Okay — we don’t know that for sure. But, what we do know is that the next television project for Ray Romano, the popular star of the late great-ish Everybody Loves Raymond, isn’t classified as a comedy or a dramedy. No, Ray fans. The next time you see Romano in a regular TV-show gig, he’s going to be acting in a drama.

Ahhh, the horror!

Or maybe not. The show in question is called Men of a Certain Age, and it not only stars Raymond alum Romano, but it’s being written and produced by Mike Royce, a writer and producer of the earlier, hugely successful sitcom, too.

Instead of airing on a major network, however, the upcoming series will make its home at basic cable’s TNT, the network responsible for the hit original series The Closer and Saving Grace, as well as an unending rotation of syndicated dramas like Alias, Angel, Bones, Charmed, Cold Case, ER, Las Vegas, Law & Order, Without a Trace, and my personal insomniac-friendly favorites, The X-Files and NYPD Blue.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Men of a Certain Age is in a similar vein as last fall’s failed ABC sitcom Carpoolers — you know, men bonding as they head into their scary middle-aged years together and share their trials and tribulations.

The key differences are, as the title of the current post states, this show isn’t meant to be funny (although how they’re going to manage that with Romano as the star is a legitimate question) and the three central 40-something characters involved have been friends since college.

This series is only in development at the moment, which means there’s no set premiere date yet. But, given the involvement of high-profile entertainer Romano, it’s logical to assume that TNT executives want production to get underway sooner rather than later.

On January 24, I passed along the news that John Ritter’s family would be heading to court in California this month regarding a lawsuit alleging he died unnecessarily while under the care of doctors. The much-loved comedian and actor passed away at the age of 54 in September 2003 due to an undetected aortic dissection.

Ritter’s widow, actress Amy Yasbeck, was gracious enough to speak with Today co-host Meredith Vieira, and the results of the interview aired on the morning show in two parts earlier this month. I’ve included both segments after the jump for readers interested in learning more about the situation from one of the people most closely involved.

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Many people most associate actor D.L. Hughley with Aaron Sorkin’s much hyped and famously failed NBC drama from Fall 2006, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. But, long before Hughley appeared on that headline-making series, he was a very successful standup comic and sitcom star, and of a self-titled show at that. Of course, I mean The Hughleys, which lasted a quite respectable four seasons on ABC first and then UPN from 1998 to 2002.

Fox announced on Monday that the talented entertainer will host the 39th NAACP Image Awards, scheduled to air live on the network next Thursday, February 14, from 8pm to 10pm EST. There, he’ll mingle with the likes of special guests America Ferrera (Ugly Betty), Richard T. Jones (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Jordin Sparks (current American Idol champion), Regina Taylor (The Unit), and Vanessa L. Williams (Ugly Betty) while doing a fine job of keeping the event rolling along smoothly.

Now let’s take a brief moment for some not-so-funny news. My most recent post began “Everybody loves Martin Lawrence, right?” Well, I have to say the same about John Ritter, one of the most likable, talented, and entertaining comedy personalities in the history of, like, the galaxy.

If there’s one television show I can watch over and over and yet over again, no matter how simplistic or redundant or old the storylines can get, it’s Ritter’s star-making series Three’s Company, hands down. Just last year, TV Land had a round-the-clock marathon of the sitcom that lasted for days, and I nearly went blind watching too much of it at night in the dark.

Ritter passed away in September 2003 at the too-young age of 54 due to an undetected tear in his aorta, the body’s largest blood vessel. The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor was starring in the popular ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules… for Dating My Teenage Daughter at the time, which filmed right across the street from the medical facility that Ritter died in, and I remember when the awful news broke like it was yesterday. That’s how much I love John Ritter.

The Los Angeles Times and People magazine report that next month, the legal team representing Ritter’s widow Amy Yasbeck (a regular cast member on another excellent sitcom of old, Wings) and his four children will finally have the chance to argue their wrongful-death lawsuit in court. Ritter’s surviving immediate family members are suing two doctors for over $67 million dollars in damages because they claim the medical professionals should have and could have diagnosed Ritter’s congenital heart defect in time to prevent his death. If that’s true, I don’t even know what to say.

Read more about the forthcoming court case and relevant issues at the Los Angeles Times and People.

Emmy-winning comic Kathy Griffin, star of Bravo’s popular reality series My Life on the D-List, has a special premiering tonight, her sixth on the basic-cable network.

The standup presentation Straight To Hell will feature the infamous D-Lister offering her sharp observations about anything and everything under the sun, ranging from her experiences guest hosting on the daytime talk show The View and meeting home guru Martha Stewart to her various brushes with celebrities like the Pee Pees, Paula Abdul and Paris Hilton.

Catch chatty Kathy and her hourlong special at 9pm EST on Bravo. The event was filmed in Chicago, where she’s from, which should make for an even snarkier grand old time than usual.

It’s always great to see former Saturday Night Live player Molly Shannon, wherever the place may be. Tomorrow morning, the forthcoming Pushing Daisies multi-episode guest star will just happen to be on the daytime talker The View. I imagine she’ll fit right in with all those chatty women. So, if you’re a fan—or just want a little dish perhaps on her Daisies role—don’t forget to tune in whenever your local station broadcasts the show.

Correct me if I’m hallucinating, but doesn’t it often seem like the same comedy stars show up on the talk shows over and over and over again, while others are virtually in the Witness Protection Program? Is that because of some kind of stipulation in their contracts? Are the networks trying to hide the other cast members? What’s wrong with the other cast members? Is this a massive comedy conspiracy to make some cast members more recognizable and famous than others? Don’t all of the cast members want to be recognized and famous? If not, why not? I do. Who doesn’t?

Getting back on track: three *exceedingly* familiar faces are coming up on the next round of late-night and early-morning chatters. Jerry Seinfeld is still promoting the hell out of that Bee Movie. (I finally surfed over to the Internet Movie Database to see what’s up with that, and now I know why the comedian is so invested in this project—he co-wrote the thing. Suddenly, the Jerry onslaught makes much more sense, even if it’s no less annoying.) His quest to ensure that each and every individual on Planet Earth knows about the flick continues on—wait for it—The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Actually, that hook-up sounds interesting enough to endure.

Elsewhere, on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Jerry O’Connell will do his best to drum up support and a bigger audience for his ABC newbie Carpoolers. The series will likely never gain Samantha Who?-sized popularity, but at least everyone roundly acknowledges it’s definitely no Cavemen. That counts for a lot, believe you me.

And finally, tomorrow morning, Rules of Engagement star David Spade will follow up his visit to the Late Show with David Letterman last night with another to The View. Raunchy Spade plus five bodacious and chatty chicks? Aw, come on. How can that not be entertaining? Barbara, you better look out, girl…

David Spade of CBS’ Rules of Engagement is one of the most annoying little dudes ever. Still, I’ll sit tight to watch him on TV any day of the week, simply because his brand of snark is often that big a hoot. Tonight, he’s doing another famously funny David a favor by visiting the Late Show with David Letterman.

Also up on Letterman for laugh lovers: hulking 6'6" Penn Jillette and mute 5'9" (He’s that high? Shocker!) Teller of the magic-comedy duo Penn & Teller and Showtime Penn & Teller: Bullshit! fame. Betcha didn’t know that although Teller was born Raymond Joseph Teller, his name is now legally just the singular “Teller.” Très cool!

Over on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the show of Guinness World Record holder Jimmy Kimmel, former NewsRadio player Andy Dick will visit. I’m not so hot about Dick (okay—maybe that didn’t come out quite right) and his obnoxious behavior, which is totally unlike Spade’s obnoxious behavior. But, I guess there’s a comedian for everyone out there. Why Kimmel is welcoming him back after booting him during an early February appearance for sexually and stupidly harassing fellow guest Ivanka Trump is anyone’s guess, though. It probably has a bit to do with that little thing called ratings and how controversy tends to increase them.

Yet more comedy goodness is on the way tomorrow morning, too, when Jerry Seinfeld drops by Live with Regis and Kelly to continue bombarding us with pushing that weird Bee Movie thing. I honestly don’t know exactly what the flick’s about since every time one of those hour-long, super silly commercials comes on TV, I head straight for the bathroom or kitchen. I’m sure it’ll do just fine when it’s released, however. And, don’t feel bad if you miss Reege and Kelly. Seinfeld’s gonna be literally everywhere on the chatters this week, and he’s got several more appearances in store before the weekend.

Tonight’s late-night chat shows feature several names in comedy television. Pushing Daisies’ Kristin Chenoweth will visit The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and Seinfeld star Jerry Seinfeld is scheduled for the Late Show with David Letterman.

Meanwhile, on a repeat from October 9, just three weeks ago, fans will get to see Sarah Silverman and her significant other Jimmy Kimmel talk amongst themselves on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

NBC’s 30 Rock begins its second season tonight at 8:30pm EST, fresh off of an Emmy win for Outstanding Comedy Series.

At the end of the first season, Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) was contending with a long-distance relationship, while her boss Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) had to contend with a visit from his “unique” mother Colleen (this year’s Comedy Guest Actress Emmy winner Elaine Stritch) due to his forthcoming marriage.

The season premiere “SeinfeldVision” finds the cast and crew of the sketch comedy show-in-a-show The Girlie Show all back from summer hiatus. First crisis up: Guest star Jerry Seinfeld’s disapproval of Jack’s latest scheme, SeinfeldVision, which involves increasing ratings for NBC’s current series by inserting old footage from Seinfeld’s former hit sitcom. Yeah—good luck with that.

Check out the following clip to learn why NBC thinks 30 Rock scored big time at this year’s Emmys.

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