TVSquad

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, then the season premieres of The Amazing Race, Cold Case, and The Unit.
  
• NBC has a new Football Night in America at 7, followed by the Eagles/Bears game.
• At 8, ABC has a new Extreme Makeover, then the season premieres of Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters.
• FOX has the season premieres of The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Family Guy, and American Dad.
• At 9, PBS has a new Masterpiece Mystery.
• HBO has a new True Blood at 9, followed by a new Entourage and the series premiere of Little Britain USA.
• Showtime has the season premiere of Dexter at 9, then the season premiere of Californication.
• At 10, AMC has a new Mad Men.
• The season finale of Feasting on Waves airs on Food Network at 10.
• Also at 10: BBC America has a new Skins.
• At 10:30, E! has a new Sunset Tan.
• At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken, then the series premiere of Superjail.
• At 12:30am, Cartoon Network has a new Tim and Eric's Awesome Show, Great Job.

Check your local TV listings for more.

I have come to an epiphany when it comes to American Dad and Family Guy: a studio audience is needed. I came to this realization after attending both the Comic-Con panels for these respective shows, which showed clips from their respective series. Scenes that I would have generally smirked at or given a chuckle made me laugh out loud along with the rest of the audience. Which brings me to one of two conclusions: either laughter is contagious, or I am just a lemming.

Either way, an enjoyable two hours was spent with casts from both shows as they did some table readings, provided some clues to upcoming episodes,and provided clips from some previously run and new episodes of both shows.

As usual, FOX leaves the best press conference (at least as far as I was concerned) for last. I sat through Karl Rove and Chris Wallace getting contentious with the critics near the end of the FOX News panel (more on that later), Jerry O'Connell and the cast of Do Not Disturb strain to answer questions about a show whose clip reel wasn't all that funny, and the millionaires from Secret Millionaire talk about being poor for a week. All of it was made worth it (and, really, seeing Rove start to get annoyed near the end was fun to watch) so we could see the final panel: all the producers of all FOX's Sunday animated shows.

The first person who spoke up, not surprisingly, was Seth MacFarlane. "Is this where Karl Rove sat? Because I don't want to get AIDS." Wow. Unfortunately, no line that was said after that was as shocking or funny. But it was all still pretty good.

Along with running three shows on Fox (Family Guy, American Dad and The Cleveland Show), Seth McFarlane is also getting into online content development. Even worse, he's doing it for a Fox competitor.

McFarlane will be developing fifty two-minute animated vignettes for Seth McFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy which will be distributed via Google's AdSense network (a competitor for Fox's Myspace).

The article goes into the corporate issues behind this strange move and asks a few good questions: why didn't Fox get a first-look offer at this idea? If they did, why did they pass on it? It seems inexpensive enough to produce and given the popularity of the creator, it seems a no-brainer.

Summer hasn't even started yet (though I always consider Memorial Day the start of summer), but FOX has all of the premiere dates for the new and returning shows. Some of the shows were announced as starting the week of August 25, but those dates have been pushed to September 1. In fact, all of the FOX shows bow in September this year. But that's OK. Better than waiting until October like a lot of networks, right? (Of course, the World Series starts on FOX at the end of October so there will be an interruption.)

After the jump, the rundown (except for 24 and Dollhouse, which premiere in early '09). Feel free to print out and post on your refrigerator!

Due to the complicated and apparently outdated Emmy Awards nomination rules, prime-time animated shows like Family Guy, The Simpsons, American Dad, South Park and others have had to choose which Emmy category they want to compete in, animated or comedy series. Then, that decision impacts eligibility for writers and animators on those shows in other categories. Well, Family Guy is in a unique position this year, as their "Blue Harvest" Star Wars parody was classified as a special. And as the animated category looks at single episodes, Family Guy can submit "Blue Harvest" to the animated category, and the show itself, to comedy series.

I'd say it's a tremendous long shot that an animated show can be nominated over the live-action comedy series it will be facing. But there's always a first time for everything; when Disney's animated Beauty and the Beast picked up an Oscar nod for "Best Picture" it was groundbreaking in the same way. It's a tough debate. These shows compete with prime-time comedies every week and yet get put up against the likes of Spongebob Squarepants come awards time. How do you compare The Venture Brothers and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends?

TV watchers probably know Roger Bart best as George Williams, the murderous pharmacist on Desperate Housewives. On Broadway, he's been a musical dog (Snoopy in You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown -- for which he won the Tony award), a sidekick (Carmen Ghia in The Producers) and a scientist (Young Frankenstein). Now, he's slotted for a return to the tube. Roger Bart will star as a lawyer in the untitled David Hemingson dramedy pilot for ABC. The project casts Bart as Cliff, a high-strung attorney in a fancy-schmancy L.A. law firm, where one of the partners is his spouse.

Hemingson's pilot is getting a lot of attention, in part because of his pedigree. He's written for How I Met Your Mother, American Dad and Kitchen Confidential. Adding Roger Bart to the mix ups the likelihood of ABC finding a place in the schedule mid-season for this comedy. They start filming next month.

For many longtime TV Squad readers the name Adam Finley could only be associated with one thing: the wide world of animation. Adam was passionate about animation, covering many shows for us here as well as reporting on anything and everything happening in the industry. So it's only right that the award for Excellence in Animation be named after him.

There's all kinds of possibilities for contenders here. I'd give a nod to both Star Wars tributes -- Family Guy and Robot Chicken -- and South Park definitely stretched their animation style with 'Major Boobage,' but I didn't think the episode was all that good. Aqua Teen Hunger Force had some good episodes this season (personal favorites include the VeggieTales parody and that crazy trilogy that opened the season).

But I've by no means watched all the best in animation this year, so I call out to you, dear readers. Which episodes or shows do you think set the bar or even raised it in this past year? Are The Simpsons out of their prime and not worthy of TVS recognition? How about King of the Hill or American Dad? The new The Mr. Men Show is retro-tastic, simple, but still cleverly awesome! Too many to handle! Help me TVS Readers, you're my only hope!

• At 7, ABC has two new episodes of Extreme Makeover, followed by the two hour season finale of Desperate Housewives.
• CBS has a new 60 Minutes at 7, then The Country Music Awards.
• NBC has a new Dateline at 7, followed by a marathon of The Office.
• At 8, The CW has the season finale of Everybody Hates Chris, then the series finale of Aliens in America and the season finale of The Game.
• FOX has the season finales of The Simpsons and King of the Hill at 8.
• History Channel has the special Indiana Jones and the Ultimate Quest at 8.
• TV Land has the M*A*S*H series finale at 8.
• Also at 8: Food Network has a new Challenge.
• At 8:55: Sci-Fi has the Indiana Jones-related documentary The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls.
• At 9, PBS has a new Masterpiece.
• There's a new episode of The Tudors on Showtime at 9, then a new This American Life.
• At 9:30, FOX has the season finale of American Dad.
• At midnight, Cartoon Network has a new Metalocalypse, followed by new episodes of Squidbillies and Assy McGee.

Check your local TV listings for more.

FOX announced its plans for the 2008-2009 season today. Here are the highlights:

Returning: The Moment of Truth, So You Think You Can Dance, The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, American Idol, America's Most Wanted, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Bones, Cops, Don't Forget the Lyrics!, Hell's Kitchen, House, King of the Hill, Kitchen Nightmares, MADtv, The Moment of Truth, Prison Break, Talkshow with Spike Feresten, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, 'Til Death

Out: Back To You, Canterbury's Law, K-Ville, Nashville, New Amsterdam, Next Great American Band, Return of Jezebel James, Unhitched

New: Sit Down, Shut Up; The Cleveland Show; Dollhouse (Midseason); Fringe; Do Not Disturb (formerly The Inn); Secret Millionaire (Midseason)

Schedule and detailed descriptions of the new shows after the jump.

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by the season finale of Survivor and the Survivor Live Reunion Show.
• ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos at 7, then new episodes of Extreme Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.
• NBC has the special America's Favorite Mom at 7, followed a mini-marathon of The Office.
• Also at 7: ABC Family has Mary Poppins, then the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
• At 8, FOX has a new Simpsons, then a new King of the Hill.
• There's a new Everybody Hates Chris on The CW at 8, followed by new episodes of Aliens in America and The Game.
• PBS has new episodes of Nature and Masterpiece.
• TNT has NBA Playoffs at 8.
• At 9, Sci-Fi has the new movie Never Cry Werewolf.
• Showtime has a new episode of The Tudors at 9, followed by a new This American Life.
• At 9:30, FOX has a new American Dad.
• At 10, Food Network has a new Throwdown with Bobby Flay.
• At 12:15am, Cartoon Network has a new Squidbillies, then a new Assy McGee.

Check your local TV listings for more.

From the "Things that make you go, hmmmm?" department... Just let this one roll around in your noggin for a bit. According to reports, after 2 1/2 years of negotiations, Mr. MacFarlane has a new deal with 20th Century Fox TV that could be worth more than $100 million. The deal will keep him with the studio through 2012. To put it in some perspective, J.J. Abrams signed a five year feature/TV deal with Paramount and Warner Bros that was valued at $60 million.

Now, I don't mean to slight Seth or his accomplishments, but doesn't that strike you as just a bit odd? I mean, I'm a fan of his work. I've never missed an episode of Family Guy or American Dad. Hell, I sat through The War At Home to catch his guest spot. Still, I also follow ratings rather closely, and while Family Guy is certainly a success, I wouldn't have expected it to garner him highest paid status. Maybe The Cleveland Show is just that much better than any of us are giving it credit for.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• Alien Nation - The Ultimate Movie Collection
• American Dad - Vol. 3
• College Hill: Interns
• The Goldbergs - Best Of
• How The Earth Was Made
• Jupiter Moon - Set 3
• Masterpiece Theatre - Room with a View
• Melrose Place - Season 4
• SpongeBob SquarePants - Pest of the West
• The Woody Woodpecker Show - Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection Vol. 2

Propane rules! Fox has renewed King of the Hill for a 13th season. The down home hilarity of Hank and Peggy Hill, their son Bobby and dog Lady Bird, will continue for another year, likely remaining in Fox's strong Sunday night animation lineup that includes The Simpsons, Family Guy and American Dad -- although that's only speculation on my part.

Creators Mike Judge (the voice of Hank and Boomhauer) and Greg Daniels (The Office) will continue at the helm, and all the usual characters remain. That means more of Kathy Najimy as Peggy, Brittany Murphy as Luanne, Pamela Adlon as Bobby, Johnny Hardwick as Dale, and Stephen Root as Bill.

Oh, Peter. They're breaking up that old gang of ours! There's a spin-off of Family Guy in the works at Fox. Peter's drinking buddy, Cleveland Brown, might be getting his own show. Oh no, does this mean he may be leaving Quahog? What, no more get-togethers at The Drunken Clam? (Note to self: He's an animated character; he could still be part of Family Guy.)

Cleveland is perhaps the most down to earth of Peter's pals on Family Guy, which could make him the perfect centerpiece of a new cartoon series. Zany new characters could be built around him. If history repeats itself, he could be the George Jefferson to Peter Griffin's Archie Bunker, i.e., The Jeffersons spinning off from All in the Family.