ABC is kicking off its fall season with an Everybody Loves Raymond reunion on The Middle. The network is now confirming to me what I first reported in my column back in June that Ray Romano will guest star in the September 21 third season premiere of his former TV wife Patricia Heaton's sitcom.
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The Broadcast Television Journalists Association (of which I'm a charter voting member) handed out its inaugural Critics' Choice Television Awards on June 20. On the red carpet, the nominated actors and producers — all hopeful they'll also be on the Primetime Emmy ballot when it's announced July 14 — filled me in on what they're hatching for their exciting fall returns.
The Middle (Best Comedy nominee)
Cocreator Eileen Heisler tells me they are superclose to signing...
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Fans of Everybody Loves Raymond will be happy to hear that TV universes will once again collide on the Season 2 finale of The Middle. TV Guide Magazine has learned from the creators of the show, Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline, that Doris Roberts will return to the ABC sitcom as Brick's confrontational teacher, who last September went head to head with Patricia Heaton's Frankie, and intends to do the same again.
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Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline have been let go as the executive producers and show-runners of Lipstick Jungle, NBC's mid-season entry adapted from Candace Bushnell's best-seller. According to the Reporter, the dramedy — starring Brooke Shields, Lindsay Price and Kim Raver — is being taken in a new creative direction, and as the hunt for a new show-runner launches, the production start has been pushed back to November. Outside of Chris Wiehl (Love Monkey) being replaced as Shields' hubby, no other casting changes are expected as part of the retooling.
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