TVSquad

Judy Greer blew me away during the incredibly short run of her 2008 ABC series Miss/Guided. She brought the perfect blend of earnest geekiness, slapstick and petty jealousy to the role of former nerd turned high school guidance counselor. The show was way better than the treatment it got from ABC, which aired all seven episodes in four weeks, but that was so long ago.

In 2008, ABC didn't care about comedy. But now, ABC has this Wednesday night lineup that is doing great (except for Hank). All the shows are critical darlings (except for Hank), and they've already been renewed for the full season (except for Hank). So now's the perfect time to bring Greer back into the fold.

The new ABC project for Judy Greer is I'm With Stupid. The premise is that Greer has a fling with a "perfect" park ranger while on safari, only to have him show up on her doorstep after she gets home. And the only "perfect" he is, is a perfect idiot. I already like it more than Hank.

(S01E01) "Oh god, with the curry again. This shirt smells likes Indira Gandhi's thong." - Archer

I should preface this review with something basic - I am in no way whatsoever an animation buff. I didn't watch a lot of cartoons as a kid and now that I'm a big boy, my Adult Swim knowledge stretches about as far as Aqua Teen Hunger Force with the occasional episode of Sealab 2021 tossed in. So... I guess I know a little. Enough to say that Sealab's mastermind Adam Reed definitely has a hit on his hands with his first stab at a half-hour show in FX's Archer.

So if you're looking for a treatise one why Archer's flash animation or cell-shaded stop motion freeze-frame whatever-it's-called is superior vs. parochial and clunky, then this is not the review for you. I'm basing my review on content alone and seeing as how Archer won't be back for its official premiere until January, we were very fortunately given more than enough to whet our appetites.

When FX initially picked up six episodes of its first foray into animated comedy, the plan for Archer was to pair it with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Since that greenlight, two things happened.

First, FX got trigger-happy and greenlit a whole bunch of other shows (from the likes of Louis CK and Don Cheadle). Second, and more importantly, according to FX it turns out that from start through post, it takes almost a whole month to complete one episode of Archer. With Always Sunny premiering this Thursday night at 10PM ET on FX, slotting in Archer's six eps suddenly became impossible. So the plan has changed. Instead of pairing Archer with Sunny mid-season, FX plans to launch its fantasy-football themed sitcom The League instead. However, if you were looking forward to seeing Archer, I've got some good news.

The Colbert Report is in vacation right now (it returns on September 14), so how about we look at the career of Stephen Colbert to get us through these weeks?

Rolling Stone has a new cover story on Colbert and an interesting feature up at their site that gives an overview of what Colbert has done over the years. Not just the stuff we've all seen (like The Dana Carvey Show and Strangers with Candy), but also his work on the short-lived sketch show Exit 57, a dramatic turn on Law and Order: CI, and voiceover work for a really terrible-looking video tennis game.

(S5E18) "Cats make terrible doctors. Oh wait, that's women." -House

We get a break from the angst factory this week. The neurotic and usually enjoyable Judy Greer guest star's as the patient of the week, who arrives at PPH with fake seizures, green pee and a cat that can predict the deaths of old people. With all that, and some light-hearted pranking between House and Kutner, and this episode felt like it should have aired around Halloween, and not near the end of the season.

I enjoyed parts of this episode but didn't get any real dramatic tension from it. Even while crazy cat lady Judy was possibly dying, it was hard to muster up any emotion beside indifference to her situation.

A high profile family like the Bluth clan requires a large staff to meet its needs. They need to keep up the image (make that illusion) of their lifestyle, after all. Yacht crews, maids, and Segway repairmen are basic necessities. The skilled professionals were the ones that kept the Bluths going. Here are a few of my favorites:

Gene Parmesan (Martin Mull) - As private eyes go, Gene was not a top-notch detective. If he spent more time investigating and less time on his disguises, he might have discovered George Sr.'s infidelity back in the day. I can't decide which is funnier: Gene's satisfied smirk whenever he took off his disguise, or Lucille's screams when he tricked her. It's a shame that Martin Mull only stuck around for a single episode. Perhaps the writers wanted to let Gene leave on high note after locating George Sr. and hanging out with G.O.B.

The list of qualities that made Arrested Development such a great show is quite long, but somewhere near the top, right after the cast, is the list of recurring characters who were so hilarious. Here my ten favorite acquaintances of the Bluth family.

1. Barry Zuckercorn (Henry Winkler)
It is a credit to the brilliance of Arrested Development that an actor like Henry Winkler, who will forever be identified with the role of Fonzie, can be identified with a character who could not be more different. The hilarity that comes from Barry's sexual deviancy and complete legal ineptitude is reason enough to watch.

If Judy Greer was in tears about Miss Guided not being picked up by ABC for the fall schedule, she can wipe her eyes and blow her nose because something else -- maybe better -- has come along. Greer has been cast as the lead in HBO's Suburban Shootout. This is the same comedy that has already been announced with Kelly Preston, Rachael Harris (Notes from the Underbelly) and Kerri Kenney (Reno 911).

The comedy pilot is being directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, best known for features like Men in Black and Addams Family (I'll be kind and not harp on The Wild, Wild West), but on TV is one of the prime players behind ABC's Pushing Daisies (as well as Notes from the Underbelly which is the connection to Rachael). So, you see, Judy may have landed in a project that's bound for glory. Well, we'll see, but it does sound interesting.

TV Squadder Paul Goebel reviewed the series premiere of the ABC comedy Miss Guided. He wasn't sure what to make of the show after the first airing and I must admit that I also had my doubts about this new comedy. Judy Greer is a joy to watch as guidance counselor Becky Freeley but the comedy was predictable and the cast way too beautiful to portray a real high school. However, I decided to stick with it and ended up enjoying the show's storylines and characters as well as the interview-like tidbits.

The series aired its season finale last week and is now awaiting ABC's upfronts to know if it'll come back next season or have to close the books. To help ABC make its decision, here are some reasons why Miss Guided should be renewed.

In the flush of all the returning series with fresh episodes comes this tasty morsel of news. ABC will premiere Miss/Guided, a new sitcom starring Judy Greer (Love Monkey) on March 18.

Miss Guided is the story of Becky Freeley, who returns to the same high school she went to as a teenager as a guidance counselor, sorta, kinda like Welcome Back, Kotter. But Becky wasn't a sweat hog in her high school days -- she was an ugly duckling with braces and teenage anxieties. Now, as an adult, she hopes to be able to handle HS with more elan. Becky's hopes hit a speed bump when she meets the sexy mechanic-turned Spanish teacher, Tim (Kristoffer Polaha), whom she likes...a lot. Then, she learns that the new English teacher is Lisa Germain (Brooke Burns), her former nemesis back in school. And wouldn't you know it, Lisa likes Tim, too!

Former Saturday Night Live cast member Chris Parnell is moving up in the television world from guest-star/recurring character to prime-time regular. He has just been picked to star in ABC's mid-season comedy Miss/Guided.

Guided stars Judy Greer as a former high school wallflower who returns to her alma mater as a guidance counselor. Parnell will play a fellow counselor. Whether he'll be a friend, enemy, lover, sprout horns, or channel Tom Brokaw (one of the characters he played on SNL) is unknown. What is known is that he'll be joining other cast members Brooke Burns and Kristoffer Polaha.

Parnell was part of SNL for nine years and was let go in 2006 during the semi-purge of the cast. This past season he had a recurring role as Dr. Leo Spaceman on the NBC comedy 30 Rock, where he shared the screen with former SNL buddies Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan.

Looks like Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas already has a new job. He told E!'s Kristin Veitch that he has been brought on as executive producer and show-runner for the ABC midseason comedy Miss/Guided.

Miss/Guided is a single-camera sitcom staring Judy Greer (Love Monkey). She plays a former high school nerd that comes back to her alma mater as a guidance counselor and finds that high school is still high school, even for the adults. It was created by Caroline Williams, a writer on The Office; I'm guessing Thomas is being brought on to guide this show with an experienced hand, since Williams has never run a show before.