Ultimately, a script was written in which Applegate, Arnett and Rudolph played actors portraying the characters Reagan, Chris and Ava on a fictional show called Up All Night. Off the show-within-a-show, Arnett’s character would live at home with his mother, and Applegate’s would be dating. Rudolph’s real-life pregnancy was being written into the storyline — and included a “who’s the daddy?” twist.
These are real things that a real network wanted to do with a real show. (“Inside the Demise of ‘Up All Night’”)

'Ben and Kate' star Echo Kellum Joins Sean Hayes’ NBC Pilot, Because We Need To Be Reminded 'Ben and Kate' Is Dead More Often

Kellum will play Hunter, Sean’s passionate coworker at an online retail company who in his spare time is a musician, artist, photographer and poet. 

And before you go “aw, nuts* — not multicam,” remember that the Sean Hayes pilot was written by Victor Fresco, creator of Andy Richter Controls The Universe and Better Off Ted. Fresco also wrote and was nominated for an Emmy for the multicam sitcom Mad About You, a show which my mother says she “never really got into…but it was very popular around the time.” If you can’t respect the medium, at least respect the man and his ability to create humorous workplace scenarios.

Kellum was also cast as a guest star in the pilot for NBC’s American adaptation of the British sitcom The Gates (which will star beloved TV and film actor Ken Marino). Everything’s coming up Echo! Except for the Ben and Kate thing.

-L

* at least one of you has to go “aw, nuts” on a regular basis

NBC's 'Do No Harm' Nets 0.9 Rating, One of Lowest Drama Premieres Ever | @TVmojoe

popculturebrain:

As Adalian writes, that’s lower than ‘Lone Star,’ which means the show is essentially DOA.

Looks like — much like a monkey — NBC is going to eat its young.

…

By “eat its young,” I mean cancel the show.

…

Whatever, my line was better than the actual line in Do No Harm. Not that anyone watched the show to actually know that.

-L

NBC Orders John Mulaney Multicam Sitcom From Lorne Michaels | Variety

popculturebrain:

That’s right comedy nerds: multicam. I can hear the torn minds and hearts across the internet already.

(Also, NBC, please put this to series now.)

Considering that my response to seeing this news was “!!! … altho multi-cam?”, I’d say torn minds and hearts is accurate. But still, Mulaney! With Lorne! On NBC! (Not that NBC is something worth exclamation points as an entity but because Lorne on NBC is pretty close to a sure thing). This is a pickup that should be easier than being lost in New York, NBC (because it’s a grid system, motherfucker).

-N 

Do you have a minute for The Office?

I don’t want to turn this into a complete rehash of “WHY IS THIS SHOW STILL ON THE AIR,” because we’re already thinking that. 

I’ve just been trying to wrap my head around the fact that, for better or worse, I’ve stuck with this show for eight years, going on nine. NINE YEARS. I remember showing my friends the full episode of “Diversity Day” (when it was hosted on *Myspace*) to try and get them to watch the show. After Arrested Development was canceled I pretty much hooked my claws into The Office as the It Show, the smart single-camera comedy that I would champion as a sleeper hit and tearfully eulogize when it inevitably got canceled after season four. 

But it stayed. And stayed. And then it stayed. Everyone has a different opinion on when the show should have ended. Personally, I think it was “Cafe Disco” in season five. The excellent Paper Company arc had ended, and the show finishes on a goofy note, everyone’s happy, we’re promised that Jim and Pam will get married, just not yet, and everyone does the YMCA. We don’t get the fantastic “Murder” episode or “Niagara” or “Goodbye Michael,” but we’d remember the show as a single-camera pioneer, not Just Another Franchise.

Still, when you watch a show for so long, clearly you change as much as the show does. In 2005, I was a very, very single high school junior who hadn’t seen Cheers or Friends. Jim & Pam weren’t just another Sam & Diane or Ross & Rachel, they were Jim & Pam. I hopelessly fell for it. They were my aspirational core. Eight years later, with more life experience and an actual relationship, Jim Ampersand Pam make me kinda sick. Part of that is the writing team making them insufferable, but part of that is my evolving from thinking that Jim kissing Pam on “Casino Night” was the most heroic, romantic thing ever to wow, that’s a pretty scuzzball thing to do, man, she has a fiance. 

But I think that’s the fun part about revisiting a television series as a whole (films, too, for that matter): You change, they stay the same. Something that defined your youth or another period in your life is now just a little bit of nostalgia. Hopefully, it holds the test of time. If I do a full series rewatch of The Office one day and find that “Email Surveillance”  and “A Benihana Christmas” do nothing for me anymore, a little part of me will die inside. 

I’m not emotionally invested in The Office anymore, but I’m still in for the last leg of this long, strange trip. I hope Greg Daniels can help the team produce some all-time classic episodes this season, but I won’t be upset if he can’t. They’ve given me enough. 

-M

So, even though on the podcast we talked about all the many splendored ways that NBC’s Olympics coverage sucks, can we agree that the suckiest thing NBC has done with these Olympics is this promo for Revolution?

-N

Okay, so….what is even HAPPENING here?! On the one hand, awesome that Tim Riggins’ Chevy (site of many a Tim Riggins conquest, heartbreak, beer spilled) is being offered up to the fan masses. On the other, much larger hand, it’s a prop that probably can’t drive? But you need to get it out of North Hollywood somehow? Getting tired of saying this with NBC but what the hell - swing and a miss, guys. - C
Pop-upView Separately

Okay, so….what is even HAPPENING here?! On the one hand, awesome that Tim Riggins’ Chevy (site of many a Tim Riggins conquest, heartbreak, beer spilled) is being offered up to the fan masses. On the other, much larger hand, it’s a prop that probably can’t drive? But you need to get it out of North Hollywood somehow?

Getting tired of saying this with NBC but what the hell - swing and a miss, guys.

- C

To those of you who listened to this week’s podcast, Etta is a black character that we didn’t act out. And that’s probably for the best. (You guys heard Caroline’s “black voice,” right?) And in case you missed my liveblogging when I read (part of) the Wonder Woman script, here’s the deets on the Veronica Cale character: …yeah. - L
Pop-upView Separately

To those of you who listened to this week’s podcast, Etta is a black character that we didn’t act out. And that’s probably for the best. (You guys heard Caroline’s “black voice,” right?)

And in case you missed my liveblogging when I read (part of) the Wonder Woman script, here’s the deets on the Veronica Cale character:

…yeah.

- L

Source: deadline.com

Weekly Production: ‘A. Mann’s World’

A one hour drama following the complicated life of Allan Mann*, a celebrity hair stylist in glamorous Los Angeles as he navigates the complexities of his business, his family life, and his goal to stay relevant in a world that moves quickly. (NBC)

If your immediate reaction to that pilot description was, “That sounds like something only the man behind Sex and the City could come up with,” congrats to you. Just give him time, and Michael Patrick King will be the Shonda Rimes of shows sassy gays and “sophisticated” middle-aged women want to see.

*Do ya get the title yet? WORDPLAY.