TV with MeeVee

Upfronts Update! "Reaper" To Return!

Yesterday was full of anticlimactic "news" - Jimmy Fallon taking over "Late Night," "Scrubs" moving to ABC to finish out its run. But after the sun went down here in the east, that was lots of good stuff posted on the fall schedules, including widespread reports that "Reaper" has been given a 13-episode midseason order by CW. We won't know for absolute sure until CBS and CW announce their deals on Wednesday, but it looks like a lock. (Ooops, CW announces late today.)  And I don't care if it came about because the writers strike screwed up the development season. I will watch "Reaper" tonight with a full heart.

ABC will announce its plans this morning. In the meantime...

• Michael Rapaport ("War at Home," "My Name Is Earl") will play a fed on "Prison Break" (Hollywood Reporter).
• Several sources say ABC has picked up "Life On Mars," an American remake of the Brit series about a cop who suddenly finds himself transplanted to the - bad hair alert! - 1970s. Surprisingly, it's a drama. Apparently that was contingent on ABC also picking up producer David E. Kelley's "Boston Legal" for another season.
• CBS has picked up Jerry Bruckheimer's "Eleventh Hour," the drama "The Mentalist," the thriller "Harper's Island," and the Jay Mohr comedy "Project Gary."
• Nikki Finke says it was nice of CBS to renew "The Unit" while several of its stars are visiting troops in Iraq. But she also has a lot of inside scoop on why "Moonlight" hasn't yet been renewed and may not be.

More Hot Rumors For Upfront Week

• Consensus has it that "Eli Stone" is coming back to ABC, though I can't understand why. "October Road" is dead. Sources disagree on "Women's Murder Club," though given the title...
• CBS is expected to bring back "The Unit." Still no word on whether "Reaper" will be back on CW, which has gotta be thought of as bad news.
• Zach Braff told fans on MySpace what has been the worst-kept secret in Hollywood - "Scrubs" is moving to ABC for its eighth season.
• Producers are trying to get CBS to pick up Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton's "Back to You," which was dropped by Fox. Here's pix of Grammer at a "memorial" erected by fans over at Fox this morning. People are weird, no?

"Scrubs" NBC Finale Preview Video

Ok, Ok, we all know "Scrubs" is moving to ABC next season, and tonight is its last episode on NBC. Contractual reasons - Hollywoodese for "honor among thieves" - prevents anyone from actually mentioning the ABC deal. But here's a clip from tonight's "fairy tale" finale, introduced by Zack Braff...

Afternoon Links As We Await The Most Awesome Night Of TV This Season

Let's see, a kickass "Survivor" - unless you prefer "Ugly Betty" or "My Name Is Earl" and "Scrubs" - followed by the first "The Office" since Jim showed us the engagement ring, followed by "30 Rock" - unless you prefer "Grey's Anatomy" or "CSI" - followed by the return of "Lost." All new for the launch of May sweeps! And that's not even mentioning "Without a Trace" or "Smallville" and the return of "Supernatural." Scripted television is back, baybee! On a night like this, that strike seems a distant memory. But we have a few hours to kill first. So here are a couple things to read...

• Roger Friedman says Jimmy Fallon will take over for Conan when Conan takes over for Jay. (Fox News)
• TV Squad says he's talking through his hat. (TV Squad)
• Friedman, by the way, also has some "Weeds" dish that fans won't want to hear, way down in the same column. (Fox News)
• Kathy says she picked the wrong Dunder-Mifflin week to go on vacation. (GMMR)
• An NBC source says, uh, don't worry about seeing O.J. on "The Apprentice." (TMZ.com)
• Another look at the sag in ratings post-strike. (Hollywood Reporter)
• We forgot to link to this yesterday when it was still sorta news, but Showtime has signed "The Tudors" (right) for season three. (AP)

"The Office," "30 Rock," "Scrubs" And NBC Scheduling Hijinks

They swear it had nothing to do with the raging controversy over "MILF Island," the acronym that dare not speak its name, but NBC has moved "30 Rock" to 9:30 for the remainder of the season, after "The Office." NBC also switched "Scrubs" to 8:30. The official word, as read in the NY Times, is that they want "30 Rock" to get the biggest possible lead-in for its remaining three episodes, capitalizing on Tina Fey's publicity for her movie "Baby Mama." And they say "30 Rock" will have to go back to 8:30 in the fall, anyway, to make room for the worst television idea of the century "Office" spinoff. Which once again suggests that if "Scrubs" airs in the fall, it will be on ABC another network, so why give it the phat "Office" lead-in now?

It's not surprising that some people are upset about "MILF Island" appearing during the so-called family hour. But is the audience really so different at 9? Like all the kids in America go to bed then? Last night, "Two And A Half Men" made about 19 references to Charlie's balls and used the word "balls." But since that's 30 minutes later, it's OK? Somebody has taken their stupid pills, I just can't decide who. But at least I get to run that awesome "MILF Island" graphic again.

Empire Magazine Publishes Not-So-Great "Great" List

The people over at Empire Magazine have published a list of what they identify as the 50 greatest TV shows of all time, or possibly just the first 50 TV shows their interns could name. You can't please everyone with these lists, in fact starting arguments is part of the idea, and "great" couldn't be more subjective, so I always cut these kinds of lists a little slack. This time, however, there is not enough slack in the world. I can't even tell what Empire Magazine is trying to say with this list, except perhaps that popularity is more important than good writing and there was no good television before 1989 (unless it was British television, where we at least have "Black Adder," "Fawlty Towers" and "Doctor Who").

Sure, some of their picks are widely held as great television. They give a nod to the fantastic cult-classic "Arrested Development," and wisely give the #13 spot to "Battlestar Galactica," but in what universe does "Prison Break" belong on a Top 50 list? It's clear the writers of this list and I share some tastes, but even as a huge fangirl for all things Whedonesque I have to wonder if it's legit to put all three of Joss's shows in the top 50 while ignoring, say, "The Twilight Zone" or "The Prisoner." In the handful of sitcoms that are acknowledged, we're gonna give the nod to "Scrubs" and not "The Dick Van Dyke Show?" Really? Lists like this are ultimately a forgettable curiosity, something to flip through while you're waiting in a doctor's office, but I don't think I've ever seen one that was trying so hard for irrelevancy.

Afternoon Link-A-Teria

• Checking in with "Scrubs." No news on next season yet. (Buddy TV)
• He's not fucking Jimmy Kimmel, but he does like him. (Boston Globe)
• Oops she's in negotiations to do it again. Britney might return to "How I Met Your Mother." (Televisionista)
• Date set for AFTRA talks, anyway. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)
• Slate on Ben Silverman's "infront" announcement. (Slate)

Morning reading

• "Lost" fan sez byebye Danielle. (Tifaux)
• "Dollhouse" a Whedonverse reunion? (TV Guide)
• Some byebye "Jericho" details. Don't get your hopes up for a cable resuscitation. (TV Guide)
• The deeply confusing "Scrubs" situation examined. (Buddy TV)
• RIP "The Return of Jezebel James." Sort of a mercy killing if you ask me. (Hollywood Reporter)

Britney Spears on "How I Met Your Mother": Troubled, Baby, One More Time

 Was it funny or just nasty that the producers of CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" cast Britney Spears as a minor-league psycho in her guest spot last night? There weren't any actual jokes about her being psychologically disturbed, but her character - a receptionist named Abby - had the overbright smile and oblivious persona of a cult member or celebrity stalker.  ("Young Frankenstein" fans, are you thinking what I'm thinking? That the character was... Abby Normal?) A minor kindness by protagonist Ted (Josh Radnor) led her to believe that they were soulmates, and the last shot of the episode was him sprinting down the sidewalk away from her pursuit.

Abby was reality-challenged, an odd choice of role for Spears, who recently spent time on a mental ward in real life after an involuntary commitment by her family. The singer's performance was sitcom-passable, as other critics in print and online said this morning, but hardly nuanced or believable, and to me the whole bit just seemed creepy.

Managed Care At The TV Hospital: "ER," "Scrubs"

NBC's "ER" is thinking big for next season, which is widely presumed to be the limping show's last. While the ratings are still OK, creatively the show was pronounced dead circa '03, and it jumped the shark for discerning viewers a couple of years before that. Mixing code blue emergencies with endless cycles of self-sabotaging medico relationship drama, the show seemed stuck for new ideas not long after the original stars departed. Now the last to leave, Noah Wyle, has apparently committed to a multi-episode return, and producers are courting Julianna Margulies and George Clooney. More problematic is the return of Anthony Edwards, since his character died. And oddly enough, no one mentions Sherry Stringfield. (More: TV Squad)

Meanwhile it appears that NBC's "Scrubs" will keep the hospital doors open but in a new location on the schedule. Cast member John C. McGinley spilled the beans that Zach Braff and the rest of the cast return to work March 24, and that the show will pop up on ABC in the fall for as many as 18 episodes. (ABC Studios produces the show.) Only 12 episodes of "Scrubs" were made this season because of the writers strike, and NBC wouldn't commit to making the final six, which would have included the show's planned finale. (Buddy TV)

(Pictured: Zach Braff and Anthony Edwards, NBC photos)

Morning Reading

• The season premiere of "Dirt," cool or not? Cool (BuzzSugar). Not cool (TV Guide).
• NBC? ABC? Will you two dickheads just put your heads together so SOMEBODY can make the last few episodes of "Scrubs?" Please? (Hollywood Reporter)
• "Unhitched" interview with Craig Bierko. But seriously, how long does anyone think this show is gonna last? I bet rashida Jones will be back in Scranton causing trouble between Jim and Pam by September. (TV Addict)
• Online sitcoms. Really short ones. (NY Times)
• And social-networking dramas. (WSJ.com)
• Mixed reviews for Oprah's "Big Give." (TV Decoder)
• Are SAG and AFTRA going to screw up and give us an actors strike after all? (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

Back To "The Office": NBC Unveils Post-Strike Plans

NBC has announced the post-writers-strike fate of its shows. One press release unveiled premiere dates for series returning this spring. The other revealed that "Heroes," "Chuck" and "Life" will all return - but not till next fall, when they'll be beneficiaries of "major re-launch campaigns."

Unlike CBS, the network wasn't telling how many post-strike episodes of the spring series will be produced - with "Scrubs," in its final season, the big question mark there. Sez NBC:

"My Name Is Earl" (Thursdays, 8-8:30 p.m. ET), will return with a one-hour episode on Thursday, April 3; the Emmy Award-winning "30 Rock" (Thursdays, 8:30-9 p.m. ET) will begin on Thursday, April 10; likewise, the Emmy-winning "The Office" (Thursdays, 9-9:30 p.m. ET) also resumes with new episodes on Thursday, April 10; and "Scrubs" (Thursdays, 9:30-10 p.m. ET) will come back with original episodes beginning Thursday, April 10.

"ER" (Thursdays, 10-11 p.m. ET) also will come back on Thursday, April 10 with new episodes following the complete run of "Lipstick Jungle," which concludes on March 20.

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (Tuesdays, 10-11 p.m. ET) will return with fresh episodes on Tuesday, April 15. "Law & Order" (Wednesdays, 10-11 p.m. ET) resumes with original episodes on Wednesday, April 23. Meanwhile, "Medium" (Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET) continues in originals.

And a postscript: Specific plans for other NBC scripted series are currently being determined and will be announced later.

"Scrubs" Creator Wants Finale Done Right

Bill Lawrence is one of the funniest, realest guys in the sitcom factory. Zach Braff is funny and still seems pleased with himself after "Garden State" (dude, that was like 20 years ago, get over it). And they both know they have a loyal audience for the planned final season of "Scrubs." So the impression they gave at press tour this summer is they're going to pretty much say what they want. And now Lawrence is at it again.

With an end to the writers strike apparently in the works, Lawrence is already publicly lobbying NBC head cheese Ben Silverman to give "Scrubs" a four- or five-episode farewell tour (seven more episodes were planned pre-strike), rather than wrap things up with a voiceover pasted onto whatever half-assed ending is now in the can. I hope he gets what he wants - "Scurbs" fans deserve it - but I hope he asked nicely first.

News For Two Favorites From "The Office"

Rainn Wilson, aka the amazing Dwight Schrute of "The Office," has found at least one thing to do during the writers strike. Our friends at GMMR report he'll host the Independent Spirit Awards on Feb. 23. Along with the SAG Awards, the Indies - while not as prestigious as the Dundies - have been granted a waiver from the Writers Guild, so the show can go on as usual.

Meanwhile the Hollywood Reporter tells us what recurring "Office" player David Denman, aka Pam's ex-fiancee Roy, will be doing when the strike ends: He'll be starring in the NBC pilot "Saint of Circumstance," about a guy whose mid-life crisis leads him to quit his boring, ahem, office job and become a night-shift paramedic. BONUS: "Scrubs" star Zach Braff and his writer brother Adam are putting the show together, or will be post-strike.

More On "Scrubs" From The Zach Braff - Bill Lawrence Interview

As expected, a lot of you were interested in my first post from the "Scrubs" conference call with star Zach Braff and creator Bill Lawerence, so here are some more goodies on the show's final season. Once again, I will edit here and there for clarity only...

Question: How bittersweet is this - with you guys being in syndication and showing up everywhere that the ratings leap this year and you have the biggest numbers ever? How bittersweet is it, that this is the end?
Bill Lawrence: Oh, man. You know what? No one believes me because I’ve been saying this a lot to other TV writers. Honestly, I’ve finally reached a place way too late in my career that I don’t really care about that stuff or watch it. And, you know, the joy and the thing that you shoot for is to get to keep doing the show, you know. And it’s like, am I having less fun doing this show for seven years than the people that are doing "Dancing with the Stars" are having doing that show? No. You know, I mean their show is the world’s biggest hit, even though it technically shouldn’t be called "Dancing with the Stars" unless I’ve missed all the Mark Cuban movies that have been out the last couple years. But the, you know, just getting to do this show man is such a cool thing. If anybody here acts bittersweet about it, you know, they deserve a kick in the head. We have the coolest job on earth.

Question:  I need to sort of resolve one little controversy that’s been going on. I want to make sure I’ve got it clear on this. I’ve heard both stories from you guys about that x-ray at the beginning. Was (showing it backwards in the opening credits) intentional or not?
Zach Braff: I want to hear which version you’re going to tell him.
Bill Lawrence:  No, I’ll tell you the exact truth of how it actually happened, which was we shot that when we were shooting opening credits and J.D., the medical advisor, said it’s, you know, the x-ray is backwards because he’s a cardiologist. And then our line producer, is like oh it’s no big deal, we’ll just go flip the - shoot the x-ray being put up the right way. And then I said, “No, you know what, I think that’s funny. They’re supposed to be Scrubs and new kids that are just learning medicine.” You know, even though no one will ever notice - me being an idiot - you know, I think it’s really a funny inside joke. As a result of that, we averaged about 9 million snarky emails - hey, the x-ray is backwards - from people until eventually we had Elizabeth Banks’ character in the opening credits of one, flip the x-ray around and go, that’s been bugging me for years. You know? And so it was initially an accident, but in the end, you know, we know.
Zach Braff: We know. Stop emailing. We know.
Bill Lawrence: Stop telling me. I get it.

"Scrubs" Prepares For The End: Zach Braff and Bill Lawrence Talk

"Lost" has recently set the bar higher by planning its last three seasons, but normally a show that gets an entire season to plan its goodbye is a rarity. And that's just what's happened to NBC's "Scrubs," the little comedy that could. The goofball single-camera comedy set at a teaching hospital has been passed around the schedule like Tara Reid at a VIP room, and even its creator thought last season would be the last...until it wasn't.

Now Bill Lawrence and star Zach Braff have an entire season to bring it all home. Expect a few milestones - a birth, a proposal, even a resurrection of sorts - but spread out over the whole year. Braff and Lawrence got on the phone with some of us blogger and reporter types last week to talk about it. The call went on for an hour plus, as they have not yet burned out on talking about their creation. Also, they're pretty funny guys, which helped keep the rest of us on the call. Below are key moments from the loooong transcript. (The questions have occasionally been tweaked for clarity.)

For those not familiar with the show, it may help you understand the "Scrubs" sense of humor to know that one of the more pressing issues during the call was the possibility that one of the dozen or so main characters will finally be ... named.

Question: Bill, I'm just wondering if it's possible that the janitor will get a name and if it's possible to clear up two mysteries at once? We'll find out his real name is Jimmy Hoffa?
Lawrence: Yes...oh yeah, that would actually be funny if he was actually him. I could steal that and take credit for it. I always promise Neil Flynn, the guy that plays the janitor, two things: That by the end of the show he'd have a name, and he'd eventually get to have a girlfriend. So I have to make good on both of those this year.
Question: There was talk in the beginning that he was in Zach's imagination...
Lawrence: Well, yeah. I always thought this show was only going to run for one season so - in "Fight Club," it happened, you know? He was a figment of Zach's imagination and then, Neil Flynn, the second year, he's like, "This show keeps going on, I'd like to talk to some of the other actors, you know?" All right, whatever.

New "Scrubs" Preview With JD And Elliot Romance

The next (and final!) season of "Scrubs" starts on October 25th, and it looks like we're going to get an awful lot of JD and Elliot's romance. I hope they manage to keep the laughs going, or things will start getting mawkish, just like "Friends" did at the end.

Fall TV Night-By-Night: Thursday

Only one new show tonight but a considerable amount of new attitude scattered around the schedule, and Sunday night's Emmys could add some more for "Ugly Betty," "Grey's Anatomy," "The Office" and others.

The new show is ABC's "Big Shots," at 10, which delivered a very funny press conference from stars Michael Vartan, Dylan McDermott, Joshua Malina and Christopher Titus, and could be a ratings winner. They're four reasonably powerful and successful guys, but the show follows mainly their romantic and domestic difficulties. It was at least unofficially called "Big Dicks" in the beginning, and seems intended to take a male-centric view of the world. But as it follows the guest-star-laden "Ugly Betty" at 8 and "Grey's Anatomy" at 9, I think ABC is counting on a large number of women sticking with the network to eyeball Vartan and McDermott. Not a bad bet, actually, though I didn't much like the show. All three debut Sept. 27.

CBS stands pat on the night with three dependables: "Survivor" (Sept. 20), "CSI" and "Without a Trace" (both Sept. 27). Not much to report here except A) one has to wonder when the "CSI" juggernaut will cool, and B) "Survivor" is going to China this fall for an inland episode, as seen at left.

And The Peacock Laughed

In possibly the most insane bit of scheduling so far this tour, NBC has devoted a whopping 30-minute session to Q&A with stars and producers from all four of its Thursday night comedies. By the time they finish introductions, it'll be half over. Nonetheless, given the rabid fan base for "The Office" and perhaps the others, I'm going to liveblog it...

The participants, producers first: Greg Garcia and Jason Lee from "My Name Is Earl," Lorne Michaels and Tina Fey from "30 Rock," Greg Daniels and John Krasinski from "The Office," and Bill Lawrence and Zach Braff from "Scrubs." Fey's got a little black dress with a loooow neck line. Krasinski has a funny haircut, a tie with shirtsleeves rolled up, highwater jeans, sneakers - he looks about 12. Lee has a full hillbilly beard. Everyone else is Hollywood casual normal.

Someone asks about the disappointing ratings for this stellar lineup: "I think this is the year 'Scrubs' becomes a big hit," says Lawrence, to general laughter. "We always geared our plan toward peaking in the seventh year."

Daniels is complaining about spoilers online and Krasinski says, "My bad! Needed a little extra cash! Dishing the secrets!"

Fey on an upcoming guest shot: "We could not be more excited to have Jerry Seinfeld on the show, because then regular America will find out that we have a show."

On the hardest part of comedy writing:
Garcia: "Once you have the story situation, the jokes will come out. We could do a full hour drama and I know within two days it will be all full of jokes...it's the story."
Lawrence: "For us it's mostly just trying to think of new dick jokes."

Lawrence on "Scrubs" going into its final season:
"We've done seven of these (press tours) and by the way, at five of them, the first question was, 'Can you believe your show is still on the air?' "
Lawrence on doing the last 18 episodes:
"We've mapped out the first two and the last two, and the 14 in the middle we're just mailing in."

Krasinski on how a network-wide NBC "Green Week" on enviro themes will affect Dunder-Mifflin:
"We're a paper company, so we're screwed."

Shirley Replaces Laverne On "Scrubs"

BuzzSugar reports that the death of character Laverne on "Scrubs" doesn't mean goodbye to actress Aloma Wright. She's coming back - as Shirley, natch.

Read all the details at BuzzSugar>>

Scrubs Season Five DVDs Will Give You That Sarcasm You've Sooooo Been Craving

Scrubs is truly one of TV’s feel-good stories. The popular show was prematurely yanked, and then successfully resuscitated for the current sixth season. Now Season Five, the season was almost the last, will debut on DVD tomorrow. Get ready for more bad medicine and snappy remarks.

Tonight's Picks: Thursday, May 17

The Office -- The Job, Parts 1 and 2
The third season ends with a special one-hour episode. The Dunder-Mifflinites rehash their beach competition antics, and a corporate job opening makes the competition heat up. Michael, Jim, and Karen head to New York to jockey for the new job.

Bob Barker: A Celebration of 50 Years on Television
After 50 years on TV, and 35 years on The Price Is Right, Bob Barker is ready to retire. Celebrate the history of the longest running game show and its iconic host. Bob Barker, come on down!

Scrubs -- My Rabbit; My Point of No Return
In the sixth season finale, J.D. asks Kim to move in with him. Elliot gets some help with her wedding, but nothing feels right. Are they settling down with the wrong people?  Also, fatherhood changes things for Turk.

Supernatural -- All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 2
With the fight between Jake and Sam concluded, Dean is forced to deal with the ugly consequences. The Yellow-Eyed Demon plagues the Winchester boys -- he wants a general for his army, and he's not giving in easily.

Other Season Finales:

• Ugly Betty
• Grey's Anatomy
• Smallville
• CSI
• ER

NBC Adds Heroes Spin-off, Newfangled Bionic Woman to Fall Schedule

NBC is inching closer to its dream of having an all-Heroes-related network this fall. Next season will feature a new spin-off of the mega-hit, called Heroes: Origins, as well as a new and improved Bionic Woman, a time-traveling reporter, and the return of both Jerry Seinfeld and Brooke Shields to your television screen.

Zach Braff $cores: It's All About the Syndication Rights, Baby!

Scrubs' main man Zach Braff recently sealed an unreal deal to stay on the show for a seventh season. Why unreal? Because Scrubs' ratings are lower than any series in the top ten. Despite this, the man will be taking home $350,000 per episode, putting him right up there with Charlie Sheen as one of the most highly paid actors on television. It makes sense, if you consider the show's recent quest to beat out Law & Order as the most ubiquitous show on television. Sam Waterston, are you taking notes?

Get the full story on BuzzSugar.

Tonight's Picks: Thursday, Jan. 18

Ugly Betty -- In or Out
Always there when someone's in need, Betty helps Daniel mend his broken heart. Meanwhile, the masked woman is revealed, and Wilhelmina makes personnel decisions for her hypothetical ascension at Mode.

Scrubs -- My Musical
Oh, happy day! It's music to your ears when a new patient at the hospital (Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Avenue Q) wakes up one day and sees everything happening around her as a musical. Carla can't decide whether or not to return to work, and Elliot has to tell JD he can't move into her new house with her.

The Office -- The Return
Oscar returns from his vacation and ponders his future at the office. Meanwhile, power-hungry Andy (Ed Helms) exploits Dwight's recent decision to inch closer to Michael.

Tonight's Picks: Thursday, Jan. 4

The Office -- Back From Vacation
Michael returns from his Jamaican vacation a relaxed man but that changes when a spicy vacation photo makes its way around the office. Talk about awkward -- for all of us -- when Pam gets caught in the middle of an argument between Jim and Karen.

Scrubs -- My House
Dr. Cox goes all House-like when he has to solve three mysteries -- two are medical-related, but the more interesting case involves Elliot, Kelso and Turk.

The O.C. -- The My Two Dads
Hercules, Hercules! Kevin Sorbo continues his quest as Ryan's biological dad when he's invited over for dinner. Of course, this doesn't rest well with Sandy. Where's Zena when you need her?

GMMR: Scrubs, the Musical -- "Everything Comes Down to Poo"

In the words of Barney Stinson, January 18th is going to be a "wait for it… wait for it… LEGENDARY" night of television. Why? Because at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Scrubs will premiere its first-ever musical episode.

And the writers brought in the big guns for this one. Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, the Tony Award-winning composers of the Broadway hit Avenue Q, wrote the songs for the show. This is going to be a special night for TV -- “must see TV,” if you will.

Dec. 29: Stephen Colbert is Awesome, Jessica Simpson Stiffs Valet, New Romance for Jennifer Aniston?

*Stephen Colbert relays his awesomeness to the masses [GMMR]
*New romance for Jennifer Aniston? [The Hollywood Gossip]
*See a sneak peek of a very special Scrubs [The Futon Critic]
*JLo brings Dancelife to MTV [Popsugar]
*Jessica Simpson stiffs valet [TMZ]
*Looking back at the year in reality TV [Reality Blurred]

 

Tonight's Picks: Thursday, Dec. 7

Scrubs  - My Best Friend's Baby's Baby and My Baby's Baby
When Carla goes into labor, Turk is more concerned about being overshadowed by Elliot. J.D. and Kim (Elizabeth Banks) try to figure out what to do about impending parenthood and Jordan (Christa Miller) takes issue with Dr. Cox treating their son Jack like a "drinking buddy."

The O.C. - The Summer Bummer
While Seth is away visiting Summer - and ironing out a new wrinkle in their long-distance romance - Sandy and Kirsten bond with Ryan. Kaitlin scores one against the school mean girl by throwing a raging party and Julie  finds herself a dating target.

Men in Trees - New York Fiction
In the conclusion to this two-part episode, Jack is caught off guard while waiting for Marin's return from New York when someone from his past arrives with a secret. Meanwhile, Annie is still mad at Patrick for neglecting her at Thanksgiving dinner and Buzz faces a medical crises.

Tonight's Picks: Thursday, Nov. 30 - NBC's New Must See TV

The Office - The Convict
There's an ex-con in the office and Michael's determined to be supportive - once he discovers their identity. Meanwhile, Andy makes a move on Pam with a little help from Jim.

Scrubs - My Mirror Image
Babies are on the brain as the staff at Sacred Heart returns for a sixth season. JD is still reeling from the news he's going to be daddy, while Carla and Turk and Dr. Cox and Jordan prepare for their new arrivals. Dr. Cox worries that his anger issues may rub off on his kids and Elliott laments the fact she's the only one not expecting.

30 Rock  - Jack Meets Dennis
Bored with her life, Liz decides to get back with her ex-boyfriend (Dean Winters) and Jack can't help but get involved in her personal affairs. The cast tries to save face despite some serious facial wounds.

NBC Thursdays Enter New Golden Age

Thursday nights are a good time to be alive. With the triumphant return of Scrubs to the Must-See-TV lineup, NBC will be pumping out two hours of the most rock-solid comedy in recent memory. My Name Is Earl, The Office, 30 Rock, and Scrubs is about as good as it gets.

One can’t help but think back to those carefree Thursdays when Cheers was in its prime, or when Friends was still in its infancy. Assuming Scrubs picks up where it left off, viewers will be treated to four wickedly smart comedies in a row. (Okay, maybe Earl isn’t smart. But it’s fun!)

Product Placement Alert

Is it just me or is NBC in some sort of pact with the devil? and by the devil I mean Chili's. In the span of the last two weeks, we've hear mention of the fast food behemoth at least four times - once on The Office and thrice on Scrubs last night. I want my baby back, baby back, baby back song, out of my head...

For more details and Scrubs showtimes visit MeeVee.com

Scrubs: Cow Fudge

Gotta say, Scrubs is growing on me. With Cox back from his, boringly boring breakdown, business is starting to return to normal. Key moments include:

• Cream Cheese = Cow Fudge (I like to play with words)
• red like a strawbrary
• floating head doctor
• Turk calls Carla a bitch (and doesn't get killed)

I've realized that J.D. and I are very similar. While I don't drink nectartinis, I too would spend my lottery winnings on become a floating head. While my body is slaving away at a keyboard my head could be off doing grand things like watching baseball, drinking beer, and wearing jaunty hats.

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Scrubs: WRENCH KNIFE!!!

Last night's Scrubs marked the end of the "Dr. Cox is sad cause people died" story arc.

Cox is drowning his sorrows, but his sorrows are learning to swim. The gang decides to help out by sitting with his drunken, surly, not-talking ass. Sure, it's a good tactic, but predictably it isn't until J.D.'s pep talk at the end of the episode that he shaves, showers, and gets over it. In general, it sounded like a whole lotta blah blah blah to me.

Clever writing ("Oldest man in pilgrim village," "WRENCH KNIFE!!!," references to J.D.'s screenplay Dr. Acula) and Turk being hilarious saved this episode from mediocrity.

Next week - Cox returns to Sacred Heart, Turk suffers the consequences for being insensitive to Carla, J.D. has déjà vu, and Turk suffers the consequences for being insensitive to Carla.

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