Friday Night Lights by Paul Drinkwater/NBC Photo
Well, this is good news to come home to. (Thanks, by the way, to all the well-wishers who e-mailed gracious greetings during my time off. Can't recommend Paris highly enough, even during an unseasonably chilly rainy spell.)If the reporting on TheEnvelope.com site is accurate, the top-10 drama finalists at this intermediate stage of the Emmy nominations includes eternal NBC underdog Friday Night Lights—which could use some good news, seeing as how NBC yanked its summer repeats for now. (Tell me you didn't see that coming.) While we find ourselves fretting over whether NBC's new post-Kevin Reilly management will stand by this show next season, we can at least take comfort that the industry hasn't entirely forgotten this show. Now that it's made the first cut (adopting a football term) into the popular top-10, we can only hope the judges screening the drama candidates will respond to this show's rallying cry: "Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can't Lose."If you missed the news report, her...
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Ray Wise and Bret Harrison in Reaper by Michael Courtney/The CW
A few thoughts after sitting through an L.A. satellite feed of CW’s Upfront presentation on Thursday, which was more impressive (the Pussycat Dolls performance aside) than I expected.The Reaper looks much funnier than I expected. Should have guessed given that the appealing lead, Bret Harrison as a schmo who learns his parents sold his soul to the devil, is best known for sitcom work (Grounded for Life, That ’70s Show, The Loop). Ray Wise is a scream as his demanding new boss, aka Lucifer. Only drawback: Reaper’s time-slot competition includes another largely comedic series about a reluctant nerdish hero, NBC’s Chuck. Is there room for two?Also getting a good response: Aliens in America, with its Muslim exchange student fish-out-of-water befriending his classmate/host, a nerdy social pariah. This looks perfectly suited as a companion piece to the similarly sardonic Everybody Hates Chris.Gossip Girl may well become a brand-appropriate hit, but I’m personally ...
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Tyra Banks courtsy The CW
The question that has been keeping no one I know on the edge of their seat: What’s next for the CW, coming off its mostly dismal freshman year, in which the biggest news was made by posting closing notices on shows that had long ago peaked or lost much of their buzz (7th Heaven, Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, the latter still apparently having an itty-bitty chance of midseason resurrection). A year in which the closest thing to a new breakout hit that didn’t originate on either the WB or UPN was an insipid Pussycat Dolls reality show—slated for a midseason return, begging the question: How many Pussycat Dolls do we really need?It took the CW long enough to get busy in the reality game, which is actually rather puzzling considering its target demographic of young females has been weaned on the format on MTV, VH1, as well as the bigger networks. America’s Next Top Model has long been a signature show, first for UPN and now CW, and now the network is getting serious ...
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Lost uncorks a shocker — or several — in May.
Finales! Guest stars! Crossover episodes! Mark your calendars now so you don't miss your favorite shows!
Monday, April 23On 24 (9 pm/ET, Fox), Jack goes rogue in a desperate attempt to save Audrey from the Chinese. Wait, isn't he already rogue?
Tuesday, April 24American Idol (8 pm/ET, Fox) lays witness to the rarely seen softer side of Simon Cowell in the two-part "Idol Gives Back" charity special. Part 2 airs tomorrow, 8 pm/ET. On ABC, boxer Oscar de la Hoya mixes it up with George Lopez (8:30 pm/ET).
Wednesday, April 25Sun's babydaddy is revealed on Lost (10 pm/ET, ABC).
Thursday, April 26The season's best new sitc
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Question: As an African-American TV viewer, I am happy to watch a TV show that has a diverse cast. My current favorites are Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy and Scrubs. But sometimes I miss the days of watching family shows like The Cosby Show and A Different World, where the central cast are African-American. I know that UPN at one time had a number of shows geared toward an African-American audience, but since the merger with the WB, that is no longer the case. Don't get me wrong, I still like to watch Girlfriends, but the other "urban" comedies on the CW I can do without. Do you think that, with the success of Ugly Betty (diverse cast, but built around a Hispanic heroine and a Hispanic family), good shows centered around a minority family are coming soon? Along those same lines, I also remember hearing about a new sitcom created by Tyler "Madea" Perry called House of Payne. Has the show been picked up by any networks, and if so, when will it be on? If not, why do you think that it hasn't ...
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Todd Bridges, Everybody Hates Chris
It takes Diff'rent Strokes to move the world, and nobody knows that better than Todd Bridges. Tonight, he begins a recurring gig as a crazed ex-military man named Monk on Everybody Hates Chris (8 pm/ET, on the CW), so we had to see what the former Willis Drummond is talkin' 'bout these days.
TV Guide: From Skating with Celebrities [see the 2006 Q&A] to working with
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Everybody Hates Chris (with six) and Dreamgirls (seven) earned the most nominations in their respective fields when the NAACP Image Award nominations were revealed on Tuesday. Chris' kudos include noms for best comedy series, lead actors Tyler James Williams and Tichina Arnold, and supporting stars Terry Crews and Antonio Fargas, while Dreamgirls netted nods for best film, leads Beyoncé Knowles and Jamie Foxx, and supporting players Anika Noni Rose, Jennifer Hudson, Danny Glover and Eddie Murphy.
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CBS' Numbers and the CW's Everybody Hates Chris took top honors Wednesday at the eighth-annual Family Television Awards. Among the other winners: Dancing with the Stars (in the reality-show category), Ugly Betty (new series), Ghost Whisperer Jennifer Love Hewitt (for fostering early-onset puberty), Monk's Tony Shalhoub and Deal-maker Howie Mandel.
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Jacqueline Mazarella on Everybody Hates Chris
As Ms. Morello, the terminally Caucasian teacher on CW's Everybody Hates Chris (Mondays at 8 pm/ET), Jacqueline Mazarella earns laughs with racist quips that would land celebrities like Michael Richards in hot water. To (in)cite but a few examples, Ms. Morello, in an attempt to relate to Corleone Junior High's lone black student, has proudly pumped a black power fist, brought cans of food to his "ghetto" home at Christmas, and dubbed him a "sweet sweetback." Although Mazarella isn't a series regular, the TV newcomer is thrilled that her character has become one of the show's funniest, most wince-inducing recurring characters.
TVGuide.com: Everybody Hates Chris has been your big TV break. How did you land the part?
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Wayne Brady and Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
It's a November to remember for Wayne Brady, who already has an Everybody Hates Chris appearance under his belt, and next turns up on The N's The Brandon T. Jackson Show (premiering Friday, Nov. 24, at 9 pm/ET), followed by the CBS hitcom How I Met Your Mother (Mondays at 8), playing no less than Barney's brother. But enough with the exposition-filled intro, on with the interview!
TVGuide.com: You have a lot of stuff going on these days!Wayne Brady: Well, that's always a good thing.
TVGuide.com: First up, give me an overview of The Brandon T. Jackson Show. What's it going to be like?Brady: The Brandon T. Jackson Show is a younger, fast-paced sketch show.
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