On this morning’s edition of THE EARLY SHOW, MURPHY BROWN star Candice Bergen revealed that Heather Locklear was in fact the network’s first choice to play the show’s titular character.
This Thursday, WILL & GRACE alum Megan Mullally will drop by PARKS AND RECREATION to play the ex-wife of Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), who according to the Pawnee politico himself may-or-may-note-have been “programmed by someone from the future to destroy all happiness.” More surprising still, Mullally is Offerman’s wife in real life.
Now pay attention, because this one’s a doozy: Teri Hatcher’s fictional small-screen son MJ played by Mason Vale Cotton on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES is the real-life brother of Rachel Griffiths fictional TV son Cooper Whedon played by Maxwell Perry Cotton on BROTHERS & SISTERS. Got that?
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING: AMERICAN IDOL (8PM FOX, CTV in Canada)
The most dragged-out competition on television crowns another person you won’t remember a year from now (Taylor who?), but not before stretching it out for as long as they possibly can.
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE (8PM CBS)
The fourth season concludes with me still never having seen it. Wait, does she really call Scott Bakula’s character “Papa Jeff?” Is that as creepy as it sounds? Anyway, Christine and the guy I can only assume isn’t her daddy rekindle their feelings at Richard’s wedding. But then she gets a major shock. (Despite having never seen a single episode, I’m going to guess the twist involves a pregnancy. Let me know tomorrow if I was right, okay kids?) — CT
GARY UNMARRIED (8:30PM CBS)
The title of tonight’s outing is “Gary Fixes Allison’s Garbage Disposal” but I hear that’s just a euphamism for “they have sex.”
NEW & NOTABLE: TAKE THE LEAD (8PM CW)
Fun Fact: Co-Starring The TV Addict’s real-life brother!
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE (8:30PM CBS)
Apparently, all the good guys really are either married or gay. How else to explain why Christine winds up bringing an obnoxious date to Richard’s rehearsal dinner in an attempt to prove to him that she’s a-okay with his upcoming nuptials.
LOST (9PM ABC, “A” in Canada)
Viewing advice for tonight’s fifth season finale: Sit yourself down with a pillow firmly planted in your lap. It will save you the pain from the inevitable jaw-dropping game-changer of an ending. Trust us.
AMERICAN IDOL (9PM FOX, CTV in Canada)
Somebody not named Adam Lambert says goodbye.
NEW & NOTABLE: TIME WARP (8PM Discovery)
Deadly snakes and sumo wrestlers are observed. Hopefully not at the same time.
First let’s be clear. The William S. Paley Television Festival is this TV Addict’s Super Bowl equivalent. So much so that for three out of the past four years, I’ve shelled out far too much money than I care to think about for the privilege of spending one week in Los Angeles amidst some of my favorite television show’s casts and creative teams (click here for coverage.)
That said, Daniel Fienberg’s recent column asking, “Has the Paley Festival lost its way?” really got me thinking. And not just about how I can legally change my last name so that it fits into a clever blog title like “The Fien Print.”
Rather, I’ve been thinking about what I would do if I programmed Paley. And how for every show that is worth honoring this year (see: BIG LOVE and DR. HORRIBLE’s SING-ALONG BLOG) there seems to be an equal number of shows that have yet to prove themselves worthy of sharing the same stage with the likes of past honourees including DEXTER, THE SOPRANOS and ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (see: 90210 and DOLLHOUSE.)
Aside from having some of the lengthiest titles in the history of comedic television, last night’s two hour comedy block of THE BIG BANG THEORY, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER and THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE have one other thing in common. They all played a part in getting this TV Addict to utter five words he’d never thought he’d say, “So excited for CBS tonight.”
So kudos to the Tiffany network for finally putting together a hilarious string of shows that doesn’t include a reality TV show, a police procedural and/or the train wreck I like to call BIG BROTHER. Now onto some random musings:
THE BIG BANG THEORY
Sandwiched between the show’s hilarious opening and closing credits, THE BIG BANG THEORY not only makes this TV Addict laugh, it more importantly makes me feel a lot better about my slightly nerdy tendencies. In other words, no matter how bad things get, I’m no WoloWizard.
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
As much as I loved Ted, Marshall, Lily and the Blarneystone, surely I’m not the only TV Addict starting to feel bad for Robin. With her and Ted officially kaput, is she ever going to get a story-line that doesn’t involve playing the sidekick?
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE
Julia Louis-Dreyfus doesn’t just put an end to that silly SEINFELD curse. By taking a page from the Will Ferrell book of comedy and doing anything for a laugh, she eviscerates it. From verbal sparring with her ex-husband, to dating a twenty year old, all the while defending herself against television’s two funniest mean mommies [spin-off please!] OLD CHRISTINE is hands down our favorite femme fatale since THE COMEBACK’s Valerie Cherish. Why not help ensure CBS doesn’t trade OLD CHRISTINE for a newer and less funny model next season [see: RULES OF ENGAGEMENT] by tuning into tonight’s brand new episode following the return of TWO AND A HALF MEN at 9:30PM on CBS.
ELI STONE
ELI STONE has something for everyone. It’s the ultimate TV mash-up. Medical mystery, law, order, ghosts, visions, mythology, romance and EVERWOOD alumni Tom Amandes. Heck, it even has a weekly musical number for the few fans old enough to remember COP ROCK. All it needs now is a break. As if having an inoperable brain aneurysm wasn’t bad enough, does Eli really need to find himself unemployed come fall 2008? Show a little compassion by tuning into ELI STONE this Thursday following a brand new episode of LOST at 10PM on ABC.
In a press release sent out yesterday, CBS proudly touts that they’ve “renewed 11 series for next season in a move that will return 10 hours of the Network’s primetime schedule and eight of the top 20 scripted series on television.” Unfortunately, two of the series not officially picked up by the network include two of television’s absolute funniest and most under-appreciated comedies: HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER and THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE.
Naturally, this ridiculous oversight begs the obvious question. Is it possible the network is prejudice against hilariously funny shows simply because of the number of words in their title? In this era of post-WGA strike cost cutting measures, will all shows on the Tiffany network be mandated to start with those three magical letters ‘CSI’? Would HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER have more success if it changed its name to WITHOUT A MOTHER? Should THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE consider the more succinct COLD OLD CHRISTINE?
What exactly do HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER and THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE have to do to garner a little respect on Monday nights? Because clearly, being genuinely funny simply isn’t good enough.
Thanks to the 16.1 million viewers who tuned into Thursday’s season premiere of LOST (versus a mere 7.8 million for ‘CELEBRITY’ APPRENTICE), viewers yet again showed network big wigs that if they build it — ‘it’ being quality scripted programs — they will come.
Tonight at 9PM, FOX welcomes not one, but two old friends back into the fold. TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES returns after a one week hiatus courtesy of last weeks State of the Union Address. And with it, the much anticipated first look at the notorious B.A.G. Yes my fellow BEVERLY HILLS 90210 addicts, after almost ten years, Brian Austin Green returns the network that made him famous as… Well, thanks to the ultra-secretive showrunner Josh Friedman we really have no idea who or what Brian Austin Green plays. But we’re excited to find out. [Click here for a first look at Brian Austin Green]
Another show that makes its long awaited return to TV tonight: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE. Yet rather than go on a predictable rant as to why OLD CHRISTINE is one of television’s most under-appreciated gems and why viewers should tune in, if only to remind themselves that the classic sitcom is far from dead. I’ll simply quote frequent theTVaddict.com contributer Amrie who said this after watching last week’s rebroadcast of May’s season finale, “Why have I not given more attention to THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE over the past seasons? Just watched a rerun and it was hilarious!” Amrie, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
On this morning’s edition of THE EARLY SHOW, MURPHY BROWN star Candice Bergen revealed that Heather Locklear was in fact the network’s first choice to play the show’s titular character. 
This Thursday, WILL & GRACE alum Megan Mullally will drop by PARKS AND RECREATION to play the ex-wife of Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), who according to the Pawnee politico himself may-or-may-note-have been “programmed by someone from the future to destroy all happiness.” More surprising still, Mullally is Offerman’s wife in real life.
Now pay attention, because this one’s a doozy: Teri Hatcher’s fictional small-screen son MJ played by Mason Vale Cotton on DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES is the real-life brother of Rachel Griffiths fictional TV son Cooper Whedon played by Maxwell Perry Cotton on BROTHERS & SISTERS. Got that?
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