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Captain James T. Kirk opens the original "Star Trek" series with these immortal words: "Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before!" The excellent "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" takes its title from Captain Kirk's intro, but it's not the only show to draw inspiration from this opening narration (though you might be surprised to learn which series I'm referring to here).

In the wake of the meteoric success of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" season 3, 20th Century Fox was interested in anything the show's creators -- Rob McElhenny, Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day -- had cooking. Hence, while appearing at the 2008 San Diego Comic Con (via IGN), the trio announced they were working on a science fiction comedy series called "Boldly Going Nowhere,...

It's kind of interesting: As hard as it is to create one of the greatest shows of all time, it also feels like you have to put in some serious work to make a TV series so bad that it stands out against not just the best shows, but the vast sea of mediocrity that makes up a lot of television sitcoms. There are a lot of decent or average shows that get to retire with their reputations more or less intact, while bile is reserved for a select few truly heinous programs. 

These are the worst of the worst. Often lasting a season, they combine bad judgment, weak performances, and egregious writing to create something that lingers in the minds of audiences -- and not in a good way. Feast your eyes on these rare creatures: They are worthy of our pity, not our derision. How did things go...

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After a first season spent reckoning with the past, with an inconveniently located statue of a dead white colonialist as the jumping-off point, Peacock’s Rutherford Falls is ready to look forward.

As characters like Reagan (Jana Schmieding) and Terry (Michael Greyeyes) start dreaming big for the town in general and for its Minishonka community more specifically, the storylines become defined less by conflict than cooperation, yielding a series that feels sweeter, more relaxed, less bogged down by the gravity of the past — but also one that seems to render its own white-guy co-lead less necessary than ever.

Initially, though, it looks like business as usual. Basically as soon as Nathan Rutherford (Ed Helms) returns to town in the second season premiere, he seems to fall back into his old habit of making everything about him. “I am a Nathan that knows I...

Previously: Review: 'Masters of Sex' Season 3, Episode 10, 'Through a Glass, Darkly': Controls and Variables The Syllabus In the season's pared-down penultimate episode, "Masters of Sex" reduces its shifting constellation of personal and professional relationships to two quartets: Bill (Michael Sheen), Virginia (Lizzy Caplan), Dan (Josh Charles), and Dan's wife, Alice (an extraordinary Judy Greer), dining at a four-star restaurant in New York, and Libby (Caitlin FitzGerald) and Paul (Ben Koldyke) playing house with the Masters children back in St. Louis. The result, refracted through a series of brief scenes unspooling over the course of a single night, is the most controlled episode of this inconsistent season. Criss-crossing from the Big Apple to the Gateway City and back again, "Party of Four" is full of cutting one-liners and cool appraisals, but in effect its gambit is gentler, even melancholy. The subject, as Paul explains to...

Network: NBC

Episodes: Six (half-hour)

Seasons: One

TV show dates: August 5, 2015 -- August 19, 2015

Series status: Has not been cancelled

Performers include: Craig Robinson, Peri Gilpin, Ben Koldyke, Brandon T. Jackson, Spencer Grammer, Amandla Stenberg, Tim Bagley, and Meagan Good.

TV show description:

This comedy series revolves around Craig Robinson (Craig Robinson), the lead singer and keyboardist of the funk band Nasty Delicious. While waiting for his big break, Craig needs to pay the bills so he takes a job as a substitute high school music teacher. The kids think his class is an easy "A", while Craig is moved to inspire students like Halle Foster (Amandla Stenberg).

Read More…...

While The Carmichael Show was renewed today, NBC has decided they don't want a second season of Mr. Robinson. The network has cancelled the show after a short season of six episodes.

Mr. Robinson revolves around the lead singer and keyboardist (Craig Robinson) of a funk band. While waiting for his big break, he takes a job as a substitute high school music teacher. The kids think his class is an easy A, while Craig is moved to inspire his students. The rest of the cast includes Peri Gilpin, Ben Koldyke, Brandon T. Jackson, Spencer Grammer, Amandla Stenberg, Tim Bagley, and Meagan Good.

Read More…...

Craig Robinson enjoyed a nine season run on The Office, one of NBC's trademark shows in recent years. But, how will his new series Mr. Robinson perform in the ratings? Will it last as long? Will it even make it to season two or will it be cancelled after a brief summer run? Stay tuned.

Mr. Robinson revolves around the lead singer and keyboardist (Craig Robinson) of a funk band. While waiting for his big break, he takes a job as a substitute high school music teacher. The kids think his class is an easy A, while Craig is moved to inspire his students. The rest of the cast includes Peri Gilpin, Ben Koldyke, Brandon T. Jackson, Spencer Grammer, Amandla Stenberg, Tim Bagley, and Meagan Good.

Read More…...

Mr. Robinson isn’t a show for everyone, which is largely a function of the fact that Welcome Back, Kotter wasn’t for everyone, and owed a lot of the success it had to limited alternatives.

Don’t get me wrong, Welcome Back, Kotter was not only a great show, but it managed a surprising amount of influence on the landscape of television for decades… it just wasn’t for everyone.

Mr. Robinson stars Craig Robinson as a part-time substitute/part-time singer who runs into an old flame and hopes to rekindle things. When he learns that she now teaches at their old High School, he takes the first chance he gets to substitute there.

Mr. Robinson is laid-back almost to a fault… well, probably to a fault. He quickly hints that he wasn’t very serious about school, and hasn’t been very serious about anything since, but he...

The student has become the teacher.

Former Greek coed Spencer Grammer is going to the head of the class as a series regular in Mr. Robinson, NBC’s upcoming Craig Robinson-fronted high-school comedy, TVLine has learned.

Additionally, Lenora Crichlow — currently co-starring in the Peacock’s just-cancelled sitcom A to Z — is also joining the series as a regular.

In Mr. Robinson, The Office vet portrays a struggling musician who leads a double life. At night, he and his brother Ben (not yet cast) jam in a rock band called “Nasty Delicious,” and their career has been going nowhere fast for a decade.

Ben Koldyke, coming off ABC’s freshman comedy Back In the Game, has joined NBC’s recently picked-up six-episode comedy series Mr. Robinson in a new co-starring role opposite Craig Robinson. The addition of Koldyke’s character is part of the changes to the single-camera project, which is being reworked by its new creative team, led by executive producers/showrunners Mark Cullen and Rob Cullen. Mr. Robinson stars Robinson as a journeyman musician who gets a job as a music teacher at a middle school. Koldyke, repped by Gersh Agency and manager Brian Medavoy, plays a gym teacher at the school. Koldyke’s series credits also include HBO’s Big Love and CBS’ How I Met Your Mother. Related: 2014 ABC Pilots Manish Dayal, who co-stars in DreamWorks’ upcoming feature The Hundred-Foot Journey, has joined the CW pilot Identity, exec produced by Alex Kurtzman and Bob Orci. It centers on Mia...

Network: ABC

Episodes: 13 (half-hour)

Seasons: One

TV show dates: September 25, 2013 -- Tbd

Series status: Cancelled

Performers include: Maggie Lawson, James Caan, Lenora Crichlow, Griffin Gluck, Ben Koldyke, Kennedy Waite, J.J. Totah, Cooper Roth, and Brandon Salgado.

TV show description:

This sitcom follows Terry Gannon Jr. (Maggie Lawson). She was an All Star softball player until life threw her a couple curve balls. She married a loser, had a baby, and lost her college scholarship.

Now, Terry and her son Danny (Griffin Gluck) are starting a new life by moving back with Terry's estranged father, Terry Sr. aka "The Cannon" (James Caan). He's an opinionated, beer-guzzling ex-athlete who never quite made the cut as a professional baseball player -- or a single father. He's okay with putting up his daughter and grandson...

ABC has had very mixed success launching new sitcoms on Wednesday nights. Will Back in the Game be a ratings hit or will it be cancelled after one season? We'll have to wait and see how things go.

Back in the Game follows a single mother (Maggie Lawson) and her son (Griffin Gluck) who move in with her gruff father (James Caan). Despite having no experience, the boy desperately wants to play baseball so his mom, a former All Star, gets roped into coaching a new team of misfits. Others in the cast are Lenora Crichlow, Ben Koldyke, Kennedy Waite, J.J. Totah, Cooper Roth, and Brandon Salgado.

The ratings are typically the best indication of a show's likelihood of staying on the air. The higher the ratings (particularly the 18-49 demo), the better the chances for survival. This chart will be updated as new ratings...

Time to look at a trio of new ABC sitcoms which debuted in the last week, none of which have been acquired by a UK broadcaster as of yet. That isn’t necessarily a mark against their quality – one looks great, one looks okay, and one delivered a pretty dreadful pilot. Nor is it a sign that they aren’t a good fit for the UK – at least one of them would be a perfect pick for E4, for example – and all three are certainly worthy of discussion. Sadly, the ratings for each show are pretty much the inverse of how much I liked each of them, so we’ll work our way through them in reverse order, starting with the one I liked the least but got the biggest audience…

And to my immense surprise, The Goldbergs was the worst by a long, long way. I was really looking...

Tonight, ABC is unveiling their third new sitcom of the season, Back in the Game. This one has has a great timeslot, nestled in between The Middle and Modern Family. Will it be a new Wednesday night hit or will it be cancelled like many others? Is it worth watching?

On Back in the Game, a single mother named Terry (Maggie Lawson) and her young misfit son (Griffin Gluck) move in with her gruff father (James Caan).

She's a former All-Star softball player and her dad is a beer-guzzling, opinionated couch potato. When Terry's son gets rejected from the little league team, she gets talked into coaching a new team.

Others in the cast are Lenora Crichlow, Ben Koldyke, Kennedy Waite, J.J. Totah, Cooper Roth, and Brandon Salgado.

What do you think? Based on the description and...

If you’re a fan of an “anything you can do” approach to the gender war, then you’re in luck — the female protagonist of ABC’s new father-daughter baseball comedy Back in the Game (which premiered Wednesday at 8:30/7:30c) shouts “Yes, I can!” in response to all of the challenges her sexist surroundings hurl her way. But was the show a grand slam or a strike-out for you?

A brief recap: After a messy divorce, Terry (Maggie Lawson, Psych) is forced to take her son, Danny (Griffin Gluck, Private Practice), and move back in with her beer-guzzling,...

Loose “Cannon”: James Caan is a blast in ABC’s Back in the Game: Maggie Lawson (Psych) stars as a single mom who takes on managing her son’s little league team while trying to reconnect with her drunk, emotionally distant ex-ballplayer father (Caan). Also See: Complete list of fall 2013 new shows Fall TV 2013 new comedies 5 lessons from the fall 2013 TV family sitcoms Back in the Game ABC Premieres: Sept. 25 Airs: Wednesdays at 8:30pm Et/Pt Who’s In It? Maggie Lawson, James Caan, Lenora Crichlow, Griffin Gluck, Ben Koldyke What’s It All About? Terry Gannon Jr. (Lawson) was […]

The post Loose “Cannon”: James Caan is a blast in ABC’s “Back in the Game” appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

Chicago – From Archie Bunker to Frank Barone, TV has a long history of crotchety, irascible, borderline offensive fathers who really love their kids. To the long list, we can now add Terry Gannon (James Caan), the scene-stealer from ABC’s “Back in the Game,” premiering tonight, September 25, 2013 in a coveted time slot between the returns of “The Middle” and “Modern Family.”

Television Rating: 2.5/5.0

I’m torn on “Back in the Game.” Its creators — Mark & Robb Cullen (“Lucky”) — and executive producers — John Requa & Glenn Ficarra (“Bad Santa”) — are definitely talented people and one can see the potential in this gruff family comedy. The cast is strong, the concept isn’t bad, but I just didn’t find the pilot funny. It feels like it’s playing with comedy concepts that might have worked better in the ’90s. Hey, guess what? Some retired athletes are still too competitive and live vicariously through their Little League-playing grandkids?...

On TV this packed Wednesday: The Revolution continues on a new night, The Middle goes on a Heck of a trip, Back in the Game throws its first pitch, Svu saves Benson, Criminal Minds heads west, high school causes Modern Family problems, Nashville cues up a coma, CSI follows Russell’s lead and a South Park kid infiltrates the Nsa. Here are 11 programs to keep on your radar.

8 pm Revolution (NBC) | Season 2 premiere: Rachel runs into someone important from her past, Charlie goes on a mission in the Plains Nation, and Neville and Jason search a refugee camp for a lost loved one.

On TV this packed Wednesday: The Revolution continues on a new night, The Middle goes on a Heck of a trip, Back in the Game throws its first pitch, Svu saves Benson, Criminal Minds heads west, high school causes Modern Family problems, Nashville cues up a coma, CSI follows Russell’s lead and a South Park kid infiltrates the Nsa. Here are 11 programs to keep on your radar.

8 pm Revolution (NBC) | Season 2 premiere: Rachel runs into someone important from her past, Charlie goes on a mission in the Plains Nation, and Neville and Jason search a refugee camp for a lost loved one.

The broadcast networks have almost 30 shows debuting this fall, including a new Michael J. Fox sitcom, a futuristic tale from the Fringe team and Marvel-ous adventures for the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. To help you prep for it all, TVLine is offering First Impressions of the not-for-review pilots.

Next up on our list….

The Show | ABC’s Back in the Game (Wednesdays at 8:30/7:30c; premieres Sept. 25)

The Competition | Fox’s The X Factor, CBS’ Survivor: Blood Vs. Water, NBC’s Revolution and The CW’s Arrow

The Cast | Maggie Lawson (Psych), James Caan (Las...

We've seen the pilots of ABC's new shows, and while they're not for review (things often change drastically before the shows are set to premiere), we do want to share our first reactions to what's coming in the fall and midseason.

This quick guide is designed to get you excited for some new shows ... and to warn you to curb your enthusiasm for others. Just keep in mind that we'll have full reviews of the final pilots closer to airdate. For now, here are our snap judgments of ABC's new shows for the 2013-2014 TV season.

See ABC's Full Fall Schedule Here

There are eight new scripted shows coming to ABC that were ready to preview, and all of them left us with questions. Will funny lady Rebel Wilson charm on a sitcom? Can a show about a trophy wife manage to be endearing? And is a drama about life...

At ABC‘s upfront, there were a few things that the network wanted to make sure you knew. 1) They are really impressed with the idea that people are going to watch Rebel Wilson do just about anything, and 2) There isn’t anything they’re happier about than bringing you more episodes of television created by Shonda Rhimes.

On these notes, the network would love for you to know that more Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal are coming your way. These, ABC would like to impress upon you (as advertisers) are really good shows. Because… hellllooo… so many people watch them that we’re bringing them back. But wait, don’t think that you’re as excited as you can get yet, because if those are your favorite shows, then we have a new one for you to fall in love with, Betrayal.

Also on the agenda, and actually looking like they might be interesting,...

Following in the footsteps of NBC and Fox, ABC on Tuesday gave viewers a glimpse at the new additions to its 2013-14 lineup, including the buzzy Once Upon a Time spin-off, a Super Fun Night with Rebel Wilson, an ’80s-set comedy with another Bridesmaids vet and many more.

Related | Fall TV Schedule 2013 — What’s On When? And Against What?

Set your sights on the Alphabet Network’s fresh offerings below, and then hit the comments with your snappy judgments!

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., with Clark Gregg, Ming-Na, Elizabeth Henstridge (airing Tuesdays at 8/7c)

The Goldbergs, with Wendi McLendon-Covey, Jeff Garlin...

Chicago – ABC announced their 2013-14 schedule this morning and revealed an aggressive slate of new programming, including four new comedies and four new dramas. Tuesday nights will be entirely new, anchored by “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”. Their hit shows aren’t really moving other than “The Neighbors” slidng to Friday nights and “Dancing with the Stars” downsized to one night. They also revealed that they will air a special based on the hit Pixar trilogy, “Toy Story of Terror,” in October 2013.

Full schedule below with an asterisk for new show. New show descriptions below that. “Suburgatory” is being held for mid-season.

Monday

7pm “Dancing with the Stars”

9pm “Castle”

Tuesday

7pm “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”*

8pm “The Goldbergs”*

8:30pm “Trophy Wife”*

9pm “Lucky 7”*

Wednesday

7pm “The Middle”

7:30pm “Back in the Game”*

8pm “Modern Family”

8:30pm “Super Fun Night”*

9pm “Nashville”

Thursday

7pm “Once...

One of pilot season’s easiest calls is now official: ABC has picked up Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., geek god Joss Whedon‘s TV offshoot of the Avengers feature films.

What’s more, the first promo for the brand-new series is set to air this Sunday during the Once Upon a Time season finale.

Related | Fall TV Preview: Your Guide to What’s New

The cast for S.H.I.E.L.D. — which follows a worldwide law enforcement organization that polices the new, the strange and the unknown — includes ER alum Ming-Na (as former soldier Melinda May), Clark Gregg (reprising his big-screen Avengers...

Psych co-star Maggie Lawson has landed the lead opposite James Caan in the Cullen brothers’ single-camera comedy pilot for ABC. In December, USA Network announced an eighth-season renewal for veteran Psych with an eight-episode order. The network stopped short of saying the eighth season will be Psych‘s last, but I have learned that the plan is for the eight-episode Season 8 to be the show’s final installment. The ABC pilot has Lawson in first position, but since Psych‘s eighth season won’t air until 2014, it will film for eight weeks starting April 29, allowing Lawson to finish her role as Juliet O’Hara. (Of course, with fan favorite Psych anything is possible, including extra episodes and even another season, though Lawson’s future on the show beyond the eight-episode Season 8 is unclear.) The Cullen brothers project, from 20th TV, centers on Terry Gannon (Lawson), a recently divorced single mother...

Exclusive: In their pilot directing debut, feature directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra are set to helm and executive produce ABC’s Cullen brothers single-camera comedy pilot. Additionally, joining the cast of the multi-generational family comedy, which locked in James Caan earlier today, is Ben Koldyke (How I Met Your Mother, Big Love). Requa and Ficarra, who wrote and directed I Love You Phillip Morris, wrote Bad Santa and directed Crazy, Stupid, Love, were hotly pursued for pilots this season. The Cullen brothers project, from 20th TV, centers on Terry Gannon, a recently divorced single mother who temporarily moves in with her estranged father (Caan), a beer-swilling former baseball player. She reluctantly starts coaching her son Tommy’s (Griffin Gluck) underdog Little League team and is drawn back into the world of sports she vowed to leave behind. Koldyke will play Dick Slingbaugh, the macho, handsome Little League coach who...

ABC has pulled the plug on its controversial cross-dressing series Work It after just two episodes. The network will air repeats of Last Man Standing in Work It's Tuesday 8:30 Pm Et time slot.

Work It debuted with a modest 2.0 ratings and 6.1 million viewers overall on January 3, and was down 20% after its second episode. The series also caused quite a stir with critics who lambasted the show. Groups such as The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and the Human Rights Campaign also publicly spoke out against the show, saying it had a negative impact on the transgender community.

Amaury Nolasco and Benjamin Koldyke starred in Work It, which centered around two male friends who can't find a job in the current economy. Desparate for work, they dress up as women to score new jobs.

It looks like Work It just didn't work out for ABC. The cross-dressing comedy, which starred Amaury Nolasco and Benjamin Koldyke, was canned after just two episodes, following a bit of a firestorm from the lesbian and gay community (and low ratings to boot). So, what went down? The show centered around two unemployed men, Lee Standish (Koldyke) and Angel Ortiz (Nolasco), who dress up as women to land a job…and that did not sit well with organizations like the Human Rights Campaign (Hrc) and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), who found the content offensive to transgender people. After viewing the pilot for Work It, the org launched a campaign against the...

It looks like the cross-dressing guys of Work It are out of work again.  ABC has cancelled the new sitcom, pulling it from the schedule after just two episodes.

Work It revolves around a pair of unemployed guys -- Lee Standish (Ben Koldyke) and Angel Ortiz (Amaury Nolasco) -- who get jobs at a pharmaceuticals company when they apply dressed as women. The cast also includes Beth Lacke, John Caparulo, Rebecca Mader, Rochelle Aytes, Kate Reinders, Kirstin Eggers, and Hannah Sullivan.

The first episode of Work It, attracted a 2.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 6.16 million total viewers.  When compared to the debut of already-canned Man Up!, ABC was down by 17% in the ratings.  

This week's installment dropped like a rock, down 20% to a 1.6 in the demo with only 5.1 million. 

ABC pulled Man Up! after...

ABC has cancelled the controversial cross-dressing comedy Work It after two episodes.

The Tuesday night comedy debuted to a 2.0 rating in the adult demo last week, then dropped 20 percent this week to a 1.6 — down 27 percent from its lead in, Last Man Standing.

In its place, ABC will begin airing repeats of Last Man Standing this Tuesday. (To prepare for the possibility of a Work It elimination, ABC also just ordered two more episodes of the Tim Allen comedy). But it seems likely that Cougar Town — which has yet to receive a midseason berth — will take its place, eventually.

Out of the gate,...

All the controversy didn’t bring viewers to ABC’s midseason comedy Work It, starring Ben Koldyke and Amaury Molasco as two unemployed men who dress as women in order to get jobs as sales reps at a pharmaceutical company. According to The Hollywood Reporter, ABC yanked the comedy after just two airings and quickly filled its 8:30 p.m. Tuesday slot with repeats of the Tim Allen comedy Last Man Standing. Sharp criticism came from the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which accused the sitcom of propagating “false and damaging stereotypes about transgender people.”...

All the controversy didn’t bring viewers to ABC’s midseason comedy Work It, starring Ben Koldyke and Amaury Molasco as two unemployed men who dress as women in order to get jobs as sales reps at a pharmaceutical company. According to The Hollywood Reporter, ABC yanked the comedy after just two airings and quickly filled its 8:30 p.m. Tuesday slot with repeats of the Tim Allen comedy Last Man Standing. Sharp criticism came from the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which accused the sitcom of propagating “false and damaging stereotypes about transgender people.”...

All the controversy didn’t bring viewers to ABC’s midseason comedy Work It, starring Ben Koldyke and Amaury Molasco as two unemployed men who dress as women in order to get jobs as sales reps at a pharmaceutical company. According to The Hollywood Reporter, ABC yanked the comedy after just two airings and quickly filled its 8:30 p.m. Tuesday slot with repeats of the Tim Allen comedy Last Man Standing. Sharp criticism came from the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which accused the sitcom of propagating “false and damaging stereotypes about transgender people.”...

Last week, ABC unveiled their first new sitcom of 2012, Work It. The TV series was pummeled by negative reviews from critics and viewers alike but were the ratings that bad? Will it be quickly cancelled or stick around long enough to be renewed for a second season?

Work It revolves around a pair of unemployed guys -- Lee Standish (Ben Koldyke) and Angel Ortiz (Amaury Nolasco) -- who believe that the economic downturn has affected men more than women. Lee gets a job at a pharmaceuticals company after applying dressed as a woman and Angel follows. The two must maintain their charade to keep their jobs and end up learning a little something about what it means to be female.

The cast also includes Beth Lacke, John Caparulo, Rebecca Mader, Rochelle Aytes, Kate Reinders, Kirstin Eggers, and Hannah Sullivan.

 ...

Associated Press Kate Reinders, Kirstin Eggers, Rebecca Mader and Ben Koldyke (l-r) in a scene from “Work It,” on ABC.

Like questionable laugh tracks and ads plastered on buses, it’s a seasonal ritual of primetime television, but one that no network wants to be a part of: the angry mob attack on a debut show. Each time networks roll out a crop of new offerings, at least one of them inevitably draws the biting, unanimous, and often gleeful ire of judgmental critics,...

New ABC sitcom Work It's first episode failed to pull in more viewers than the axed Man Up! last night. Starring Amaury Nolasco and Ben Koldyke as two men who disguise themselves as women, the series premiered with 6.1m (2.0) at 8.30pm. Last Man Standing (8pm) returned from its Christmas break with 7.9m (2.4), while Celebrity Wife Swap (9pm) and Body of Proof (10pm) brought in respective audiences of 6m (2.2) (more)...

It's back! It's finally back! The tortorous event that is the TV winter hiatus is over and all of our favorites are returning to us over the next few weeks. Tagging along with them are a slew of new shows hoping to leave their mark on audiences. First up? ABC's Work It, a modern-day Bosom Buddies and Tootsie, starring Ben Koldyke and Amaury Nolasco. To say there's a bit of controversy surrounding the new comedy is a bit of an understatement, so we're curious to know what you thought... Unable to find jobs, Lee Standish (Koldyke) and his best friend Angel Ortiz (Nolasco) decide to dress as women in order to find employment. (See where the controversy comes in?) Yes, seeing the recession as...

There was a slight twinge of panic amongst the ladyfolk when the Twitter and viral video sensation “S— Girls Say” all but took over the Internet. Not out of the fear that it could become too popular for its own good and get its own miserable spin-off like a certain similarly titled CBS sitcom (still a legitimate concern, though), but that a guy had actually cracked some of our not-so-secret code. Because despite its obviously over-the-top re-enactment of, well, the s— girls sometimes say, it was nearly impossible to deny that you hadn’t uttered something pretty close to Graydon Sheppard...

I posted my review of ABC's "Work It" yesterday, and Fienberg registered his own disgust this afternoon. Now it's your turn. What did everybody think of the gender-bending hijinks of the new ABC comedy? Is this more like "Some Like It Hot" or "He's My Girl"? Does Benjamin Koldyke strike you as a 21st century Tom Hanks? How about that nightclub set? And if you tuned in tonight, do you intend to ever watch it again?  Have at it.

This is likely the first-ever TV review on Zap2it to cite the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. But we're in not-very-well-charted territory with ABC's joyless, charmless new show "Work It." And although we're only three days into 2012, we're pretty confident this show will end up near the top of lots of "worst" lists next December.

The show's premise is that the economy is so bad for men that two guys (Ben Koldyke, best known as Don on "How I Met Your Mother," and Amaury Nolasco from "Prison Break") who've been out of work for a year have to resort to dressing up as women to land new jobs. It's a "mancession," their crude buddy/expository device Brian (John Caparulo) declares. Women are snapping up all the jobs, and soon men will just be kept around as "sex slaves."

It's true that when unemployment spiked in 2008 and '09, the percentage...

From “needing some work” to “a drag in every way” television critics throughout North America have had quite a field day in writing about ABC’s cross dressing comedy Work It. And for good reason, it’s not a very good show.

Yet rather than simply pile on to the chorus of criticism that the internet has been heaping upon executive producers Ted Cohen and Andrew Reich (Who we can only hope for the sake of their sanity are sitting on a beautiful beach thousands of miles from the nearest Wi-Fi connection at this very moment) we thought — in the spirit of the New Year and all — we’d do something somewhat uncharacteristic of us: Focus on the positives.

Which is to say, if you can make it past the unbelievable premise that has unemployed friends Lee Standish (Big Love’s Ben Koldyke) and Angel Ortiz (Prison Break’s Amaury Nolasco...

Chicago – I try to approach every new series as a blank slate. However, it would be naive to say that things like pedigree and incessant advertising don’t have the same impact on me as they do you. I’m a fan of J.J. Abrams and so I look forward to his work more than, say, the team behind “According to Jim.” And the ads for ABC’s “Work It” sent a shiver down my spine like a high school teacher talking about a term paper that you knew you’d have to do eventually and would probably hate writing. Did it live up to my low expectations? Actually, no. It’s much, Much worse.

Television Rating: 1.0/5.0

Perhaps ABC slated “Work It” as the first new program of 2012 so no one would remember it by the time they were writing their Worst of the Year lists in eleven months. Because...

When a show is as bad as "Work It," and you truly have nothing nice to say about it, it often feels like you should just follow that old adage and not say anything at all. But that's not my job. (Sorry, Mom!)

If you somehow haven't heard about this horrific new show, the fine folks at HitFix, IGN TV, Variety, Zap2it and Entertainment Weekly, among many others, have all tried to articulate exactly how bad it is to great success; Gawker even claimed that "Work It" could be the worst television show in history.

"Work It" also won worst of the worst in our TV Preview videos last fall, and it was the only new show that we all unanimously said to skip. Like I said, it's easy to pile on when's something is this unwatchable, but no one's taken the opposite approach ... until now.

So I set...

On TV this first Tuesday of ’12: NCIS stumbles upon a “missing” person of interest, the Switched girls continue to clash, Prison Break‘s Sucre dons a wig, the Bravermans hit the road and more. Here are 11 programs to keep on your radar.

8 pm NCIS (CBS) | The investigation into the murder of a Navy commander leads the team to E.J. Barrett (guest star Sarah Jane Morris), who has been mysteriously “Mia” since the season opener. (Get an exclusive first look!)

8 pm Switched at Birth (ABC Family) | Season 1.5 premiere: Tensions are high between Daphne and Bay as they clash over...

It’s not all heavenly peace for three TV programs that have come under fire for their on-screen content during this holiday season. Why is GLAAD mad about ABC’s new cross-dressing comedy? Where stands Lowe’s beef with TLC’s All-American Muslim? And who’s calling a penalty on Saturday Night Live‘s send-up of NFL star Tim Tebow? Here’s a status report on those controversies.

The Lgbt Community vs. ABC’s Work It

What’S The Issue? | GLAAD says that the soon-to-premiere comedy — in which Ben Koldyke (How I Met Your Mother) and Amaury Nolasco (Prison Break...

Two years ago, groups representing Italian Americans were up in arms over promos for an upcoming series that was seen as perpetuating stereotypes about the ethnic group and called upon the network to scrap it. The backlash continued even after the series, MTV’s Jersey Shore, premiered, with several advertisers, including computer maker Dell, pulling out. But several months later, all was forgotten and the reality show went on to become a ratings mega hit and a pop culture phenomenon. Now, Lgbt advocacy groups are up in arms over ABC’s upcoming cross-dressing comedy Work It, urging the network not to air it because it “reinforces negative and damaging stereotypes about transgender people,” according to the Human Rights Campaign. Like with Jersey Shore, the backlash is based mostly on promos (video below), which are chock-full of gags featuring the leads, played by Ben Koldyke and Amaury Nolasco, dressed as women,...

The ABC comedy "Work It" doesn't even premiere until Jan, 3, and already it's invoking ire from rights groups. The series has sparked anger from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Human Rights Campaign, who argue that the series could prove harmful to transgendered individuals. Also read: Neil Patrick Harris Apologizes for "Live!" Tranny-Wreck The series stars Ben Koldyke ("How I Met Your Mother") and Amaury Nolasco ("Prison Break") as two friends and former coworkers who, unemployed and desperate, take to cross-dressing in order to get hired by a pharmaceutical...

ABC should have known that airing a cross-dressing comedy was going to draw controversy.

The upcoming series Work It — about two men who disguise themselves as women to land jobs — is taking fire from two organizations that say the show is offensive to the transgender community. “During a period in which the transgender community now routinely finds itself in the cultural crosshairs, the timing couldn’t be worse for a show based on the notion that men dressed as women is inherently funny,” writes Matt Kane, the associate director of entertainment media at the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

GLAAD...

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy groups are blasting ABC and its upcoming cross-dressing comedy Work It, claiming the series is damaging to transgender individuals. The series, set to premiere Jan. 3, revolves around two heterosexual unemployed car salesmen (Ben Koldyke, Amaury Nolasco), who after their dealership goes out of business, dress as women in order to land jobs as salesmen at a pharmaceutical company looking to hire female sales reps. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Human Rights Campaign claim the show reflects stereotypes about transgender individuals. The Hrc, through its Web site, has urged

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