Cheers to Brad Garrett for his image-changing guest spot on Monk. The 'Til Death star livened up the seventh-season premiere as "Honest Jake," a murderous handyman hired by Tony Shalhoub's obsessive-compulsive detective to fix up his new house. (The inside joke here, of course, is that Garrett was TV's original poster boy for OCD as cop Robert Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond.) The 6'8" Garrett effectively used his size for menace rather than mirth. Maybe he can intimidate Death's writers to give him scripts equal to his talent.• Share your own raves and rants about other shows on the Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board.• We may feature your Cheer or Jeer on TVGuide.com or in TV Guide magazine!
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Three years after the end of Everybody Loves Raymond, Ray Romano could be back on TV soon. The comedian is starring in Men of a Certain Age, a TNT pilot that he created with Raymond writer-producer Mike Royce, Variety says. In a bold development route, TNT is diving into the pilot straight from the script. Men will center on three fortysomethings in mid-life crises, offering what's described as a Sideways-ish tone as well as a dash of thirtysomething. At a recent movie premiere, Romano hinted at his new gig, and described his philosophy for the series as "write what you know, and write what you cry about."What's your take? Is this new concept a combo you'd want to see picked up, or a rehash of subjects well-trodden? Or, with Romano at the helm, does it even matter what it's about? — Anna DimondRelated:• Will Ray Romano Deal Us a New TV Series?
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A time-period-winning 9.5 million viewers watched Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton return to prime time Wednesday in their new Fox sitcom, Back to You. Most of them surely tuned in to see two stars from two of their favorite shows, Frasier and Everybody Loves Raymond. But the industry insiders are watching carefully for another reason: They’re curious as to whether the series about two over-the-hill local TV news anchors with a past can prove that the multi-camera comedy has a future. Steve Levitan, executive producer, writer and creator of the show with partner Christopher Lloyd, offered his thoughts to The Biz about meeting the challenge. TVGuide.com: Do you feel the future of the multi-camera sitcom is riding on this show?Steve Levitan: I hate the thought of that. We have enough pressure trying to do a funny show. But some people are saying it, and it does start to weigh on you. I’m not sure that’s fair. The No. 1 comedy on TV is a multi-camera show in Two and a ...
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Question: What is your take on why sitcoms have disappeared from the television landscape? I get that they don't win awards and don't get a lot of watercooler talk for the most part, but a show like The King of Queens was at times last year the top-rated comedy on any network, and House of Payne opened to huge numbers on TBS. As much as I love The Office, 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother and others, why have the networks abandoned a genre that doesn't appear lost in terms of viewer numbers?
Answer: That's a much bigger question than I can easily address in this column, but it boils down to the cyclical and cynical nature of the industry. It hasn't been that long since Friends was a phenom, not to mention Raymond keeping CBS afloat in its quieter way. But it has been a while since a new sitcom was both a critical and popular smash, feeding a perception that the old-fashioned sitcom (live audience, laugh track) was no longer in vogue and the quirkier, single-camera comedy was the way to go,
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Question: I just read your Dispatch on the Sopranos finale, as well as the reader comments afterward. You said you wouldn't rate this episode among the best of series finales, so which ones would you include on that list? Thanks for a great column. I always enjoy it!
Answer: I often try to avoid these "best ever" sort of overview questions, because I fear leaving out something obvious. But in this case, I asked for it, and now I regret writing that line in my recap. To be very honest, the first shows that come to mind when I think of great TV finales tend to be comedies, not dramas (so many of which end after their prime). My very favorite final episodes ever would have to be The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which ended with such tender and funny finality, and Newhart, with its incredible surprise gag at the end in which Bob was in bed with first TV wife Suzanne Pleshette. More recently I also loved the Everybody Loves Raymond finale, in which a momentary health scare for Raymon ...
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