The "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" doctrine is alive and well at CBS. At least that's the impression you get after spending two days in the network's company as the first of the broadcast networks presenting a fall lineup at the summer press tour.
Although No. 1 in prime time, with the hottest nights of drama (Thursday) and comedy (Monday), they're not especially cocky. They didn't produce the breakout hits of last season (that would be ABC), and they're not likely to this year, either. But who's complaining when you have Survivor, The Amazing Race, CSI and all those other Bruckheimer shows, plus Two and a Half Men, as tentpoles?
Most of CBS' new shows appear solid, and a few even feel unusually fresh for a network that loves its formulaic procedural dramas and standard-issue sit
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As Friends star Matt LeBlanc gets ready to launch Joey (Sept. 9 on NBC), we thought he could use some expert advice from stars of past spin-offs. After all, many actors from hit shows have spun well (Frasier), while others just plain rolled off a cliff (The Lone Gunmen). Here's what they had to say, Matt, so listen good!
Peri GilpinSpin-off: FrasierSpun from: Cheers"With a spin-off, you can't hide. [The network and the writers] know what you're thinking before you even think it. You can't even go to the bathroom without someone saying, 'I need you to come fit this costume.' You're joining a family that already exists, with its own rhythm."
Dean HaglundSpin-off: The Lone GunmenSpun from: The X-Files"There are three things to look for if your spin-off is in trouble: If TV Guide compares you to Joanie Loves Chachi; if the press refer
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The current film Miracle — about the gold-medal winning 1980 U.S. Hockey Team — marks the big-screen debut of Eddie Cahill. You know him best as Felicity junkie James and Rachel's boy toy, Tag, on Friends. Those memorable TV roles allowed him an edge over his hockey-playing cast mates, who were mostly acting rookies.
"I came from less of a hockey background than some of the guys," Cahill tells TV Guide Online. "We never sat down and talked about it, like, 'OK, I don't really know hockey, you don't know [acting].' Instinctively, where somebody was weak, somebody else's strengths would come in and lift that person up."
Despite his talent and good looks, landing the role wasn't all fun and games. Before Cahill was given the opportunity to
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Maybe you've heard: The NBC juggernaut Friends is coming to an end this year. But we bet you haven't been told why you needn't despair: There's another sitcom all ready to take its place, at least according to Topher Grace, adorable dork Eric Foreman on Fox's That '70s Show.
"I don't think [our period laugher] will replace Friends," the scrawny leading man says, tongue in cheek. "I think it will far, far surpass Friends as the best show ever in the history of the universe. But I don't want to set myself up for a downfall."
Truth be told, we wouldn't be surprised if Grace's smart-ass prediction turned out to be on the money. That '70s Show is on a roll this season, and, with its principals all lined up to continue, it's bound keep on rockin'. For his part, the Win a Date With Tad Hamilton! star still considers himself the luckiest geek alive to have landed the series in the first place.
"I was cast out
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As Rachel on Friends, Jennifer Aniston doesn't show off her dancing skills too often. She struts her stuff in Along Came Polly (currently in theaters), but quickly realized all that hoofing around is a lot of harder than it looks.
"I was supposed to be a really good salsa dancer. I took two classes. I was supposed to take more, but I didn't," Aniston admits. "We [only] had two days shooting in New York, and then, the next bit for me was all of the salsa dancing. It was six days straight. My feet looked like raw meat. It was just disgusting, but it was so much fun. I loved it, I loved learning how to dance."
And then, a tragic twist. "Right after we shot those six days, I broke my toe," the 34-year-old says with a sigh. "So thank God we took care of all that stuff."
Turns out, shaking and shimmying with costar Ben Stiller didn't cause the broken digit. Aniston reluctantly takes respon
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As previously reported, Friends will wrap its 10-year laughfest on May 6 with what NBC is calling a "two-hour extravaganza." The first hour will be a retrospective, followed by a one-hour series finale. So what happens in the last episode? Well, that's top secret. But this week, the producers and cast did offer some hints at a farewell press conference with TV critics on the Friends set. Here's what we learned...
Ross and Rachel will go off into the sunset.Well, they didn't say that, but we can read between the lines. Asked how he'd like to see Ross end up, David Schwimmer said: "We all end up with a sense of a new beginning. I can't divulge where we're going, but it's exactly what I had hoped." Hmmm... Back in September, Schwimmer told TV Guide that Ross and Rachel are "destined to be together. To quote Phoebe Buffay, they're each other's lobster, whether they know it or not." So don't be surprised if baby Emma'
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