TVSquad

While walking the streets of Manhattan, heading to the office early this morning, one of those giant open-air tour buses came flying by me as I crossed Sixth Avenue. Normally, since I see them everyday, I ignore them. But this one had a giant ad plastered across the side of it for Ed Begley Jr.'s green livin' reality show, and I couldn't help staring at it because it confused the hell outta me. Not because it's an inherently confusing ad, but because the fonts and text create an inherently confusing message.

Now, I'm no ad man, but am I the only one who sees the problem here?

Anyone who thinks that the lame, traditional, laugh-track-laden sitcom is dead hasn't seen Gary Unmarried yet. Unfortunately, I have. And I've got to tell you, it's probably the worst sitcom since the undead According to Jim first infected our airwaves in 2001. It's too bad, given the talent involved.

And when I mention "talent," I don't mean series creator Ed Yeager, who helped foist Still Standing on the American public for four years. I'm talking about stars Jay Mohr, Paula Marshall, Ed Begley Jr., and Jaime King, as well as esteemed sitcom director James Burrows. They're talented people stuck in a show that contains the same wacky plots and "setup-joke" rhythm that has led many to think the multi-camera sitcom is as dead as disco.

Jay Mohr moonlights away from his regular gig on Ghost Whisperer to star as Gary Brooks in this traditional sitcom. CBS has paired Gary Unmarried with The New Adventures of Old Christine, which creates an interesting dynamic. First, you have Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a divorced woman trying to live her own life while dealing with her ex and their kid. Then you get Jay Mohr as a recently divorced man trying to live his own life while dealing with his ex and their kids.

In fact, this seems to be almost the same show, only from the ex-husband's point of view rather than the ex-wife's point of view. Husband is a bit more lax with the kids while mom is overbearing and a bit crazy. I do like that in this variation, the kids have more distinct and important personalities. In fact, Gary (premiering tonight at 8:30 PM ET) has a much wider cast altogether. Both spouses have new relationships and Gary's girlfriend has a kid of her own.

First they changed the title from Project Gary to Gary Unmarried, and now we have another change coming to Jay Mohr's new CBS sitcom.

Ed Begley, Jr. has been cast as the therapist who treated Mohr and his ex-wife, played by Paula Marshall. The role of the therapist in the pilot was played by comic Larry Miller, who just did a guest turn on Burn Notice (maybe this will give him time for more appearances on that show).

After the first 15 minutes of the HBO movie Recount, I was so upset, so filled with rage that I wondered if I wanted to watch the rest of the movie. Did I want to relive the events of November 7, 2000? Did I want to watch what happened, the craziest election fiasco in the last 25 years? I was compelled to stick with it because I had lived through it and I was dying to know what I didn't know when it unfolded in real time. I thought the HBO movie might teach me something, and, in fact, it did.

For those who don't want to know what happened in Recount, I won't reveal any spoilers until after the jump. Of course, if you don't already know how the election turned out, you've either been in a coma or are woefully out of touch. Suffice to say that Recount doesn't rewrite history. The ending is exactly as it was in 2000.

(S05E24) This was a bit of a departure in terms of what we've come to expect from a season finale in the world of CSI, be it Vegas, New York, or Miami. I'm not complaining though. This episode felt much more like a wrap up of the fifth season of CSI: Miami and rather than leave us hanging with a ton of questions (there were a few), it left me feeling far more satisfied than I expected. Especially since we can look forward to plenty of new developments in the fall. I actually felt much better that one spoiler which had been floating around, never came to fruition. It appears that the whole mess with Horatio being in a plane crash may have just been an exaggeration of the van crash that did occur in the episode. For once, I was glad we didn't get a grand, nail-biting finale.

(S05E23) "I wear make-up now." -Wolfe

Great episode! Solid case, plenty of tense moments, and what turned out to be a really good (slightly cheesy) performance from Jonathan Togo.

The big question on everyone's mind? Wolfe ain't going anywhere. Looks like we're only getting one episode revolving around his brief flirtation with being a TV news "special correspondent," and one was more than enough. It was thoroughly enjoyable but man, was it weird to see him doing something so different or what? It definitely felt like he was selling out his former colleagues by busting out some of the tricks of the trade on live TV, but at least he came to his senses by the end of the hour.

(S05E21) I really enjoyed this episode a lot, but I have to ask. Why did the preview from last week's episode make it seem like some real serious fireworks were going to go off between Calleigh and Delko? I recall something along the lines of, "the moment we've all waited for." What moment? She gave him a peck on the cheek to say thanks! That was it! Realistically, this will lead to something further in the coming final episodes (Delko seemed a bit smitten), but why blow the exciting preview on this instance? It wasn't a big deal at all. The rest of the episode was quite good though. Solid case as well as some shady stuff happening in the crime lab.

(S05E20) This was kind of an interesting episode if you think about it. It was a good concept. Essentially, they took something that was glitzy and over-the-top to begin with and layered it with a storyline about Hollywood, drugs, rehab, and murder. Doesn't get much better than that. Throw in some nods to actual celebrities (similar to Dirt) and we got one of the better CSI: Miami episodes this season.

However, since I love this show, I still have to gripe because there were plenty of things that could have been a little better.

(S05E19) Something about this show... I just can't get enough of it. Despite the tirade of complaints every episode tends to generate week in and week out, there's one thing you can't argue. It's always good. Of course, degrees of "what's good" can vary when you address a show like this. So I suppose I'm just making the same argument I always make. Enjoy CSI: Miami for what it is. Over the top television at it's finest.

Continuing with that trend, the show has gone ahead and developed Scott O'Shay (played to the sleaziest by Ed Begley Jr.) into Horatio's latest nemesis. H's feud with Stetler has long since been forgotten and Riaz is dead, so it's time for someone else to get in the way. Supervisor O'Shay is it.

It looks like the charming Illeanarama is coming to a close. The fifth and final installment of the online series, starring actress Illeana Douglas, will be posted on YouTube late this week. There is, however, word that a "special feature" edition with guest stars Sarah Silverman and Daryl Hannah will run the week after the final episode hits the internets. If you haven't caught Illeanarama yet, it's one of the best-produced and well-written little gems hiding in the YouTube morass.

What's not to love about Illeana Douglas - granddaughter of two-time Oscar winner Melvyn Douglas, Scorsese regular, indie filmmaker and brilliant-but-canceled Action co-star? Alright, I didn't love her hippy-dippy appearance on Lisa Loeb's #1 Single, but I'll give her a pass because she was so great in To Die For, which was written by one of my heroes - Buck Henry.

Illeana is making television news this week with the YouTube premiere of her show Illeanarama. The pilot episode features Douglas, Christopher Guest regular Jane Lynch and Justine Bateman as herself. The premise is cute so long as you're not offended by rich people finding humor in what it would be like for them to live among the great unwashed. Illeana dumps her Hollywood career for life as a grocery story clerk. Once word gets out that working for a living is the hottest fashion statement (like adopting a third world babies?), more celebrities appear on the scene. Future episodes will feature Gene Wilder, Jeff Goldblum and Ed Begley Jr. For the time being, you can only see them online care of Zeitbyte.

Add Ed Begley Jr. to the ever-growing list of Hollywood stars with their own reality series. The former St. Elsewhere star, and current obsessed eco-nut committed environmentalist will be starring with wife and actress Rachelle Carson in a new series for HGTV called Living With Ed.

According to our friends at sister site AutoblogGreen, the new show (which premieres January 7th at 10:00 pm) will be set in the couple's entirely solar-powered, eco-friendly home. You'll be able to watch as Ed times his wife's shower with a stopwatch while gently chiding her over how many gallons of water she has wasted. You'll also be able to see how Begley rides a stationary bike in order to power his toaster. He will also be giving tips to the viewers on how to make their living areas more environmentally safe and energy efficient.

Alright, I stand corrected -- there now may be hope for me to find the dean of Hearst College more than mildly interesting. Fellow Mars fanatic Michael Ausiello of TV Guide has landed some juicy details about who's taken the role, now that Michael McKean has had to turn it down -- none other than fellow improv-erific Ed Begley Jr.. Begley's appeared in A Mighty Wind, just as McKean has, though you've no doubt known him for his roles in Arrested Development, St. Elsewhere, and too many more to mention. OK, I feel better now.

[Thanks Karen M. O'Shea for the tip!]