Original Air Date: October 13, 2008

Goody for Sam! During the season premiere of Samantha Who?, our girl is on a high because she’s leaving her parent’s nest for the second time and returning to her own apartment. The only problem, as she quickly learns when she’s blissfully dancing around almost naked, is that she’s not alone because Todd is still there.

His last client, a bride, stiffed him on a wedding shoot because she didn’t like his work. So, it’s up to eager lawyer Andrea to, as she puts it, make the bride cry and kick him out of Sam’s apartment. She’s so thrilled at the prospect, she takes Todd’s case pro bono.

Meanwhile, Sam drops by her parents house for some last-minute forgotten stuff and finds them in the garage practicing for the Walnut Valley Club dance contest. The video of last year’s performance they’re practicing with is recorded over footage of Sam looking good dancing a Broadway routine during a long-ago recital. After she gets over the fact that her parents never bothered to give her the good news she can dance in the midst of their constant criticism, Sam gets pumped that she’s actually talented at something.

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Christina Applegate has had a hectic summer, no doubt, which is why it’s impressive that her hit ABC sitcom Samantha Who? returns for the fall season tomorrow at 9:30pm EST. The first episode up is the sophomore season opener “So I Think I Can Dance,” which, as the title clearly hints, is a spin on all of those ridiculously popular dance shows that keep popping up like rabid bunnies.

During the premiere, Samantha and her mother Regina, played by recent Best Comedy Supporting Actress Emmy winner Jean Smart, team up to take on guest star Cybill Shepherd’s Paula Drake and her Dancing with the Stars partner Mark Ballas (playing Mateo) in a sitcom dance competition unlike any other. There’s only one hitch, and it’s major: one of the things that Samantha somehow forgot as a result of her retrograde amnesia is how to dance.

Take a look at a couple of previews for the upcoming season, as well as a refresher video overview of the first season, all after the jump.

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Original Air Date: April 28, 2008

This episode is all about signals, starting with the one that TODD sends to SAM when she receives a postcard in the mail inviting her to his first photography gallery show. Not wanting to send the wrong signal back about whether or not she’s over him, Sam can’t decide whether she should go.

The decision is pretty much made for her when she goes to her building to talk to Todd directly. He reveals that CHLOE (Guest Star Kiele Sanchez) found out he sent her an invitation and then strongly suggested that Sam not attend since feelings might still be raw. Not only does Sam decide to go on the spot, but she also lies that she’s so over Todd she has a new man in her life named — wait for it — Rance, who has nothing to prove. Now all Sam has to do is find this phantom Rance man to be her date.

A trip to the bookstore, as suggested by DENA, yields nothing but all the wrong types. Sam is kicked out eventually anyway for jumping a woman who refuses to put back the book Sam is using to attract a certain type of male at a display table. Fortunately — or maybe not, as we learn later — Sam then bumps into a guy named CRAIG (Guest Star Jerry O’Connell) ineptly trying to break into his own car. Sam beats him to it and then asks if he likes art.

Craig follows Sam’s odd instructions to dress “casual average,” whatever that means. But, in the midst of taking her coat, which Sam makes him do when Todd is watching to maximize her ex’s jealousy, the guy’s yanking motion causes Sam to flash back to the time he mugged her three years ago when she and Andrea were out walking one night.

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On the May 5 episode of Samantha Who?, “The Affair,” Sam and Todd continue “hanging out” with each other, right under Chloe’s unaware nose. Since the very next episode, May 12’s “The Birthday,” doubles as the first-season finale, this development pretty much means anything could happen. Which woman will win Todd? Or will pretty boy end up all by his lonesome?

Samantha Who? airs Mondays on ABC from 9:32pm–10:32pm EST.

If you liked the recently canceled ABC sitcom Carpoolers, you’re going to love the April 28 episode of Samantha Who?. That’s because none other than Laird, also known as Jerry O’Connell in real life, guest stars.

He plays a supposed stranger that Samantha meets and promptly asks out on “The Gallery Show.” It’s soon revealed the two may not be so unknown to each other after all, however.

NOTE THE TIME CHANGE: On April 28, Samantha Who? airs on ABC from 9:38pm–10:38pm EST.

I assure you — nobody has butterflies in their stomach on the April 21 episode of Samantha Who? … I think.

Instead, “The Butterflies” focuses on Sam’s sneaky attempt to derail a construction project that threatens a butterfly habitat. Her plan involves gal pal Dena as an essential ingredient.

There’s also a little Todd in the mix when his reaction to a kiss befuddles Sam. Her memory must really still be shot if she can’t figure out why making out with her former lover might cause a few issues for him.

Samantha Who? airs Mondays on ABC from 9:32pm–10:32pm EST.

Original Air Date: April 7, 2008

Poor, SAMANTHA. She still likes her ex-boyfriend TODD, and no matter what she does, she keeps getting reminded of that fact. Walking down the street with DENA, she bumps into him. And, then he calls her parents’ house to invite her over for some of his chili. No wonder Samantha thinks he’s asking her to move back in when he mentions that he’s living in her apartment while she’s living with her mom and dad.

But, Todd isn’t talking about her. Instead, he’s building up to ask if his new girlfriend CHLOE (Guest Star Kiele Sanchez) can move in. Sam, taken aback, agrees enthusiastically. In fact, she says “Get that girl in here,” when she really means, “Hell no!”

Later at the coffee shop with ANDREA, the two friends reminisce about the days when Sam wasn’t a dumb ol’ amnesiac and knew just what to do to part guys she liked with their girlfriends — you know, dirty, clever things like leaving her phone number on a matchbook in their pocket, or lying about them sending bottles of wine over to her in bars. If Sam wants Todd to herself, Andrea is certain she must get her deceitful groove back.

Just in time to help Sam toughen up, AUDREY RHODES (Guest Star Beth Littleford), a woman on the board of Sam’s building, walks up and inquires about seeing someone moving into her apartment. Audrey cares because subletting is forbidden and grounds for eviction in their building. Oopsy daisy! So, Sam heads over to her apartment to inform Todd and Chloe it’s going to be a threesome. Talk about awkward…

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Samantha Who?’s Samantha Newly gets very, very lucky when it comes to romance on the April 14 episode of the series. Or, on second thought, maybe not so much.

“The Boss” puts a potential crimp in Samantha and her best friend Andrea’s relationship when a man comes between them. Although Andrea is the one who has the hots for the guy, Samantha is the woman the guy wants to spend the rest of his life with, if you know what I mean.

Deadwood and Live Free or Die Hard star Timothy Olyphant plays that man, who just happens to be Samantha’s boss (hence the title). Olyphant also stars in the high-octane action flick Hitman, which I just received from Netflix, so now I’m even more interested in checking the movie out before this episode airs.

Samantha Who? airs Mondays on ABC from 9:32pm–10:32pm EST.

Well, well, well. Look who’s back next Monday night — the one and only Samantha Who? I hope everyone else is as thrilled about Christina Applegate’s return as I am.

The April 7 installment of the ABC sitcom is called “The Girlfriend” for good reason. Samantha’s plans to move back into her apartment are complicated because her ex Todd has already invited his new you-know-who to move in. The problem isn’t so much his current significant other, however, as it is the fact that Samantha must live in the apartment herself.

Hmmm… I wonder how that threesome is going to work out…

As a special treat for Lost fans who also love Samantha, last season’s recurring deserted-island player Kiele Sanchez returns to guest star as Todd’s latest hookup. (I personally still can’t get over how her character’s storyline abruptly ended on Lost. That was way weird.)

Samantha Who? airs Mondays on ABC from 9:32pm–10:32pm EST.

I had no intention of watching the severely scaled-down 34th Annual People’s Choice Awards tonight, but I sort of stumbled upon the show since CBS is the only broadcast network in my area of New England that’s not airing wall-to-wall coverage of the New Hampshire primary right now. (ABC thankfully took a break at 9:30pm EST to show Carpoolers, but no doing for According to Jim and the replay of the Cashmere Mafia pilot.)

Good for me in a way, then, because I just had the opportunity to see the cast of the ABC sitcom Samantha Who? pick up a win and an award for Favorite New TV Comedy. The series beat fellow ABC rookies Carpoolers, Cavemen, and Pushing Daisies; CBS’ The Big Bang Theory; Fox’s Back to You; NBC’s Chuck; and The CW’s Aliens in America and Reaper. I know personally from recent Internet chatter that Pushing Daisies fans in particular were giving that series a very big promotional push in the blogosphere. The effort obviously didn’t work.

Samantha Who? star Christina Applegate held the People’s Choice Award statue, while her colleagues Melissa McCarthy (Sam’s best childhood friend Dena), Jean Smart (Sam’s mom Regina), and Kevin Dunn (Sam’s dad Howard) sat nearby. At one point during the informal acceptance speech, Applegate commented that the statue was so heavy, they’re going to make a workout video with it. Cute.

Congratulations to TV fans’ favorite new funny kids on the block. I’ll have the result for Favorite TV Comedy (there were only three nominees: CBS’ canceled The King of Queens and the still popular Two and a Half Men, as well as NBC’s My Name Is Earl) as soon as I learn the outcome of the voting.