Whew! That was fast!

Not two weeks after Fox canceled his latest sitcom, the entertaining broadcast-news series Back to You, star Kelsey Grammer has already lined up another comedy-TV gig.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Grammer has just joined the cast of ABC’s Roman’s Empire … as the lead title character! Talent like Grammer’s cannot be denied, so what in the world was Fox thinking? (Hint: money)

The ABC single-camera sitcom — a departure for Grammer from his previous multi-camera shows Cheers, Frasier, and Back to You — is about a nice guy who gets dumped by his rich girlfriend but then can’t get away from her family, which is helmed by her colorful father Roman Pretty (Grammer).

A final detail of note concerns Ashton Kutcher, who is co-executive producing the new series.

NOTE: The picture indicates a series currently covered at Comedy Centric

Perhaps, loyal viewers, perhaps.

Rumors spread early this weekend that Fox has canceled the broadcast-news sitcom Back to You, reportedly because of the high price tag attached to its big-name stars Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton.

TV Week indicates all is not said and done regarding the show’s future, however. On Sunday, the website reported that Back to You’s production studio, 20th Century Fox TV, is shopping the show to CBS.

The studio has apparently given CBS head Leslie Moonves several episodes of the series to evaluate. If the comedy should move to a new home at the network, the switch wouldn’t be all that shocking — Heaton starred on the Eye Network’s monster sitcom hit Everybody Loves Raymond, and the network once contemplated a spinoff of NBC’s monster sitcom hit Frasier, which starred Grammer.

Fans will know the absolute fate of Back to You sooner rather than later since upfront week, the time when broadcast networks push their fall schedules and recent ratings performance for prospective advertisers, is here. Stay tuned…

In other related Fox news, the rookie dramas Canterbury’s Law and New Amsterdam, both midseason series, have also been given the ax. The major difference is those cancellations seem to be done deals as there’s no talk of shopping either show elsewhere.

That time of the year is upon us, namely the spring upfront season, which is when viewers learn the fates of their favorite shows on the bubble. The industry-speak phrase refers to those series that network executives haven’t yet decided what to do with: cancel, renew, or downsize to a midseason replacement. The last two options are obviously better than the first.

Fox has spoken regarding a couple of its shows on the cusp or brink or edge or whatever — the sitcoms ‘Til Death and its broadcast companion Back to You. Shockingly (at least in my head), the first series has been renewed for a third season while the second show, which stars TV-comedy heavyweights Kelsey Grammer (Frasier, Cheers) and Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond), has been axed.

Say what?!

Sure, Back to You isn’t the best it could be, but it’s still highly watchable on a decent night, and downright hilarious most times that regulars Fred Willard and/or Ty Burrell are onscreen (and when you get them both together, just sit back and soak up the comedy genius). I actually thought a sophomore run was more or less a lock for the series. That shows how much what I think matters.

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And, yes, the word “hook” in the title is a reference to Back to You star Patricia Heaton’s infamous remark on The View Monday morning that female anchors on the West Coast of the United States have a striking resemblance to hookers, what with their gigantic hoop earrings and all. I personally wouldn’t know, though, since I’m strictly straight-up East Coast.

During her turn on the couch with Barbara, Joy, Elisabeth, Whoopie, and Sherri (the ladies were out in full force!), Heaton also discussed what she did to celebrate turning the big 5-0 on March 4. She made plans for the monumental event during the writers’ strike, inviting four of her girlfriends on a fun vacation, where they did stuff like kayak with the whales and watch 27 Dresses while in bed together. The last part probably wasn’t as titillating as it sounds.

Check out the interview after the jump, and don’t forget to catch Back to You tonight at 8:30pm EST, too.

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Back to You’s May 7 episode, The New Boss, guest stars Suzy Nakamura (Help Me Help You) as the new woman in charge at WURG.

Of course, to everyone’s great dismay, she swoops in and starts changing stuff. Unfortunately for Team Ambush, Chuck and Kelly, she’s also more than a little savvy, which allows her to successfully derail their ambush … to their disadvantage.

This episode sounds like it’s going to be a step in the right direction, finally taking viewers away from all of that self-involved angst over revealing to Gracie that Chuck is her father. That’s gotten old, so I, for one, am anxious to just move on already.

Oh — And Ayda Field is back on this episode from wherever she was as sexy weather anchor Montana Diaz Herrera. Great.

Two quick preview clips from “The New Boss” follow the jump.

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Monday | May 5

• The Big Bang Theory, The Shiksa Indeterminacy: Sheldon has a twin sister! [8pm EST/CBS]
• Greek, 47 Hours & 11 Minutes: Parents’ weekend arrives, and Rusty’s have no clue he’s a member of the hardest partying frat on campus. [8pm EST/ABC Family]
• How I Met Your Mother, Rebound Bro: Scrubs‘ Sarah Chalke returns as dermatologist Stella. [8:30pm EST/CBS]
• Two and a Half Men, Fish in a Drawer: It’s the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation crossover episode created by CSI writers. [9pm EST/CBS]
• Rules of Engagement, Russell’s Father’s Son: There’s bad news for Russell — his father likes Adam better. [9:30pm EST/CBS]
• Samantha Who?, The Affair: Things heat up between Sam and her new/old boyfriend Todd, and Sam begins to suspect her mother Regina has something cooking, too. [9:32pm EST/ABC]

Tuesday | May 6

• Reaper, Greg, Schmeg: Trouble comes a-knockin’ in Sam and Andyland when her ex Greg arrives on the scene. [9pm EST/The CW]

Wednesday | May 7

• ‘Til Death, Second Marriage Guy: Eddie convinces Joy to try out a second marriage — and, no, it’s not what you think. [8pm EST/Fox]
• Under One Roof, Thug Jr.: Winston Jr. becomes deluded enough to believe he can succeed as a gangster rapper. [8pm EST/MyNetworkTV]
• Back to You, The New Boss: The WURG gang gets a new boss, and she’s no pushover either. [8:30pm EST/Fox]

Thursday | May 8

• My Name Is Earl, Girl Earl: Billie creates her own Karma list. [8pm EST/NBC]
• Scrubs, My Princess: The entire Sacred Heart staff becomes characters in a fairytale episode. [8:30pm EST/NBC/Seventh-Season Finale]
• The Office, Job Fair: Jim plays golf and Michael recruits a summer intern at Pam’s alma mater. [9pm EST/NBC]
• 30 Rock, Cooter: Matthew Broderick, Edie Falco, Dean Winters, and Paul Scheer all guest star. [9:31pm EST/NBC/Second-Season Finale]

Saturday | May 10

• Mom, Dad and Her: A new original movie starring The Office and Monk’s Melora Hardin (Jan/Trudy). [9pm EST/Lifetime]

Original Air Date: April 30, 2008

Picking up right where the last episode left off, KELLY wakes up from her faint, and she and CHUCK clarify for Gracie that the two of them conceived her the “old-fashioned way.” When Chuck admits to GRACIE that he didn’t tell her he was her father because he didn’t know himself, Gracie gets angry that her mother lied to her, and then she runs upstairs.

As Chuck and Kelly repair Gracie’s science project, which was broken when Chuck fainted on it, they reminisce about how they hooked up that one time in the first place.

It was New Year’s Eve in 1997, and the station was holding a farewell party for Chuck, who was about to depart for a bigger news market in Minneapolis/St. Paul after six years in Pittsburgh. The two anchors had both been drinking, and at night’s end, Kelly started to tell Chuck what she would really like as she was leaving. Assuming he knew what she was going to say, Chuck kissed her.

The office party then moved to Kelly’s house after MARSH overheard the two planning to go there themselves. Hours later, Kelly finally manages to get everyone to leave, and the next morning Chuck tries to do the same himself, without saying goodbye to Kelly.

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Monday | April 21

• The Big Bang Theory: Roseanne’s Sara Gilbert makes another guest appearance as Leslie Winkle on The Bat Jar Conjecture. [8pm EST/CBS]
• How I Met Your Mother: A new Robin Sparkles video premieres on Sandcastles in the Sand, and James Van Der Beek guest stars. [8:30pm EST/CBS]
• Two and a Half Men: Both Jane Lynch and Emmanuelle Vaugier drop by to resurrect their previous roles on the ridiculously titled Rough Night in Hump Junction. [9pm EST/CBS]

Tuesday | April 22

• According to Jim: Younger viewers especially will probably appreciate the guest-star turns of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody twins Cole Sprouse and Dylan Sprouse on I Drink Your Milkshake. [8pm EST/ABC]
• Reaper: Nice. Not only does the series resume new episodes, but previous guests Ken Marino and Michael Ian Black are back on Rebellion. The Devil had better watch out! [9pm EST/The CW]

Wednesday | April 23

• Back to You: Lovely, lovely, lovely living legend Diahann Carroll lends her beautiful presence to Hug & Tell. [8:30pm EST/Fox]
• Men in Trees: The dramedy airs its last new episode before going on hiatus until May 28. [10pm EST/ABC]

Thursday | April 24

• Ugly Betty: Fresh episodes finally kick back in. [8pm EST/ABC]
• 30 Rock: Chris Parnell, Rip Torn, and Will Arnett are all onboard for Succession. Keep in mind that the sitcom has also switched time slots with Scrubs. [9:31pm EST/NBC]

Saturday | April 26

• Drew Hastings: Irked and Miffed: A comedy special for standup lovers. [11pm EST/Comedy Central]

Sunday | April 27

• Aliens in America: After over a month of repeats, new episodes start back up with The Muslim Card. [8:30pm EST/The CW]