It had to happen sooner or later, Woodcock fans.

Recent casting news indicates that actor Eddie Kaye Thomas, who played popular Jeff Woodcock on the Fox sitcom ‘Til Death for its first two seasons, has scored a role on HBO’s forthcoming comedy series How to Make It in America.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Thomas’ new job is a regular role, which should supplement his voice work as the character Barry on the Fox animated series American Dad! quite well.

The former ‘Til Death regular guest starred in the pilot for the HBO newcomer, which was titled simply How to Make It then and concerned two men in their twenties named Ben (Bryan Greenberg, October Road) and Cam (Victor Rasuk, ER) trying to make it big in New York.

Congrats to Thomas. May his latest non-animated comedy be an improvement over his last.

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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Original Air Date: April 30, 2008

The Starks disagree about EDDIE and the state of their marriage after Eddie fails to shed a single tear during a sad movie. JOY thinks this indicates her husband isn’t in touch with his feelings, while Eddie thinks it demonstrates he knows the difference between make believe (the movie) and reality (not the movie).

To nip the problem in the bud while they still can, Joy suggests the couple attend a so-called Living Loving Sharing workshop that a neighbor went to. Eddie thinks that would be a waste of time since, after so long being married, they should get off the accelerator and just let their relationship coast to its natural end.

Later, Joy whips out a few home videos to drive home her point that Eddie is devoid of emotions, one of her crying at their wedding and another of Eddie joking around at their daughter’s birth (when asked if he’d like to cut the umbilical cord, Eddie asks are they sure the baby won’t deflate and start floating around the room like a balloon).

Since Joy is so visibly upset, Eddie gets moody … but not necessarily emotional. KENNY drops by around then and tries to play Montel, taking Eddie back to sad childhood memories of when schoolmates used to call him Buttface because he was freakishly tall (as Eddie says, there’s really no correlation between the trait and the nickname). Even that doesn’t make Eddie sad, however.

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Original Air Date: April 16, 2008

EDDIE and KENNY check out the new movie theater in town, and while Eddie is in the bathroom, Kenny goes to the concession stand to buy some snacks. As soon as Eddie comes back out, Kenny tells him the cashier ignored him completely and skipped over him to take the order of the white guy behind him on line.

What really happened becomes clearer when Eddie approaches a manager, angry and demanding an explanation. Now, Kenny adds in the finer details of the incident, such as he took a minute to look over the menu because he wasn’t sure what he wanted. He also points out the white guy in question, an elderly man using a walker.

Obviously, Kenny is seeing something that’s not there, and Eddie knows it. But, out of guilt, Eddie decides to back up Kenny’s claims, and the two leave the theater in a fit of righteous indignation, vowing never to return.

When Eddie arrives home afterwards, he finds JOY in a state of bliss over the new theater because it has a wine bar, which means no more sneaking in hers in a sippie bottle. She’s not thrilled when Eddie tells her they can’t go to the theater, especially when he reveals why, because it’s clear to her and any other rational person that what Kenny experienced was anything but racism.

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Fans of classic sitcoms from the 1970s should be excited about the April 30 episode of ‘Til Death, “The Courtship of Eddie’s Parents,” because the one and only Valerie Harper of Mary Tyler Moore and Rhoda fame is dropping by to play Brad Garrett’s TV mother.

Unfortunately, she’ll have bad news for her boy, too, when the Starks visit her and her husband, played by The Sopranos and Rescue Me’s Jerry Adler, and learn the two are heading for Splitsville.

I wonder how Eddie’s going to take that revelation. Probably not too well, if his emotional history on the show is any indication.

‘Til Death airs Wednesdays on Fox at 8pm EST.

I just love these titles that bite off of others. The name of the April 23 episode of ‘Til Death, “Snip/Duck,” is a variation of the FX hit Nip/Tuck’s title, of course, although the plot has a somewhat different slant.

Instead of plastic surgery but still in keeping with the medical theme, the plot concerns the Starks’ foray into vasectomy territory. One half of the couple winds up experiencing doubt about the procedure, resulting in a huge lie to avoid it.

‘Til Death airs Wednesdays on Fox at 8pm EST.

Recurring guest star J.B. Smoove returns on the April 16 episode of ‘Til Death, “Raisinette in the Sun.” He did a pretty good job as Eddie’s really big Little Brother Kenny on the last episode, so it’s good to have him back.

The plot takes on a heavy issue when Eddie and Kenny get into it over what one man perceives as a racist incident. The other disagrees and tries to show why.

‘Til Death airs Wednesdays on Fox at 8pm EST.

Original Air Date: March 25, 2008

When the Woodcocks come over one morning with the little African-American boy they’ve been assigned as Big Sibling volunteers, JOY gets the idea that she and her husband EDDIE might be bad people since they’re not “giving back,” too.

Eddie is initially stumped about this realization, but he eventually signs up to be a Big Brother himself. By that time, however, Joy has changed her mind about volunteer work and has decided she’ll give back to society by making homemade beaded jewelry instead.

So, on Saturday, Eddie goes to the apartment of one KENNETH WESTCHESTER, his supposedly Little Brother, to find “the boy” is actually a 38-year-old, bald, grown man who goes by the nickname K-Chesty.

It turns out Kenny’s mother signed him up for the Big Brother program 25 years go, and although he was never assigned a mentor, his name was still floating around in the system. He and Eddie were matched because they both indicated they like the sitcom Webster.

Kenny jumps at the chance to go rollerskating when Eddie mentions that’s what he had planned for the day. At the rink, the two have a good time, especially when they reveal to each other that they’re both bad at basketball, despite Eddie’s height and Kenny’s blackness.

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Get happy, ‘Til Death fans. Fox is dishing out a fresh episode of the sitcom for you at a special time (9:30pm EST) and on a special night (Tuesday, March 25).

“Really Big Brother” marks the arrival of a new recurring character played by actor (Everybody Hates Chris, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Saturday Night Live) and writer (Saturday Night Live) J.B. Smoove. His Jimmy comes into Eddie’s orbit after Eddie begins offering his volunteer services as a really, really Big Brother.

Smoove is a great asset to any comedy TV show’s cast, so his presence should definitely add that extra special something to the series.

Tonight, it’s a one-hour, double helping of Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher, just in time for the last day of November Sweeps. Unfortunately, however, that means no episode of Back to You for you and me.