Better Off Ted

New episodes of a network TV show that's not canceled airing in the Summer? How is that even possible? I don't know what was behind ABC's choice to air new episodes of Better Off Ted starting this week — but whatever it was, I'll take it!

Better Off Ted only aired a few episodes this Spring, but it was enough to make it qualify as one of my favorite shows of the 2008-09 season. If you haven't caught it yet, the show is a comedy set at a massive science corporation starring Jay Harrington as a manager trying to be a mostly good guy in a mostly evil company and Portia de Rossi as a buttoned-up boss with no such hang-ups about the company's morals. The fake ads aired during each episode are always a highlight for me, as are the supporting cast members, who get to do all kinds of quirky things (in tonight's episode, some turn out to be members of a basement-based medieval fight club).

Despite lackluster ratings, Better Off Ted got renewed for a second season, and it — along with Scrubs — will air at midseason between rounds of Dancing With the Stars. Airing episodes in the Summer is definitely unconventional, but I hope it'll give the show more exposure for when it returns next season. To check out a preview of the upcoming episodes, just read more

• Better Off Ted will be back with new episodes starting June 23. — The Futon Critic
• Natalie Portman will star with Danny McBride and James Franco in the comedy Your Highness. — Variety
• Live Nation will eliminate all service fees on its concert tickets for one day only on June 3. — Billboard
• Michael Shannon is in negotiations to play one of the lead male roles in The Runaways, the feature take on Joan Jett's 1970s rock band. — The Hollywood Reporter
• This year's Emmy Awards are moving up a week to Sept. 13. — TV Week
• Halle Berry is in talks to star in director Paul Verhoeven's new thriller The Surrogate. — ComingSoon
• "Octomom" Nadya Suleman has signed a reality TV deal, but the show hasn't yet been picked up by a network. — Variety
• The creators behind comic strip cat Heathcliff might be bringing the feline to the big screen. — Entertainment Weekly

Photo copyright 2009 ABC, Inc.

• As Star Trek beams into theaters, check out five reasons to love Captain Kirk. — MTV Movies Blog
• As Grey's Anatomy hits 100 episodes, what keeps you checking in? — Popwatch
• Who are the sexiest and scariest movie moms? — Cinematical
• Will we ever learn Cappie's real name? Greek's creator spills. — The TV Addict
• How to get the natural, I'm-stuck-on-this-island look from Lost. — BellaSugar
• Which upcoming season finales excite you — and which will you skip? — TV.com
• What do Star Trek and The Dark Knight have in common? — The Vine: Official Rotten Tomatoes Blog
• Some musings on the future of Better Off Ted. — HitFix

Photo courtesy of Paramount

A few days back, when I asked which midseason shows you were still watching, there was an outpouring of love for Better Off Ted. The show has become a favorite of mine, too, and I hope that tonight's finale isn't the last we see of it.

"But doesn't Better Off Ted air on Wednesdays?" you might ask. Well, yes. But last week's presidential address forced ABC to move the show's finale to tonight — a move, you might have heard, that didn't exactly thrill the good folks at Veridian Dynamics. Airing your last episode on a night when most people won't be expecting to see it can't be easy for any show — much less one that's struggling in the ratings and remains borderline for a second season.

Despite the marginal ratings, though, Ted isn't necessarily a goner. It recently came up in the conversation about ABC possibly renewing Scrubs and keeping the two shows airing together next season. While that's far from a sure thing, a big turnout for tonight's finale couldn't hurt. So, a few words about tonight's episode, "Get Happy": a Veridian company survey reveals that employees are beyond miserable, so Veronica attempts to soften her image and Ted tries to win over Veridian's older male population. There's a scene with corporate-approved cubicle decorations that's hysterical; to check it out, just read more

• The Marvel Comics movies, ranked from worst to best. — Rotten Tomatoes
• Better Off Ted's Veridian Dynamics didn't appreciate being bumped for the president. — The TV Addict
• White rappers: a history. — Vulture
• Ten actors who could star in a US version of Doctor Who. — TV Squad
• An interview with the swoon-worthy Sarah Haskins of Target: Women. — Popwatch
• Speaking of swoon-worthy, I'm loving these retro-chic record players. — geeksugar
• Is Robert Zemeckis serious about a Roger Rabbit sequel? — MTV Movies Blog
• The top 10 British remakes on US TV. — TV.com
• What could make Twilight better? Cheeseburgers. — YumSugar

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Better Off Ted, which premieres tonight on ABC, is a smart and sarcastic comedy that I think will be a solid counterpart for Scrubs in the 8 p.m. hour. It's also very quirky, which I can imagine being interpreted as "very weird," which means I wouldn't be surprised if it struggles in the ratings and gets canceled early. But luckily, Ted is the kind of show that can make you laugh even if you don't want to get too attached.

Set at the fictional Veridian Dynamics (which makes nearly everything you buy . . . except maybe cows), the show stars Jay Harrington navigating the world of corporate politics and office romance — and doing a pretty fine job of messing up both. It's a deadpan send-up of corporate culture, especially in the science world (they freeze their coworker in the first episode!), and it features a number of fine performances.

The best of those might come from Portia de Rossi, who's absolutely perfect as Ted's buttoned-up, hysterically ruthless boss (someone at TCA actually asked de Rossi how she maintains such good posture, since her character is instantly recognizable both for her stick-straight spine and prim suits). I'm also a big fan of Andrea Anders, whose character hoards creamer and who tries (and, it seems, usually fails) to stick up for the little people at the wrong end of Veridian's experiments.

Are you interested in adding this show to your roster? To check out a couple of clips, read more