TVSquad

(S08E01) Somewhere Sherwood Schwartz was smiling if he watched this season premiere of Monk. Or else he was calling his attorney to sue for copyright infringement. I think it was more likely the former, because the tribute to The Brady Bunch was sweet. More on that and the rest of Mr. Monk's return -- for his last season -- after the jump.

It looks like The Brady Bunch is going to have to replace Jan again. Eve Plumb is holding out from appearing on a reunion for The Oprah Winfrey Show in September due to a disagreement with fellow Brady alum Maureen McCormick. Apparently during a book tour, McCormick "confessed" in jest to a lesbian affair between the two of them that didn't actually happen.

The lesbian concept sounds like something out of Not The Bradys (warning: link NSFW). Of course, all Brady fanatics remember how Eve Plumb opted not to appear in the variety show Hell that was The Brady Bunch Hour from 1976 to 1977. I wonder if they'll get Geri Reischl to replace her for Oprah.

I wonder if Eve Plumb did, in fact, get upset by McCormick's comments and if so, why? If it were me, I would have said McCormick was kidding and taken it in stride. Maybe she's holding out for more money from Ms. Winfrey?

Guest stars can be good and guest stars can be not-so-good, but this one sounds like a winner to me. EW's Michael Ausiello has an exclusive report that Florence Henderson will be on Samantha Who?

And if you think Christina Applegate kind of looks like she could be related to Florence, you're not alone. The Brady Bunch veteran has been cast as Samantha Newly's grandmother, Jean Smart's mama. And if that's not blonde goodness and potential hilarity for you, TVGuide.com has another exclusive; Christine Ebersole will play Sammy's aunt. In the very same storyline!

You mean Bea Arthur wasn't already in the TV Academy Hall of Fame before today? Well, actually, that was Bea's choice. In a very Maude-like way, she had turned them down. "I said, `So sorry, very nice of you, but I can't possibly accept. There are so many talented people in the business,'" Arthur recalled.

However, she's had a chance to think it over and when asked again, she agreed to become a Hall of Famer, just like Lucille Ball, Johnny Carson and Bill Cosby.

As I wrote previously, the TV Academy Hall of Fame will expand to include Bea Arthur, Merv Griffin, Larry Gelbart (M*A*S*H), Sherwood Schwartz (Gilligan's Island, The Brady Bunch), and ABC executives Thomas Murphy and Daniel B. Burke. On December 9 in Beverly Hills, the awards will be presented.

You can't stop those Wayans brothers when it comes to doing anything for a laugh. Apparently, one of their long time dreams has been a big screen remake of a 1960's sitcom.

They've been working on a script since 2004, but they are saying now that The Munsters movie is nearly ready to roll. I know, I know, how many times have we seen beloved TV series turned into horrible features? For every good one -- The Brady Bunch -- there's a lemon like Leave It to Beaver. The Wayans Brothers clearly believe that they have the goods to make The Munsters like the former rather than the latter.

However, I have to worry about how well they know the material when Shawn Wayans says, "Their characters are still who they were in the '50s. It's just in modern day." Umm, excuse me -- the '50s? The Munsters premiered in 1964 and ran till 1966; it was set in present day. Didn't the Wayanses notice that?

Maureen McCormick a.k.a. the Original Marcia Brady is releasing her very own tell-all book, Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, which hits stores tomorrow. It seems that celebrity created for her the usual spiral of drugs and sex and sex-for-drugs as it does for so many other child stars.

I find it interesting how her story contrasts the book released by Barry "Greg Brady" Williams, which I have read. Williams basically described some awkward situations for himself and some marijuana use but never did he describe any of the Brady kids sinking so low. I recall his last line of the book saying that there "wasn't a bad banana in the Bunch".

I wonder if this inconsistency is going to cause conflict between the two Brady ex-child stars (and former boyfriend and girlfriend). It could lead to an episode of Celebrity Boxing. Christopher Knight can be the guest referee, if he can drag himself away from Trivial Pursuit.

One of the highlights of this year's primetime Emmys is going to be musical. That's right, I'm psychic. I've looked into the future and can tell you without equivocation that Josh Groban singing a medley of TV themes from 60 years of programs will stop the show.

On September 21, the night ABC broadcasts the big anniversary of the Primetime Emmys, producer Ken Ehrlich has tapped balladeer Groban for a four-minute medley of TV themes. The mind reels with the possibilities of how many memorable melodies he can fit into 240 seconds.

Some choices seem obvious: Cheers (where everybody knows your name), The Jeffersons (movin' on up to the big time), The Beverly Hillbillies (black gold, Texas T), The Flintstones (they're a modern stone-aged family).

Like I said, the possibilities are vast, and the promise of a something hilarious is sure fire.

Robbie Rist is one of the most well-known child stars there is. Oddly enough it's not because he got arrested or starred in a reality show about his crazy marriage. He is well-known for his body of work.

Robbie has worked on some of the most popular shows on television including The Brady Bunch, Mary Tyler Moore, Galactica 1980, The Bionic Woman and, of course, the immortal Kidd Video, just to name a few.

Each year, the Emmys honor the best in current TV. They also recognize the all-time greats. This year Bea Arthur, Larry Gelbart, Merv Griffin, Daniel Burke, Tom Murphy and Sherwood Schwartz will be entering the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Hall of Fame. Grand choices, in my opinion, with only a minor quibble which I'll mention later.

According to ATAS chairman and CEO John Shaffner , "The Hall of Fame is a special recognition for those who have made significant contributions and have left an indelible mark on the television business." As Maude in the 1970's and Dorothy on The Golden Girls in the 1980's (into the '90s) Beatrice Arthur, made her mark. She was more effective on TV than she was in the theater, and she was a dynamo on stage.

There are six human beings on this planet who will be forever linked by one experience: growing up on the set of The Brady Bunch. But, of the six actors who played the Brady kids during the show's 1969-74 run, none has embraced the role as consistently and enthusiastically as Barry Williams, who played Greg. Over the years, Williams has been involved in every reunion show (including the ill-fated "dramatic" show The Bradys in 1990) and has never shied away from discussing the show during interviews. He even wrote a book about the experience, 1992's Growing Up Brady: I Was a Teenage Greg, where he recounted stories like his crush on co-star Maureen McCormick, his "date" with his TV mom, Florence Henderson, and Robert Reed's constant arguments with the producers. The book was made into a TV movie in 2000.

Now, at 53, Williams has a blog, called The Greg Brady Project, which debuted in December. There, Williams tells stories about his experiences as an actor over the last 40-plus years while a series of co-writers wax nostalgic about the past, and not necessarily about The Brady Bunch. I spoke to Williams by phone earlier this month. We talked about the blog, why he's embraced his Greg Brady past more than his co-stars, and what he thinks of some of those co-stars' new projects. The interview is after the jump.

As I was watching all my favorite holiday specials this season, it became clear to me that there's a desperate need for some new offerings. Then I started thinking that if weekly shows can spinoff characters then why can't specials? With that in mind, here are my ideas for spinoffs to make your holidays more festive.

Out of the Box
Nobody wants a Charlie in the Box...except Charlie. After years of being not being delivered by Santa Claus, Charlie from the island of misfit toys decides it's time to make a change. Determined to find himself and discover what he was really made for, Charlie travels the country living on the road and meeting adventures head on. After living the life of Kerouac, Charlie returns to share his wisdom with the jelly squirting gun, ostrich riding cowboy and the doll with the unnamed condition.

One day, while sitting around the palatial TV Squad offices, a notion came to mind. What would happen if you took all of today's technology and applied it to classic television shows of yesteryear? Would The Fugitive's Richard Kimble be acquitted of his crime after the DNA evidence proved that he didn't kill his wife? Or, would The Mary Tyler Moore Show's Ted Baxter be a better anchor if he had access to all of the day's news via the Internet?

Taking that notion one step further, here are five shows that would have been vastly different if modern technology were applied to them.

The Dick Van Dyke Show: No more schlepping into the city for Rob Petrie; not when he could write his scripts from his home desktop computer. And, if he got tired sitting at his desk, he could grab his WiFi laptop and continue to write from the local Starbucks. He would still need Buddy and Sally, of course, but he could pass ideas to them via Instant Messenger. When they were all done with that week's script they could have a video conference with Alan where changes could be made via NetMeeting.

In a post on his favorite five television housekeepers, Adam Finley listed some of the best household servants who served penthouse, futuristic home, or haunted mansion. However, someone very important was missing; someone who epitomized the uber-housekeeper. A person who not only took care of the house, but helped raise a practical brood of children.

I am, of course, talking about one Alice Nelson, who we affectionately know as simply Alice from The Brady Bunch. Sure, Florence Johnston had to deal with the rants of George Jefferson, and Rosie the Robot had to handle Elroy Jetson flying around the house in his jetpack, but Alice had to practically raise first the Brady boys and then the whole Brady clan by herself while Mr. Brady worked and Mrs. Brady drank a lot of coffee.

She was head cook and bottle washer, handyman, teacher, and scapegoat all wrapped up into one blue-uniformed, white-aproned whrilwind.  And what did she get for it? A small room beside the washing machine and a boyfriend who wouldn't commit to a serious relationship.

So, raise your brooms and mops in a salute to Alice; housekeeper, philosopher and stateswoman.

It's no surprise that the choice of celebrities on this show just get worse and worse each season... Unfortunately, I see no end to this series because the B-list just grows longer and longer with each washed-up film/band/show.

And what's the worst part? Sometimes, these seasons are so bad/bizarre that they have to be watched just so one can participate in the watercooler talk that comes with it (Flavor Flav/Brigitte Nielsen love affair; Verne Troyer naked, drunk, and urinating in the corner of the gym). As long as there are train wrecks, people will tune in. How big of a wreck will this season be? Make your predictions! Read on and check out the cast...