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Sunday, January 08, 2012

Week 16 TV Ratings and Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did

2011-12 Week 16 TV Ratings (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: #1. CBS 7.1 rating/11.0 share; #2. ABC 5.2/8.1; #3. NBC 2.7/4.2; #4. Fox 2.2/3.3; #5. The CW 0.9/1.3
Total Viewers: #1. CBS 11.44 million; #2. ABC 8.22 million; #3. NBC 4.3 million; #4. Fox 3.38 million; #5. The CW 1.3 million.
Adults 18-49: #1. CBS 2.8 rating/7.3 share; #2. ABC 2.8/7.0; #3. NBC 1.4/3.6; #4. Fox 1.1/2.7, #5. The CW 0.5/1.3

Week 16 (Jan. 2-8) Analysis: Week 16 brings in the first full week of 2012 and new episode returns for many series (though not all). The first four night network averages has CBS on top in all categories, but ABC did tie for first in 18-49. ABC follows in second in HH/viewers, and as mentioned is tied for first in 18-49 with CBS. And then NBC and Fox are neck-and-neck for third in all categories, with NBC with the edge right now. When the week is over with, can NBC win the week in all categories, as there was an NFL Wild Card Playoff game last night. I think it will be second place in viewers for the week, but should win 18-49. More on the prediction of week 16 below. As for last week, week 15, CBS won the week in HH/viewers, but NBC took the week in 18-49 thanks to the record breaking Sunday NFL game. CBS was second in 18-49, while NBC was second in HH/viewers. ABC was third in all categories, while Fox was fourth across the board.

On Monday, it was a CBS victory with original episodes. Starting first with ABC, the season premiere of The Bachelor started it off from 8-10pm with 7.78 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, down from last season's premiere, but look for it to build as the weeks go on. At 10pm, a special preview episode of Celebrity Wife Swap did a solid 6.25 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, as Castle returns tomorrow night with new episodes. For CBS, How I Met Your Mother was all-new doing 10.14 million and a 3.9 18-49 rating, as it was down a bit from usual this season. Then a new 2 Broke Girls followed doing a better 12.1 million and a 4.4 18-49 rating, with nice builds like usual. At 9pm, a new Two and a Half Men did 13.94 million and a 4.5 18-49 rating, which was below normal for this season. A new Mike & Molly followed and did 11.9 million and a 3.8 18-49 rating, the lowest of the block in 18-49 but solid. A new Hawaii Five-0 was next doing 11.9 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating. Fox aired two repeats of House and did just 3.64 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating at 8pm, but up some from previous week. The the 9pm House repeat did 3.87 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, also up some from previous week. NBC started the night with new game show Who's Still Standing? and did only 5.56 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, on par really from previous week. Then at 9pm a new Fear Factor did 6.01 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, on par with its last new episode. At 10pm, NBC aired a new episode of Rock Center with Brian Williams and it did an embarrassing 3.78 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, but up from previous week's low. The CW preempted Gossip Girl and Hart of Dixie for a two episodes of Secret Circle and did only 840,000 viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating at 8pm and 680,000 viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating at 9pm.

On Tuesday, CBS made it two for two for the week. CBS had a new NCIS do 19.81 million and a 4.1 18-49 rating. Then NCIS: Los Angeles did 17.08 million and a 3.5 18-49 rating, which seems above normal. And at 10pm, a new Unforgettable did 11.88 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating, which is solid for 10pm. ABC started with new comedy Last Man Standing with Tim Allen leading the night off doing 7.93 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating for a new showing, which was up some from its last original airing. Look for it to do better this week. At 8:30pm the series premiere of Work It followed doing 6.16 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, could have been better but I think if it stays around a 2 rating or better it will be fine for its 13 weeks. Then at 9pm, ABC aired the timeslot premiere of Celebrity Wife Swap and did 5.96 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, almost near the premiere numbers from the previous night. This is reality filler until the new drama The River launches on Feb. 7. Body of Proof was next at 10pm and was also new doing 7.05million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, which was below normal. Fox aired a repeat of Glee and did only 2.45 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, but up a tad from previous week's repeat. Then the comedies took the 9pm hour with a repeat of New Girl doing 3.03 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, up some from previous week. Then at 9:30pm a Raising Hope repeat did 2.29 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. NBC was next with the season premiere of The Biggest Loser from 8-10pm doing 6.59 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, which is decent but not what it used to be. At 10pm, NBC aired a new Parenthood and did just 4.94 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, which is below normal. The CW preempted 90210 and Ringer for two more Secret Circle repeats and did 1.01 million and a 0.4 18-49 rating at 8pm and then dropped to 740,000 viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating at 9pm.

Wednesday it was ABC with the win. First, CBS started the night off with the new special I Get That A Lot doing 8.32 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, which is decent for a special. Veteran drama Criminal Minds was a repeat and did 8.13 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, down some from previous week's repeat. At 10pm, CSI was a repeat doing 8.13 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, also down from previous week. ABC was all-new for its Laugh On comedy block with The Middle doing 9.99 million and a 3.0 18-49 rating, which is solid. Suburgatory followed at 8:30pm with 8.75 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, holding nearly all if its lead-in's ratings. Solid. The mega hit Modern Family was next at 9pm and it did 14.03 million and 5.7 18-49 rating for a new episode, which will be the top TV series airing of the week by far. At 9:30pm, Happy Endings was new and did 7.48 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating, solid and consistent. At 10pm a new episode of the addicting Revenge did 8.06 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating. What a GREAT episode and the buzz is on, so look for a possible uptick this week. Fox aired a repeat of Glee doing 2.27 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating at 8pm. Then at 9pm a new Mobbed special did just 3.06 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, barely doing better than comedy repeats from previous week. NBC opened the night with a repeat of Up All Night doing only 3.41 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, but on par with previous week. A repeat of Whitney followed with 3.05 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week. At 9pm, Harry's Law was a repeat doing 4.39 million and only a 0.8 18-49 rating, but better than previous week's terrible ratings. And at 10pm, Law & Order: SVU was a repeat and did 3.74 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, up some from previous week. The CW had another two episode Secret Circle repeat stunt and did 920,000 viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating at 8pm then at 9pm it did 820,000 viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating. Will this help for a new episode on Thursday? Keep reading.

Thursday it was ABC with the win again. ABC opened the night with the season premiere of Winter Wipeout doing a solid 8.39 million and a 2.7 18-49 rating, down from last season but up from its special last month. At 9pm, a new Grey's Anatomy aired doing 12.12 million and a 4.5 18-49 rating for a season high. Great episode! At 10pm, Private Practice was next and did a solid 7.71 million and a 2.7 18-49 rating. CBS opened with a repeat of The Big Bang Theory at 11.7 million and a 3.5 18-49 rating, great for a repeat and up big from previous week. Then, a repeat of Rules of Engagement was next doing 8.5 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, also up from previous week. A repeat of Person of Interest followed with 8.68 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week. A repeat of The Mentalist followed and did 9.12 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, up some from previous week. Fox aired a repeat of Bones at 8pm doing 4.8 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, on par with previous week really. Another repeat at 9pm did 4.33 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, also on par with previous week. NBC aired repeats, with Community up first doing just 2.63 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating. New episodes will return sometime in spring. A Parks and Recreation repeat was next doing 2.36 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, ouch. The Office was next at 9pm doing only 2.61 and a 1.1 18-49 rating for a repeat, up a tenth from previous week. At 9:30pm Whitney was a repeat (yes another repeat of this) with only 2.24 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, on par week-to-week, though. At 10pm, it was more repeats, with a special The Office repeat doing just 1.85 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating. At 10:30pm, a repeat of Up All Night did only 1.86 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating. The CW's big gun Vampire Diaries was all-new and did 3.32 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating. At 9pm, new drama The Secret Circle was new and did 2.05 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating. Not sure if those Mon-Wed repeats helped.

Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but CBS and ABC did decent on Friday night, but Fox won the night with the Cotton Bowl. ABC aired a two-hour Extreme Makeover: Home Edition which did its best numbers in weeks and CBS aired new episodes of its dramas lead by Blue Bloods at 10. NBC's Chuck was new but of course low at 8pm, while Grimm was a repeat again.
Saturday numbers have NBC of course winning the night by a huge margin with the NFL Playoff Wild Card Game. ABC's debate was a distant second.

Tonight ABC's regular Sunday of AFV, Once Upon a Time, Desperate Housewives and Pan Am returns! I just saw Desperate Housewives screener and the episode is amazing. The run for its final episodes starts right now, so start your tune in. NBC has no NFL anymore on Sundays until next fall, but they premiere new drama The Firm tonight from 9-11pm, which to me will be another bust and similar to Prime Suspect. CBS has an all-new 60 Minutes at around 8pm following NFL Wild Card action, then new episodes of The Good Wife and CSI: Miami. Fox has new episodes of the animated comedies from 8-10pm following repeats from 7-8pm. Look for CBS to win the night likely with the NFL Wild Card game going into 8pm. ABC should be a solid second.

As for the week (week 16), it should be NBC with the win after the game last night. CBS will be second since they have an hour overrun tonight from NFL playoffs. ABC will be third in and Fox will be fourth in everything. As for the coming week (week 17), more returns with new episodes and new comedy premieres of Are You There, Chelsea and Rob. Look for our reviews of those this week along with new animated comedy Napoleon Dynamite, which premieres next Sunday on Fox.

Week 16 How the Sitcoms Did

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for Week 15 -- Dec. 26-Jan. 2)

The Simpsons (Fox) - A repeat did only 3.62 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating following NFL action.
The Cleveland Show (Fox) - A repeat at 8:30pm did 2.88 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating.
Bob's Burgers (Fox) - preempted.
Family Guy (Fox) - A repeat did 3.57 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, the best of the Fox block again and up from previous week.
American Dad! (Fox) - A repeat at 9:30pm did 3.03 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating.

Monday Sitcoms

How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A new showing did 10.14 million and a 3.9 18-49 rating, great but a bit below normal for this season.
2 Broke Girls (CBS) - A new episode did 12.1 million and a 4.4 18-49 rating, the break out hit of the season.
Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 13.94 million and a 4.5 18-49 rating for a new episode is great but below normal for this series.
Mike & Molly (CBS) - A new episode did 11.9 million and a 3.8 18-49 rating, solid.

Tuesday Sitcoms

Last Man Standing (ABC) - A new episode in its 8pm half-hour did 7.93 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, which is good and up some from its last original. It will grow this week I think.
Work It (ABC) - The series premiere did 6.16 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating. While not great, it is not bad either. It is an OK premiere but the question is can it stay in this area? If it can, it will survive its 13 episodes at the very least.
New Girl (Fox) - A repeat did 3.03 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, which is not good but up some week-to-week.
Raising Hope (Fox) - A repeat did 2.29 million and only a 0.9 18-49 rating, which is on par with the previous week.

Wednesday Sitcoms

The Middle (ABC) - A new showing did 9.99 million and a 3.0 18-49 rating, another solid showing.
Suburgatory (ABC) - A new episode did 8.75 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, up some from its last original airing.
Up All Night (NBC) - A repeat did just 3.41 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, on par with previous week.
Whitney (NBC) - A repeat of this comedy did just 3.05 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, up a tad from previous week. New episodes start this week on its new night and time.
Modern Family (ABC) - A new episode did 14.03 million and a monster 5.7 18-49 rating, the best of the week by far.
Happy Endings (ABC) - A new episode did 7.48 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating, solid. Retention isn't great, but this is what the show does and it isn't bad.

Thursday Sitcoms

The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A repeat did 11.7 million and a 3.5 18-49 rating, great for a repeat and up big from previous week. New episodes return this week.
Rules of Engagement (CBS) - A repeat did 8.5 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, up some from previous week. New episodes will return sometime in spring.
Community (NBC) - A repeat did just 2.63 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, but actually up some from previous week.
Parks and Recreation (NBC) - A repeat of this followed with only 2.36 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, but also up some from previous week.
The Office (NBC) 2 airings - A repeat at 9pm did 2.61 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, not good but up a tenth from previous week. A special repeat at 10 just did 1.85 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, down a tenth from previous week.
Whitney (NBC) - A repeat did only 2.24 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, but on par with previous week.
Up All Night (NBC) - A special repeat at 10:30pm did only 1.86 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. Will move to Thurs at 9:30pm this week with new episodes.

Friday Sitcoms

None.

Saturday Sitcoms

Rules of Engagement (CBS) 2 airings - repeat ratings not available to us at press time.

Airing tonight (Sunday) are new episodes of Fox's animated comedies from 8-10pm, but repeats air from 7-8pm.

Summing it up. Modern Family, Two and a Half Men, 2 Broke Girls, Rules of Engagement, Mike & Molly, The Big Bang Theory, The Middle, Suburgatory were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as Rules of Engagement, Work It) or just plain old terrible (such as all the Fox and NBC sitcom repeats like Raising Hope, Parks & Recreation, Community).

Saturday, January 07, 2012

Digital Digest: New Region 2 (United Kingdom) DVDs of American Series; Hawaii Five-O - The Twelfth and Final Season DVD Review

Welcome to the very first Digital Digest for 2012! It has been a shortened holiday week, so we don't have a whole lot of news for you. However, we do have one upcoming release news item, a look ahead at the releases for next week, and a review of Hawaii Five-O - The Twelfth and Final Season. But since it is a slow news week, we've got a few interesting international TV-on-DVD news items for you this week! Let's get going!

DIGITAL NEWS

Coming off of a holiday week, the news this week has been very slow, but we do have a few pieces of news this week. The first is the completion of the classic series Night Gallery. The series only aired for three seasons, but Universal has been releasing the seasons at a rate of one season every four years since 2004. With the first season released in 2004, second season in 2008, it would only make sense that 2012 would be the year for the third season, right? Right, indeed! Look for the Night Gallery - Season Three to hit store shelves from Universal on April 10.

We've talked about international DVDs on here several times around the time we started Digital Digest, but we haven't really covered them too much. Of course, that is mostly because most of our readers are based in the United States, and because it isn't very common that other countries get releases of DVDs that we don't get in the United States. But there are a few releases in the United Kingdom in the upcoming weeks that we felt were worth mentioning. First, to cover base with the sitcoms, Revelation Films is releasing Doogie Howser, M.D. - Season One on February 1. This series has been released in the United States by Anchor Bay, but it is now out of print. On March 5, the same studio has their release of Chicago Hope - Season One, which has never even been released in the United States. But what I think is the most interesting release is coming from Revelation Films on January 23, with L.A. Law - Season One. This series hasn't made it to DVD in the United States, and with a few exceptions (most recently on the network formerly known as ALN), doesn't seem to get a lot of airplay even.

It doesn't stop there, though. FremantleMedia is releasing The Practice - Complete First and Second Seasons in the United Kingdom on February 27. Oh, and as a side note, while we're still waiting for the sixth season of Dynasty in the United States, Dynasty - The Sixth Season can already be purchased in the UK, and you can even get it shipped for under $20 (converted to US currency)... less than the cost of half of a season in the United States! If THAT isn't enough, there is even MORE for you coming January 30, with Dynasty - The Seventh Season!

It is very important, though, that everybody understands what is involved in purchasing such DVDs. You can't just buy such DVDs and pop them in your player in the United States and enjoy the show. It'll require that you change the region code on your DVD player, which does come with risks if you aren't really sure what you are doing, or to purchase a DVD player that is region-free straight out of the box. You can find more information on this here.

UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (January 10) is another light day for releases, with only one sitcom release. From Shout! Factory, we get the fourth (and final) season of the classic series Dennis the Menace, with Dennis the Menace - The Final Season. The great folks at Shout! Factory were kind enough to send us a review copy of this set, and you can read our review here. Additionally, CBS DVD finishes off a classic crime drama that aired in parts of three decades with their release of Hawaii Five-O - The Twelfth and Final Season. CBS DVD has always been very consistent and generous in providing us with review copies of DVDs (we definitely appreciate that), and we have a review of it today in Digital Digest. Finally, Universal has Columbo - Mystery Movie Collection: 1994-2003. Unfortunately, review copies were not made available for this set.

BLOG FEATURE REVIEW

Blog DVD Review: Hawaii Five-O - The Twelfth and Final Season (CBS DVD, $49.99)

by skees53

All good things come to an end, and after twelve years of airing on CBS, so did the classic series Hawaii Five-O in the year 1980. Now, you can relive that final season of the classic series with the release of the season on DVD, finally bringing all (except for one "banned" second season episode) episodes of the series to DVD. Though the twelfth season brought some changes to the series that ultimately ended up causing the series to be canceled (rather than make a graceful departure on top), it is still a fascinating season that culminates in a showdown between Steve McGarrett (Jack Lord) and his nemesis.

The season begins with the double length season premiere, "A Lion in the Streets," where an upcoming union may result in street warfare. In "Who Says Cops Don't Cry," a female officer's husband is murdered and she is determined to get justice, no matter what. An exclusive sporting club is hunting more than just animals in "Though the Heavens Fall." Kumu mobster Tony Alika sets out to frame and embarrass Five-O in "Good Help is Hard to Find." In "Image of Fear," a woman claims she is being stalked, except nobody believes her. Two surfers rob a shop using a gun responsible for a trail of death in "Use a Gun, Go to Hell." In "A Shallow Grave," a college student has visions that lead him to the site of an old bank robbery and murder.

A rich socialite is kidnapped in "Labyrinth," but her husband doesn't want the team involved in the case. In "For Old Times Sake," a counterfeiter attempts to donate money to charity, but the money just isn't real. The team is on the trail of a Nazi war criminal in "Clash of Shadows." In "A Bird in Hand...," McGarrett investigates why seemingly harmless bird watchers are the target of a vendetta. A man who was blackmailing a candidate for U.S. Senate is suddenly found murdered in "The Moroville Covenant." The series comes to an end with "Woe to Wo Fat," where McGarrett finds himself up against his arch-nemesis

The episodes on the set appear to be unedited, with runtimes as follows:

Disc 1:
1. "A Lion in the Streets" (1:38:38)

2. "Who Says Cops Don't Cry" (49:57)

3. "Though the Heavens Fall" (49:51)

Disc 2:
4. "Sign of the Ram" (49:55)

5. "Good Help is Hard to Find" (49:53)

6. "Image of Fear" (49:47)

7. "Use a Gun, Go to Hell" (49:53)

Disc 3:
8. "Voice of Terror" (49:54)

9. "A Shallow Grave" (49:52)

10. "The Kahuna" (49:53)

11. "Labyrinth" (49:51)

Disc 4:
12. "School for Assassins" (49:56)
13. "For Old Times Sake" (49:54)
14. "The Golden Noose" (49:48)
15. "The Flight of the Jewels" (49:55)

Disc 5:
16. "Clash of the Shadows" (49:55)
17. "A Bird in Hand..." (49:54)
18. "The Moroville Covenant" (49:50)
19. "Woe to Wo Fat" (49:55)

The packaging for this set is very similar to the previous releases. First, we have an outer cardboard sleeve with McGarrett and the other characters, with some episode snapshots on the back. Inside the cardboard sleeve, there is a Viva case, with the exact same artwork. Inside the case, there is a listing of all of the episodes, by disc, along with episode descriptions and original airdates. The set contains five discs, all of which have the series logo on a gray background. Disc 1 contains three episodes (including the double-length season premiere), while all of the other discs contain four episodes each.

Nothing has truly changed about the packaging this time. We still have the Viva case inside of the cardboard sleeve (both of which have the exact same artwork). Once again, the cover features a large photograph of McGarrett, and smaller photos of other cast members, and we have a few episodes snapshots on the back, along with a brief description of the series in general. Inside the case, you'll find descriptions and original airdates for all of the episodes. The disc artwork is basically just the series logo on a gray background, like all other CBS Home Entertainment releases.

The menus for this series have pretty much stayed the same all throughout the series. The main menu has a large photo of Steve McGarrett, with a slideshow of videos playing in the background. Also, the theme song plays in the background. From the main menu, you have options of Episodes and Subtitles. Episodes just gives you a list of episodes (with no Play All option), and Subtitles lets you turn on the English subtitles. Chapters are placed throughout every episode.

I think that these episodes look and sound better than some of the previous sets have looked. Of course, considering that these episodes aired in the 1979-1980 season, as opposed to the 60s, has a lot to do with that. The episodes have also been very nicely digitally restored, as most of the rest of the series has been (although the digitally restored version of the tenth season didn't make it to the tenth season DVD set). The audio is a loud and clear mono track, and English subtitles are available.

There are two special features on this set, but one of them is very short and the other is, well, honestly hardly even worth calling a special feature. We'll talk about the worthy one first. The series promo (0:30) is just a short promo for the series from when it originally aired on CBS. The other special feature, "Crime Wave" (2:51) is nothing more than a promo to buy the seasons of the series on DVD. You get a rap song, some clips from the shows, and pictures of the season set boxes riding a surfboard. Honestly, I feel like I wasted three minutes of my life sitting through this feature.

It is great to see this series come to an end, even if the final season isn't quite as great as the seasons leading up to it. It is especially great considering that the series has typically been split into various packages in syndication, making it difficult to see many of the episodes since they originally aired. Of course, we still only have about 99.9% of the series, since the episode "Bored, She Hung Herself" is still not available on DVD or for broadcast on television, but considering that the episode only ever aired once, I doubt that many people are truly missing it. So, will a complete series release of this series be up next? It would be an awfully large set to take on, but it could be done. I'm not sure what they could offer to entice fans to purchase it, though. In the meantime, I think fans of the series will enjoy the twelve releases that we have been given.

(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Hawaii Five-O on TV.com

CLICK OF THE WEEK

Brady World (www.bradyworld.com) - This website is, as the name suggests, about the story of a lovely lady, a man named Brady, and all six of their kids, but it really is just much more than just the basics about the classic 70s TV series. Brady World, while it is definitely one of our more low-tech and low-frills choices for Click of the Week, really is one of the best sources out there for all things Brady. Of course, you'll find a decent episode guide for the series, The Brady Bunch. But what about the many, many series related to the original series, such as The Brady Brides, The Brady Kids, and The Bradys? Well, you'll find episode guides for all of those too.

But we don't pick sites as Click of the Week just based upon episode guides, even though that IS an important qualifying factor. Among other content items that you'll find here are links to watch complete episodes of guest appearances of Brady stars in other series, fan stories (not fan fiction, but actual stories of fans meeting the cast members), history, memorabilia, and even up-to-date information on where you can see the series, as well as the stars of the series, in the upcoming weeks. So, not only should it be your Click of the Week for this week, but if you are a Brady fan, it should be your Click of the Week every week!

That's all for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!

Friday, January 06, 2012

TCA Winter 2012 Press Tour: NBC; Sitcom Stars On Talk Shows (Week of January 9, 2012)

It's that time again, the winter portion of the TCA press tour. The TCA Winter 2012 press tour begins today with NBC at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, California. There will be breakfast with Betty White, an executive session, followed by panels for upcoming new series Are You There Chelsea, Smash, Fashion Star, Bent, Awake and The Firm.

Ellen DeGeneres, Morgan Freeman, Tina Fey, Ray Romano, Seth Meyers, Carl Reiner, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Vicki Lawrence, John O'Hurley and Tracy Morgan have joined the star-studded line-up paying tribute to one of the world's most beloved entertainers in Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute to America's Golden Girl on Monday, January 16 from 8-9:30 p.m. ET. These stars join previous stars who were already booked, as we mentioned.

Couple of other notes, NBC Entertainment president Bob Greenblatt mentioned at the executive session that the pilot for Smash will be available online before it premiere on Feb. 6. It is being offered to digital download platforms including Apple iTunes, Amazon Video on Demand, Xbox/Zune, Playstation, Samsung MediaHub and Vudu beginning January 16 through February 6. And beginning January 23 through February 6, online streaming via NBC.com and Hulu and from Jan. 15-30 on selected American Airlines flights.
NBC also mentioned that The Voice will air for 15 weeks, so it will likely have its finale on May 14 after premiering Feb. 5 after the Super Bowl. NBC still has not given premiere dates for some mid-season series. They are Bent, Awake, and BFF. The latter didn't have a panel even at TCA today. NBC still also doesn't have a return date for Community and they admitted that they didn't handle its hiatus well on their mid-season press release. It still has 12 more episodes to air and NBC doesn't think it will be a lead-off series again. That's about it for anything notable from NBC at this season's TCA.

Look ahead: NBC Universal will continue tomorrow with their cable networks. Sunday will have Fox. Monday has ABC/Disney Cable/Daytime/News, while Tuesday it is ABC primetime. Wednesday it will be CBS and on Thursday The CW will end the broadcast portion. Next Friday (Jan. 13) thru next Sunday (Jan. 15) will be the cable portion. Stay with us for key updates from these events.

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 January 9-13, 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, January 9, 2012

David Cross (Arrested Development) - Watch David on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Janet Jackson (Good Times/Diff'rent Strokes) - Janet visits The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory/8 Simple Rules) - The lovely Kaley stops by The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Brandy Norwood (The Game/Moesha) - Brandy joins the cast of BET's The Game this season, and stops by to tell Wendy all about it on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations. Plus, Brandy's co-stars Pooch, Hosea and Coby dish on the new season!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Queen Latifah (Living Single) - Catch Queen Latifah on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
Tina Fey (30 Rock) - Tina appears with Jana Krakowsi on NBC's Today between 7-9am and later drops by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
Chelsea Handler (Are You There, Chelsea?) - Chelsea appears on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
The Cast of Rob - The cast of the new CBS comedy Rob previews the show on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT. Cheech Marin gives a cooking demo.
Laura Prepon (Are You There, Chelsea?/That '70s Show) - Laura visits NBC's Today between 7-9am and will later be on LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
Wendy Raquel Robinson (The Game/The Steve Harvey Show) and Tia Mowry (The Game/Sister,Sister) - Wendy and Tia give us a sneak peek at the new season of BET's hit series, The Game, on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Woody Harrelson (Cheers) - Watch Woody on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
Rosie O'Donnell (Gimme a Break!) - Rosie is a guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
Jack McBrayer (30 Rock) - Jack visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Wendie Malick (Hot in Cleveland/Just Shoot Me/Dream On) - Wendie appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Jane Krakowski (30 Rock) - Jane stops by LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
Laura Prepon (Are You There, Chelsea?/That '70s Show) - Laura will be on NBC's Today between 10-11am.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/The Golden Girls/The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Catch the legendary Ms. White on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) - Miranda drops by LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
Keke Palmer (True Jackson, VP) - Keke appears on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
Queen Latifah (Living Single) - Queen Latifah continues to
make the rounds on NBC's Today between 7-9am.
Lana Parrilla (Spin City) - The Once Upon a Time star visits ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Louie Anderson (Life with Louie/The Louie Show) - Watch Louie on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
Queen Latifah (Living Single) - Queen Latifah visits LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings and later she will be on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) - Miranda appears on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
Judith Light (Who's the Boss?) - Judith chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Lana Parrilla (Spin City) - The Once Upon a Time star is a guest on LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings and later joins the Chew Crew on The Chew on ABC at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.

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!

Thursday, January 05, 2012

TV Land February 2012 Highlights; Big Bang Theory Has A Ratings Bang Last Week On TBS

This February on TV Land, they will have themed programming for the Super Bowl, Valentine's and President's Day! OK and Groundhog Day, too. There are no schedule changes, as of now, to the regular schedule. So you can expect new acquisition Murder, She Wrote and other series to stay put. February 2012 will all be about stunts. Want counter programming vs. The Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 5? You got it! TV Land presents its second annual marathon of Home Improvement during the big game from 6pm-9pm! Tim Allen beats the Super Bowl any day! More power! For Valentine's Day, TV Land will not have any stunts on the actual day itself, but they will premiere the movie Miss Congeniality on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 5pm. The movie will also air the next day on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 1pm. The 2000 movie stars Sandra Bullock, Michael Caine, Benjamin Bratt, and Candice Bergen. Moving on, Groundhog Day is on Feb. 2, but TV Land will celebrate it on Sunday, Feb. 19 with the 1993 Bill Murray & Andie MacDowell movie Groundhog Day at 3:30pm. The film will re-air the next morning on Monday, Feb. 20 at 8am. The last stunt is an Andy Griffith Show marathon on President's Day - Monday, Feb. 20 from 10:30am-4pm. Who needs Washington and Lincoln when you have Andy Griffith!
Other notable items for TV Land February 2012 has a Monday morning movie airing of the 1981 classic Stripes starring Bill Murray on Feb. 6, in addition to the movies we mentioned already. That one is a President's Day themed. And TV Land Wednesday nights original sitcoms Hot in Cleveland and The Exes will have their finales in February. The Exes will have its season finale on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Missed the first 9 episodes? TV Land will air a marathon on Saturday, Jan. 28 from 5pm-9:30pm in anticipation of the season finale. As for Hot in Cleveland, it will be the midseason finale on Wednesday, Feb. 15. The series will return for its second half of the season June 6 alongside the second season of Happily Divorced starring Fran Drescher. Anyway, catch up with Hot in Cleveland with a marathon on Saturday, Feb. 11 from 5-10pm. Stay with us for any further developments on TV Land February, if any. Coming in March: season two of original sitcom Retired at 35 with ten new episodes. Stay tuned...

The Bing Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory got the New Year off with a real bang last week with its biggest numbers ever on TBS. The show scored a whopping 4.3 million viewers Tuesday night (Dec. 27) at 9:30 p.m., making it basic cable's #1 comedy telecast for the week. Overall, The Big Bang Theory on TBS accounted for all 20 of the week's top sitcom telecasts on basic cable with viewers, adults 18-34 and adults 18-49, with 15 of them drawing 3 million or more viewers. With The Big Bang Theory firing on all cylinders, TBS ranked as basic cable's #1 entertainment network in primetime among adults 18-34 and adults 18-49. The Big Bang Theory airs in primetime on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays on TBS. The series joined the TBS line-up in September.
In other Turner network ratings news, on truTV on Friday night (Dec. 30) at 10 p.m., Wipeout scored 1.5 million viewers, its biggest audience since joining the truTV lineup. The show ranked among ad-supported cable's Top 5 programs in the timeslot with key adult and male demos, which also scored the best deliveries for the series on truTV. The series airs in syndication on Fridays on truTV since early September.

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

ION Television Picks Up 5th Season of Flashpoint; Kim Kardashian Guest Starring On Last Man Standing

ION Television announced it is renewing its original police drama Flashpoint for a fifth season (its second season on ION). The network is picking up 13 more episodes, set to begin shooting in February 2012. Flashpoint joined ION's primetime schedule in October 2011 after the network acquired all episodes from seasons 1-3 along with 11 season four original episodes. The production of season five contributes to ION Television's original programming goals for 2012 and beyond. Since its debut on ION, Flashpoint recorded its highest-telecast ever among the network's key demos on December 27, including households (1.5 million), A25-54 (869,000), W25-54 (566,000) and among total viewers (2.1 million).
Flashpoint (which airs Tuesdays at 10PM), a nail-biting cop drama, is an emotional journey into the tough, risk-filled lives of a group of police in the Strategic Response Unit. Members of a highly-skilled tactical team, they're trained in negotiating, profiling and getting inside the subject's head to understand the emotional breaking point (the "flashpoint") that triggered the crisis. The series stars an impressive list of talent, including Hugh Dillon as Ed Lane, team leader and lead sniper; Enrico Colantoni as Gregory Parker, team sergeant and head negotiator; Amy Jo Johnson as Julianna "Jules" Callaghan, profiler and secondary negotiator; David Paetkau as Sam Braddock, the young, hot-shot sniper; Sergio Di Zio as Mike "Spike" Scarlatti, bomb tech and communications; and Clé Bennett as Rafik "Raf" Rousseau, Team One's newest diamond-in-the-rough recruit.

The hit new sitcom Last Man Standing, starring Tim Allen, will see some guest stars pop-up in early 2012. The sitcom has booked reality diva Kim Kardashian to make a cameo on an episode to air in February. She will play herself when Allen's middle daughter Mandy on the show meets her idol in Denver (where the series is set). She last appeared on a sitcom as herself as well on an episode of How I Met Your Mother. In other guest star news, stage and television star Jamie Lynn-Sigler will also guest star on a separate episode. She will play the daughter of sporting goods store owner Ed (Hector Elizondo). While Kardashian's appearance is mainly going to be a brief cameo, the appearance of Nick Jonas last month was more of an actual guest appearance. Jonas could appear again on the series, as he is playing Allen's older daughter Kristin's ex-boyfriend.
Last Man Standing airs Tuesdays at 8:00pm on ABC and stars Tim Allen as Mike Baxter, Nancy Travis as Vanessa Baxter, Kaitlyn Dever as Eve Baxter, Molly Ephraim as Mandy Baxter, Alexandra Krosney as Kristin Baxter, Christoph Sanders as Kyle and Hector Elizondo as Ed Alzate.

Kim Kardashian

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Diagnosis Murder Heads To Encore Suspense; Smallville Moved To Early Mornings On TNT

The good doctor is back! The Dick Van Dyke '90s drama Diagnosis Murder, where he played Dr. Sloan, has now started airing on Encore Suspense. The series started airing weeknights at 10pm as of yesterday. It is airing back-to-back with The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, which airs at 11pm. This is now the second Encore network airing TV series. The first of course is Encore Westerns which airs Marshall Dillon, Gunsmoke, Rawhide, Have Gun Will Travel, Wagon Train, Laredo, and Lawman -- all weekdays from 2-8pm. Encore Westerns also airs Dead Man's Gun on weekends.
As for Diagnosis Murder, the series also stars Barry Van Dyke and Scott Baio. It was last seen on cable on The Hallmark Channel and previously also aired on PAX (and then on the later renamed ION Television). Hallmark Movie Channel recently aired the two-hour movies and two-part episodes, alongside Matlock and Murder, She Wrote, both of which still air on the network. Diagnosis Murder started on Encore Suspense with a New Year's Day marathon on Jan. 1.

After just three months, TNT has moved Smallville from weekdays at 12 noon to weekdays at 5am. This change started yesterday. The series began its run on TNT in October but it doesn't look like the ratings were that great. TNT will move up the two-hour block of Las Vegas to now 12-2pm instead of 1-3pm. TNT will now add a five-days-a-week slot for original series Leverage at 2pm leading into original series reruns of The Closer at 3pm. Supernatural will remain at 10am and 11am and the series will get a President's Day marathon on Monday, Feb. 20, 2012 from 9am-7pm.
As for Smallville, there is no word on if and when it will get another time period, but as for now at least it is airing. 5am is better than no airing at all. Smallville replaces a Law & Order airing, but that remains airing in the overnight at 3am and 4am (in addition to its 4pm-7pm block). Smallville had previously been in syndication on ABC Family from 2004-07.

New sitcom Work It premieres tonight at 8:30/7:30c on ABC.

Monday, January 02, 2012

ABC Mid-Season Pilot Review: Work It - Premieres January 3

Work It - Tuesdays 8:30PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 8:30PM ET/PT

By Pavan

From Friends producers Andrew Reich & Ted Cohen comes Work It, a high-concept comedy about two unrepentant guy's guys who, unable to find work, dress as women to get jobs. Not only do they pull it off, but they just might learn to be better men in the process.

Lee Standish is a quick-witted and likable family man. His best friend, Angel Ortiz, is a hotheaded ladies' man with no filter. The two of them worked at Pontiac -- Lee as a top salesman and Angel as head mechanic -- until the company went out of business. Out of work for a year, their job prospects don't look too bright. They've learned the hard way that the current recession is more of a "man-cession" and their skills aren't in high demand. Then the almost-broke Lee finds out that Coreco Pharmaceuticals is looking to hire sales reps -- female sales reps. He takes a chance and goes into the interview dressed in heels, a skirt and make-up. The transformed Lee gets hired -- as a woman. Lee wants to stay true to his agreement with Angel that, if one of them is working, then the other will be too, so he tells Angel what he has to do if he wants a job at Coreco. Angel, who is miserable working at a fast-food dump, is desperate to make a change so he decides to swallow his pride and go for it. Unfortunately he tanks his interview, but when he fixes the boss' car, he too is hired – also as a woman.

To stay employed, Lee and Angel must put aside their alpha male selves and learn to navigate their all-female workplace. Their presence at Coreco with their new female coworkers initially raises a few eyebrows, but the company's two newest sales reps find ways to put almost everyone at ease: Enthusiastic and sometimes naïve Kristin is excited when the female Lee tells her that she, too, is a single mom. Kelly, the office party girl, is thrilled to have two more friends to hit the town with. Only Grace, the somewhat icy regional sales leader, keeps a suspicious eye on Lee and Angel, convinced that there's something seriously wrong with them. To complicate matters, when Angel meets their new boss, Vanessa, he is immediately smitten with her. But there are some serious obstacles in the way of their romance: She's his boss, and -- no small detail -- she thinks he’s a woman.

For his part, Lee can't disclose his feminine secret to his wife, Connie, or to their 14-year-old daughter, Kat, so he tells them he got a job at a drug company – as himself, the man he is. Connie notices that, since Lee has begun working at Coreco, he seems to be more understanding and sensitive to her needs. The opposite is true of Connie's unemployed brother, Brian, who is also Lee and Angel's drinking buddy. Sensitive and understanding he is not, so they definitely can't reveal their secret to him. Lee and Angel quickly realize how much they have to learn to get by in their new environment. It's not just how to walk in heels and tighten up with Spanx. For the first time, they're really listening to the women in their lives and opening themselves up to a whole new realm of experiences. In the process, they’re learning that to be a better man may mean having to be a better woman.

Cast Details:

* Ben Koldyke as Lee Standish
* Amaury Nolasco as Angel Ortiz
* Bethe Locke as Connie Standish
* John Caparulo as Brian
* Rebecca Mader as Grace
* Rochelle Aytes as Vanessa
* Kate Reinders as Kelly
* Kirstin Eggers as Kristin
* Hannah Sullivan as Kat Standish

Ben Koldyke (Lee Standish) is from Chicago but before becoming an actor and writer, Koldyke had a chance meeting with Rob McElhenney (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and was able to show him his short films. McElhenney liked what he saw and gave Koldyke his chance at stardom. His TV credits now include recurring roles on How I Met Your Mother as Don Frank, Big Love as Dale Tomasson, and he guest starred in 24 as an LAPD police officer.

Amaury Nolasco (Angel Ortiz) made the move to New York, where he studied at the American British Dramatic Arts School. He went on to guest star on several popular television shows, including CSI, ER and George Lopez, before landing his first major supporting role on the big screen hit 2 Fast 2 Furious as Orange Julius. In 2005 Nolasco solidified his Hollywood acting career with his series regular role as Fernando Sucre on the critically acclaimed show, Prison Break. Other film credits include co-starring in Michael Bay's Transformers and in David Ayer's Street Kings, opposite Keanu Reeves, Forrest Whitaker and Hugh Laurie. In addition he has appeared opposite Mark Wahlberg in Max Payne and in Armored alongside Lawrence Fishburne, Matt Dillon and Jean Reno. His most recent film, The Rum Diary, where he stars opposite starring Johnny Depp, was released in October 2011.

Beth Lacke (Connish Standish) was born in Milwaukee and in 2002 she received the Joseph Jefferson Award Citation for Actress in a Supporting Role in the play The Life and Times of Tulsa Lovechild at the Collaboraction Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. That same year she was flown out to test for a pilot, and decided to try for a career in television. She found work on several pilots and, while raising her son, Charlie, commuted between Chicago and Los Angeles. Lacke's television credits include the 2006 Fox sitcom Happy Hour.

John Caparulo (Brian) quickly became a crowd favorite when he began his stand-up career in the comedy clubs of Cleveland and Pittsburgh in 1997. He has made multiple appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Comedy Central Presents and, in 2007, performed alongside Bill Engvall as part of Blue Collar Comedy: The Next Generation. The following year Caparulo starred in Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show, with Jon Favreau and Justin Long. He saw more success when his one-hour special, Meet Cap, premiered to great numbers on Comedy Central. When he's not touring nationwide, Caparulo can be seen alongside his pal, Chelsea Handler, as a regular on her hit show Chelsea Lately. Through his success on the show, Caparulo joined The Comedians of Chelsea Lately national tour in 2009 and 2010. In addition to his accomplishments as a comedian, Caparulo is making his mark in animation, where he voices the role of Headphone Joe in Fish Hooks. He also hosts his own radio show on Sirius/XM Blue Collar Radio, The Mad Cap Hour.

Rebecca Mader (Grace) is a talented actress of striking, unique beauty, known for her starring role on ABC's juggernaut drama Lost, as Charlotte Lewis, a brainy but tough English anthropologist. Recent television credits include starring opposite Victor Garber in the Fox series Justice, which focused on the world of high-end celebrity, their wealthy clients and their high-profile cases. She also appeared on ABC's sci-fi family series No Ordinary Family, playing a villain capable of shape-shifting. Her impressive list of television guest starring roles includes such shows as Friends with Benefits, Covert Affairs, Law & Order: LA, Third Watch, Private Practice and Conviction. Mader appeared alongside George Clooney, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges and Ewan McGregor in the independent comedy, Men Who Stare at Goats. She also appeared opposite Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in the 20th Century Fox hit, The Devil Wears Prada, and appeared in Will Smith's comedy, Hitch. She starred opposite Uma Thurman in the independent feature Ceremony, and with Antonio Banderas in The Big Bang.

Rochelle Aytes (Vanessa) is known for her break-out role in Tyler Perry's hit motion picture Madea's Family Reunion and has also appeared in numerous commercials. Past television credits include co-starring roles on Fox's drama Drive with Nathan Fillion and Emma Stone, and ABC's The Forgotten opposite Christian Slater. She has been a recurring character on several series, including ABC's Desperate Housewives, Detroit 1-8-7, Dirt and House of Payne, and has guest-starred on many others, including White Collar, NCIS, ER and Las Vegas. Not limiting her talents to the small screen, Aytes has starred in several feature films, among them White Chicks and Trick 'R Treat.

Kate Reinders (Kelly) was a series regular on the sitcom Sherri and has made guest appearances on ABC's Modern Family and Ugly Betty. In features, she has appeared in such films as Certainty and Kinsey. On Broadway Reinders has appeared in Sam Mendes' revival of Gypsy and in the role of Glinda in Wicked, for which she was nominated for a 2005 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actress in a Principal Role in a Musical.

Kirstin Eggers (Kristin) is a native of Tucson, Arizona and a graduate of the University of Southern California, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater. After returning to Los Angeles, Eggers' comedy troupe, Summer of Tears, was selected to perform at HBO's 2007 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, where they received the award for Best Sketch Comedy. Continuing her success in comedy, Eggers went on to perform her one-woman show, Fakesweet, at various comedy festivals across the country, much of which was created at the Groundlings. In addition, she is the co-creator of the smash hit live show and web series, I Made Out With Him Anyway and is now developing the television and film versions.

Hannah Sullivan (Kat) was five years old when she was given her first professional job – she sang a solo at a wedding. Two years later she began studying with South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, California, and performed in several productions during her seven years of theatre, including A Christmas Carol and Time Again in Oz. Now a seventeen-year-old, she regularly performs at both the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater and Home Depot Center, where she has sung the national anthem for thousands of Los Angeles Galaxy fans. Sullivan combined her love for baking and helping others to create a bakery business in which the majority of the proceeds are donated to a variety of charities and organizations. At the age of 13, she raised the necessary funds to travel to Peru, where she assisted children in need. Her passion for helping children has also led her to sponsor a little girl in the Philippines.

Pilot Plot:

#1 "Pilot" (Airs January 3, 2012)
The almost-broke and unemployed Lee finds out that Coreco Pharmaceuticals is looking to hire sales reps -- female sales reps. He takes a chance and goes into the interview dressed in heels, a skirt and makeup. The transformed Lee gets hired -- as a woman. Lee wants to stay true to his agreement with Angel that, if one of them is working, then the other will be too, so he tells Angel what he has to do if he wants a job at Coreco. Angel, who is miserable working at a fast-food dump, is desperate to make a change; he decides to swallow his pride and go for it. Unfortunately he tanks his interview, but when he fixes the boss's car, he too is hired - also as a woman.

Guest starring in "Pilot" are Josh McDermitt as manager, Julia Cho as receptionist, Mylinda Royer as secretary, Garz Chan as make-up artist and Kristen Henry King as woman.
The episode was written by Ted Cohen & Andrew Reich and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller.

Analysis:

This pilot it certainly very silly, but at the same time it does have laughs. It's a traditional sitcom with a studio audience and it works best for this sitcom. The pilot starts off with the main character, Lee, losing his job. Lee has a wife and a teenage daughter, so you have a family sitcom element as well. We don't see them much together in the pilot, but I could see this dynamic playing well in future episodes. That's not the core of this show, though. The core is with Lee and his best friend Angel. He is also out of work and recently found a job at a taco place. They both worked for Pontiac, in different departments (Lee in sales and Angel as a mechanic). Lee and Angel also hang out with, Lee's wife's brother Brian. He is your typical sitcom side-kick that brings in laughs with one-liners.

The fun starts when Lee is coming out of a doctor's appointment and overhears another patient talking about how they are hiring. The only problem is that that she says they are only looking for women. Later when Lee is back at home he gets the idea of going for an interview for that job and he dresses up as a woman. Desperate times calls for desperate measures indeed! There are lots of laughs after that. Lee kinds of looks like Jack Tripper from Three's Company when he dressed up a woman to hide from the FBI. I don't think there is anything game changing here, but it will make you laugh. Just don't try to compare this to something like Modern Family or Parks & Recreation, and you'll be fine. This show knows what it is and it's about silly fun and we need sitcoms like this. Anyway, back to the story. Lee goes for his interview and impresses the very hot boss Vanessa. He gets the job and then meets his co-workers - three very hot ladies (Grace, Kelly & Kristin). They are all unique and different. Kristin is a single mom, in which Lee says he is. Kelly is the office party girl and Grace is icy regional sales leader, but it very suspicious of Lee. We will probably see these three girls mesh with Lee more than his wife & daughter on this sitcom. That's fine, because this show is workplace sitcom, even if it is not your ordinary workplace sitcom.

Lee made a deal with his best friend Angel that he would get him a job wherever he ended up. So he keeps his promise and walks into the taco place where Angel is working, as the female version of Lee. Angel doesn't recognize him of course and without giving any of the jokes away Angel decides to dress up a woman as well and try out for the interview. When Angel gets his interview he is immediately attracted to Vanessa and blows his interview. He eventually does get the job, but how he gets his job is pretty hilarious. Let's just say his mechanic skills came in handy! Now both Lee and Angel are working together dressed up as females in an all female personnel company. The laughs are certainly there when they are together! If you're looking for witty jokes, you won't get that here. It is all playful stuff. Critics won't like this show, that's a given. But the show is not out to play to them, it's out to the mainstream audience and I can tell you that this show will get more viewers than a smart comedy like Community. More people will relate and be attracted to this show because it is simple and traditional.

Conclusion:

This show is getting a bad rep in the press. That's not surprising to me. Why? Because this is not your type of sitcom that plays well with critics. According to Jim never was a critical darling and yet it lasted 8 seasons and during its heyday was one of the top sitcoms on TV in the ratings. This show is like that. It knows itself and it goes after the mainstream audience. Another area where this show is getting slammed is for being controversial as two men dressing up as woman in a female only workplace. Um hello, has anyone heard of Bosom Buddies with Tom Hanks? (I think Tom Hanks is doing fine these days, isn't he?) There was no complaints when that show aired. For all that are complaining, you need to watch this pilot. There is nothing at all controversial about it. It's just going out for simple and silly laughs. It's a sitcom. This is not a real-life portrayal of transgenders. Lee and Angel are not looking to turn into females, they are just dressing up as woman to get a job. It's silly, not controversial.

Anyway, the pilot is funny. I can't deny that. It's not going to win any Emmy Awards and nor should it. We need a sitcom or two like this to remind us of the sitcoms of the '80s and '90s because this is indeed a throwback style comedy. It's not the best sitcom of this 2011-12 season but it is not the worst either. This pilot has more laughs than some other pilots like Man Up, Free Agents, Whitney, I Hate My Teenage Daughter and How To Be A Gentleman. In fact, I know Tim Allen's Last Man Standing has now turned out to be a good family sitcom, but that started off a little slow in the first episode or two. It will be following Tim Allen's sitcom, so it should get sampled in the ratings. I think most who tune in and will actually laugh. You Lost fans will want to tune in for Rebecca Mader (Charlotte!), she is pretty funny as the mean co-worker and I could see her being more of a player in future episodes. Work It is working the laughs! Tune in and sample it. That's all I ask. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I assure it isn't mocking anyone or group.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 3.5/5
Funniness: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Tuesday, January 3 on our message board.

Related Links:

ABC.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

Work It Photo Gallery

Preview:

Sunday, January 01, 2012

Week 15 TV Ratings and Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did

2011-12 Week 15 TV Ratings (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: #1. CBS 5.5 rating/9.2 share; #2. ABC 2.5/4.2; #3. NBC 2.0/3.4; #4. Fox 2.0/3.3; #5. The CW 0.6/1.0
Total Viewers: #1. CBS 8.77 million; #2. ABC 3.96 million; #3. Fox 3.15 million; #4. NBC 3.11 million; #5. The CW 930,000 viewers.
Adults 18-49: #1. CBS 1.8 rating/5.2 share; #2. ABC 1.0/3.0; #3. Fox 0.9/2.6; #4. NBC 0.9/2.6l #5. The CW 0.3/0.9

Week 15 (Dec. 26-Jan. 1) Analysis: Week 15 is the week between Christmas and New Year's, so more repeats. The first four night network averages has CBS on top in all categories. ABC follows in a distant second in everything. And then Fox and NBC are neck-and-neck for third in all categories. When the week is over with, NBC will win the week in all categories, as there is a huge Sunday night NFL game tonight. CBS will be second in all categories this week. ABC will be in third but could be a player for second in 18-49 thanks to the strong ratings in primetime last night for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest. Fox should be fourth, but the NFL overrun could be a player for them tonight. As for last week, week 14, NBC won the week in viewers and 18-49 thanks to the Sunday NFL game, but CBS edged out NBC in HH. CBS was second in viewers, while Fox was second in 18-49. CBS was third in 18-49 and Fox in third in HH/viewers. That left ABC in fourth place in all categories.

On Monday, it was a really quiet night with CBS with the win. Starting first with ABC, Rudolph's Shiny New Year started it off with just 2.92 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, perhaps it aired a day or two too early. At 9pm the finale of game show You Deserve It did only 3.08 million and only a 0.8 18-49 rating, for a series low. At 10pm, a repeat of Castle did 3.96 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, off some week-to-week. For CBS, How I Met Your Mother was a repeat doing 5.85 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, down some from previous week. Then a repeat of 2 Broke Girls followed doing a better 6.16 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, but that was kinda down big from previous week. Solid though. At 9pm, a repeat of Two and a Half Men did 8.15 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week. A repeat of Mike & Molly followed and did 7.38 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, down a tenth from previous week despite its lead-in going up. A repeat of Hawaii Five-0 was next doing 6.19 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, winning its time period bit down some from previous week. Fox aired two repeats of House and did just 2.94 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating at 8pm. The 9pm House repeat did a bit worse with 2.8 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating. NBC started the night with the finale of new game show Who's Still Standing? and did only 6.16 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, on par really with its premiere the previous week. Then at 9pm a repeat of Fear Factor (yes, already?) did 4.01 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating. At 10pm, NBC aired a new episode of Rock Center with Brian Williams and it did an embarrassing 2.93 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, down from previous week. The CW preempted Gossip Girl and Hart of Dixie for a movie (Education of Charlie Banks) and did only 740,000 viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating.

On Tuesday, CBS and ABC battled a on low rated night. First, CBS had a repeat of NCIS do 12.58 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week. Then NCIS: Los Angeles and Unforgettable were preempted for the 34th Annual Kennedy Center Honors that did 8.4 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, which is lower than the usual crime repeats in this block. ABC started with new comedy Last Man Standing with Tim Allen leading the night off doing 6.05 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating for a repeat, which was up from previous week. At 8:30pm another repeat followed doing a similar 5.67 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. New Year, New Tim this Tuesday! Then at 9pm, ABC aired a repeat of The Middle and did 4.74 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating, up some from previous week repeat. Then at 9:30pm a repeat of Suburgatory did 4.06 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, up some from previous week. This is good exposure for the new comedy as it returns with new episodes this Wednesday. Body of Proof was next at 10pm and was also a repeat doing 5.11 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, also up some from previous week. Not bad. Fox aired a repeat of Glee and did only 2.13 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, down a good amount from previous week's repeat. Then the comedies took the 9pm hour with a repeat of New Girl doing 2.78 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, off by a tenth from previous week. Then at 9:30pm a Raising Hope repeat did 2.68 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, also off a tenth from previous week. NBC was next with a The Biggest Loser Where Are They Now? special repeat from 8-10pm doing 3.01 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating. At 10pm, NBC aired a rare Parenthood repeat and did 2.06 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, which is why it doesn't usually repeat. The CW preempted 90210 and Ringer for a movie (Keith) and did 930,000 viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating, which is sadly on par with repeats of those dramas.

Wednesday it was CBS on top by a lot. CBS started the night off with a special repeat of NCIS: Los Angeles doing 9.17 million and only a 1.8 18-49 rating. Perhaps we will see this series move next season from Tuesdays? Veteran drama Criminal Minds was a repeat and did 10.6 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, up nearly a full point from previous week's repeat. At 10pm, CSI was a repeat doing 9.74 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, up a half a point from previous week. ABC was in repeats for its Laugh On comedy block with The Middle doing 5.3 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, which is solid but down a tenth from previous week. Suburgatory followed at 8:30pm with 4.59 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating, building from its lead-in's 18-49 rating but down a tenth week-to-week. The mega hit Modern Family was next at 9pm and it did 5.56 million and 1.9 18-49 rating for a repeat, which was some from previous week. At 9:30pm, Happy Endings was a repeat and did 3.37 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, also off some from previous week. The comedies return this Wednesday with new episodes! At 10pm a repeat of the addicting Revenge did only 2.6 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating. Look for the return this Wednesday and it is a GREAT episode as the first 10 minutes is must see TV. Fox aired comedy repeats as the first hour was two repeats of Raising Hope doing 2.42 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating at 8pm, then 8:30pm did only 2.23 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating. Then the 9pm hour had two repeats of New Girl and did 2.55 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating at 9pm, followed by another repeat at 9:30pm doing a bit better with 2.78 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating. NBC opened the night with a repeat of Up All Night doing only 3.4 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating. A repeat of Whitney followed with 2.73 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating. At 9pm, Harry's Law was a repeat doing 3.28 million and only a 0.5 18-49 rating, ouch. And at 10pm, Law & Order: SVU was a repeat and did 3.68 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, down some from previous week. The CW had another movie, this time According to Greta, and did 1.19 million and a 0.4 18-49 rating. The best of the movies they aired this week.

Thursday it was CBS with the win again. First, ABC opened the night with the special Happy New Year, Charlie Brown doing 4.26 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, on par with previous week's specials. At 9pm, a repeat of Grey's Anatomy aired doing only 2.79 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating. At 10pm, another repeat of Grey's Anatomy at a special time did a better 3.14 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, as Private Practice was preempted. Both dramas are all-new this Thursday! CBS opened with a repeat of The Big Bang Theory at 10.16 million and a 2.8 18-49 rating, great for a repeat and up some from previous week. Then, a repeat of Rules of Engagement was next doing 7.59 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, also up some from previous week. A repeat of Person of Interest followed with 8.51 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. A repeat of The Mentalist followed and did 8.9 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, up some from previous week. Fox aired a repeat of Bones at 8pm doing 4.82 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating. Another repeat at 9pm did 4.79 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating. NBC aired repeats, with Community up first doing just 2.06 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating. A Parks and Recreation repeat was next doing 1.76 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, ouch. The Office was next at 9pm doing only 2.55 and a 1.0 18-49 rating for a repeat, up a tenth from previous week. At 9:30pm Whitney was a repeat (yes another repeat of this) with only 2.02 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, up a tenth week-to-week, though. At 10pm, it was more repeats, with a special The Office repeat doing just 1.91 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating. At 10:30pm, a repeat of Up All Night did only 1.89 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating. The CW's big gun Vampire Diaries and new drama The Secret Circle were repeats that did only 900,000 viewers/0.3 18-49 rating and 850,000 viewers/0.3 18-49 rating -- with the latter up some week-to-week.

Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but CBS and ABC tied for first on a very slow Friday night. ABC aired the movie Chronicles of Narnia and CBS was led by a repeat of CSI: NY at 9. NBC's Chuck was new but of course low at 8pm.
Saturday numbers have ABC winning the night by a huge margin as Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest aired from 8-11pm more than tripling everything else on the night. NBC's special at 10pm didn't even come close with Carson Daly.

Tonight ABC's regular Sunday of AFV, Once Upon a Time, Desperate Housewives and Pan Am are not on as ABC airs a Once Upon a Time marathon. ABC Sunday returns with new episodes next Sunday. NBC will win the night with the NFL with the Giants and Cowboys, as it will be hige. CBS has an all-new of 60 Minutes, followed by repeats of Unforgettable, The Good Wife and CSI: Miami. Fox has the animated comedies from 8-10pm, but they are repeats following NFL action, so they could be boosted up a bit.

As for the week (week 15), it should be NBC with the win after the game tonight unless its a blow out or something. CBS will be second, but ABC could battle them in 18-49, since they were boosted last night by Dick Clark. ABC will be third in HH/viewers as CBS should be second. Fox could be fourth in everything unless the NFL overrun makes them third in 18-49. As for the coming week (week 16), Happy New Year, as new episodes return with The Bachelor kicking it off tomorrow night on ABC.

Week 15 How the Sitcoms Did

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for Week 14 -- Dec. 19-25)

The Simpsons (Fox) - A repeat did only 1.94 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating on Christmas night.
The Cleveland Show (Fox) 2 airings - A repeat at 7:30pm did just 1.25 million and a 0.5 18-49 rating, but the 8:30pm repeat did a bit better with 2.06 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating.
Bob's Burgers (Fox) - A repeat at 7pm did an embarrassing 1.1 million and a 0.3 18-49 rating. Christmas or not, ouch.
Family Guy (Fox) - A repeat did 2.34 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, the best of the Fox block.
American Dad! (Fox) - A repeat at 9:30pm did 2.24 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, low but held all of its lead-in's ratings.