TVSquad

Veteran actress Paula Marshall is joining the FX show Nip/Tuck this fall. She'll play Dylan Walsh's love interest for at least four episodes.

I call her a veteran actress even though shes not that old (her birthday was last week - Happy Birthday Paula!). She's been on a ton of TV shows over the years. Some should have lasted longer than they did (Sports Night, Veronica Mars, Cupid), and some probably lasted longer than they should have (Out of Practice, Snoops).

We at TV Squad tend to think that we're blogging in a bubble; we post from homes and offices that are scattered around the country and truly don't expect many people to see what we write (at least I don't... just a little quirk of mine). So when not one, but two actors from a show you've covered comment on a post about that show, you sit up and take notice.

That's what happened last week, when both Christopher Gorham and Paula Marshall wrote comments on a post I wrote about their show, Out of Practice, getting shelved, along with fellow Monday at 9:30 exile Courting Alex. So, I reached out to both of them to respond and vent. Both answered, and Chris was the first that was willing to talk. We spoke by phone this past Friday.

In Out of Practice, the 31-year-old actor plays Benjamin Barnes, youngest son of a family of doctors. Ben's the only one who didn't finish medical school, instead becoming a marriage therapist. The ironic thing is, he's probably the sanest person in the Barnes family.

The show boasts a top-notch cast, which -- besides Marshall and Gorham -- also includes Henry Winkler, Stockard Channing, Ty Burrell, and Jennifer Tilly. It's executive producers are Chrisopher Lloyd and Joe Keenan, who were long-time producers on the classic sitcom Fraiser.

In this interview (after the jump), Chris discusses his frustrations with how his show is being treated, gushes on the writers and his castmates, and responds to people who say he and Marshall are "show killers".

[Photo: Lester Cohen/WireImage]

TV scribe Lee Goldberg poses the question, why do they always give TV shows to Steven Eckholdt, Christopher Gorham, and Eric Balfour? They seem to have a new show every year, and every year the shows don't last that long at all. Eckholdt has been in many flops, but was just signed to another CBS show. Gorham has had three short-lived shows in the past few years (Out Of Practice has been taken off the schedule - for now). And Eric Balfour...I barely remember all the shows he was in.

What other stars do they keep giving shows to, year after year, even when the previous show has crashed in flames? (And don't say "Robert Urich" because he actually had some hits).

Well, that didn't take long.  After two low-rated airings, the Wednesday at 8 combination of Out of Practice and Courting Alex will be put back on hiatus in favor of The Amazing Race, which will be moved up from it's family-unfriendly Tuesday at 10 slot.

This is not a big surprise; when both shows were on Mondays at 9:30, they benefited from the strong lead-in provided by Two and a Half Men. By themselves, neither show was strong enough to lead off a night. And, considering the lousy quality of the writing on one of them -- let's just say I thought Out of Practice was decent most of the time -- it's probably better for everyone involved that these shows die quiet deaths over the summer.

The upfronts are right around the corner, where network executives let advertisers know what shows will be making the cut for next fall. Early word from MediaLife is that NBC has the longest list of shows might not be returning. Probably the most surprising show on the list is Law and Order: Criminal Intent. With the rotating cast and drooping ratings, media watchers say this one is likely on the chopping block (the other two are safe, though). Things aren't looking good for Commander in Chief, either. And, of course, we already knew that there is a good chance Scrubs will be... scrubbed (but possibly get new life on ABC).

Here are the shows (on all networks) that media buyers think are in danger of cancellation:

Best:
5. The Backyardigans A preschoolers' show I'd watch if I didn't have kids. Yes, when you drove past my house the other day, that was me dancing along to "I love being a princess!"
4. Law & Order: Criminal Intent  I thought I couldn't watch the show without Vincent D'Onofrio. But Chris Noth and Annabelle Sciora have the kind of vulnerable-yet-professional chemistry that I never dreamed possible between Chris and Sarah Jessica Parker or Annabelle and James Gandolfini.
3. Grey's Anatomy  It's kooky, it's outlandish, and all the characters, I can't help but love 'em despite their annoying peccadilloes. And who knew I'd fall in love with Dr. Bailey?
2. Medium  I'd watch it just for the family drama. But the mysteries are fantastic, the writing eloquent and witty, the twists always fool me until 52 past the hour.
1. The 4400  Sci fi that transports, characters that draw me in, and it's coming back in 2006. Hurray!

Worst:

5. Saturday Night Live  My husband still gets excited about Saturday nights. Until I remind him, honey, it's just not funny!
4. ER  I'm so sad that I hate Thursdays now. I used to love Thursdays.
3. 7:30 p.m. timeslot  There's nothing good on at 7:30 p.m., not even on the Food Network. I hate 7:30 p.m.
2. Sandra Lee's Semi-homemade Cooking  Make it from scratch or buy it from the store. And either way, aren't we all old enough now to admit whether we can, or cannot, cook?
1. Out of Practice  Stockard Channing, Henry Winkler, what have ye wrought?