‘The Office’ Countdown to Super Bowl XLIII

January 30, 2009 by Chandra  

Steve Carell/The Office 5.13

As we sitcom fans already know, the NBC comedy The Office has scored the post-Super Bowl XLIII time slot, which happens to be this very coming Sunday, February 1st.

Follow the jump for a slew of videos featuring various Office people involved with the special two-part, hourlong-episode “Stress Relief,” including guest stars Jack Black and Cloris Leachman in the fourth clip. Actress Jessica Alba is also slated for an appearance and is shown briefly in the fifth video.

Although I reiterate how refreshing it would have been if NBC had given the coveted spot to a struggling yet worthy show like Chuck (which has its own very special 3D episode coming up on Monday, February 2nd) or Life instead, there’s little doubt The Office will do a mighty fine job entertaining viewers come Sunday around 10:30pm EST.

The official network description for the episode teases: “After Dwight’s fire safety seminar goes awry, he must make amends to the stressed-out office. Michael tries a number of ways to get his employees to relax before discovering that he is the number one stressor at work. So that people won’t feel afraid of him, he insists on a no-holds-barred roast of himself. Also, while watching a pirated movie, Andy is convinced that Jim and Pam are film gurus.”

Sneak a few peeks at what’s in store after the cut. NBC has released six videos that I’ve been able to find.

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Next on ‘Burn Notice’: Hot Spot

January 29, 2009 by Chandra  

Jeffrey Donovan, Michael Irving, Bruce Campbell/Burn Notice 2.11

On the next episode of Burn Notice, tonight’s “Hot Spot,” Michael, Fiona, and Sam pretend to be a gang of ruthless car thieves.

The undercover work is for their latest case targeting a thug who has been threatening a local high school football star. When they’re not busy with that, Michael and Fiona also manage to locate the person responsible for trying to murder Michael by setting up the bomb that torched his loft.

Michael Irving guest stars as Coach Sean Martin on this one. And, unless my eyes are deceiving me, that’s former Blade: The Series star Kirk Jones, also known as Onyx hip-hopper Sticky Fingaz, playing the lead bad guy in the promo video after the jump. Very nice.

Follow the cut for a few “Hot Spot” photos and the promo clip just mentioned.

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‘Chuck Versus the Third Dimension’ Preview

January 28, 2009 by Chandra  

Zachary Levi/Chuck 2.12

NBC is rolling out the sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes clips for next Monday’s Chuck, “Chuck Versus the Third Dimension,” the first fresh episode of the sophomore series in 2009.

This is the one in 3D where Lost alum Dominic Monaghan drops by to reprise his role as Charlie Pace play a rock star who causes Chuck Bartowski some serious headaches after the team rescues him from certain death.

Take a look at the earlier post “Preview: Dominic Monaghan in ‘Chuck Versus the Third Dimension’” to see the guest star in action, and follow the jump for a couple of video clips that provide an in-depth look at the episode.

I can’t wait for Chuck to get started again, especially since the show has so many great guest stars and plotlines coming up. If you’re a fan, make sure to begin tuning in on February 2 to help raise the ratings as high as possible and encourage NBC to reward the series with a third season.

Now on to the videos after the jump, the first of which features guest Monaghan among the cast members interviewed.

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‘Meet the Browns’ Gets Enormous Episode Order

January 28, 2009 by Chandra  

David Mann and Tamela J. Mann/Tyler Perry's Meet the BrownsWell, there’s no doubt how much TBS loves Tyler Perry, the man responsible for one, going on two now, of the network’s most popular original series.

Yesterday, the basic-cable network announced that it has ordered an additional 80 — yes, eighty — episodes of Perry’s second sitcom, Meet the Browns, based on premiere ratings that are only surpassed by those that Perry’s first sitcom, House of Payne, earned when it debuted in June 2007. I must say I’m happy about this news because Meet the Browns has proven to be a funny and engaging comedy so far.

Variety reports that Meet the Browns, now nearing the end of a ten-episode trial run, will return in the summer to team up with House of Payne. Obviously, this is a match made in heaven, so Perry fans have a whole lot to look forward to on TBS in a few months.

Photo: David Mann and Tamela J. Mann (Newscom)

And the 15th SAG Awards Comedy TV Winners Are…

January 26, 2009 by Chandra  

Tina Fey/15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

30 Rock! 30 Rock! 30 Rock!

Honestly — if you haven’t yet heard, Tina Fey’s masterful NBC sitcom 30 Rock is on an awards-show roll, and January 25th’s 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards was no different than all of the other ceremonies in recent memory.

The NBC sitcom positively swept the comedy television awards in all three categories: Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Series. I don’t even have to specify the names of the first two winners because savvy viewers already know.

The biggest loser among the nominees? Ugly Betty, which dropped out of two categories all together. Last year, Vanessa Williams was up for Best Comedy Actress, alongside her co-star America Ferrera, and the series was also nominated for Best Comedy Series then.

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Preview: Dominic Monaghan in ‘Chuck Versus the Third Dimension’

January 20, 2009 by Chandra  

Yvonne Strahovski, Zachary Levi, Adam Baldwin/ChuckIf you haven’t heard yet, Lost alum Dominic Monaghan has an upcoming guest-star gig on the very special February 2 episode of Chuck called “Chuck Versus the Third Dimension.”

The episode’s not just a big deal because of Monaghan, of course, but also because (1) it’s the first new Chuck of 2009 and (2) it will supposedly be broadcast in exciting 3-D. I say supposedly because I’ve tried watching 3-D TV and movies before, and neither ever did a thing for me. Maybe this time will be the charm.

Monaghan plays — surprise … not! — a rock star, this one named Tyler Martin. When the international sensation becomes the target of deadly crooks, Team Chuck steps in and saves his butt. Dear old Chuck then has second thoughts about that turn of events when he and Tyler have all kinds of problems during a night hanging out.

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‘Kath & Kim’ Rookie Season Cut Short

January 20, 2009 by Chandra  

Kath & KimI’ve got bad news here, Kath & Kim fans. Just like the equally awful — no offense intended — NBC drama Knight Rider before it, the NBC sitcom Kath & Kim has suffered a sheering of sorts at the hands of network programming executives.

In the midst of all the Television Critics Association press tour madness last week, the Futon Critic learned that instead of making good on its 22-episode, full-season order for the Australian import back in November, NBC intends to decrease the comedy’s freshman season to just 17 episodes instead.

The reason is presumably the usual suspect, of course: unimpressive ratings, especially among those highly coveted adults aged 18 to 49. Consequently, as already posted, when the comedy ends its run, Amy Poehler’s new series will take over Kath & Kim’s post-My Name Is Earl time slot.

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‘30 Rock’ and ‘The Office’ Get Another Season

January 18, 2009 by Chandra  

Tracy Morgan, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin/30 RockIn what qualifies as complete no-brainer news, NBC has given sitcoms 30 Rock and The Office early pickups for a fourth and sixth season, respectively.

The network announced the decision on January 15 during its presentation at the Televsion Critics Association press tour. Also the recipient of another season is weight-loss reality hit The Biggest Loser.

In addition, while no decision has been made about new comedy Kath & Kim, it was announced that Amy Poehler’s still untitled sitcom will take over the Australian import’s time slot, beginning on Thursday, April 9, at 8:30pm EST.

I’m really looking forward to that one, which stars Office alumna Rashida Jones and current Scrubs intern Aziz Ansari, as well. Hopefully, someone will finally come up with a title by the time it premieres.

Photos: Nicole Rivelli/NBC

Chevy! Bakula! Three Is the Magic Number for ‘Chuck’

January 16, 2009 by Chandra  

ChuckYeah, I know — I only mentioned two names in the title. However, the magical number three refers to the number of Chuck episodes that upcoming top-notch guest stars Chevy Chase and Scott Bakula will each be appearing in, according to current reports.

Quantum Leap and Enterprise star Bakula has come onboard to play Chuck and Ellie’s oft-mentioned yet never-before-seen daddy. Considering his huge background and following in the science-fiction television genre, I’m sure fans everywhere are feeling all kinds of thrilled about his casting.

Says series creator Josh Schwartz to E! Online: “They [the Bartowski kids and their estranged dad] haven’t seen each other for a long time. His dad is a little bit of an eccentric. He’s a sweet man, but has been off the reservation for a while. Chuck promised Ellie he would find him for the wedding, and when he finds him, he may not actually want to be found.”

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Fans Must Wait for Dirty Sexy, Eli, Pushing Daisies Finales

January 16, 2009 by Chandra  

Jonny Lee Miller/Eli StoneThis news truly sucks.

E! Online’s Kristin and tons of other TV industry insiders in the know all report pretty much the same dismal development: ABC is holding off on airing the final episodes of canceled gems Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, and Pushing Daisies until the summer.

For those of us who remember the vastly boring wasteland the summer TV season used to be before basic cable swooped in and made it a legitimate occasion for new stuff, waiting isn’t such a big deal. But, for fans who wanted closure as soon as possible, it’s a whole ‘nother story I’m sure.

The reason for the delay is very simple, of course. Chalk it up to money, meaning ratings too low to have a large enough positive impact on the network’s bottom line. As Kristin points out, the shows that replaced the three series in their former time slots, including repeats of other series, have been bringing in much more Nielsen bacon — often twice as much or more.

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