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TV Land has named new showrunners for its fourth season. Bill Martin and Mike Schiff will replace Ric Swartzlander (“Cougar Town”) on the comedy. The new showrunning duo are best known for their work on “3rd Rock From the Sun” and “Grounded for Life.” They also served as co-executive producers on Bill Lawrence‘s TBS comedy “Ground Floor.” The show has had quite the revolving door for its showrunners. Phoef Sutton (“Boston Legal”) served in the post for Season 1. Yvette Lee Bowser (“Living Single”) replaced him for a short time on Season 2 before she was replaced by Swartzlander, who finished.

Exclusive: TV Land‘s The Soul Man will return for a third season. The network has given the 8-episode order more than three months after Season 2 of the show, starring Cedric “The Entertainer,” Niecy Nash and Wesley Jonathan, ended its run. Comedy veteran Ric Swartzlander (Cougar Town), who quietly joined the show at the beginning of Season 2, will be back as showrunner. Like with the second season pickup, I hear a key renewal factor was the show’s strong showing among Black viewers. Over the first two seasons, The Soul Man averaged a potent 3.7 rating among African-American Women 25-54 and a 3.0 rating with African-American Adults 25-54. Season 2 of the series posted gains of +103% among A25-54 and +111% among W25-54 (L+7) versus channel prime average. “We’re so proud to have this show in our portfolio of sitcoms,” said TV Land president Larry W. Jones. “Fans of The Soul Man...

And the American Idol shake-up buzz continues…

Standards crooner Harry Connick Jr. has been approached about joining the Fox competition series as a judge next season, E! News reports.

Related | American Idol: 11 Terrible Ideas to Avoid in a Potential Season 13 Reboot

“The [producers] kinda wanted to know if I would be interested in it,” Connick told the cable program after performing on Idol‘s results show Thursday. “It’s a fun show. It’s been talked about before, [so] who knows what’ll happen in the future… What I’ve done thus far on the show has been really fun, so...

As "Cougar Town" prepares to go into production on Season 5, its second season at new home TBS, the wine-soaked sitcom will be under the leadership of a new showrunner.

Deadline reports the Blake McCormick, who's been a writer-producer with the show since 2010, will be taking the reins. He replaces Ric Swartzlander, who ran the show in Season 4, its first with TBS.

Prior to McCormick's work on "Cougar Town," he served as a co-producer on Fox's long-running animated comedy "King of the Hill." On top of his promotion, McCormick has also signed a blind script deal with Warner Bros TV through Doozer, "Cougar Town" co-creator Bill Lawrence's company.

Lawrence left the show after Season 4 to transition into an overall deal of his own with Warner Bros TV, but wound up remaining pretty hands-on throughout Season 4, as he didn't have a show on the air. It's not likely that will continue...

Exclusive: Cougar Town writer-producer Blake McCormick has been elevated to showrunner of the ensemble comedy as it heads into its fifth season and second on TBS. McCormick replaces Ric Swartzlander, who ran Cougar Town last season. Additionally, McCormick has signed a blind script deal with Warner Bros TV through studio-based Doozer, the company of Cougar Town co-creator/executive producer Bill Lawrence. Lawrence exited Cougar Town after Season 3 to segue into his overall deal at Warner Bros TV but ended up being pretty hands-on during Season 4 since he didn’t have a series on the air. That likely won’t be the case next season as he has three pilots in contention for series pickup: Undateable at NBC, I Suck At Girls at Fox and Ground Floor at TBS. McCormick, repped by UTA, Kaplan Perrone and attorney Jared Levine, has been on Cougar Town for the past three seasons, starting out...

There are lots of things to like about the Season 4 premiere of "Cougar Town."

The jokes about Grayson being Jules' "coffee b****," for instance, and pretty much every moment Bobby and Ellie share a scene together. Tom at the window, again and forever.

Mostly, though, the feeling watching the premiere -- the show's first episode on TBS -- is one of warmth.

"Cougar Town" is a show where not a lot happens, and that may be part of the reason the series has never been a big hit. It's seven people hanging around, usually in one of two places, drinking and goofing one another, often hugging at the end.

But for those of us who do like it, it's like hanging out with old friends. Creators Kevin Biegel and Bill Lawrence aren't running the show anymore, but new Ep Ric Swartzlander has ensured that the rhythms of the show are the same,...

After a too-long seven-month hiatus, Cougar Town returns with original episodes tonight at ten. If the folks at TBS have done their job, you know that these new episodes will be airing on the cable network and not ABC (which decided to kill Cougar to make room for the likes of Malibu Country and The Neighbors). While the show looks the same, there's one big difference behind the scenes: Executive producers and co-creators Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel are no longer the mayors of Cougar Town. Ric Swartzlander (Gary Unmarried) has taken over, with the other two guys now working on new projects. To help mark the passing of the wine glass, we asked Lawrence to share some of the advice he gave Swartzlander before moving on. And yes, one of his suggestions involves alcohol.1. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. The show is the show. We just want...

Diane Haithman contributes to Deadline’s TCA coverage. Cougar Town co-creator and executive producer Bill Lawrence kicked off the winter TCA press tour this morning by offering up some wisecracks about ABC, the former home of his comedy that has since found a new home at TBS. Lawrence thanked TBS chief Michael Wright (who was onstage as part of the network’s panel) for keeping a show alive that Lawrence “has been trying to kill for years.” He also joked about his feelings regarding ABC’s promotion of Cougar Town by saying that now that the show has moved, “I’m actually seeing ads” for the series. Later in the session, Lawrence quipped that the series’ crew still loves ABC and Disney: “They are still the producers and owners of the show, and I think they are doing a great job.” During the opening panel, Lawrence and new executive producer...

Led by Courteney Cox, Cougar Town‘s cast celebrates the show’s Season 4 launch Tuesday, January 8 on TBS. Cast includes Brian Van Holt, Christa Miller, Ian Gomez, Josh Hopkins, Busy Philipps, and Dan Byrd. Ric Swartzlander has joined the show as exec producer and showrunner. Series was co-created by exec producer Bill Lawrence (Scrubs, Spin City) and consulting producer Kevin Biegel (Scrubs). Cox and David Arquette also serve as EPs for the series produced by ABC Studios. Video is on the jump.

The "Cougar Town" cast and crew got together Wednesday (Aug. 8) to begin production on the show's fourth season -- and first on TBS. We know this because actress Busy Philipps and co-creator Kevin Biegel each shared photos of the cast's table read.

That's one of Philipps' shots at the top of the post, showing her and co-stars Courteney Cox and Christa Miller holding the first script of the season. She and Biegel also posted photos of the table read on their respective Twitter feeds -- and some of Biegel's other tweets should put to rest the fears among "Cougar Town" fans that he and co-creator Bill Lawrence aren't the day-to-day showrunners anymore.

Both attended the table read, and Biegel notes that Lawrence wrote the script for the Season 4 premiere. So while Ric Swartzlander is now the man in charge, it hardly seems as though Lawrence and Biegel have left the show entirely.

"Cougar Town's" third season ended Tuesday and after a dramatic rescue by TBS, the former ABC comedy was recently renewed for a fourth season. On Monday, the show's writers begin work on Season 4 of the show, which will arrive early next year.

Given everything that's been going on with the comedy, it seemed like a good time to talk to one of its creators about what's next for the Cul De Sac crew. On the most recent Talking TV with Ryan and Ryan podcast, "Cougar Town" co-creator and executive producer Kevin Biegel talked for an hour about what fans can expect from Season 4 and whether the show's winning mixture of wine, whimsicality, wit and romance will remain unchanged. And here's a bit of news: Rumor had it that Season 4 would consist of 15 episodes, and Biegel confirmed that that is the case.

If you don't have time to listen to...

Had the news of Cougar Town’s renewal and move to TBS not been released weeks ago, the season finale may have made a few fans worry. After all, the episode certainly had the tone of a series finale.

Jules (Courteney Cox) and Grayson (Josh Hopkins) got married. Ellie (Christa Miller) dangled her sexuality over Andy (Ian Gomez) like an unreachable carrot. And Laurie (Busy Phillips) and Travis (Dan) seemed to accept that they will always remain friends — and nothing more. But while the episode felt like a natural end to the series, co-creator Bill Lawrence says that was never the intention.

Russell Edgington is back!

In anticipation of True Blood‘s fifth season (premiering June 10), HBO has hit us with another scoop-filled promo — and this one comes with tons of new footage of the deposed King of Mississippi. Press Play below to watch the smokin’ hot trailer.

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Ready for more of today’s TV dish?...

Russell Edgington is back!

In anticipation of True Blood‘s fifth season (premiering June 10), HBO has hit us with another scoop-filled promo — and this one comes with tons of new footage of the deposed King of Mississippi. Press Play below to watch the smokin’ hot trailer.

Ready for more of today’s TV dish? Well…

• Showtime has just released its first teaser trailer for Dexter‘s seventh season, and it’s as vague as it is creepy. “Maybe everything is exactly as it should be,” muses the serial killer via voiceover. What does he mean?! Guess we’ll find out Sept.

Many changes are afoot for "Cougar Town." Not only is the Courteney Cox-fronted show jumping to a new network (TBS), but production will be in the hands of a new showrunner: Ric Swartzlander, reports EW, who previously helmed "Gary Unmarried."

The news comes less than two weeks after "Cougar Town" creators Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel stepped down.

"As a producer, I can't wait. This is a fresh start," Cox told Vulture when Biegel and Lawrence left. "It will feel like the same show, but we're going to have a new [showunner], there will be new people, new changes."

Biegel and Lawrence will still be "actively" involved in the show, but Swartzlander will run day-to-day operations. Meanwhile, Lawrence will develop new projects for Warner Brothers TV.

TBS plans to start airing a new 15-episode fourth season in 2013 and holds an option for a fifth season, too.

Cougar Town not only has a new network, it has a new showrunner to match.

Ric Swartzlander (Gary Unmarried) has signed on as an executive producer and will oversee the cul-de-sac comedy in its fourth season — and first on TBS. The news comes on the heels of series co-creator/exec producer Bill Lawrence’s confirmation that he and co-creator Kevin Biegel were no longer planning to run the series, which aired for three seasons on ABC. Lawrence, who’s married to Cougar Town star Christa Miller, assured fans on Twitter last week that he and Biegel weren’t fully letting go of their Big Carls, quipping: “My wife is on the show — you think she’ll let me disappear? Please.” Lawrence will serve as an executive producer and executive consultant on Cougar Town while developing new projects for Warner Bros. TV, with whom he signed a deal last year. Biegel will act as consulting producer.

Cougar Town not only has a new network, it has a new showrunner to match.

Ric Swartzlander (Gary Unmarried) has signed on as an executive producer and will oversee the cul-de-sac comedy in its fourth season — and first on TBS. The news comes on the heels of series co-creator/exec producer Bill Lawrence's confirmation that he and co-creator Kevin Biegel were no longer planning to run the series, which aired for three seasons on ABC. Lawrence, who's married to Cougar Town star Christa Miller, assured fans on Twitter last week that he and Biegel weren't fully letting go of their Big Carls, quipping: “My wife is on the show — you think she'll let me disappear? Please.” Lawrence will serve as an executive producer and executive consultant on Cougar Town while developing new projects for Warner Bros. TV, with whom he signed a deal last year. Biegel will act as consulting producer.

Cougar Town not only has a new network, it has a new showrunner to match.

Ric Swartzlander (Gary Unmarried) has signed on as an executive producer and will oversee the cul-de-sac comedy in its fourth season — and first on TBS. The news comes on the heels of series co-creator/exec producer Bill Lawrence’s confirmation that he and co-creator Kevin Biegel were no longer planning to run the series, which aired for three seasons on ABC. Lawrence, who’s married to Cougar Town star Christa Miller, assured fans on Twitter last week that he and Biegel weren’t fully letting go of their Big Carls,...

Cougar Town has found a new leader. Gary Unmarried’s Ric Swartzlander has been tapped to take over the ABC Studios comedy, which is making the move from ABC to TBS next season. The new showrunner comes with a lengthy resume of past comedy projects, including Ellen, Samantha Who? and 8 Simple Rules. The news comes a week after Bill Lawrence confirmed that he and fellow co-creator Kevin Biegel were relinquishing day-to-day duties as the show heads into a 15-episode fourth season on the Turner-owned cable network. The duo, who did not appear alongside their cast at TBS’ May

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Comedy veteran Ric Swartzlander (Garry Unmarried) has been tapped as executive producer/showrunner of Cougar Town as the comedy is moving from ABC to TBS. He succeeds Cougar Town co-creator/executive producer Bill Lawrence who is stepping down to focus on development under his Warner Bros. TV overall deal but will remain involved and is keeping his executive producer title. (Lawrence has extra connection to the show as his wife, Christa Miller, co-stars on it.) Lawrence co-created Cougar Town with Kevin Biegel, who will become a consulting producer. Swartzlander has ties to both TBS and Cougar Town producer ABC Studios. He did a pilot, In Security, for TBS and recently worked on the ABC/ABC Studios comedy Man Up! His single-camera credits also include the ABC Studios-produced Samantha Who?...

TBS is 4-for-4, lifting the contingency on the last of its four hourlong pilots, "In Security," after casting Constance Zimmer and Kat Foster as the leads.

Additionally, Malcolm McDowell has been tapped to co-star opposite Breckin Meyer and Mark-Paul Gosselaar in one of the network's other pilots, "Franklin & Bash."

"Security" hails from comedy feature director Pete Segal and broadcast comedy veteran Ric Swartzlander, who executive produce with Chris Albrecht and Michael Ewing.

It revolves around two sisters (Zimmer, Foster) who take over their father's private-security business protecting the super-elite while dealing with personal and family issues.

Zimmer ("Entourage") plays the stronger of the two. She runs the firm until her wayward sister (Foster) arrives and decides to join.

Zimmer is repped by manager David Sweeney and Innovative. Foster's credits include " 'Til Death" and "The Unusuals."

"Bash" revolves around Jared Franklin (Meyer) and Steven Bash (Gosselaar), lawyers and lifelong friends who,...

TBS has picked up two more hourlong comedy pilots with cast-contingent orders: "In Security," from comedy feature director Pete Segal and broadcast comedy veteran Ric Swartzlander, and "Franklin & Bash," from broadcast drama veterans Kevin Falls and Bill Chais.

"Security" was written by Swartzlander ("Gary Unmarried") and Segal ("Get Smart"), who are executive producing with Chris Albrecht.

Segal, who worked with Swartzlander on the NBC comedy "Hidden Hills," also is attached to direct the potential pilot, about two sisters who head up a private-security team protecting the super elite while dealing with personal and family issues.

"Bash," from Sony TV, was written by "Journeyman" creator Falls and "Head Cases" creator Chais, who worked together on CBS' "Shark" as well as Fox's "Head Cases."

The project, which the two are exec producing with Sony-based Jamie Tarses, revolves around Jared Franklin and Steven Bash, two street lawyers and lifelong friends who, after taking...

Part of CBS' Wednesday night sitcom experiment, Gary Unmarried remains firmly "on the bubble" for renewal. The show hasn't exactly been a stellar performer but it's still done pretty well, especially considering its competition.

Gary Unmarried stars comedian Jay Mohr as a newly-divorced dad who's readjusting to the single life. Others in the cast include Paula Marshall, Jaime King, Ed Begley Jr., Ryan Malgarini, Kathryn Newton, and Al Madrigal.

While CBS execs are thinking about whether or not to give the sitcom a second season, there's a big change going on behind the scenes. Creator/executive producer Ed Yeager and executive producer Ric Swartzlander have left the show due to creative differences with the network.

If Gary is renewed, it's expected that co-executive producer Ira Ungerleider and consulting producer Rob Des Hotel will be moved up to showrunners.

The change in staff may be good news for the sitcom. If...

"Gary Unmarried" executive producers Ed Yeager and Ric Swartzlander have left the freshman CBS comedy over creative differences.

The move comes as CBS is mulling the fate of the series, which is on the bubble for a second-season pickup.

There is speculation that two writer-producers on the show -- co-exec producer Ira Ungerleider and consulting producer Rob Des Hotel -- would be elevated to run "Unmarried," and with them in place the series would be renewed.

Yeager created "Unmarried," which stars Jay Mohr as a recently single painting contractor who shares custody of his children with his controlling ex-wife (Paula Marshall).

The project landed at ABC Studios after Yeager's friend, studio-based writer-producer Swartzlander, brought the spec to studio brass, they bought it and set it up at CBS.

ABC Studios co-produces the series with CBS Par.

After a promising start, "Unmarried's" ratings leveled off, with the show pulling respectable numbers in the 8:30 p.

More pilot season coverage

CBS has picked up two more comedy pilots, the multicamera half-hours "Oldyweds", from "Friends" alumna Shana Goldberg-Meehan, and an untitled project from writer Ed Yeager.

"Oldyweds", produced by Warner Bros. TV, centers on a couple in their mid-30s who get engaged and find that getting married can be more complicated when you already have a full life. Goldberg-Meehan is the writer/executive producer.

The Yeager project, from ABC Studios, centers on a middle-class dad trying to navigate new waters with his kids, his ex and his newfound romantic life.

"Still Standing" alum Yeager penned the project and is exec producing with Ric Swartzlander, who also has worked on sitcoms about middle-class dads, including ABC/ABC Studios' "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter."...

Jamie Kennedy has been tapped to star opposite Lee Majors in Fox's single-camera comedy pilot Me & Lee? while Orlando Jones is set to star in ABC's untitled cop comedy pilot.

Meanwhile, Miguel Ferrer and Chris Bowers have been tapped to co-star in NBC's drama pilot The Bionic Woman, a reimagination of the 1970s series that was a spinoff of Majors' signature series, The Six Million Dollar Man.

Additionally, Barry Bostwick, Kristy Wu and Andre Holland have joined ABC's untitled Ric Swartzlander comedy pilot, and Ben Savage is set as Todd in the untitled Sachs/Judah pilot.

"Me & Lee?" from Lionsgate, centers on a guy (Kennedy) with chronic back pain who gets more than he bargained for when he undergoes "bionic" back surgery in a secret lab run by actor Lee Majors (playing himself) in the basement of his Beverly Hills mansion. Majors built the lab after becoming obsessed with bionics after "Man" went off the air.

Kennedy next appears in the documentary Heckler, which premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival, and in the comedy feature Kickin' It Old Skool. He is repped by CAA, Principato-Young Entertainment and attorney Mitch Smelkinson.

ABC has picked up a comedy pilot from Touchstone TV starring comedian Rodney Carrington. The project, written by Ric Swartzlander (NBC's Hidden Hills), is a family show based on Carrington's real-life experiences. This is ABC's second stab at developing a comedy around Carrington. Last development season, the network picked up a family comedy starring the stand-up comedian and executive produced by My Wife and Kids executive producers Don Reo and Damon Wayans that didn't go forward. Swartzlander is executive producing the new Carrington sitcom with another My Wife and Kids executive producer, David Himelfarb.