Hot in Cleveland & Happily Divorced: Pain & Trust

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Yep, I combined Hot in Cleveland and Happily Divorced into one post again. But, don't worry, it won't happen again. Why? I'm dropping Happily Divorced. Not only does the show continue to disappoint and be almost constantly annoying, it's not getting many readers in comparison to other shows. So, say goodbye to Fran and Peter! Not before they have to save Fran's parents' marriage though. Actually, that's mostly Fran. Go figure. On the other hand, you can say hello to Betty White! The girl showed some 90-year-old leg on this episode of Hot in Cleveland, and I don't think I was the only one to be surprised! She was modeling a track suit and did a much better job doing so than the other girls did modeling Victoria's new line of shoes. Yeah, I didn't think they would last when she first mentioned them, and they certainly don't! Worst shoes ever.

Hot in Cleveland "Cruel Shoes" (S03E18): Victoria has designed a pair of heels and will debut them at Cleveland Fashion Week, using Joy and Melanie as models. [haha at the idea that you'd model togas.] Melanie is overly excited and glues a beauty mark to her face - only it slips and winds up on her chin. [funny at first but it got old fast.] When it comes time to actually take to the catwalk, the girls find the shoes to be excruciatingly painful. [figures.] It takes some quick thinking on Victoria's part, but she decides to have Melanie and Joy carry the shoes and have a wheelchair-bound model wear them, with the idea that the shoes are "high-fashion heels for the women in wheels," and not meant to be worn. Afterward, however, Elka steals the spotlight by modeling a tracksuit.   

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The smaller story going on involves Joy dating a guy who is going to die in about three months. [who else thinks this is a well-contrived lie?] They meet when he kisses her out of nowhere in the bar, which crosses an item off of his bucket list. Joy goes on a date with him and helps cross off several other things. They even try to initiate him into the mile-high club, but turbulence gets in the way. In the end, she tries to break up with him, but then decides to date him - they go for coffee in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to solve another bucket list item. [ridiculous, right? is the guy also loaded?]

Happily Divorced "Newman vs. Newman" (S02E06): Fran's mother, Dori, gets Peter a client, but when it's one of her exes, Glen gets upset. [Dori created that problem. if she knows how her husband is, there's no reason for giving up every detail and incriminating herself further.] Dori ends up moving to Fran's, but after three days, she's already rearranging the furniture and frustrating her daughter. [totally believable.] Fran And Judy take out Dori so she can be reacquainted with how difficult being single is, but she's hit on immediately. [she'd have to be, in order for it to be funny.] Fran tells Dori that she needs to appreciate Glen, but Dori complains that Glen only wants sex. Peter misunderstands his instructions and brings Glen to the club, but he sees Dori dancing with another guy and it throws off everything. [ya think?!] The next day, Fran goes to Marilyn's and pays her to flirt with Glen just a little - enough to make Dori jealous. Then, she tells Dori that women were flocking around Glen at the pool, but rather than get jealous, Dori decides to head over and get a few items out of the condo. [I didn't get this train of thought, but that's okay.] When she gets there (with Peter and Fran in tow), they see Marilyn, which sparks Glen and Dori to make up - he agrees to see more theatre and she agrees not to hang out with other guys. [and, just like that, the problems are solved. EYE ROLL.]

News Roundup: Early April Edition

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Renewals, Cancellations, & Scheduling:
Oprah's Master Class was renewed by OWN.

HBO has renewed Game of Thrones for a third season.

FOX renewed New Girl, Glee, and Raising Hope.

ABC is keeping General Hospital and extending Good Morning, America into an additional hour-long segment in the afternoons, beginning this summer. 

FOX is cutting back on COPS, mainly because they're filling Saturday nights with sports.

Sunday, April 15th brings back another season of True Life on MTV.

HBO's new comedy series, VEEP, begins Sunday, April 22nd at 10pm ET/PT.

A new season of Discovery's American Guns begins Wednesday, April 25th at 9pm ET/PT.

TLC's My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding will begin Sunday, April 29th at 10pm ET/PT.

Tuesday, May 8th begins The United Stats of America, a History program designed to teach you about America using numbers. Check it out at 10pm.

Food Network Star returns on Sunday, May 13th at 9pm ET/PT to Food Network.

The CW has The Catalina, a reality series about Miami hotel employees, premiering Tuesday, May 29th at 8pm ET/PT and Breaking Pointe, a reality series about a ballet company in Utah, premiering Thursday, May 31st at 8pm ET/PT.

On Wednesday, June 6th at 9pm ET/PT, Travel Channel will debut Adam Richman's Best Sandwich in America.

A&E will debut Cajun Justice on Thursday, June 7th at 10pm ET/PT. The series is about a police station in southern Louisiana.

True Blood returns to HBO on Sunday, June 10th at 9pm ET/PT.

HBO's The Newsroom will kick off its first season on Sunday, June 24th at 10pm ET/OT.

Showtime's Web Therapy will be back on July 2nd at 11pm and The Real L Word will return July 12th at 10pm.

On Friday, August 17th at 10pm ET/PT, Starz will premiere the second season of Boss.

BBCAmerica's first original drama, Copper, will premiere Sunday, August 19th at 9pm ET/PT. The 10-episode show will be about an 1860s cop in NYC.

Cast & Plot Updates:
James Denton will play a love interest for Joy on Hot in Cleveland.

Peri Gilpin (most known as Roz from Frasier) will play Ted Danson's wife on CSI.

Matt Laurer will remain with Today, making $25M each year.

Rosie O'Donnell and Dan Akyroyd will appear on Happily Divorced, albeit in separate episodes.

Shows in Development & Other Fun Stuff:
Netflix has added some new cartoons to their streaming: My Little Pony, GI Joe: Renegades, The Adventures of Chuck & Friends, and Transformers Prime. Later this year, JEM & the Holograms, Transformers: Generation 1, GI Joe: Real American Heroes, and Transformers: Beast Wars and Rescue Bots will also be added.

The Smash soundtrack will be available May 1st.

CMT has picked up Bounty Hunters (an animated series) and Trinity 911 (a reality show about hijinks in a small Texas police force).

Disney has ordered the family comedy pilot Bits & Pieces, where step-siblings will have to learn to get along.

Disney XD has ordered a live-action series called Crash & Bernstein, about a 14-year-old boy whose puppet comes to life. It should premiere this fall.

OWN has four new series coming: Elura and Michele Take Staten Island (BFFs who are former prosecutors tell people what to do), Iyanla Fix My Life (an author who believes in the power of acting on faith solces people's problems), Married to the Army: Alaska (military wives in Alaska, many of whom have husbands serving in Afghanistan), and Six Little McGhees (Ohio's first sextuplets and their family).

Discovery has four new series coming, including Top Engineer (pitting engineering teams against one another), One Car Too Far (drive to survive!), Mark Burnett's Alaska (yet another Alaska show), and Fast and Loud (restoring classic cars).

Matt Groening has finally announced that The Simpsons is set in Springfield, OREGON. [edit: nope. that was a misinterpretation.]

Bravo has green-lit a bunch of new projects. Silicon Valley is about some young folks in that area trying to become the next big thing. Life after Top Chef will look at the lives of some former contestants. Below Deck will look at the lives of those who work on yachts. Huh? will look at internet memes. Newlyweds: The First Year looks at the trials and tribulations of the first year of marriage of couples across the country.

Happily Divorced: New Episode, Same Stuff

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Did we really need a Fiddler on the Roof joke? Nobody's forgetting that Fran is Jewish. Of course, we also need to keep repeating that Fran and Peter may be divorced, but they're still inextricably intertwined. That's basically the point of this episode, and most others. Viewers receive even more background on how great of a husband Peter was and how accepted he is by Fran's family... the same spiel thrown out there every week. The only thing that made this episode different were some of The Nanny references... though those aren't exactly few and far between, either. Fran's vest was worn on her earlier show and the actresses who played Marilyn and her mother played Fran's mother and grandmother on The Nanny. Sure, it's fun and all... but nothing is happening to give Happily Divorced any forward motion of its own. Sooner or later they're going to run out of gimmicks and the audience is going to be tired of seeing the same theme played out over and over... let's see something NEW on this show for a change. 

Happily Divorced "The Burial Plotz" (S02E04): The flower shop has had poor business lately, despite the fact that there are more obituaries in the paper than usual. [a weak poke at florists doing well because of funeral arrangements.] Peter, always looking out for Fran, forgoes a commission in order to get her business a small spot on live television. [I didn't understand why it needed to be live... wouldn't things like that tend to be shot ahead of time? I realize that it was supposed to make the actual interview "funnier," but that isn't what happened.] But, the roof leaks

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and they don't have the money to patch it before the news story, so Fran sells Peter's spot in the family burial plot to Marilyn, a nosy neighbor of her parents. [how would you even think of that potential asset? Maybe if I had one I'd remember it, but it just seems odd to me that your mind would think of it as a potential sale.] Peter is more upset than he lets on, and Fran's parents aren't happy with the situation either, though they're equally upset for Peter and for the fact that they'll be "next to strangers." Fran's mother tells her that she needs to set things right, so Fran tries to buy back the $3,000 plot with floral arrangements. [ah, a good old-fashioned barter...] However, Marilyn has already given the plot to her aging mother, who wants double the original price. Fran offers to do errands and chores for the woman, but she only raises the price further, so it's a lost cause.

Peter finally admits to Fran that he feels unloved and unwanted for the first time, a statement for which she was unprepared to hear, especially just before her interview. [timing, timing, timing..] Her responses to the reporter's questions are very Peter-centric, and she ends up breaking down on the air over selling Peter's grave. [...and this is why such things aren't live.] Fran then apologizes to Peter, saying that she'll sell her burial plot, too, and they'll get two cheap ones together someplace else. [I guess that was a thoughtful ending. At least "Four Feet Under" was funny.]

Happily Divorced: Looking Out for Your Father

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Talk about an episode full of promise but didn't go anywhere! I liked the idea that Fran's dad may be a little less independent than he once was. I liked the idea that Peter spent way too much on an outfit to impress a guy. I liked the idea that Fran's dad could be a wingman for Peter. But in actuality, none of these storylines really did much. The part I liked the most ended up being Judy and Cesar listening in on Fran & Peter's conversation via pocket-dial. I never was enthralled with this show, so perhaps it's getting near the chopping block... we'll give it another couple of attempts to impress, though. Do you agree?

Happily Divorced "Daddy's Girl" (S02E03): Fran and Peter go to her parents' house and her mom makes a "fat" comment to her. [meh. normally I'd feel for Fran a little more, but most of the outfits that she wears aren't the most flattering choices.] Her dad is starting to miss things and forget things, so Fran is a bit worried and decides to try to stop him from driving. But, he won't let her in the car - so she makes Peter miss his spin class (for which he bought a new track suit to impress a guy) to go with him to the market. [I was slightly afraid that Glen wouldn't notice Fran standing in front of the car and he might bump her... glad that didn't happen!]

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Glen and Peter go to a bar and Glen wonders how Peter can't get a man. [nice to see Glen so accepting and interested in Peter's life.] Glen then meets Keith (the gym guy) and introduces him to Peter. Glen owns a motorcycle shop (selling leather is "the Jewish doctor" of Peter's world, apparently). [did anyone else find this just plain odd?, oh, and "I've still got it." "So do they." was funny.] They head to the motorcycle shop and Glen buys a motorcycle, panicking Fran. [well, yeah. I would worry about an elderly man on a motorcycle!]. Fran begs Peter to help her steal it, but neither really know much about driving it, so they wind up crashing into the flowershop. [surprised they got that far without incident, actually.] Along the way, Fran pocket-dials Judy so she and Cesar listen to Fran and Peter argue about Glen. [driving along and getting gum in your mouth was about the grossest thing EVER!]

Happily Divorced: Reunions of Family & Friends

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Peter is pretty closeted. Apparently the writers realized that and have him coming out to various people in both episodes of the second season so far. Now that some of his college buddies and family members are in the loop, what's next? Well, let's just hope it was Cesar in it, because he's really the funniest character on this show. Sure, Fran's parents have decent lines and Judy delivers a hilarious one-liner or two per episode, but Fran and Peter are just not overly-funny characters. And, with Fran Drescher, that's hard to do - the woman has become synonymous with the very definition of "over-the-top"!!! One other thing that bothers me about this show? Fran and Peter are always happy at the end of an episode... a bit too The Brady Bunch, don't ya think? We can't just not comment on their strange lifestyle? It just seems out of place that it's emphasized over and over...

Happily Divorced "The Reunion" (S02E01): The gang's college reunion is coming up, and Fran thinks she's too fat and poor to go, though her real concern is that some girl, Jill, will show her up. [interesting. I guess I was never in such close competition with a single person that I'd feel it really mattered.] Peter is worried about "coming out" to his classmates. [this one makes more sense. though I loved Fran's joke about everyone in the drama department knowing he was gay except the two of them!] Anyway, Peter, Fran, nor Judy actually belong to the gym... so they're pretending they're guests of Ellior's. Lo and behold, Elliot is there, and Fran invites him to attend the reunion with her to show up Jill, though Peter thinks it's a bad idea. By the time Fran gets home, Judy, Peter, Cesar, and Fran's parents are all there for an intervention. [hahaha "three hours to coordinate a trip to Costco."]

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At the reunion, it's not long before Fran goes overboard with Elliot. He plays a rich fiance and they make out on the dance floor, but when Peter and Judy confront Fran in the bathroom about her behavior, they don't know that Jill is in a stall, eavesdropping. [that sucks. But WHO starts talking about something secret without checking the entire bathroom first?? and, ewww on Jill's dress, by the way!] Fran talks to Elliot about their relationship, and Elliot talks says they should just being friends. [man... people still say that in their 40s??] Another guy overhears and starts hitting on Fran... and it turns out to be Jill's husband! [love it!] Jill tells Fran that she knows what happened, as Frank flirts with others all the time. Fran is classy about it, whereas Jill has already spread the first on Fran. [b!tch!] While all of this is going on, Peter is talking to a guy from college, but it's weird because Peter has stalked him online already. [awkward!] The episode ends with Peter and Fran being happy with their lives after all. [dumb.]

Happily Divorced "Peter Comes Out Again" (S02E02): Fran has invited Peter's brother, Matthew, to stay the weekend while he's in town. Peter freaks out because he hasn't come out to his family yet. ["don't answer it!" was good acting!] So, he intimately kisses Fran at the first opportunity in front of Matthew, to act like everything is status quo. Fran says that she won't lie for Peter, but after he says that his wife is better than Matthew's, she agrees to cover for him. [haha!] Cesar goes along with it, too, saying that he's the one who buys gay magazines. [the "how to drive a stick" joke made me laugh. as did, "that's the secret."] That night, Peter sneaks in to sleep with Fran, but she kicks him out. When Matthew asks Peter what the fight was about, he says "I'm gay," which bothers Matthew, as he felt like Peter should have told him. [interesting reaction... they could have gone any way with this, and I don't know that I was expecting this one.] Matthew admits that it wasn't THAT big of a shock... Peter could cook and garnish an egg white omelet when he was five. [ewww on the seashell pattern on the dining room chairs!]

It turns out that Fran and Peter only got together because Matthew had made a date with Fran that he couldn't keep. This now leads Matthew and Fran begin to wonder about their own potential relationship. [whoa.] Fran's mom tells her to ask Peter, who is a bit surprised but says it's fine. [it wouldn't be fine with me, I'll say that right now!] Their date starts well, but Fran realizes that there's no chemistry. [not thrilled with that neutral-colored dress on Fran.] Fran tells Peter that he's a better kisser, and all is well.

Two Proposals & a Reunion on TVLand...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Hot in Cleveland "Indecent Proposals" (S02E20): Melanie is writing an article for Women's Day and she wonders if a woman can have sex with no strings attached. Elka keeps making Sex and the City references (she's a Samantha, by the way). Each of the girls will try meaningless sex. Melanie chickens out since her daughter might read about it. Joy's guy creeps her out when it turns out that he's had the names of every girl he's ever slept with tattooed on himself. [well, that is extremely creepy!] Victoria's guy has a heart attack: "I'm too old to die young." [haha.] Elka's booty call worked out, and then she taught Fred how to text. [The card game euphemisms for sex were pretty good.] Elka decides she's a Charlotte and is going to propose! Victoria's guy is needy on the couch... but he ends up proposing. Fred falls in the well and Victoria is supposed to call 911, but calls the news station first. Because baby pandas are the big national news at the moment, Victoria pretends that the dog is also down in the well to get national coverage. [I thought that this was pretty funny, but it would never hold up... the firefighters aren't going to corroborate that story...] Melanie and Joy dress up and are ready when the firemen arrive. [love their reactions. but Victoria's constant promos for the cosmetics line got old. really old.] Fred ends up proposing to Elka, and Melanie decides that women prefer sex with strings. Victoria accepts the proposal, but they can't decide on a place to live, so they decide that their current relationship is perfect - they just commute to see eachother when they start missing one another. [I'm pretty sure you can't have sex the day after a heart attack. also, not a strong episode overall.] 

Happily Divorced "Torn Between Two Lovetts" (S01E10): Judi and Peter are accompanying Fran to a book signing. The author is played by Charles Shaughnessy, who co-starred in The Nanny with Fran years ago. And he wastes no time making a Nanny joke - saying "fine" right after Fran says her first name - a play on her surname from the previous show. The author finds Fran intriguing so he asks her to lunch. Fran then makes a joke about the old show in the way she says "Mr. Sherwood" like she used to say "Mr. Sheffield." [laughable yet I groaned at the same time.] Fran forgot Peter at the mall. [hahahahahaha!] Mr. Sherwood asks Peter out to dinner. Fran goes crying to her parents, where she talks more Nanny references - three kids in a mansion with a butler. [I liked Fran's outfit the next morning - belted dress over jeans.] Then, both Fran and Peter receive the same invitation for dinner with Mr. Sherwood. [I don't care if I've said it before - I hate the way this show does their commercial breaks!] Fran shows up and there's a joke about "the lady in red." [though at least they didn't push it with "when everybody else is wearing tan."] Gregory suggests they go for a swim - he had a size 2 swimsuit sent up from the gift shop, which Fran struggles to get on, ripping it in the process. Fran is changing when Peter shows up. Gregory then invites Peter to swim, and suggests they swim in the nude, though Peter suggests he borrow a suit from Gregory (which turns out to be a Speedo). Fran comes out to a darkened room and starts licking Peter's ear... turns out that Gregory is bisexual and attracted to both of them. They walk out on him and return home wearing the robes. [nice finale.]

Montage for Hot in Cleveland; Pregnancy Scare on Happily Divorced

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Hot in Cleveland  "Too Hot for TV" (S02E19):  Starting off with some bloopers. We have some readings, some behind-the-scenes, some clips. Short interviews. Plenty of Victoria and Elka. [why is this being listed as a regular episode and not a special of sorts? I also hadn't noticed that Melanie says "God Bless America" often.] There are a couple of scenes in particular that they have tons of takes of - like when Joy shot her son in the leg and Melanie acted British, and when Elka had to talk about her username, BenderOver. 

Happily Divorced "Vegas Baby" (S01E09): Fran, Peter, and Judi are out seeing a Dream Girl. Elliot is her producer. [of course. small world and all... I thought that Fran's black dress was rather unbecoming.] Elliot shows up at the house, saying that he isn't over Fran, so they make plans to spend some time together in Vegas. Cesar can't go to Vegas for the flower show with Fran because it's his wife's mother's birthday. [stupid reason, but whatever.] Shot of the Bellagio fountains. Shot of Fran trying to put on a tight dress with Peter's help. [also not lovely to look at.] She eats the chocolate strawberries and drinks the champagne when Elliot finally calls, telling her that he broke up with his wife, but the timing isn't right to be with Fran, either. [stop wanting married men, people!] Peter brings a guy back to his room, but Fran hears him and starts crying, so Peter goes to console her and loses out on the guy. [he's too nice.] Peter wants them to paint the town so they head out... next thing we see is Peter and Fran in bed together the next morning... and they can't remember if they slept together or not! [I love this commercial TVLand keeps showing about how many Emmy nominations they have running on the network.] Back in LA, Peter is at the bar with the guy from Vegas when Fran comes in, thinking she's pregnant. [Love Fran's purple dress!! I want it!] The night before the pregnancy test, they have Fran's parents over for dinner, and they're so nervous that Peter lets it slip pretty quickly. The next morning, Fran is freaking out... turns out, it's negative. [aren't they ALWAYS negative in this situation??!?] Her parents show up moments later with champagne, which they leave in case "they want to try again." [hahahaha]  
[season finale next week]

Obsessions on Hot in Cleveland & Friendships on Happily Divorced

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Hot in Cleveland  "Arch Enemies" (S02E18):  [totally threw me off that the episode didn't start at the house this time!] Victoria falls for several pranks on the air, this time believing that she could smell and taste what's on the screen of a tablet using a new app. [haha. probably a generational thing... I remember those links that used to claim they could take your photo through the monitor, but when you clicked the button, a monkey just started laughing at you.] Elka Skypes the ladies from Europe, [...why is she in Europe?] and makes a joke at Victoria's expense, asking her to lick the croissant that Elka held up to the screen. [haha!] Melanie dates a shoe guy, who photographs her size-6.5 feet. Victoria and Joy tell her that guys like that are called "shrimpers," because toes look like baby shrimp. [what?!? freaky.] He then gives Melanie a toe ring, causing those around them in the restaurant to think they got engaged! [hahaha. As someone who got engaged in a restaurant with a crowd clapping, that would've been really awkward if it wasn't the case!] The guy who is pranking Victoria falls for Joy, who is planning to string him along and break his heart, but she starts to like him, too. [yeah... pretty standard story here... aka borrrrring!] Joy ends up not breaking up with him as Victoria planned, and Victoria plans to get back at him some other way... Melanie's man wants her to role play with her feet... and it starts to tax her. [good. I was afraid this was about to get really weird...] Joy, now in a potentially "real" relationship, begins to get nervous and jealous, and ends up falling for a prank Victoria had set up for Colin. The episode ends with Joy plotting some more. [not a great episode. perhaps because Betty White was only in fifteen seconds of it...]

Happily Divorced "A Kiss is Just a Kiss" (S01E08): Fran and Judi (which is, apparently, spelled with an "i") are at a concert and they meet a guy. Both give him numbers. This [obviously] segues into the girls wondering which David likes, and he calls Judi. Fran feigns excitement for her friend, but it doesn't take long before David kisses Fran on the lips while at her house. Fran tells Judi the next day, and Judi assumes that Fran is just making it up to ruin things. [you know, since we all like to thrown a wrench into who's asking who to the eighth-grade-dance....] Fran tries to make Cesar a girlfriend, but he's not thrilled about it. Peter tells Fran to make up with Judi, since she doesn't have very many female friends. Fran heads to her mother for advice, and gets to see one of her mother's oldest friends (aka Renee Taylor, who played Fran's mother, Sylvia, on The Nanny). Peter is trying to hook up with a guy at the bar but Fran interrupts, wanting help to fix her fight with Judi. It takes a minute and then they're BFFs again. [what was with Judi's gigantic necklace??] Judi then catches David kissing ANOTHER girl, and Peter tells Judi and Fran that the girl is really a guy. [haha!] Peter gets left for another man, and the episode ends with the three of them snacking on the couch. [so I'll finish off this season, but might not go for the next one...]

Ricky Drama; Regina Knew; Lennox Models; & more...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Oh my goodness. SO MUCH has happened in the past week! When I went to watch Secret Life on Monday, I felt like a month had passed since I saw the episode last week. And, since I saw many of the Falling Skies cast members in person last weekend, I felt like I was getting Falling Skies overkill by Sunday (not that I mind!). Still in Los Angeles at the TCA Press Tour for a few more days, follow along on Twitter if you'd like. Or facebook, if you prefer. That said, I'm also short on time to watch things let alone analyze them, so [commentary] is pretty brief this week.

Recaps & [Commentaries] for "scripted" shows this week include: Falling Skies, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Switched at Birth, Melissa & Joey, State of Georgia, Hot in Cleveland, Happily Divorced, and Futurama. Please note: spoilers abound, so don't jump down if you don't want to know what happens!

Casting News; New Shows Coming; Show Interaction

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Yes, I am going to write about everything I saw and did at Comic-Con. I know that's what you're all looking forward to! But, as luck would have it, I'm already away on travel again, this time to Los Angeles. The Television Critics Association Press Tour starts tomorrow, and I'll be attending the first part this year (it's long. it goes for 12 days!). All sorts of wonderful things are going to happen, but they also take up the majority of every day, leaving me with very little time to do things like process Comic-Con and prepare giveaways. (Yes! you heard right. I'll be doing several contests for some free swag that I got!) If you want to read my third article for TVTango, it's here. Otherwise, enjoy the highlights of television news from the past week...

I mentioned last week that Mike Vogel had been cast in the new series PanAm. Well, it looks like they're even writing the role larger now that he's in the show!

Franklin & Bash got renewed for a second season. South Park will keep making new episodes through 2013. Happily Divorced also got picked up for a second season. On the other hand, Love Bites has been canceled.

Looks like Kevin Smith may be developing his own talk show. And, if you want to watch Shannen Doherty plan her wedding, apparently that's an upcoming option, too.

Odette Annable will join House in the fall. It doesn't look like she's taking Cuddy's role. In other casting news, John Goodman will be joining Community.

Want to experience Terra Nova? It may be coming to a city near you! If interaction is your thing, maybe you wanna bet on how Charlie Harper will be written out of Two and a Half Men... you can!

Mad Men is about to be available on Netflix streaming.

In November, TLC will roll out All-American Muslim which will look at several young adult Muslims as they balance their background with American culture. Another new show in development is The Exes (working title) for TVLand... which seems kinda similar to The Big Bang Theory in my opinion... But the most intriguing new show coming out is Same Name, where a person with the same name as a celebrity (in the pilot, David Hasselhoff) switches lives with that person for four days.

Adrian at School; Toby Comes Clean; Lennox Tweets; Jo Googles...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

A day late, I know. It's been a long week. I'm still at Comic-Con, and until I can get up some updates here, check out a couple articles (here and here) I've written from some of the things I've seen. I'll get up the remainder of the recaps from this week as soon as I can. :)

Recaps & [Commentaries] for "scripted" shows this week include: Falling Skies, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Switched at Birth, Melissa & Joey, State of Georgia, Hot in Cleveland, Happily Divorced, and Futurama. Please note: spoilers abound, so don't jump down if you don't want to know what happens!

Ben is Back; Joe Speaks Japanese; A Wrinkle-Chaser...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Recaps & [Commentaries] for "scripted" shows this week include: Falling Skies, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Switched at Birth, Melissa & Joey, State of Georgia, Hot in Cleveland, Happily Divorced, and Futurama. Please note: spoilers abound, so don't jump down if you don't want to know what happens!

Harnesses Cure; Toby in Trouble; Cleveland Rocks

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Recaps & [Commentaries] for "scripted" shows this week include: Falling Skies, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Switched at Birth, Melissa & Joey, State of Georgia, Hot in Cleveland, Happily Divorced, and Futurama. Please note: spoilers abound, so don't jump down if you don't want to know what happens!

Grace & Daniel; Liam & Daphne; JoJoBe & TiffyPop; Girls & Blind Dates

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Recaps & [Commentaries] for "scripted" shows this week include: Falling Skies, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Switched at Birth, Melissa & Joey, State of Georgia, Hot in Cleveland, Happily Divorced, and Futurama.

Falling Skies & Happily Divorced Premiere; Futurama Returns...

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Reviews & [Commentaries] for "scripted" shows this week include: Falling Skies, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Switched at Birth, Hot in Cleveland, Happily Divorced, and Futurama.