News

British romantic comedy “Gavin & Stacey” was a huge hit across the pond, and seemed ripe for a U.S. adaptation a la “The Office.” And indeed, both NBC and Fox tried to make American versions of the show – but James Corden, who created the series with Ruth Jones, knows why those remakes fell flat.

“They never understood what the show was about,” Corden said of the U.S. networks. “They would buy the show and immediately change it.” Corden spoke Sunday to an audience of “The Late Late Show” fans at EW’s PopFest in Downtown Los Angeles.

“Gavin & Stacey” followed the budding relationship between Gavin (Mathew Horne) from Essex and Stacey (Joanna Page) from Wales, and how their families are brought together. Corden played Gavin’s best friend, Smithy, while Jones was Stacey’s pal Nessa. The show launched in 2007 on digital channel BBC Three, but was so popular...

Hollywood went hunting for lots of British comedy talent in the 1990s - and lured the likes of Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson...

For some reason, Hollywood fell in love with British actors again in the 1990s. Sparked by Alan Rickman's turn as Hans Gruber in Die Hard at the back end of the 1980s, many movie villains were either Brits, or in the case of Cliffhanger, John Lithgow taking on the mannerisms of a British antagonist.

Yet in particular, Hollywood went recruiting British comedy talent, with faces then mainly - but not exclusively - known for their small screen work getting roles of various sizes in Hollywood productions. Here are some who racked up the air miles - starting with the man who arguably became one of the most successful...

Hugh Laurie - 101 Dalmatians

Laurie is a man of many talents, who ultimately cracked America with...

Inspire Entertainment is expanding with the addition of manager Ali Forman to the company.

Forman will be working closely with Inspire Entertainment partner Jason Spire on existing Inspire Entertainment clients as well as a select group of clients she will be bringing with her from Impression Entertainment.

“I am thrilled to have Ali join the company. Working with a like-minded, hard-working dear friend is a dream,” said Spire.

Also Read: ‘A Most Violent Year’ Named Top Film by National Board of Review

Inspire Entertainment has quickly become one of the “go-to” boutique management/production companies in the business, having managed...

Universal’s making room for Alex Kurtzman and his Secret Hideout shingle. They’ve signed a three-year production deal with the writer-director-producer’s new banner, which is expanding its operations on the studio lot. Kurtzman, who first pacted with Universal in a two-year deal in 2012 with Star Trek co-scribe Roberto Orci and their K/O Paper Products, will be joined by Focus Features’ Jeb Brody and K/O’s Bobby Cohen as producers at Secret Hideout. Kim Rosen is also moving over to the new company from K/O Paper Products to serve as head of digital and interactive. Kurtzman & Co. will be adding additional offices on the Universal lot while developing filmmaker-driven projects with franchise and multi-quadrant potential.

Kurtzman continues to spearhead Universal’s relaunch of its classic monster franchises with Chris Morgan, starting with the Mummy reboot he’s helming for a summer 2016 release. He is also producing...

Sometimes there’s a little bit of legwork involved in being a Jason Ritter fan. With a career that’s toggled between interesting character roles in limited-release movies (2005’s Happy Endings, 2008’s Good Dick) and bigger parts in short-lived TV shows (Joan of Arcadia, The Class, The Event), his always-nuanced performances can often prove hard to catch. That changes today with the Vimeo On Demand release of I Am I, a Kickstarter-funded movie about a woman posing as her recently deceased mother in order to get to know her long-lost father, who is suffering from memory loss. The actor co-stars with Jocelyn Towne, who also wrote and directed the film, and her husband The Big Bang Theory's Simon Helberg, who has been a friend of Ritter’s since high school. Next week will see the release of The Big Ask, another indie Ritter shot with a cast of TV thespians,...

It’s that time of year again, when people on TV giggle over the phrase “balls dropping.” As the countdown to 2014 begins, you might choose to binge-watch your way through zombie carnage or Happy Endings reruns. But if you prefer to watch something live — and by “live,” we mean “while guzzling cheap champagne at a safe distance from Times Square’s Port-o-Potties” — we’ve got you covered. Below, check out our rundown of which special might be right for you.

Dick Clark’S Primetime New Year’S Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2014(ABC)

Hosts: Seacrest will get some help from...

Before you attend your New Year’s parties, you have to decide what to do during the day on New Year’s Eve. Surely it can’t take you 12 hours to get ready for a party. And if you choose to relax a little (or a lot) in front of the television, we’ve rounded up your viewing options. Well, if by viewing you mean marathoning and never leaving the sofa.

Check out your TV marathon options below:

*Note: Final time is when final episode begins; all listed in Et

The Mindy Project season 2 (Bravo, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.

Dear Honey Boo Boo Child:

When Here Comes Honey Boo Boo debuted on TLC last summer, I thought the sky was falling and that civilization was ending. The show seemed to expose viewers to a new low in what passes for American life on TV – I never got over that local swimming hole with the warning sign about flesh-eating bacteria – and at the same time I thought it exploited you, your Mama June and your siblings.

I thought it was especially condescending, and insulting, for the show's producers to supply subtitles translating your dialogue, even though your family's Southern accents are admittedly jowl-shakingly thick.

Dear Honey Boo Boo Child: When Here Comes Honey Boo Boo debuted on TLC last summer, I thought the sky was falling and that civilization was ending. The show seemed to expose viewers to a new low in what passes for American life on TV - I never got over that local swimming hole with the warning sign about flesh-eating bacteria - and at the same time I thought it exploited you, your Mama June and your siblings. I thought it was especially condescending, and insulting, for the show's producers to supply subtitles translating your dialogue, even though your family's...

Parting is such sweet sorrow... unless you're a TV fan. This year, just like every other, the TV networks played God with our remote controls by cancelling some of our favorite comedy series. But this is no laughing matter. In some cases, as with 2006 Best Comedy Series winner "The Office" and three-time champ "30 Rock" (2007, 2008, 2009), the showrunners were involved in the decisions and had ample time to write fitting conclusions to the stories and characters we'd come to love. But, in most instances, the cancellation axe swung fast and without notice. Laura Dern fans are still mourning their light-hearted "Enlightened" being axed by HBO while vocal cult audiences are in a state of denial about the cancellations by ABC of "Happy Endings" and "Don't Trust the B---- in Apt. 23." NBC let go a pair of little-watched laffers -- "Up All Night" and "Whitney" -...

Since the Emmy ballots have been sent out to voters, the entertainment world is busy speculating about which shows will get Emmy nominations in 2013.

But what about the many deserving shows that will most likely be ignored? Every year, plenty of television programs fail to get any Emmy love. From "Psych" to "Hannibal" to "Fringe," here are 13 of the biggest errors the Emmy voters of 2013 are about to make.

Last-minute disqualification: "Orphan Black"

Were it not for Tatiana Maslany's surprise win at the Critics' Choice Awards, this BBC America wouldn't even be on anyone's radar. It's still a long-shot.

13. "Raising Hope"

For three seasons, this comedy about five generations of a love, blue-collar family is as sweet as it is insanely funny. The acting is uniformly good -- even baby Hope is entertaining -- and the humor of everyday life never gets old. Cloris Leachman and Martha Plimpton have...

Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr are reuniting – and this time the only metal involved will be pots, pans and cutlery. The old Iron Man collaborators are working on Favreau’s new indie comedy drama Chef.Favreau, who is also in development on big projects such as Magic Kingdom, has decided to get back to his Swingers/Made roots for a low-budget character drama that will also feature Bobby Cannavale, Sofia Vergara and John Leguizamo.In addition to directing from his script, Favreau will star as a man who loses his job in a posh restaurant and faces estrangement from his family to boot. In the hopes of reigniting his career and winning the love back, he decides to start up a food truck, which are so trendy right now (see also: What To Expect When You're Expecting, TV show Happy Endings, The Five-Year Engagement etc.)We don’t yet...

And the ABC bloodbath continues. In addition to axing Happy Endings (Boo! Hiss!), the network has canceled five more series. Freshman series How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life), The Family Tools and Red Widow have both been canceled, while the network opted not to renew sophmore comedy Malibu Country starring Reba McEntire and Dana Delany's procedural Body of Proof. But it wasn't all doom and gloom as ABC also renewed Scandal, Grey's Anatomy, Once Upon a Time and several other shows. New series picked up by the network include a comedy from Rebel Wilson, Joss Whedon's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Once Upon a Time's buzzed-about Wonderland...

In the new issue of Gay Times, Jonathan Knight talks about being "outed" by Tiffany in 2011 for the first time in detail. And he finds the whole thing ridiculous. "I felt stupid having to make a public statement. Even when the band got back together in 2008, New Kids fans knew I was gay. Everyone did." Uh, no. Not everyone, Jonathan. But he saves the harsh words for Perez Hilton, who had been chasing him ever since an ex had sold private pictures to the National Enquirer. "Perez tried to out me many times and I hate that guy for doing that. I was already gay and living a gay lifestyle but he wanted me to talk about it. Why? My brother and the rest of the guys don't go on interviews saying 'I'm straight" etc. so why do I need to just because I'm gay? People like him want me...

Tom Arnold has become a father for the first time. The 54-year-old comedian's wife Ashley Groussman, 37, gave birth to a baby boy called Jax Copeland Arnold at 9.53am on Saturday morning (06.04.13), weighing 8lbs 12 oz. and measuring 21 inches long. A spokesperson for the 'Happy Endings' star confirmed the birth of their first child and the proud parents told People.com: ''We are still in a bit of shock. It has been a long journey and the healthy birth of our son is a miracle.'' The 'Sons of Anarchy' star was very open about his fertility problems, which he discovered while in...

Tom Arnold has become a father for the first time. The 54-year-old comedian's wife Ashley Groussman, 37, gave birth to a baby boy called Jax Copeland Arnold at 9.53am on Saturday morning (06.04.13), weighing 8lbs 12 oz. and measuring 21 inches long. A spokesperson for the 'Happy Endings' star confirmed the birth of their first child and the proud parents told People.com: 'We are still in a bit of shock. It has been a long journey and the healthy birth of our son is a miracle.' The 'Sons of Anarchy' star was very open about his fertility problems, which he discovered while in college, before Ashley became pregnant and the couple were thrilled when they announced the news in January.

Saying farewell to a beloved series is tough going, so I was gratified to have "Enlightened" do it for me. Even if its cancellation isn't yet assured, "Agent of Change," the second season's finale, felt like a goodbye nonetheless -- and a perfect one at that. As Salon television writer Willa Paskin noted yesterday, the series' most ardent fans have taken to the Internet to save the show, replicating not only the new millennium’s foremost form of viewer engagement (see under-watched, much-praised comedies like "Arrested Development," "Happy Endings," and "Community"), but also the crazed idealism of protagonist Amy Jellicoe (Laura Dern). "It’s sweet that 'Enlightened,'" Paskin writes, "a show all about the cost of caring too much, should inspire such dedication." Yet this season, almost a mirror image of the first, convinced me that "Enlightened" has reached a stopping point worth savoring. I almost want to...

If you’ve yet to watch Sunday’s Enlightened, avert your eyes now. Everyone else, read on…

Enlightened‘s Season 2 finale ended with a bang — but also with a peaceful meditation.

After an entire season of working to expose the sins of Abaddon’s greedy, felonious CEO Charles Szidon, Amy finally saw all the information she’d gathered land on the front page of the L.A. Times.

But before the story broke, Szidon learned of Amy’s whistleblowing ways (thanks to Tyler coming clean to his girlfriend/Szidon’s executive assistant Eileen).

Related | Enlightened Season 2 Finale Preview: Mike White...

Got a scoop request? An anonymous tip you’re dying to share? Send any/all of the above to askausiello@tvline.com

Question: Two weeks until Grey’s Anatomy returns! I need scoop, Stat! —Babar

Ausiello: Now that Jackson has been handed the keys to Seattle Grace, expect some “pretty significant” changes, previews Jesse Williams, who notes that the promotion represents both a “leap forward” and a “leap back” for his well-pedigreed alter ego. “He wants to be taken seriously and to make his own name for himself, but he’s also getting handed a responsibility that is a [direct] result...

I'll announce 2012's nominees the second the write-ups are done (working on them this week). But until then another listy flashblack to year's past here at The Film Experience. My opinions have changed somewhat over the years (as many opinions should if we continue to evolve) and perhaps I'll detail which changes those were in the future but mostly I like to think of Awards, both mine and other people's as time capsules of What We Valued At That Moment.

So here you go... 

Nominees in Alpha Order

Sally Field, Lincoln

Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables

Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy 

Diane Kruger, Farewell My Queen

Lorraine Toussaint, Middle of Nowhere

write ups here 

Gold: Vanessa Redgrave, Coriolanus

Silver: Sarah Bayet, A Separation

Bronze: Carey Mulligan, Shame

Also Nominated

Jessica Chastain, The Help

Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids

Gold: Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Silver: Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Bronze: Amy Adams, The Fighter

Also Nominated

Kimberly Elise,...

Ben Affleck's "Argo" continues its ascendance to Oscar glory. Adding to its treasure-trove of trophies was the big win at the Dorian Awards given by the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association (Galeca).

In the acting categories, Daniel Day-Lewis won Film Performance of the Year -- Actor for "Lincoln" and Anne Hathaway was given the Female Performance of the Year award for her memorable performance as Fantine in Tom Hooper's "Les Miserables."

The complete list of Dorian Award winners is below. A celebratory toast will be held Sunday, February 17 in Los Angeles.

For more information, please visit: galeca.com and https://www.facebook.com/galecadorianawards

Here are the winners (in bold); for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:

Film Of The Year

*** Argo (Warner Bros.)

Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight)

Keep the Lights On (Music Box)

Les Miserables (Universal)

Lincoln (DreamWorks/Touchstone)

Moonrise Kingdom...

GLAAD this morning announced 153 nominees in 33 categories for the group’s 24th annual GLAAD Media Awards, which recognize media for outstanding images of the Lgbt community. Winners will be unveiled in ceremonies March 16 in New York and April 20 in San Francisco. Here’s the full list: Outstanding Film – Wide Release The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Fox Searchlight Pictures) Cloud Atlas (Warner Bros. Pictures) ParaNorman (Focus Features) The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Summit Entertainment) Your Sister’s Sister (IFC Films) Outstanding Film – Limited Release Any Day Now (Music Box Films) Keep the Lights On (Music Box Films) Mosquita y Mari (Wolfe Releasing) Musical Chairs (Paladin) North Sea Texas (Strand Releasing) Outstanding Drama Series Degrassi (TeenNick) Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) The L.A. Complex (The CW) Smash (NBC) True Blood (HBO) Outstanding Comedy Series Glee (Fox) Go On (NBC) Happy Endings (ABC) Modern Family (ABC) The New Normal (NBC) Outstanding Individual Episode...

Nominations for the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards have come out, with Grey's Anatomy and Modern Family each representing the same categories in which they won a year ago.

A couple freshman programs, Go On and The New Normal, also made the cut, as revealed in the rundown below. The GLAAD Media Awards will be handed out in New York on March 16; in Los Angeles on April 20 ; and in San Francisco on May 11.

Outstanding Drama Series

Degrassi (TeenNick)

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)

The L.A. Complex (The CW)

Smash (NBC)

True Blood (HBO)

Outstanding Comedy Series

Glee (Fox)

Go On (NBC)

Happy Endings (ABC)

Modern Family (ABC)

The New Normal (NBC)

Outstanding Individual Episode

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Me What to Do,” Raising Hope (Fox)

“Family Matters,” Drop Dead Diva (Lifetime)

“L’Affaire Du Coeur,” Franklin & Bash (TNT)

“Lost and Found,” Touch (Fox)

“Ruby Slippers,” The Mentalist (CBS)

Outstanding...

Honey Boo Boo once said, "Ain't nothing wrong with being a little gay. Everybody's a little gay!" The Lgbt community took note of 7-year-old Alana Thompson's (and her family's) open attitude about Uncle Poodle's sexuality. On Wednesday, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo—along with Glee, Modern Family, The New Normal, Happy Endings and Go On—were listed as GLAAD Media Awards nominees. Also being recognized for their "fair, accurate, and inclusive representations" of the Lgbt community? The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Grey's Anatomy, Smash, True Blood, Frank Ocean, Adam Lambert and many more. Below is a complete list of nominees for the 2013 GLAAD Media Awards, which...

Grey’s Anatomy and Modern Family will each face new competitors when they attempt to defend their respective titles as Best Drama and Best Comedy Series at the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.

Smash, The L.A. Complex, Go On and The New Normal were among the first-time nominees when the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender media advocacy and anti-defamation organization announced its list of nods — which honor fair and inclusive representations of the Lgbt community — Wednesday morning.

“Images and stories from the Lgbt community continue to push support for equality to historic levels,” said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick,...

Awards season is in full swing and in its continual celebration of media that positively portrays the Lgbt community, The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) announces the nominations for its 24th Annual Media Awards. Amongst those nominated is singer Frank Ocean.

Ocean, who opened up about his sexuality this past summer in an open letter on his blog that detailed his love for a man, has been hip-hop's recent breakout star after releasing his debut album, Channel Orange.

Pics: Out and Proud: 23 Proudly Gay Celebs

The 25-year-old has also been nominated for six Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist and the hallowed Record of the Year and Album of the Year awards, and can now add a GLAAD nomination for Outstanding Music Artist to an outstanding year for the "Thinkin Bout You" singer.

Joining Ocean in the Outstanding Music Artist category are Adam Lambert, Rufus Wainwright, indie rock band Gossip, and pop group...

The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association (Galeca), of which I'm a proud voting member, have announced the Dorian Award nominees for 2012's best in film and television across 20 categories.

In the film category, "Argo," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Keep the Lights On," "Les Miserables," "Lincoln," and "Moonrise Kingdom" are competing for the Best Picture title.

Winners of the Dorian Awards will be announced on Wednesday, January 16.

Here are the nominees; for winners/nominees of other award-giving bodies, click here:

Film Of The Year

Argo (Warner Bros.)

Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight)

Keep the Lights On (Music Box)

Les Miserables (Universal)

Lincoln (DreamWorks/Touchstone)

Moonrise Kingdom (Focus)

Film Performance Of The Year - Actor

Alan Cumming / Any Day Now (Music Box)

Bradley Cooper / Silver Linings Playbook (Weinstein)

Daniel Day-Lewis / Lincoln (DreamWorks/Touchstone)

Hugh Jackman / Les Miserables (Universal)

Joaquin Phoenix / The Master (Weinstein)

John Hawkes / The Sessions (Fox...

Best Anti-Hero

Dexter Morgan – Dexter (Showtime) – Michael C. Hall

Jax Teller – Sons of Anarchy (FX) – Charlie Hunnam

Jesse Pinkman – Breaking Bad (AMC) – Aaron Paul

Marcus Chaplin – Last Resort (ABC) – Andre Braugher

Nucky Thompson – Boardwalk Empire (HBO) – Steve Buscemi

Tyrion Lannister – Game of Thrones (HBO) – Peter Dinklage

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Best Wingman / Wingperson

Amy Pond – Doctor Who (BBC) – Karen Gillan

Bronn – Game of Thrones (HBO) – Jerome Flynn

Detective Joss Carter – Person of Interest (CBS) – Taraji P. Henson

Fiona Glenanne – Burn Notice (USA Network)

John Diggle – Arrow (CW) – David Ramsey

Opie – Sons of Anarchy (FX) – Ryan Hurst

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Best Wildcard

Al Capone – Boardwalk Empire (HBO) – Stephen Graham

Chalky White – Boardwalk Empire (HBO) – Michael Kenneth Williams

Huck...

The Future of AMC

The news of showrunner Glen Mazzara leaving The Walking Dead over creative differences with the network last week is hardly a surprise: Hell on Wheels just hired its third show runner in three years, and the tense Breaking Bad and Mad Men negotiations of recent memory are ugly blemishes for a network with an increasingly unstable relationship with its creative minds. Many have suggested that AMC merely stumbled upon these amazing series and will fade as quickly as they appeared – their recent dips into reality television with Small Town Security and Comic Men certainly won’t be viable replacements, nor will the much maligned, rain-soaked The Killing. They have three interesting pilots on the horizon (including a sci-fi series called Thunderstruck) but if AMC’s reptuation continues to sour, they’re going to have a hard time replicating the success of the last three years.

Season...

By Carson Blackwelder

Television Contributor

Every Friday, Rachel recaps the week’s major TV-related news, announcements and gossip! This week, Carson fills in.

***

Top Stories

• CBS’s How I Met Your Mother will return for a ninth season, ensuring that the sitcom will definitely overstay its already wavering welcome.

• The question as to whether or not Dan Stevens will return for the fourth season of Masterpiece Theatre’s Downton Abbey has been answered.

• AMC continues its dismal relationships with showrunners as The Walking Dead’s Glen Mazzara got the boot. This means that the zombie drama will be getting its third showrunner within four seasons — that’s a lot of creative disconnect.

• ABC shelved the rest of Vanessa Williams and Terry O’Quinn’s canceled 666 Park Avenue until summer and is filling in the extra hour on Sunday with new episodes of Happy Endings and Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23.

By Rachel Bennett

Television Editor & Columnist

***

Top Stories

• Fox’s The X Factor is undergoing more judging shakeups. Although the reality singing competition added Britney Spears and Demi Lovato this season, judge L.A. Reid is departing the series following the finale.

• Dreams do come true! Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) will host NBC’s Saturday Night Live on Jan. 19.

• In the aftermath of the tragic Newtown, Conn., shooting, TLC wisely delayed the premiere of its one-hour special Best Funeral Ever. Can we rename TLC (The Learning Channel) to Nsc (Nothing is Sacred Channel)?

• The third season of HBO’s Game of Thrones, debuting March 31, will be bigger (and hopefully better) than ever. All of the 10 episodes will be a little longer than usual, and as co-showrunner Dan Weiss explains, “There’s almost another full episode’s worth of extra minutes spread across the season.”

• Following the success of Pitch Perfect,...

Paramount has given Benedict Cumberbatch's Star Trek Into Darkness character a name, which I'm going to treat as a spoiler, except it appears nobody has ever heard of the name, so it may mean nothing.

Why is a penis called a penis? Or a pizzle?

Beyonce has inked a $50 million deal with Pepsi for a commercial, tour sponsorship, and a bunch of undefined creative options to be hashed out later.

Hate crimes against Glbt people increased slightly last year according to new statistics released by the FBI. Of the incidents reported with a single bias, 20.8% of them were due to sexual orientation, up from 19.3% the previous year.

My old tea buddy Maggie Gallagher thinks that Doma will be struck down by the Supreme Court, and Justice Roberts may even vote for that. But she thinks that Scotus will uphold Prop 8 as constitutional because they won't be ready to make...

Oh yes. Teddy's finally back in the 90210.

News

Castle has booked another Firefly reunion. TVLine reports that Gina Torres will appear as a mogul-slash-reality-tv-star. In hindsight, I'm disappointed no one asked Torres to play a mogul-slash-reality-tv-star earlier.

Time is running out for How I Met Your Mother. Series creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays have asked that CBS decide by the end of 2012 if the comedy will end this season or next. CBS is in the process of negotiating for another season and it's probably not ready to lose a hit show after a disappointing fall. Still, that might not be enough to convince the cast to put off bigger and better projects.

Why would you make a line of Downton Abbey t-shirts and use only one quip from the Dowager Countess? As Jezebel says, "Hideous."

In today's "This is too good to be real" news, TVLine says that RuPaul...

Lisa Kudrow's "Web Therapy" began life as a web series before it was picked up by Showtime and fleshed out into a half-hour show. Now Showtime's ordering another round of the comedy, which was created by and stars Kudrow, who writes the series with director Don Roos ("Happy Endings") and Dan Bucatinsky. Season three of the show will air in 2013 and will consist of ten episodes following the adventures of Fiona Wallice (Kudrow), a transparently self-interested therapist pushing a new form of treatment done in short bursts over Skype. "We're shooting webisodes right now, and it's just so much fun to do," says Kudrow. "These actors we get to play with are so inventive and nimble and Funny. We're beyond thrilled to get a third season on Showtime because it's such a good fit." Read More: The Search for Indie TV at SXSW The show features Bucatinsky, Victor Garber,...

Every now and then a film or television series comes along that has a long-lasting impact on its respective genre and sets a benchmark studios attempt to duplicate and improve upon. In the case of TV, there’s no doubt Friends carries on in how networks choose sitcoms and the style of humor they shoot for. If you doubt Friends’ influence, just look at the proliferation of the ‘20 and 30-somethings hanging out’ ensemble comedy that we have today: How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, The New Girl, Community, and Happy Endings. And while each of these new iterations on that concept has its unique twist, none have quite achieved the massive following that David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, and Matt LeBlanc did as Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, and Joey. However, Friends wasn’t without fault, and its highs and lows are...

Whether you're celebrating Halloween with a spooky Saturday party or trick or treating on the night itself, there are plenty of creepy TV offerings to keep you occupied from now until October 31.

Many of your favorite series are staging themed episodes, along with the prerequisite horror movie marathons and Halloween specials, so set your DVR, break out the candy corn and don't turn out the lights ...

Friday, October 26

"Mockingbird Lane" (8 p.m. Et, NBC)

Sweet little Eddie Munster (Mason Cook) is a normal kid about to enter the horrors of puberty. Truth is, he's about to discover that for him, becoming a teenager means growing hair in truly unexpected places -- as in, all over his body -- every time the moon is full! Eddie's got it pretty good though. His loving, supportive, run-of-the-mill family includes his mom Lily (Portia de Rossi), the daughter of Dracula; his dad Herman (Jerry O'Connell...

Got a scoop request? An anonymous tip you’re dying to share? Just want to say hi? Send any/all of the above to askausiello@tvline.com

Question: The zombie apocalypse starts up again on The Walking Dead in less than a week. Aside from stockpiling water and canned goods, should I be preparing myself to say goodbye to one (or more!) survivors in the first episode? —Shannon

Ausiello: There is a lot of death in the first two episodes, but I’m not saying how major or minor they are. I will say that this particular departure is still a ways off.

We hope you had a wonderful Labor Day weekend! Now that it's time to get back to work,  Zap2it has 10 TV teasers to get your week started off right. Remember, it's a short week and your DVR is waiting for you.

This week, our Kickstart includes scoop on a spooky "Vampire Diaries" party, a tense "Suits" moment, and some serious "Sons of Anarchy" vengeance.

"The Vampire Diaries": Though we won't see the Mystic Falls gang celebrate Halloween this year, we'll definitely get into the spooky spirit of the holiday. Damon, Elena, and Bonnie will visit the nearby college where Bonnie's Grams used to teach -- and, yes, where Aunt Jenna was working on her degree. While on campus, they all get invited to a fraternity's annual "Murder House" party, where revelers dress up as their favorite murder victim or murderer. (The Ripper of Monterey, anyone?)

"Parks & Recreation":...

It’s that time of year again, and the fall television schedule is another trip into the wild. This is going to be an interesting fall, in part because last season had so many big efforts that didn’t go anywhere. You can see the wake of that effort in the listings, more as a matter of the absence of similar series.

Let’s take a look at what’s coming, and figure out just how much is worth watching, if anything is worth setting into your DVR, and how much of the week is going to be available for the cable networks to grab hold of you.

Sunday

Sunday has always been a strange night in the line-up, and we now see further evidence of each network trying to create their own niche, and get a stranglehold on their chosen demographic. It’s now a night that has pretty...

It's right around the corner. Just up ahead. You can almost see it on the horizon. Fall TV season is upon us and we are doing all we can to not vomit in excitement! Now, we love TV in the summer time. Reality shows that star someone named Honey Boo Boo, Joe Manganiello abs….what's not to love? But September's arrival means that our favorite sitcoms, dramas and dramadies are returning with new episodes! Why are we so gosh darn over the moon for the return of Fall TV? Let us count the ways: 50. New Happy Endings GIFs on Tumblr: Each episode is like an endless Gif-supplying machine, and it's a Tumblr addiction we can't get over. After all, they have to top this one from season two. 49....

Dozens of shows learned their fate this week so we’re going to run down the latest as they came in on Friday evening. The headline news included series such as Nikita, Happy Endings, Parks & Rec, Body of Proof, and yes, even Whitney being renewed while NBC’s Awake and Harry’s Law were not.

Make note of how many 13-episode seasons were ordered. The thinking may be that the networks are learning that the cable model does work better, because it 1) allows more shows to be added to the lineup and 2) keeps the interest going through the fall instead of trying to carry the momentum through the holiday breaks. That doesn’t give fans many episodes to be excited about, but in the case of Community, any word of renewal, regardless of number was good news.

Networks could also be thinking the strategy behind 13-episode seasons could be to...

Released 20 years ago this week , "The Player" seemed at the time like one of the most merciless lampoons of Hollywood ever made, but director Robert Altman liked to insist that it was "a very mild satire." He meant that it could have been even meaner if he'd made it more realistic. Altman was working from Michael Tolkin's screenplay, adapted from Tolkin's own novel, but the observations it made about the movie industry's contempt for art and artists were clearly informed by Altman's own decades of frustration as a creative filmmaker with a singular, idiosyncratic vision who repeatedly clashed with executives interested only in profit. Judging by how many Hollywood A-listers he got to do free cameos in the movie -- about five dozen of them -- a lot of the industry's top talent must have felt as he did. So did critics and audiences, who helped make the movie...

The Big Bang Theory and Celebrity Juice both pulled in large numbers last night, according to overnight data. The E4 sitcom starring Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons took a hefty 1.11m (4.8%) and 365k (1.6%) on +1, despite being slightly down on last week's 100th episode, with Celebrity Juice grabbing 1.75m (9%) on ITV2 from 10pm (+1: 303k/2.8%). Elsewhere on E4, a brand new episode of Happy Endings entertained 261k (1.1%). On the terrestrials, Long Lost Family won the 9pm hour with 4.86m (21.2%). An additional 289k (1.6%) saw it on timeshift. On BBC One, Watchdog drew 4.38m (18.5%) from 8pm, with Out of Africa: Ivory Wars managing 2.26m (9.9%) afterwards. Peter Kay Live (more)...

This Wednesday on TV: American Idol deals with a disqualification, Modern Family clowns around, South Park has toilet troubles and more. On this very busy Wednesday, we’ve singled out 12 programs to keep on your radar.

8 pm American Idol (Fox) | The Top 12 (or 11, depending on how Jermaine’s disqualification shakes out) serve up “Songs from the Year You Were Born.” Check out Michael Slezak’s two new episodes of Idology.

8 pm One Tree Hill (The CW) | Dan, Julian and Chris Keller attempt to rescue Nathan; Brooke’s conflict with Xavier escalates; Quinn and Clay revisit the past.

8 pm The Middle...

As mid-season shows debut over the next three months, it will be crunch time for a number of series that haven't been tearing up the Nielsen charts. Here's what network insiders say are the shows on the bubble as execs look to set their schedules in May.

ABC

A second-year ratings fade may mean it's time to pull a sheet over the Dana Delany-led Body of Proof. While the network ordered an extra episode of Pan Am in order to keep a hold on the cast until May, its chances of returning next fall are as likely as an airport going a full day without a flight delay. Comedy Happy Endings doesn't do a great job retaining the lead-in from the mighty Modern Family, but ABC parent Disney has an ownership stake in the show and it's a favorite within the network's entertainment division — so a pickup for another season is considered a lock.

Fast National ratings for Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012

"American Idol's" ratings kicked into high gear on a mostly sleepy Wednesday evening, though the competition from other networks was mainly in the form of re-runs.  

Fox scored 13 million viewers and a 7.5 rating/12 share in households Wednesday night, beating out CBS (8 million, 5.2/8), NBC (5 million, 3.3/5), ABC (4.8 million, 3.1/5) and The CW (1.1 million, 0.8/1).

Fox, of course, also easily won the 18-49 demographic with a 4.4 rating. CBS followed with 1.9, NBC and ABC tied at 1.5 and The CW finished with a 0.5.

Ratings hour-by-hour:

8 p.m.:

Fox: "American Idol" (18.1 million viewers, 10.5/17 households)

CBS: "Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials" (8.7 million, 5.4/8)

ABC: "The Middle" re-run (5 million, 3.2/5)/"Suburgatory" re-run (4.2 million, 2.8/4)

NBC: "Whitney" (4.4 million, 2.9/5)/"Are You There Chelsea?" (4 million, 2.6/4)

The CW: "One Tree Hill" (1.5 million, 1.0/2)

9 p.m.:

CBS: "Criminal Minds" re-run (8.3 million, 5.3/8)

Fox: "Mobbed" (7.9 million, 4.6/7)

ABC: "Modern Family" re-run (7.7 million, 4.7/7)/"Happy Endings" re-run (5.2 million, 3.4/5)

NBC: "Law & Order: Svu" re-run (4.8 million, 3.2/5)

The CW: "Remodeled" (1.5 million,...

On TV this Wednesday: a slew of Super ads, Chelsea goes to the dogs, a Royal Pains doctor is out, Letterman has an anniversary and more. On this repeat-riddled final night before February sweeps, here are 10 programs you might wanna check out.

8 pm Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials (CBS) | CBS Sports analyst Boomer Esiason and fitness expert Jillian Michaels host this look at the Big Game’s biggest and buzziest commercials from years gone by.

8 pm American Idol (Fox) | Hey, maybe Nicole Scherzinger can finagle herself an audition?

8 pm One Tree Hill (The CW) | As Julian deals with his guilt,...

Lady GaGa is one of the nominees for 2012 Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards. The Mother Monster is up for Outstanding Music Artist. To win the title, she has to defeat Beverly McClellan, Girl in a Coma, as well as Hunx and His Punx and Men.

In addition, "Glee" receives a nod for Outstanding Comedy Series alongside "The Big C", "Exes and Ohs", "Happy Endings", and "Modern Family". Another show, "Pretty Little Liars" is vying for Outstanding Drama Series, facing "Degrassi: The Next Generation", "Grey's Anatomy", "Shameless" and "Torchwood".

In the motion picture category, meanwhile, critically-acclaimed movie "J. Edgar" is nominated for Outstanding Film - Wide Release. The Clint Eastwood-directed drama flick is competing against two other strong rivals, "Albert Nobbs" and "Beginners".

Nominations for the 23rd annual GLAAD Media Awards was announced on Thursday, January 19. The winners, meanwhile, will not be unveiled until spring this year.

Happy Birthday to Honey Boo-Boo Child (above), who turns 32, Katey Sagal is 58, Paula Deen is 63, and the faboo Dolly Parton is 66. Time to name your top five Dolly songs! Here are mine: 5. "Potential New Boyfriend," 4. "9 to 5," 3. "Here You Come Again," 2. "Shine," 1. "Islands In The Stream."In ratings news, American Idol had its lowest season premiere ever, but still crushed the competition. Meanwhile Modern Family and Happy Endings held up well against AI, and Revenge was up a bit.Unfortunately, the Season Four premiere of Southland was down from its Season Three opener.And America's Favorite Actor is ... Johnny Depp.Courtney B. Vance is joining Revenge as "a high-powered defense attorney who’s tasked with representing the not-yet-revealed prime suspect of the the not-yet-revealed victim."The Top Ten Destinations Gay Travelers Should Avoid.Below you can see the teaser poster for the upcoming premiere of Mad Men. Allegedly, some people are upset,...

American Idol's 11th season began impressively last night, pulling in over 21 million viewers. Despite being down on last year's opener, the reality show commanded an audience and an 18-49 demo rating of 7.2, boosting Fox to pole position in primetime. With ABC dropping into second place, The Middle (8.2m/2.6), Suburgatory (7m/2.3), Modern Family (11.8m/5.0) and Happy Endings (6.2m/2.9) all lost viewers week-on-week. NBC was the hardest hit, as Whitney (4.3m/1.6), Are You There Chelsea? (4.3m/1.7) and Harry's Law (6.4m/1.1) all hit series (more)...