TVSquad

(S03E20) When I was 19 -- about as weaselly as a little sophomore English major weasel could get -- my father gave me a summer job touring construction sites for his business. I guess I was always kind of aware about what a little sissy boy I was (I mean I could have held my copy of The Foundation Trilogy in my man-boobs), but it wasn't until I had to walk around those work sites that my distinct lack of testosterone was made so apparent to me.

I thought about those days a lot while I watched tonight's Office...

TBS is looking for a companion to its highly-rated reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond, and good ol' boy Bill Engvall appears to be it. The comedian, who appeared in the Blue Collar Comedy Tour alongside Jeff Foxworthy, will star in a pilot for the cable network. Engvall will play the father at the center of a sitcom, which is described by TBS senior vp of programming Michael Wright as, "very clever and witty but not mean-spirited." If you're like me and you have no idea who this guy is, you can watch some of his comedy and an interview with him in this clip on YouTube. Engvall is co-producing the show with Michael Leeson, whose impressive resume includes producing The Cosby Show, Taxi, Happy Days, All in the Family, and Mary Tyler Moore.

Engvall's pilot is the second comedy that TBS is eyeing. The network recently greenlighted a workplace comedy pilot called Imperfect Union, starring Eric McCormack (who recently claimed he was done with sitcoms).

This seems like an awfully appropriate match-up. Redneck comedian Jeff Foxworthy just signed a deal to bring Blue Collar TV to Country Music Television (CMT). Foxworthy signed on for 12- half hour episodes of Foxworthy's Big Night Out. It's a sketch and stand-up comedy program that also features live musical performances. Production on the program begins in June, at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta, where all programs will be filmed before a live audience.

Foxworthy's new home on CMT is a big win for the cable channel, which saw its biggest ratings ever in the last two years when Foxworthy hosted the CMT Music Awards.