FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: After the Fall

This episode began under the most dire of circumstances. Coach Eric Taylor had thrown in the towel, ending East Dillon’s first game of the season via forfeit. Principal Tami Taylor was caught squarely between an angry mob of parents and the arrogant boosters running her athletic department. Tim Riggins arrived home seeking the comforts of his hometown, but was left without a roof over his head or an identity to cling to.

The dividing line between Friday Night Lights and the rest of prime time television becomes crystal clear when times are toughest. In Dillon, heroes do not cry out for attention or perform miracles to make themselves whole. They pull up their sleeves, get their hands dirty, and work to earn the respect of their neighbors. Want to know who is a good guy or a bad guy on FNL? The answer is common courtesy. Follow the “pleases,” “thank you’s,” and “yes, ma’am’s,” and you will find the folks worth rooting for.

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CBS Announces its 2010-2011 Schedule

Early this morning, CBS announced its lineup for the 2010-2011 season.  There have been a few time shifts, most notably THE BIG BANG THEORY moving to Thursdays at 8pm.  Are you kidding?  How disappointing.  What’s even more disappointing are the new barrage of crime dramas coming to CBS.  Didn’t they have enough?  15 out of the 25 shows  in CBS’ primetime lineup are now crime related. Really?

More on CBS’ new series soon!

MONDAY

• 8 p.m. How I Met Your Mother
• 8:30 p.m. Rules of Engagement
• 9 p.m. Two and a Half Men
• 9:30 p.m. Mike and Molly (new)
• 10 p.m. Hawaii Five-O (new)

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ABC Announces 2010-20100 Fall Schedule

Stephen McPherson, president, ABC Entertainment Group, will outline ABC’s plans for next season and unveil the network’s 2010-11 fall schedule before the advertising and media communities this afternoon at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall.

Here’s the scoop on what ABC’s lineup will look like in the fall.  More on each of the new shows coming to the alphabet network later today.

New series for the 2010-11 season are “Better Together,” “Body of Proof,” “Detroit 1-8-7,” “Happy Endings,” “Mr. Sunshine,” “My Generation,” “No Ordinary Family,” “Off the Map,” “Secret Millionaire” and “The Whole Truth.”

“America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “The Bachelor,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Supernanny,” “V” and “20/20” join previously announced returning series “Castle,” “Cougar Town,” “The Middle” and “Modern Family.” “Saturday Night College Football” also returns.

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HOUSE Season Finale: Help Me

Earlier today, I fessed up to having a sneak peek at House’s season finale. Now seems like an appropriate time to reveal another secret. The screener provided to TV critics did NOT include the final scene of the show. My preview faded to black as House decided what to do with his secret stash of Vicodin.

In order to jump start the conversation about “Help Me,” I prepared this review in advance. I am eager to read your theories and opinions, and will jump feet first into the discussion thread with thoughts about the closing minutes.

Intense.

My first look at House’s Season Six finale was ten days ago, and that term has dominated my thoughts ever since. By opening the story with House cradled in defeat, this episode kept me planted on the edge of my seat. Any hopes of a happy ending were dissolved. Instead, I spent an hour wondering how he had reached rock bottom. Was it Cuddy? Wilson & Sam? Someone on the team?

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MIXED SIGNALS from Fox – First Look

MIXED SIGNALS, scheduled for a spring premiere, is a new relationship comedy created by Bob Fisher (“Wedding Crashers”) about three longtime friends and their attempts to balance their committed relationships with their need for freedom. The ensemble comedy stars Nelson Franklin (“I Love You, Man”), David Denman (“The Office”), Kris Marshall (HUMAN TARGET), Liza Lapira (“Dexter”) and Alexandra Breckenridge (FAMILY GUY) and reveals how friendships and romances enhance – and further complicate – the lives of men and the women who love them.

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BOB’s BURGERS from Fox – First Look

Joining the Sunday ANIMATION DOMINATION lineup in midseason is BOB’S BURGERS, a new animated comedy series from creator Loren Bouchard (“Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist”) about a man, his family and their floundering burger joint. Despite the greasy counters, lousy location and occasionally spotty service, Bob and his lovable and quirky family are convinced their burgers are their ticket to success.

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RIDE-ALONG from Fox – First Look

The new drama scheduled for a midseason debut is RIDE-ALONG. From creator Shawn Ryan (“The Shield,” “The Unit”), the fast-paced series, shot on location in Chicago and starring Jason Clarke (“Public Enemies”), Jennifer Beals (LIE TO ME) and Delroy Lindo (“Kidnapped”), will take audiences on an unflinching and unpredictable ride through the streets of Chicago to navigate crime and corruption with the most respected – and notorious – cops in the city.

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LONE STAR from Fox – First Look

LONESTAR, a sophisticated and provocative series set against the sprawling backdrop of big Texas oil, is the new drama premiering this fall. From Chris Keyser and Amy Lippman, the creators of “Party of Five,” director by Marc Webb (“(500) Days of Summer”) and writer Kyle Killen, the compelling series stars newcomer James Wolk as a charismatic and brilliant schemer who has entangled himself in a deep, complex web from which he can’t break free. He’s caught between two very different lives – and two very different women. When both worlds start to close in on him, he must fight to keep his two loves and two lives afloat.

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RUNNING WILDE from Fox – First Look

Debuting this fall is RUNNING WILDE, the new romantic comedy from “Arrested Development’s” Jim Vallely, Mitch Hurwitz and Will Arnett. Starring Arnett (“30 Rock”) and Keri Russell (“Waitress,” “Felicity”), the comedy centers on a lovable, but immature playboy (Arnett) trying desperately to win (or buy) the heart of his childhood sweetheart (Russell), the über-liberal humanitarian who got away.

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RAISING HOPE from Fox – First Look

Premiering this fall is RAISING HOPE, the new family comedy from Emmy Award winner Greg Garcia (“My Name Is Earl”), starring Lucas Neff (“The Beast”), Martha Plimpton (“How To Make It In America”), Garret Dillahunt (“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”) and Academy and Emmy Award winner Cloris Leachman (“Malcolm In The Middle”). The sweet, offbeat comedy follows Jimmy Chance, a well-meaning screw-up trying his best to raise his infant daughter with the help of the eccentric family who did a less-than-stellar job of raising him.

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HOUSE Season Finale Preview…Are you Ready?

I have a confession. Due to the benevolence of Fox’s publicity department, I received a sneak preview of tonight’s HOUSE season finale. Since GMMR has always been a spoiler-free zone, I want to be very sensitive to discussing specific events or themes in the episode.

Before I ask whether you want to take the blue pill or the red pill, this bit of news for all fans of the show. Please set your DVRs to run long tonight. The finale will exceed its normal running time by a few minutes, so be generous with your TiVo.

If you would prefer to watch the show completely unspoiled, DO NOT click on the “Read More” button. However, if you are curious about my overall thoughts on the show, feel free to read on. I promise not to reveal anything that would take away from your enjoyment. That would ruin the fun, and that’s not my style

Ready for more? It’s up to you…

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THE PAUL REISER SHOW from NBC – First Look

“The Paul Reiser Show” is a new single camera comedy from Emmy and Golden Globe nominated comedian-author-producer-actor Paul Reiser (“Mad About You”) and writer-producer Jonathan Shapiro (“Life”).

The show stars Paul Reiser as…Paul Reiser. It’s been a few years since Paul’s hit TV series went off the air. Since then, he’s been enjoying the quiet life at home with his lovely wife and kids and generally minding his own business. Lately, however, Paul has been thinking that it’s time he did something new, something meaningful. As to what that next thing might be, he has no idea. In his quest to figure it out, Paul is helped and hindered by his new “friends.” Like most men his age, Paul didn’t choose these friends. They’re the husbands of his wife’s friends, the dads of kids that his boys go to school with. Thrown together by circumstance, Paul and his friends form an unlikely comradeship — and a horrible basketball team.

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PERFECT COUPLES from NBC – First Look

“Perfect Couples” depicts the misadventures of three engaging couples as they struggle to find out what makes the ideal relationship — and how to maintain it through humorous trial-and-error.

The series explores their heroic journey in search of the perfect relationship without destroying each other in the process. Dave (Kyle Howard, “My Boys”) and Julia (Christine Woods, “Flash Forward”) are the relatable, normal couple, but Julia’s hope of remaining the cool, low-maintenance chick is tested by Dave’s attempts to keep both his wife and his needy best friend Vance (David Walton, “Heist”) equally happy. Vance, along with the neurotic Amy (Mary Elizabeth Ellis, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”), are the high-passion, high-drama couple who bring out the best and worst in each other. The third duo features Rex (Hayes MacArthur, “She’s Out of My League”), a reformed party guy, and, and his wife, Leigh (Olivia Munn, “Attack of the Show”), who considers herself as the group’s mother hen. Believing that they are relationship experts, Rex and Leigh have attended every class and seminar on relationships — and regard themselves as the “perfect couple.”

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HARRY’S LAW from NBC – First Look

Emmy Award-winning creator David E. Kelley (“The Practice,” “Boston Legal”) brings his unique storytelling to “Harry’s Law,” a series about fate and the people it brings together, starring Academy Award winner Kathy Bates (“Misery,” “About Schmidt”). Harriet (Bates), Matthew (Ben Chaplin, “Me and Orson Wells”) and Malcolm (Aml Ameen, “Kidulthood”) couldn’t be any more different.

Harriet is a curmudgeonly ex-patent lawyer who, having just been fired from her cushy job, is completely disillusioned with her success and looking for a fresh start. Her world unexpectedly collides with Malcolm’s — a young man trying to figure out life. When he finds out Harriet is a lawyer, he begs her to represent him in an upcoming criminal case. Matthew, a dreamer at heart and also recently fired from his job as a high school teacher, is introduced to Harriet through Malcolm, a previous student of his. When these three cross paths, they realize they’re all looking for a fresh start. Now, the most unlikely of people are starting a law practice in the most unlikely of places–a rundown shoe store. “Harry’s Law” also stars Brittany Snow (“Hairspray”) as Harriet’s assistant, Jenna Backstrom and Beatrice Rosen (“Dark Knight”) as Eve, a high school French teacher.

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FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS from NBC – First Look

From Oscar and Emmy winner Brian Grazer (“A Beautiful Mind,” “Arrested Development”), “Friends With Benefits” is a half-hour comedy revolving around a group of twenty-something singles as they navigate the difficult, and often confusing, world of dating. Ben Weymouth (Ryan Hansen, “Party Down”) is on the hunt for the perfect woman who meets his unique set of standards, while his best friend, Sara Maxwell (Danneel Harris, “One Tree Hill”), is just looking for a man to settle down with and raise a family. Ben and Sara have fallen into the habit of turning to each other for moral and physical support as they wait for Mr. and Ms. Right to arrive. Their friend Aaron, a romantic at heart, doesn’t approve of Ben and Sara’s complicated friendship, but he, along with womanizer Hoon (Ian Reed Kesler) and straight shooter Riley (Jessica Lucas, “Cloverfield”), are all distracted with their own dating trials and tribulations.

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