[Televisionary]

Snip. That sound you hear? It's the sound of FOX cutting back the episodic order for midseason comedy The Return of Jezebel James. After a disastrous pilot (read my advance review here ), I had pretty low hopes for this sadly middling series, despite a top notch cast (Parker Posey, Lauren Ambrose, Scott Cohen, Dianne Wiest ) and a brilliant creator ( Gilmore Girls ' Amy Sherman-Palladino), so I can't say that I am surprised by FOX's announcement that they would trim the series' original 13 episode commitment to a mere six episodes (plus the original pilot). The seven episode order for The Return of Jezebel James. places the series on par with the order for FOX's other underwhelming midseason comedy entry, Unhitched (formerly known as The Rules for Starting Over ), whose sole distinction is that it's the first post- Office gig for Rashida Jones. The reason given for the unceremonious chop? FOX claims that it only needs seven episodes to fill its schedule, r

I don't know about you, but I've already ordered my "Me Want Food" t-shirt from the NBC store. Last night's episode of 30 Rock ("Jack Gets in the Game") was, in my opinion, one of the strongest of the series and has officially pushed the zany comedy into the realm of Arrested Development : deftly plotted and intricately layered, with so many jokes piled atop of jokes that it requires several viewings in order to catch them all. While at its heart, 30 Rock is a workplace comedy, it's left that narrow pigeonhole behind to become a witty example of how intelligent and taut humor can work (and flourish) on television... and exist in harmony with hilarious throwaways like the Thriller -inspired Werewolf Bar Mitzvah music video that would have done the AD crew proud. I want Will Arnett to appear on this series whenever possible. His gay exec Devin is hilarious, manipulative, and has an inexplicable weakness for Kenneth the Page, but he claims to have b

I really do want to like The Office this season, but they are making it so bloody hard to do so with these drawn-out one-hour installments. I was firmly against the extended episodes when they were announced, depressed when it was clear that the first four episodes this season would be comprised of these one-hour chunks, and upset now that it's become difficult to sit through an entire episode. Take last night's episode of The Office ("Launch Party"), which is the perfect example. I thought that the first half-hour of the installment--written by Office executive producer Jen Celotta--was absolutely brilliant. I loved Phyllis' attempt to deal with Angela's ever-increasing bouts of moodiness by searching the internet for tips on how to deal with difficult people and Jim and Pam's prank on Dwight by making him believe the Dunder-Mifflin website had become sentient and was programmed to destroy him... by selling more paper. Same with Michael's, er, mis

Is it always sunny in Philadelphia? I'm not entirely sure. But what I do know is that I can't get enough of FX's addictively zany comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I had the chance to catch up with Charlie Day, one of the three triple-threats (creator, star, and producer) on the surreal comedy, and asked him how much of Sunny is scripted, how he met co-stars/co-creators Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton, how much the original pilot of It's Always Sunny really cost, and just how one goes about making the disgusting (yet strangely appetizing) Grilled Charlie. So sit back, grab your favorite microbrew at Paddy's, and find out the answers to these and other burning questions. Q: I am wondering if you could speak about what the genesis was for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and also about how much of it is scripted versus improv, because it has a very loose feel to it. It feels like a lot of it is ad-libbed. Charlie Day: Yes. I will speak to the second

That disembodied voice Jack spoke to over the satellite phone on the season finale of Lost finally has a face. ABC has confirmed that Fisher Stevens ( Early Edition ) will play the role of the enigmatic Minkowski, who was introduced on-screen via that climactic phone call in the "Through the Looking Glass" episode last season. According to some fans of the series, the name Minkowski refers to an early 20th century German mathematician Hermann Minkowski, whose theory of a four-dimensional system (three dimensions of space plus time) influenced Einstein's theory of relativity. And which might go a long way of explaining some of the inexplicable scenarios that the Losties have encountered during their stay on the mysterious island. Of course, this being Lost , there are other theories , including conjecture that Minkowski refers to French philosopher/psychiatrist Eugène Minkowski, who studied the "subjectiveness of the lived Time," and made "the first serious

It's Thursday morning, so naturally, I'm already itching to talk about last night's installment of the whimsical "forensic fairy tale" Pushing Daisies , which aired its first episode after the brutally brilliant pilot. (You can read my advance review of the pilot here .) While most new series would have seriously toned down the quirkiness in the second episode, Pushing Daisies did just the opposite, keeping the energy, quirk, and flagrant originality of the pilot, well, alive in the second episode ("Dummy"). And under the pen of Pete Ocko--creator of CBS' short-lived medical drama 3 Lbs. and a writer on Bryan Fuller's Dead Like Me --our characters truly came to life, with a zany plot (crash test dummies and a car that runs on dandelions), some unrequited love, a heartfelt song, and a loony villain who just happened to look like that balmy criminology professor on Veronica Mars (Patrick Fabian). The effect? Pure magic. Ned. I absolutely loved

TNT has cast Monica Potter ( Boston Legal ) in their Madison Avenue-set drama pilot, Truth in Advertising , which revolves around the multi-million dollar advertising agency Rothman, Greene & Moore (what, no Dewey, Cheatum & Howe?), a high-stakes ad agency whose execs are constantly driven to prove why they deserve to keep their plum gigs. Potter joins the previously cast Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh in the pilot, which begins production later this month. Potter will play Sarah Krajicek-Hunter, a divorcee and copywriter who is brought into the firm. Lest you be confused by the similarities between this project and AMC's Mad Men , rest assured that Truth in Advertising is set firmly in the present day. The script for this pilot has just made its way into my inbox, so I'll have to let you know what I think. * * * Meanwhile, in other casting news, Robot Chicken auteur Seth Green ( Buffy the Vampire Slayer ) has been cast in a two-episode