When ABC’s According to Jim returns midseason, there will be a new, reality-based plotline. Cheryl (Courtney Thorne-Smith) and Jim (Jim Belushi) are expecting a baby, to coincide with Thorne-Smith’s real-life pregnancy. "We are going to go for a pregnancy because Courtney is pregnant," Belushi told TV Guide at the Camp Ronald McDonald 15th Annual Family Halloween Carnival on Sunday. But that doesn’t mean that Smith won’t be sporting pillows over the belly or a dishcloth dangling in front as they build to the big reveal. Says Belushi, "There’ll be a few episodes with purses and pillows and sitting behind a table." —Reporting by Andrea Goodwin
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The evolution of comedy on ABC is not a pretty one, from the heights not so long ago of Roseanne to the absolute prehistoric depths of Cavemen, which premiered Tuesday night without benefit of sending a finished preview episode to critics. For good reason, clearly. We thought the original pilot we saw in May was lousy, but that was nothing compared to the woolly mammoth stinker that aired Tuesday. I didn’t crack a smile, bark a single laugh, even grunt a symbolic “ugh.” I think time may actually have stood still for a few seconds, somewhere between the scene where a caveman ordered a tall soy macchiato and cranberry biscotti after sneering at “pretentious poseurs” at the mall and the bit where, on the squash court, the hairy guys discussed how their sexual prowess made them “forbidden fruit” to female “sapes.”Forget ugh. How about ick?Pairing this instant loser with the whining-male flat tire known as Carpoolers made for what may have bee...
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Getting revived feels good. Very good. ABC’s According to Jim has been officially renewed.“I’m really grateful,” star Jim Belushi tells TV Guide. “I love the show, I love the cast, and ABC and Touchstone have been really great.”ABC was clearly on the fence regarding the family comedy, which went from 10 million viewers in its first season in 2001 to 6.6 million last season. But the official word is in: It has been picked up for 18 episodes to air mid-season.Belushi wouldn’t go into details, but he says, “We’ve been negotiating for a while,” conceding that, “most of it has to do with licensing fees, the amount of episodes.”Although ABC didn’t include According to Jim on its fall schedule whenit made its May presentation to advertisers, Belushi says, “I alwayshad hope. I always believed it would work out. We have a really strongfollowing, and with syndication, it’s increased the awareness of the show,it’s ...
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Question: I've been watching a lot of reruns of Roseanne on Nick at Nite lately and I wonder if there can ever be another show to match it. It was brilliant, especially in its early years. I would love to watch another family comedy on the same level as Roseanne.
Answer: So would we all. Those first seasons of Roseanne were so raw, so honest, so true to the star's vision, and, of course, so hilarious. One of the saddest observations I can make about today's TV comedy scene is to look at ABC and to realize that the network that once showcased Roseanne, Brett Butler and Tim Allen is now the network of Jim Belushi, Freddie Prinze Jr., George Lopez and Hope & Faith. It's enough to make you cry. (But then, ABC's Sons & Daughters, premiering Tuesday, may give you hope. Just pray someone actually watches. ...
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Starting Feb. 14, ABC's Tuesday-night schedule will be exactly one-third Jim Belushi. According to Jim will air at 8 and 9 pm ET, with Rodney in between at 8:30 pm, and George Lopez and Boston Legal bringing up the rear at 9:30 and 10 pm, respectively. To kick off this new lineup, the network is preempting its 8 pm Jim on the 14th and replacing it with A Charlie Brown Valentine. Yes, that ought to really clear things up in viewers' minds.
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