 Rock returns for its season debut at an earlier time of 8 p.m. ET, with an expected episode order of a full season. Parks and Recreation and The Office remain in the same time periods at 8:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. ET. Moving on to Fridays, the returning series Who Do You Think You Are? makes its season debut on Friday, February 3 at 8 p.m. ET, as Chuck will have its two-hour series finale on Friday, January 27 from 8-10 p.m. ET. Newcomer Grimm and Dateline NBC remain in the respective time periods from 9 to 11 p.m. Saturdays will feature encores of Harry's Law, The Firm and Law & Order: SVU. And finally on Sundays, The Celebrity Apprentice returns on Sunday, February 12 from 9-11 p.m. ET. Dateline NBC begins on Sundays from 7-9 p.m. ET, on January 8, but then Harry's Law moves to the 8 p.m. (ET) time period on March 4, so Dateline NBC will be cut just to the 7 p.m. (ET) hour starting on March 4.

That's a whole lotta changes, but more is still to come. Still missing from the mid-season schedule for NBC are new drama Awake, new comedies Bent & BFFs, and practical joke series Betty White's Off the Rockers. As mentioned, Community will return later in the spring to complete its 22 episode order (10 are scheduled to have aired by the end of 2011, so 12 will be ready to go later this season). We urge you to view and discuss the NBC midseason 2012 schedule for Jan-Mar.

Sitcom Recap:
New sitcoms - Are You There, Chelsea? (TBD episodes, NBC Wednesdays at 8:30pm starting Jan. 11) and ¡Rob! (8 episodes, CBS Thursdays at 8:30pm starting Jan. 12)
Returning - 30 Rock (TBD episodes, NBC Thursdays at 8:00pm starting Jan. 12)
Moving - Whitney (NBC Wednesdays at 8:30pm starting Jan. 11) and Up All Night (NBC Thursdays at 9:30pm starting Jan. 12)
Hiatus - Rules of Engagement (CBS) and Community (NBC) - both expected back in Spring

IFC has acquired another sitcom, this time it is the family comedy Malcolm in the Middle starring Frankie Muniz. The sitcom actually started last week (Sept. 26) and it airs weeknights back-to-back starting at 6pm and 11:30pm. The series also is airing Tuesday nights from 7-10pm. The deal is not exclusive as TeenNick has been airing the series weeknights 10-11pm and 4-5am and will continue to do so. The series also was on FX but they removed it a few months ago, as they lost rights. The comedy also stars critically acclaimed actors Jane Kaczmarek and Bryan Cranston, who has made it big on Breaking Bad.
Malcolm in the Middle joins other comedies on IFC such as Arrested Development and other series such as Freaks & Geeks, Mr. Show with Bob and David and Undeclared, which is being relegated to a few airings in early mornings. FC has announced the season two renewal of Portlandia, created by and starring Fred Armisen (SNL) and Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney). IFC has ordered 10 episodes of its original series Portlandia, up from season one's six episodes. Production began this summer with the debut scheduled for January 2012. And The Onion News Network returned last night for its second season airing Tuesday nights at 10pm after Malcolm in the Middle.
Created and executive produced by Emmy Award-winning writer Linwood Boomer, Malcolm in the Middle is an inventive half-hour series that is seen through the eyes of Malcolm, a regular kid trying to navigate his way through life despite the various obstacles thrown in his way--a complete misunderstanding of girls, an eclectic group of classmates and the constant burden of masterminding plans to get himself and his brothers either into or out of trouble.

The first cancelation of the new TV season is... NBC's The Playboy Club. After just three weeks, NBC has pulled the struggling drama from its schedule. It was more than likely determined after week two but NBC went ahead and aired episode three anyway and the ratings dropped again. NBC will now air repeats of Prime Suspect instead, which is struggling itself on Thursday nights. Repeats will air for three weeks (Oct. 10-24) in the Monday at 10pm timeslot, then starting Monday, Oct. 31 (which is the first Monday of November sweeps), NBC will launch a new news-magazine titled Rock Center with Brian Williams to be the replacement for at least three months (Oct. 31-Jan. 30). While that might be an improvement to Playboy Club's ratings, does NBC honestly believe it will do that well? Not sure what they are expecting here, but I don't think it will be that much.
Led by Brian Williams, the newsmagazine will feature Harry Smith, Kate Snow and other award-winning correspondents and anchors of NBC News, including Meredith Vieira, Dr. Nancy Snyderman, Richard Engel, Matt Lauer and Ann Curry. Broadcast live from the historic Studio 3B in Rockefeller Center, the weekly, hour-long newsmagazine will be built around the week’s most provocative events, compelling coverage, and newsmaker interviews. In this new venue, Williams and NBC's trusted global news division will take viewers deeper into the world's most talked-about stories -- and raise the curtain on stories begging to be told.

NBC has picked up the new comedies Up All Night and Whitney for the remainder of the 2011-12 season, which means at least 22 episodes, joining Fox's New Girl (which will air 24 episodes actually). Up All Night has aired three episodes so far, with the fourth one airing tonight. Despite the ratings dropping each week, it has performed decently for NBC. As for Whitney, the series has only aired twice and saw a decent size drop in week two, making this early pick-up a bit surprising. Nevertheless, Whitney airs episode three tomorrow night. The jury is still out on new comedy Free Agents, which airs tonight, possibly for the last time ever as it has done poorly from the get go.
On Up all Night, Christina Applegate (Samantha Who?) stars as Reagan Brinkley: loving wife, successful career woman, life of the party and, most recently, mom. Determined not to compromise her career or cool reputation to the clichés of motherhood, Reagan adjusts to life with a baby and returns to work with the support of her stay-at-home husband, Chris (Will Arnett, Arrested Development). As Reagan and Chris figure out their new life, self-doubt, sleep deprivation and the pressure of today's parenting protocols rattle their confidence. What's more, the endless needs of Reagan's boss, ambitious but vulnerable talk-show host Ava (Maya Rudolph, Saturday Night Live), threaten to throw Reagan off balance.
NBC's new multi-camera comedy Whitney is a look at modern-day love, which centers around Whitney (Whitney Cummings, Chelsea Lately) and Alex (Chris D'Elia, Glory Daze), a happily unmarried couple. Together for three years, the duo is in no rush to get hitched, which seems to get a mixed response from their friends.
I expect full season pick-ups in the next week or two for 2 Broke Girls, Revenge, Suburgatory, Ringer, Pan Am, and likely Unforgettable. The CW's Secret Circle and Hart of Dixie are iffy. Fox's Terra Nova is only producing 13 episodes due to cost, so if there is a pick-up, it will be for a second season for next year. And Fox's The X Factor will air through mid-December, as previously announced, so no pick-up is needed, unless it is for next fall. Joining Free Agents on the "got to be nervous list" are A Gifted Man, Charlie's Angels, How To Be A Gentleman, H8R, and Prime Suspect. Will some of these go the same way as Playboy Club? Still yet to premiere are ABC's Last Man Standing, Man Up!, Once Upon a Time, NBC's Grimm and Fox's I Hate My Teenage Daughter. I expect two of those to do somewhat well (Last Man Standing and Once Upon a Time) and the rest, well you can probably tell. Stay tuned!

Suburgatory - Wednesdays 8:30PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 8:30PM ET/PT

Single father George only wants the best for his 16-year-old daughter, Tessa. So when he finds a box of condoms on her nightstand, he moves them both out of their apartment in New York City to a house in the suburbs. But all Tessa sees is the horror of over-manicured lawns and plastic Franken-moms. Being in the 'burbs can be hell, but it also may just bring Tessa and George closer than they've ever been.

Tessa (Jane Levy) and George (Jeremy Sisto) have been on their own ever since Tessa's mom pulled a "Kramer vs. Kramer" before Tessa was even potty trained. So far George has done a pretty good job of raising Tessa without a maternal figure in their lives, but suddenly he's feeling a little out of his league. So it's goodbye New York City and hello suburbs. At first Tessa is horrified by the big-haired, fake-boobed mothers and their sugar-free, Red Bull-chugging kids. But little by little, she and her dad begin finding a way to survive on the clean streets of the 'burbs. Sure, the neighbors might smother you with love while their kids stare daggers at your back, but underneath all that plastic and caffeine, they're really not half bad. And they do make a tasty pot roast.


Cast Details:

* Jeremy Sisto as George Altman
* Jane Levy as Tessa Altman
* Carly Chaikin as Dalia Royce
* Rex Lee as Mr. Wolfe
* Alan Tudyk as Noah Lerner
* Cheryl Hines as Dallas Royce

Ana Gasteyer guest stars as neighbor Sheila Shay. Jay Mohr appears in the recurring role as Steven Royce, Dallas' (Cheryl Hines) husband.

Jeremy Sisto (Gregory Altman) is probably best known for playing Billy Chenowith on Alan Ball's Six Feet Under for five years, a role which Ball wrote for him. Last year he finished a three year run on Law & Order as Detective Cyrus Lupo. He was also the lead in the short-lived but critically acclaimed Jason Smilovic show, Kidnapped, and played the title role in the two miniseries Jesus and Julius Caesar. Sisto makes his first foray into single-camera comedy Suburgatory. Sisto's film credits are eclectic and date back to the early '90s with titles such as Grand Canyon, Clueless, Hideaway, Moonlight and Valentino, White Squall, Without Limits, Suicide Kings, Thirteen, Wrong Turn and Waitress. He is in two upcoming releases, As Cool As I Am with Claire Danes and James Marsden, and Robot and Frank with Frank Langella and Liv Tyler.

Jane Levy (Tessa Altman) grew up in Northern California. Though the acting bug bit her early on (she starred in community theater productions of Annie and The Wizard of Oz) in high school, she was the captain of the varsity soccer team and on the hip hop dance team. She also excelled in chemistry. After a semester in the liberal arts program at Baltimore's Goucher College, Levy moved to New York to pursue acting at the Stella Adler Conservatory. Two years later she moved to Los Angeles, and in a few weeks booked a five-episode arc as a trampy teen vixen in the John Wells Showtime series, Shameless (with William H. Macy). A round of general meetings with film and television executives led to her being cast as the lead in Suburgatory. Levy also recently appeared in her first feature, Nobody Walks,and she is currently shooting Josh Schwartz's debut feature film, Fun Size, with Victoria Justice and Chelsea Handler.

Carly Chaikin (Dalia Royce) made her big screen debut in The Last Song starring alongside Greg Kinnear, Kelly Preston, Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus. She also appeared in the independent comedies The Consultants and My Uncle Rafael. More recently Chaikin wrapped on the indy horror film Escapee, in which she starred with Dominic Purcell and Faith Ford.

Rex Lee (Mr. Wolfe) plays Lloyd, the engaging and extremely funny assistant to Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven), on HBO's Entourage. When Lee landed that role, it was a four-episode arc. His portrayal of Lloyd was so well received that the role was expanded and he was added as a series regular. The hit show returned this summer for its eighth and final season. In addition to receiving three SAG Award cast nominations, Lee's performance won him the 2007 and 2008 Asian Excellence Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in Television and the "KoreAm" Achievement in Entertainment Award in 2007. He has guest starred in a number of TV shows, including Dave's World, Son of the Beach, Lucky and Andy Richter Controls the Universe, and has appeared in numerous commercials.

Allie Grant (Lisa Shay) has wanted to be an actress for as long as she can remember. At the age of 10 she was cast in the role of Isabella Hodes on the Showtime hit Weeds, and shares 2007 and 2009 Screen Actors Guild nominations for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Grant played Elizabeth Perkins' daughter on the show for five seasons. She has also guest starred on Private Practice.

Alan Tudyk (Noah Lerner) recently completed work in Fox's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, playing Stephen A. Douglas, and will be seen in Paramount's feature film, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, playing the role of Dutch. Tudyk quickly became a sought-after comedic actor following films like Knocked Up, 28 Days, A Knight's Tale and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. Additional film credits include 3:10 to Yuma,"Death at a Funeral, I, Robot, Beautiful Boy, Serenity, Ice Age: The Meltdown and Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. Additional television credits include Firefly and Dollhouse for creator Joss Whedon, V, Arrested Development and Strangers with Candy.

Cheryl Hines (Dallas Royce) is a two-time Emmy nominee for her role as Cheryl David on HBO's Golden Globe Award-winning series, Curb Your Enthusiasm, the brainchild of Seinfeld co-creator Larry David. Hines' most recent television project was as executive producer of the NBC Television Series School Pride, a proactive, alternative series that told the stories of communities coming together to renovate their aging and broken public schools. The cameras followed students, teachers and parents as they rolled up their sleeves and rebuilt their own schools, concluding with the unveiling of a brand new, completely transformed school. Additional television projects included a major story arc on ABC's drama series Brothers & Sisters and a starring role opposite Megan Mullally in ABC's In the Motherhood, a single camera comedy series chronicling the hilarious ups and downs of motherhood.


Pilot Plot:

#1 "Pilot" (Airs September 28, 2011)
When single dad George moves 16-year-old daughter Tessa out of their NYC apartment to a house in the suburbs, it's because he wants a better place for her to spend her teen years. Tessa and George have been on their own ever since Tessa's mom pulled a "Kramer vs. Kramer." So far George has done a pretty good job of raising Tessa, but lately he's feeling a little out of his league, especially after he finds a pack of condoms in her room. So it's goodbye New York City and hello suburbs. At first Tessa is horrified by the big-haired, fake-boobed mothers and their sugar-free, Red Bull-chugging kids. But she and her dad slowly begin to find ways to survive, and while being in the 'burbs certainly can be hell, it also may just bring Tessa and George closer than they've ever been.

Guest starring are Ana Gasteyer as Sheila Shay, Maestro Harrell as Malik, Arden Myrin as Jocelyn and Ryan Shay as Parker Young.
"Pilot" was written by Emily Kapnek and directed by Michael Fresco.


Analysis:

The difference between the suburbs and Manhattan are the moms. And man are these suburb moms wild. This comedy takes a hilarious look at the differences between the city and suburbs. We see a father and daughter move from Manhattan to the suburbs in Connecticut, after finding a box of unopened condoms in his teenage daughter's room. But of course they weren't hers. They move to the suburbs anyway. We are shown right away that the daughter, Tessa, is having trouble adapting to the change. She notices the plastic smiles, the use of sugar-free Red Bull, plenty of nose-jobs, and stay at home mom's who drive their kids places. The father makes friends with Dallas Royce, who is the mother of Dalia Royce, a typical suburban teenager. Dalia was appointed as Tessa's "buddy" by the school guidance counselor, Mr. Wolfe, but Tessa hates Dalia. There is one girl in the school that seems like Tessa, but she avoids Tessa at first and calls her a "lesbian" like everyone else. Later they become friends and Tessa finds out who her mom is. Won't give away who. There is also a "diversity student" named Malik and that short scene will make you laugh out loud!

Jane Levy, who plays Tessa Harper, works well with every single character. I couldn't stop laughing when Tessa turned into a "mall skank" when her father's friend, Noah, comes over for dinner. Her facial expressions are priceless! It will be interesting to see the dynamic between the Royce family and Altman family. Will Tessa realize maybe these people are all not that bad? Tessa also realizes that her father is also "stuck" in "suburgatory," too. How will he survive all these moms drooling over him? You'll have to watch yourself! Jeremy Sisto does a great job as Tessa's dad and so does Cheryl Hines as Dallas Royce. The cast is great and it is refreshing that a newcomer is leading the pack so well.


Conclusion:

This is a strong pilot. It is hilarious and it sets up the series very well. Jane Levy is a star in the making and she is really good in this as Tessa Harper. It is the best comedy pilot of the fall, with the highest review rating so far that we have given this season. It has funny and witty lines throughout and Jane Levy is hilarious in every scene. She reminds me of Amy Davidson, who played Kerry on 8 Simple Rules. They both are great actors and they look alike, too. I am hoping we see Amy guest star this season.

The series is perfectly placed in between The Middle and Modern Family and has a good chance of doing well in the ratings. Why? Because it has the same style as those shows and the clever writing, too. Just how Brick and Sue broke out on The Middle, Tessa on this show is a character to watch. I can't wait for more episodes of this series. Turn on your automatic sprinklers and be prepared to file restraining orders, because you are headed into suburgatory! You'll never know what to expect, but one thing is for sure...you'll laugh!


Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

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

-- Reviewed by Pavan on 09/27/11

Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday, September 28 on our message board.

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Preview:

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NBC will partner with Yahoo! to offer exclusive original episodes of its new comedies -- Up All Night (Wednesdays, 8-8:30 p.m. ET) and Whitney (Thursdays, 9:30-10 p.m. ET) -- that will be streamed and promoted on the site prior to the regular network broadcast beginning this morning (Tuesday, September 27). The exclusive first look at this Wednesday's (September 28) episode of Up All Night features guest stars Will Forte and Jorma Taccone, both from Saturday Night Live. As Chris (Will Arnett) tries to get Reagan (Christina Applegate) to bring the sexy back into their relationship with some advice from his new friend Reed (Forte). Meanwhile, when Ava (Maya Rudolph) finds out her ex-boyfriend, B-Ro (Taccone), is getting married, she blames Reagan for the advice she gave her that caused them to break up.
Viewers streaming Whitney will get an advance look this Thursday's (September 29) which features happily unmarried couple Whitney (Whitney Cummings) and Alex (Chris D'Elia) also finding new ways to keep it sexy. When Whitney realizes that she and Alex have never gone on an official first date she comes up with an unusual idea to recreate the past. Taking this role-play very seriously -- as only Whitney can -- she insists that they both follow the "rules" of a first date, including pretending that they don't know each other. Thus the two awkwardly go to dinner and cap off the night by sleeping in separate apartments. Continuing the charade into the next day the two turn to their friends to plot their next moves.
In addition to the exclusive premieres, users can access previously broadcast episodes of Up All Night (so far the first 2 episodes) and Whitney (so far the pilot episode) on Yahoo! If your TV schedule is busy on Wednesday and Thursday, you might want to watch these premieres on Yahoo!, as you can watch at anytime your want.

Up All Night - Wednesdays 8:00PM ET/PT on NBC
Premieres Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 10:00PM ET/PT

From the executive producer of Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels, comes a new NBC sitcom about modern day parenthood. Up All Night, starring Christina Applegate and Will Arnett, is one of the fall's first sitcom premieres for the broadcast networks, and features a new mother and father (Applegate and Arnett) trying to adjust to their new life of becoming parents after seven years of childless marriage.

Reagan Brinkley (Applegate) is a loving wife and a successful career woman who has lived a relatively carefree life of drinking and smoking, but it is all about to change (even if she is determined to not change it) with the arrival of a new baby. Husband Chris (Arnett) is a former hockey player who now gets to be a stay-at-home dad for young baby Amy, sort of like a modern day Jason Seaver from Growing Pains. Together, they have to start adjusting to this new lifestyle, no matter how difficult and challenging it may be at times.

Cast Details:

• Christina Applegate as Reagan Brinkley
• Will Arnett as Chris Brinkley
• Maya Rudolph as Ava
• Nick Cannon as Calvin

Christina Applegate (Reagan) plays the mother of the house and the successful career woman. Applegate, of course, has had plenty of sitcom roles, beginning in the 80s with Married… with Children in her role as Kelly Bundy, as well as starring roles in the sitcoms Jesse and Samantha Who? She has also had many movie roles, including Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, Anchorman, and Hall Pass.

Will Arnett (Chris) is the father of the house, an unemployed ex-hockey player who is now the stay at home father. Arnett has had many roles in many series as well. Prior to this series, he was a regular on the series Arrested Development, as well as the recently cancelled series Running Wilde. Additionally, he has had many guest roles on popular series including The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, King of the Hill, and more. His movie roles have included Hot Rod, Blades of Glory, and Let's Go to Prison.

Maya Rudolph (Ava) plays Reagan's ambitious but vulnerable talk show host boss at work. Rudolph is best known as being an alumnus of the NBC series Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2007, but has also had roles in Chicago Hope, City of Angels, and Kath & Kim.

Nick Cannon (Calvin) plays the role of Reagan's wildly popular co-host (we don't see much of him in the pilot). The husband of musician Mariah Carey, Cannon got his start as a child actor on the series All That, and has most recently filled the role of the host of the series America's Got Talent.


Pilot Plot:

We only got a copy of the very first episode, where we basically get a look into the birth of the new baby and Reagan's return to work, while Chris begins to make adjustments to his life as a stay-at-home dad. The transition is difficult for both Chris and Reagan, though, because Chris is at home struggling to know how to handle the baby and it seems that Reagan is still doing the job of both parents, even while she is at work. In the first episode, we also get to see the couple approaching their seventh wedding anniversary, and how the trials and tribulations of parenthood affect how they are going to celebrate that anniversary, and it means leaving a big chunk of their past behind.

Analysis:

I am actually a little bit disappointed with this pilot episode of the series. I really had high expectations for this series given the great cast that the series has (and don't get me wrong, it is a great cast, and they seem to have great chemistry together), but the show itself is just lacking.

For starters, I found myself trying to find something to laugh at while watch the episode. But in watching the entire episode, I couldn't really find any one moment that was truly funny enough to laugh at. The funniest part of the episode was Maya Rudolph's lines that had absolutely nothing to do with the plot of the episode. I kept waiting and waiting for something funny to happen with Applegate and Arnett, but it just didn't happen.

Another problem that I see with the series is the lack of a truly meaningful plot. The series puts itself forth as an "irreverent look at modern parenthood," but I'm not sure what is so modern about it. Sure, it has the role reversal (mom is working and dad is the stay-at-home dad), but this has been done before, over 25 years ago in fact, on the ABC series Growing Pains. And that series managed to do it with great plots and plenty of laughs. I'm not sure what is so unique about the way that this series handles it.

On the same lines as that "uniqueness," the series seems to make a subtle issue out of the "advanced age" of the parents. Really? Being in your 40s (and let's face it, they are actors, so they look much younger even) and having your first child then after seven years of marriage is out of the ordinary? While it may be true that many people do have children earlier in life, this series essentially strikes me as the story of a day in the life of Tina Fey or Amy Poehler (hmm, the wife of Will Arnett)… both of whom are not really that out of the ordinary for actresses.

Essentially what we have here is a great cast (probably one of the best ones to be assembled together for a single series since 30 Rock in my opinion), but a series that seems to be dead in the water. And I really hope that changes.

Conclusion:

This show is definitely off to a rough start. If it doesn't have some major change (but not in the cast, the cast is excellent), it is doomed to failure. It is really disappointing to me, because this was one of the shows that I was most looking forward for the fall, and it is just seriously lacking the elements of a great series. A sitcom should make you have one serious laugh once in a half hour, and this sitcom failed there. A great cast (which this series has) should have great lines, but it just doesn't here. I don't want to be too pessimistic about the series, because I believe that there is some hope for it, but it is definitely going to require some major changes. It seems that many critics are actually liking this series, but they seem to focus on the chemistry between the characters and how they portray the roles in their reviews. And I do agree that the characters and chemistry are top-notch. But the series needs serious plot development.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 2.5/5
Funniness: 2/5
Overall: 2/5

-- Reviewed by skees53 on 09/14/11

Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday, September 14 on our message board.

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Preview:

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Free Agents - Wednesdays 8:30PM ET/PT on NBC
Premieres Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 10:30PM ET/PT

Sometimes, romance doesn't exactly go as planned. But that is how Alex (Hank Azaria) and Helen (Kathryn Hahn) end up in each other's arms in the new NBC series Free Agents. Based upon a British series of the same name, Free Agents is about the workplace romance that occurs between Alex, who is recently divorced, and co-worker Helen, who is dealing with a fiance who was lost in a tragic accident. They're sort of an odd couple, but mostly clandestine, as they try to figure out where (if anywhere) they should take their relationship, while hiding it all from their co-workers (who seem to be awfully meddlesome).

Hank Azaria (Alex) is the male lead role in the series, playing a recently divorced man. Azaria has had movie roles in The Birdcage, Along Came Polly, and others, but most of us know him as one of the leading male voices on The Simpsons, playing most notably, Moe, Chief Wiggum, and Apu.

Kathryn Hahn (Helen) plays the female lead, the coworker of Alex who recently lost her fiance. Hahn previously played in the series Crossing Jordan, and has also had roles in the series Four Kings, Traffic Light, and Mad Love.

Anthony Head (Stephen) is the boss at work who wants everybody to focus on work so that he doesn't have to. He has played many different roles on series in both the United States and the United Kingdom, including playing the same role on the UK version of Free Agents.

Mo Mandel (Dan) plays the bachelor in search of a wingman. Mandel is a fresh face in the acting world, having previously appeared on the series Modern Family.

Al Madrigal (Gregg) plays the nerdy lone husband of the group. Madrigal has appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, as well as Comedy Central's The Daily Show.

Natasha Leggero (Emma) is the spitfire office assistant in the series. Leggero is a standup comedian who has appeared on many of the late night talk shows, and has been a frequent panelist on the series Chelsea Lately.

Joe Lo Truglio (Walter) plays the office security guard who likes to offer personal romantic security on the side. He has appeared as a regular in the final season of Reno 911!, as well as in the films Superbad and Pineapple Express.

Pilot Plot:

In the pilot episode, we get to meet the two main characters, Alex and Helen, as both of them are adjusting to new phases in their love life. Alex is newly-divorced and is trying to just get his life back together. Meanwhile, Helen was about to get married, but the death of her fiance a year ago places her on emotional thin ice. In the midst of it all, the two find themselves together--in fact, the very first thing that we see in the pilot episode is the two in bed with each other, a very unique way of starting off a series. They are dealing with meddling coworkers who are trying to help them move ahead in their love lives, but on their own time, they are trying to sort things out and decide whether or not they want to go ahead with their romance--in secret.

Analysis:

The only thing that we have going on in the pilot episode is Alex's relationship with Helen, and it kind of drags on. Unfortunately, this was just the pilot episode, and the entire series looks to be a series where this whole theme is going to just continue to drag on. After all, the entire plot of the series is about (I'll say it again) "exploring the trials and tribulations of finding love and companionship the second time around,"so it isn't going to end with the first episode.

That poses a very serious problem. If that plot already seemed tired by the end of the first episode, how tired is it going to seem after two episodes? Or an entire season, if it makes it that far? Maybe this type of series can work for British audiences, but not every British series can be successfully adapted to an American series, and truthfully, the only one that it has truly worked for in the past few decades was The Office.

What is even worse, though, is that the cast of characters doesn't seem particularly cohesive. They are certainly great actors and actresses, but they don't seem to be paired well very together. Of course, in a sense, the two main characters are supposed to be "sort of" an odd couple, but a lot of the casting in the series just seems unnatural and random in a sense that you normally don't see on a TV series, and I don't particularly enjoy that aspect.

Despite the shortcomings of the plot of the series, though, the pilot does have a few funny moments in it, though not necessarily laugh out loud moments. Sometimes, those moments are sufficient for a sitcom when it does well in other areas, but I'm not so sure that this series does that.

Conclusion:

I'm just not totally sure what this show is supposed to be after watching the pilot. Of course, the series is supposed to be about "exploring the trials and tribulations of finding love and companionship the second time around," but it just doesn't make for a particularly exciting series. But still, the pilot episode did have some funny moments in it. It is hard to tell where this series is going to go (what exactly do you do with a series that is based upon a relationship), but honestly, I don't see this being a series that will last too long (the British version has only had six episodes so far and has yet to be renewed for a second series after the first one aired two years ago), so we probably won't have to worry about that.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 2.5/5
Funniness: 2.5/5
Overall: 2.5/5

-- Reviewed by skees53 on 09/14/11

Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday, September 14 on our message board.

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Free Agents Photo Gallery

Preview: