My Boys

If you've been watching My Boys on TBS for all three of its seasons, you've probably noticed that each season ends with a cliffhanger of some kind, and according to the show's star, Jordana Spiro (P.J.), tonight's cliffhanger is "far and away" her favorite one. The gang heads to Arizona for the Cubs' Spring training and P.J. tries to get a fresh, interesting story for her column. To get these scenes, apparently Spiro and a camera operator walked around the stadium and Spiro interviewed random people in character as P.J.

There's the possibility that P.J. and Bobby will "take the next step" in their relationship tonight, though I sort of hope they don't — I like watching their relationship gradually grow. Another thing I like: the snarky teasing between Stephanie and Kenny (who had quite the night in last season's finale!), who are so clearly into each other. I wonder if something else will happen with them tonight?

What do you think of this show? Have you been watching this season? For a sneak peek at tonight's finale, read more

I may have disliked this show at first (waaaaaay back in '06!) but I ended up tuning in for its second season and somehow the characters on My Boys grew on me like barnacles. The cast members seem to be more comfortable with each other, making for a relaxed playfulness that I think was missing from this gang of buddies in season one. The last season ended with a great cliffhanger (not to mention some episodes set at a gorgeous winery that gave me total travel envy) and I'm excited to see what season three has to offer.

Plus, I've missed Jim Gaffigan on my TV every week.

I recently took part in a conference call with Jordana Spiro, who plays PJ on the show, and she promised big changes for PJ, Stephanie, and each of the "boys." She also talked about the major change we can expect to see in PJ's life — real, steady relationship with a guy.

Will you tune into My Boys tonight? To check out a clip from tonight's premiere and a four-minute video recap of the last season, read more

• Are you surprised to learn that Madonna is 2008's biggest music earner? — Popwatch
• Members of the Office Space cast reconnected in Austin for a round of some good ol' nostalgic printer bashing. — Cinematical
• Is Fringe just a giant ripoff of Alias? — TV Filter
• A lovely interview with the sweet Amy Adams. — FilmExperience
• Meet the judges for Top Chef: Masters. — YumSugar
• Things I never thought I'd hear: The New Pornographers' AC Newman covering A-ha's "Take On Me." — Stereogum
• Some photo and video goodies for My Boys fans. — Give Me My Remote
• Ben Kweller shares his favorite love songs, just in time for Valentine's Day. — I Heart Daily

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• Like so many movies these days, The Crow is getting "reinvented." — ComingSoon
• And the Terminator will be back . . . again, in a fifth installment of the franchise. — Variety
• Advocates for the blind are scolding Saturday Night Live for its depiction of New York Gov. David Paterson. — TV Guide
• The American Film Institute's list of the 10 outstanding movies of 2008 include Iron Man and The Dark Knight, while the top 10 TV shows of the year were Breaking Bad and In Treatment, among others. — Reuters
• The season premiere of Flight of The Conchords is online this week at FunnyOrDie.com. — TV Week
• There's a sequel to the 1996 movie The Phantom in the works. — The AP
• My Boys will be back in March and Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns will premiere in January. — The Futon Critic
• A second season of Real Housewives of Atlanta is on the way. — Entertainment Weekly

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• Julie Taymor, director of Across the Universe and Titus, will bring Shakespeare's The Tempest to the big screen with an interesting cast: Helen Mirren, Jeremy Irons, Djimon Hounsou, Russell Brand and Alfred Molina, among others. — Hollywood Reporter
• Jason Priestley will direct an episode of 90210, and Shannen Doherty is in talks to return as Brenda. — Entertainment Weekly
• David E. Kelley is pitching yet another legal drama, this time to CBS and NBC. — Zap2it
• There's a Get Smart sequel in the works, with Steve Carell on board to reprise his role as Maxwell Smart. — ComingSoon
• FX has canceled The Riches, while TBS has renewed My Boys. — Broadcasting and Cable
• David Cronenberg is in negotiations to direct the political thriller The Matarese Circle, with Denzel Washington attached to star. — Variety
• T.I. has scored his third straight No. 1 album. — Billboard
• Enchanted director Kevin Lima will next take on a live-action Tom Thumb movie. — Variety

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• Cinematical ecstatically shares the news that the first review of The Dark Knight is positively glowing.
• E!'s Watch With Kristin has the juicy scoop on who Cuddy's new love interest will be on House.
• Should stations be required to present diverse viewpoints? CitizenSugar takes a look at the battle over the Fairness Doctrine.
• TV Squad rates the Buffy the Vampire Slayer online trivia quizzes so you don't have to.
• Showgirls: The Musical? Yup, that's what FilmExperience — and Gina Gershon — are talking about.
• TV Filter has an open letter to the writers of My Boys.
• Stereogum takes a look at what's playing on Barack Obama's iPod.
• While you're waiting for the end of Battlestar Galactica, take geeksugar's midseason recap quiz.

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So I've made it clear in the past that the TBS comedy My Boys is not exactly my favorite thing ever. But it's possible that the show is growing on me. A little. Maybe. Last Summer, I went a little easier on My Boys when its second batch of episodes made me laugh harder and cringe less, and I admit I'm curious to see what happens when the show returns tonight at 9:30 p.m. EDT and PDT.

For one thing, My Boys has apparently ditched the obnoxious sports metaphors that used to pepper main character PJ's every voiceover. Now, I like sports just fine, but as a metaphor for life, the device wore thin after about four minutes. I'm thrilled to know that the writers are now letting PJ (played by Jordana Spiro) just, you know, talk. The cast was always fairly charming, but it sounds like they're now getting material that warrants good performances. And I have to give the show's marketing folks credit for coming up with a My Boys-themed Facebook application that works like that old game of MASH (as in Mansion, Apartment, Shack, House). Nothing promotes the show's "every(wo)man" image quite like dredging up my favorite game from fourth grade!

Tonight's episode picks up with PJ and a mystery date on a trip to Italy. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew is back in Chicago, getting into all sorts of shenanigans of their own without PJ to guide them. Will you be watching? To check out a promo, just read more

I got a promotional e-mail today touting the Summer programming lineups on TNT and TBS. As I scrolled through looking for a return date for The Closer (July) and a start date for Raising the Bar (September), a banner at the bottom caught my eye:

"Kyra Sedgwick, Holly Hunter, Laura San Giacomo, Jordana Spiro, Nancy Travis, Jane Kaczmarek, and Gloria Reuben are just a few of the strong women coming to TNT and TBS this summer."

And they have good reason to spotlight that: Of the five series featured in the e-mail, only one (The Bill Engvall Show on TBS) has a male character in the lead. The rest are either female-led or have women in the majority of the starring roles: My Boys on TBS and all three of TNT's dramas, The Closer, Saving Grace, and the new series Raising the Bar. And, what's more, three of those four series have leading ladies over the age of 40 — a relative rarity in Hollywood.

I'm not sure if TNT and TBS set out to become networks full of programming featuring women who are tough, quirky, and relatable (and succeeding in roles typically earmarked for men, at that), but regardless, I find it encouraging that it's happened. They aren't the only networks in this game; FX's Damages drew a ton of acclaim with Glenn Close in its leading role. I just like the fact that these networks see their roster of shows with older, female stars not as a risk but as something to be celebrated. What's your take?