NOTE: Pictures indicate series currently covered at Comedy Centric

I swear, these six- and seven-episode midseason show seasons are killing me because they’re just too disruptive. As soon as you start to get into a show, it’s over. Even worse, you then have to wait what seems like forever to learn if networks plan to bring the shows back. In the case of Miss/Guided, I hope the answer is yes.

The usual two episodes are coming up on April 3, but the second one only comes once per season. In other words, it’s the season finale.

First up is “High School Musical” (yes — like the movie), which has a totally unmusical Becky tasked with directing her school’s musical production. It’s gonna be a lot of fun seeing how that turns out.

The following first-season finale “Frenemies” then features Rumer Willis, the daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, as a student who manages to get on Vice Principal Bruce’s bad side, which isn’t all that difficult to do. Still, it’s a good thing for her that Becky’s got her back.

Miss/Guided airs on ABC in back-to-back episodes on Thursdays at 8pm and 8:30pm EST.

Monday | March 31

• The New Adventures of Old Christine: Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ old Seinfeld buddy Jason Alexander helps spiff up her show’s early third-season finale One and a Half Men. [9:30pm EST/CBS]

Thursday | April 3

• My Name Is Earl: The first sitcom from NBC’s Thursday-night lineup to come back to the tube post-strike opens its midseason with the two-part, hourlong episode I Won’t Die with a Little Help from My Friends. Recurring guest star Alyssa Milano and publicity op Paris Hilton both add extra dashes of appeal to the return. [8pm EST/NBC]
• Miss/Guided: Frenemies is more than just this engaging rookie sitcom’s seventh new episode. It’s also the show’s first-season finale. Is it just me or are seasons getting way too short these days? Anyway, look out for Bruce Willis and Demi Moore’s oldest daughter Rumer Willis, who guest stars as a troubled student. [8:30pm EST/ABC]

Sunday | April 6

• The Game: Canadian former pro basketball player Rick Fox makes a cameo appearance on White Men Can’t Jump, But They’re Definitely Packing. What a title, huh? [9pm EST/The CW]

Two servings of Becky Freeley coming up!

On the first new episode, “Rebel Yell,” our beloved guidance counselor goes a bit too far to fit in with some of the students at her school. But, wait — isn’t she supposed to be leading the younger people, not following? Anyway, I hope the show makes ample use of the Billy Idol tune with the same name. Love him.

Then, on “Pool Party,” the episode that sound’s most interesting based on the description alone, Becky gets into hot water trying to be a do-gooder on account of her school’s oldest and nastiest teacher.

And, when I say hot water, I mean, like, deathly hot water. Poor Becky. I’m sure she’ll pull through, though.

Miss/Guided airs on ABC in back-to-back episodes on Thursdays at 8pm and 8:30pm EST.

Original Air Date: March 20, 2008

During a counseling session with student MEREDITH RITTER (Guest Star Daniella Monet), who’s just had a nose job in hopes that it will decrease the amount of teasing she suffers for having a big nose, BECKY FREELEY learns about lindsaylopez.net. The website is an anonymous gossip blog about things relevant to Glen Ellen High School. Among the posts Meredith mentions is The Most Doable Teachers List.

Becky is immediately incensed, and after Vice Principal BRUCE TERRY finishes spouting off about plastic surgery being chicken soup for the face when he cringes upon seeing Meredith’s bandage-covered nose, she pulls up the blog on her laptop. Unfortunately, the Most Doable Teachers List has bad news. Becky’s rival, English teacher LISA GERMAIN, is at the top of the list, while Becky is lost in the middle at #18.

Becky pays Bruce a visit next to have him discontinue the blog due to its demeaning nature. He disagrees with that move, however, because he feels the site provides valuable intel he wouldn’t be able to get any other way.

His opinion rapidly changes, however, when someone posts a photo of him on all fours with a student during wrestling practice under the caption “Here & Queer.” Bruce makes it his mission then to find the person responsible for the blog, first interrogating students relentlessly and finally searching students’ lockers.

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Original Air Date: March 20, 2008

Glen Ellen High School student MANDY FERNER (Guest Star Jamie Lynn Spears) apparently needed a lot of help from guidance counselor BECKY FREELEY to help her get her act together. After three years, Becky succeeds, too, and in the opening scene we learn Mandy has been accepted to the state college. She plans to attend with her boyfriend Michael, the guy she’s making out in a car with when Becky approaches to break up the session.

Later at lunch, Principal PHIL HUFFY and Vice Principal BRUCE TERRY make a few faculty announcements. Huffy will be observing classes later in order to complete performance evaluations, and Phil alerts everyone that a substitute teacher will arrive soon. He’ll take over the advanced Spanish class while the former teacher, Señora Henderson, is on leave to have a child. Remedial Spanish teacher TIM O’MALLEY volunteers to lead the advanced course instead, but Huffy’s not having it.

The new sub turns out to be a guitar-slinging, charming cutie named BEAUX (Guest Star Ashton Kutcher) who considers himself a “wandering educator.” LISA GERMAIN is immediately and totally into him because of his looks and social skills. But, he has eyes for Becky only since she’s different and loved by the students, not a typical high-maintenance woman like Lisa. Unfortunately, Lisa believes Beaux’s lack of interest in her is due to his shyness and the fact that her beauty intimidates men.

Becky doesn’t care for Beaux at all initially. In fact, she thinks he’s joking when he flirts with her because she’s learned that good-looking guys like him usually go for women like Lisa instead. Moreover, if Beaux is hired permanently, her crush Tim will either be fired or demoted to teaching Auto Shop again.

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Two more episodes of ABC’s very nice new sitcom Miss/Guided are coming up.

Executive producer Ashton Kutcher guest stars on “Hot Sub,” the first installment, as just what the title states, a hot substitute teacher who — shocker! — takes an interest in pretty, upbeat guidance counselor Becky Freeley.

While more mature watchers will probably be psyched about Kutcher, younger tweens might be more eager to see the episode’s other guest star, Britney’s pregnant 16-year-old sister Jamie Lynn Spears. Cast entirely within her type, the actress plays a student who contemplates ditching college in order to maintain her romantic lifestyle. No shockers there.

The second new episode, “The List,” has far less guest-star appeal, despite an equally promising plot. When Becky learns students at the school consider her one of the faculty members they’d least want to hook up with in the bedroom, she sets her mind on upping her sexiness in their eyes.

Miss/Guided airs on ABC in back-to-back episodes on Thursdays at 8pm and 8:30pm EST.

Original Air Date: March 18, 2008

BECKY FREELEY was an undeniable dork when she attended Glen Ellen High School. Now, many years later, Principal PHIL HUFFY has hired her to be a guidance counselor there because she’s prettier than he remembers her, although she thinks it’s because he recognizes her maturity.

In the opening scenes, we learn Becky is perpetually perky and optimistic, putting a positive spin on even the most negative behavior and situations. When Vice Principal BRUCE TERRY — who turned the pain of getting his butt kicked three or four times a day as a student into the power of being a top school administrator — accosts her in the hallway because this year she’s in charge of the forthcoming homecoming dance instead of him, she refuses his offer to provide security. She’s already asked cute fellow teacher TIM O’MALLEY to do the honors, and he agreed to co-chaperone the event with her.

Tim used to be an Auto Shop teacher. But, then the school’s former Spanish teacher, Señor Levine, had his hard drive seized by the FBI. Later, Tim jumped at the opportunity to show he’s more than just a mechanic after the school’s janitor (Guest Star Juan Carlos Cantu) turned down the job because he doesn’t want his hard drive confiscated, too. Earnest Tim doesn’t even mind he’s only one language lab ahead of the students in the subject.

Since Tim agreed to co-chaperone the dance, all Becky has to do now is wait for him to ask her to be his date. At first, there’s a good chance he will, too, because there’s not much competition among the other female teachers — that is, until the principal hires Becky’s high school nemesis, former Homecoming Queen LISA GERMAIN, to join the English department. Lisa still clearly remembers that back when they were both students, Becky developed a “thing” for Lisa’s boyfriend, Todd Collins, after she appeared in one scene with him in a school production of The Sound of Music.

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Did you catch Judy Greer of ABC’s Miss/Guided on The View this morning? She came across as so genuinely nice, I’m looking forward to her new show even more than I was previously.

The actress — who has been in over 35 films and television shows, according to one co-host — discussed several interesting subjects. For anyone who’s familiar with her career, there’s the obvious fact that she often plays a supporting character, such as a best friend of the star in both 13 Going on 30 and 27 Dresses. Greer was also a ballet dancer for a long time, and terrible at it, she says.

The best part of the interview is when she talks about a very nice thing that Miss/Guided executive producer Ashton Kutcher did for her and her father. It made me and I’m sure just about everyone watching go, “Awww. Ain’t that sweeeet!” Greer really deserves this chance to shine in a leading role, so I hope the series becomes a winner for her.

Check out the Miss/Guided star’s appearance after the jump.

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That Ashton Kutcher sure has turned out to be way more talented than anyone probably ever suspected back during his pretty-boy modeling days.

Following the actor’s mega success producing first Punk’d on MTV and then Beauty and the Geek on The CW (let’s just call last year’s NBC failure The Real Wedding Crashers a minor, forgivable glitch — everyone’s allowed to have one or two in their career), Kutcher returns to the tube tonight with his latest project, the ABC/Caroline Williams sitcom Miss/Guided, or Miss Guided, as the network is now spelling it.

The series stars Love Monkey and Arrested Development’s Judy Greer as high-school guidance counselor Becky Freeley, who we quickly learn had a horrible time of it as an insecure loser when she attended the very same high school she now works at.

So, what happens to poor newly confident Becky when the popular, beautiful, intelligent nemesis from her teenage years shows up as a colleague? Tune in to tonight’s “Homecoming” series premiere at 10:32pm EST to find out.

Advance word on the show indicates the time spent will be worth it. And, the fact that Todd Holland of The Larry Sanders Show, Wonderfalls, and Malcolm in the Middle comedy goodness is also involved on the directing and executive-producing fronts only reinforces that sentiment.

Starting March 20, ABC will air Miss/Guided in back-to-back episodes on Thursdays at 8pm and 8:30pm EST.