Neil Flynn, the versatile actor who plays the notoriously nameless Janitor on Scrubs, has just landed a starring role in Patricia Heaton’s forthcoming ABC sitcom pilot called The Middle.

Flynn will play the husband of Heaton’s character, both middle-class parents who live in middle America and struggle to bring their three children up properly. Obviously, the family comedy’s title is extremely accurate, and the lead pairing sounds like a promising match.

I hope this one makes it through the pilot process for a pickup and fares better than Heaton’s most recent sitcom, Back to You on cancel-em-quick Fox.

Everybody Loves Raymond and Back to You sitcom veteran Patricia Heaton will appear in an entirely different kind of television program tonight when her new Hallmark Hall of Fame movie Front of the Class premieres on CBS at 9pm EST.

The feel-good drama is reportedly based on the true story of Brad Cohen (Jimmy Wolk), who became a successful teacher, despite suffering years of ridicule and complications due to Tourette’s syndrome. Heaton plays his mother Ellen, alongside Treat Williams (Everwood), who stars as his father Norman.

Take a look at an interview about the movie Heaton recently gave on CBS News in the video after the jump. And, if you plan to watch, get ready to pull out the hankies since this is a Hallmark flick after all.

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Broadcasting & Cable has some very interesting news about Patricia Heaton.

Apparently, the former star of Fox’s recently canceled Back to You was in talks to headline a daytime talk show after CBS’ Everybody Loves Raymond aired its final original episode back in September 2005.

But then Back to You was picked up and Heaton changed her mind. Now that she’s free again, several syndicators are reportedly interested in putting the actress’ talents to good use, although no development deal has been announced yet.

I could totally see Heaton featured on her own talk show since she clearly has very strong opinions about a lot of things, including politics. If the choice were up to me, though, I’d much rather she was cast on another sitcom.

It’s a shame Back to You was canceled before it had the proper time to grow, but the brief run proved one thing — Heaton still has the funny touch in the right role.

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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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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Original Air Date: April 16, 2008

There are lots of changes on Back to You post-hiatus. The first thing we notice during this episode is that the actress who plays Chuck and Kelly’s daughter Gracie has changed. She’s no longer Laura Marano, formerly of Without a Trace, but a newcomer named Lily Jackson. The network still lists Marano as the actress for Gracie in print material, yet Jackson’s name appears in the opening credits now, making it unclear if this is a permanent or temporary situation.

Another change introduced with this episode is that Ayda Field, who played weatherwoman Montana Diaz Herrera, has disappeared from the opening credits, the scenes, and the network’s press releases describing plots. Since there’s been no announcement that I know of regarding her sudden absence, I and lots of other people are wondering what’s going on.

Now to the recap…

GRACIE calls the news station office to tell her mom she made the honor roll. CHUCK takes the call because KELLY’s at a meeting to accept the Most Trusted Woman honor. Unfortunately, she couldn’t read Chuck’s handwriting from the message he took. As a result, she misinterprets his “9” as a “4” and ends up at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting instead.

Another unfortunate turn of events happens then because a WURG employee named MARGARET (Guest Star Amy Farrington) is also there, attending her regular AA meeting. Margaret is one of those needy people in search of a friend, and she latches onto Kelly and refuses to let go, although Kelly repeatedly tells her she’s not an alcoholic.

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The April 23 episode of Back to You, “Hug & Tell,” will pack an extra shot of star power due to the guest appearance of entertainment pioneer Diahann Carroll.

Carroll is an icon for so many reasons besides her obvious beauty, talent, and good deeds. She’s the first black actress to star in her own television series in an untraditional non-servant role (the 1968–1971 sitcom Julia, on which she played a nurse), the first black woman to win a Tony Award for Best Actress (the 1962 musical No Strings), and one of only seven black actresses ever nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award (the 1974 comedy drama Claudine).

The episode itself revolves around Chuck and Kelly’s decision to finally tell Gracie who her father is. We all know that’s what Chuck wants, despite Kelly’s continual concerns. But, when a therapist enters the picture, the situation becomes even more difficult for all involved.

I personally think it’s time for the so-called adults to get this over with and let Gracie know what’s what. She deserves the truth, especially considering her maturity for her age, not to mention that she already knows Chuck fairly well.

Back to You airs Wednesdays on Fox at 8:30pm EST.