Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn star in the ABC comedy The Middle, and we sat down with them at a recent press event in LA to get the scoop on season four, and the less glamorous jobs they held prior to the show. They also filled us in on what's to come for the Heck family and joked about why the writers have it easy. Find out more from the funny duo in our interview. The Middle airs Wednesdays at 8/7 C.
Buzz News Roundup, 1/7

- Beyonce Knowles, Alicia Keys, and Jennifer Hudson all racked up both acting and singing nominations for the NAACP Image Awards. — AP
- Kelsey Grammer will star in a new ABC comedy pilot about a Wall Street executive who loses his job and has to move back to his hometown. Hilarious! — The Hollywood Reporter
- Garrett Hedlund will star in Disney's Tron movie, the studio's sequel to the 1982 cult classic. — ComingSoon
- Speaking of Disney, the studio has set McG to direct its family film, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo. — Variety
- CBS's Rules of Engagement will return to TV on Monday, March 2. — The Futon Critic
- Taylor Swift notches her fifth non-consecutive week atop The Billboard 200 with "Fearless." — Billboard
- Scrubs janitor Neil Flynn will star opposite Patricia Heaton in the sitcom pilot The Middle. — TV Guide
- There's lots of haggling going on over ER producer John Wells's next show, Police. — Variety
- D.J. Caruso (Disturbia, Eagle Eye) will direct Jack the Giant Killer, a drama that takes an adult look at the Jack and the Beanstalk legend. — ComingSoon
Scrubs Sparks a Laugh Riot at TCA

The cast of Scrubs just got offstage a few minutes ago at the TCA press tour, and my stomach still hurts from laughing. The Sacred Heart crew seems so grateful to have what Zach Braff called "a bonus year" to work together after narrowly escaping cancellation (well, several times) at the hands of NBC. Now on ABC, whose studio arm has produced the show since the start, Scrubs seems creatively refreshed — I'll say that I personally laughed harder at the brief trailer for the new season than I have at any episode in years. There was enough material in their 45-minute session to fuel several posts (and probably a stand-up special for executive producer Bill Lawrence), but I'll just share a few of the best tidbits now:
- The million-dollar question: Is this the last year of Scrubs? "It is most likely Zach Braff's final year on the show," Lawrence said. But he said he's always thought the show could be like the comedy version of ER, with new actors coming in. We'll see new interns this Fall, including the hilarious Aziz Ansari. Regardless of whether ABC decides to bring the show back for another year, "We're certainly going to film the last one like it's young Zach Braff's exit and make a big deal out of it," Lawrence said.
- For Braff's part, he said he does have the sense that it's his last year — but he "would love to come back and visit, direct some, do craft service if they need some . . . "
- Lawrence said the characters will change a little bit this year (partially because now they'll be the bosses of a whole new group of young doctors). "One of the things that sometimes bums me about television as a TV fan is, we like continuity. We don't want our characters to change," Lawrence said. "At the same time, once you reach the seven- or eight-year mark, you're like, when the hell are these people going to change?"
To hear a little bit about some of the new episodes — which Lawrence said are "as good as anything we've done" — and see what's taking the cast to the Bahamas, just read more