BuzzSugar

Two Bits of Office-Related News

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:33:31 -0800

It's NBC day at TCA, and I'm most looking forward to the session with Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, and the creators of the non-spinoff spinoff of The Office. The show is still technically untitled, but some bits of the plot have dribbled out thanks to copies of the pilot script that were left in reporters' hotel rooms last night. Meanwhile, The Office mothership is getting an exciting new cast member - well, at least for fans of The Wire. Read on . . .

First things first: The Amy Poehler series is set in Pawnee, Indiana, where Leslie Knope (Poehler),is a "mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department." The show will be filmed in the same mockumentary style as The Office, and comedian Aubrey Plaza has just been cast to play her intern, April.
Second: Idris Elba, maybe best known as Stringer Bell from The Wire, will appear in six episodes of The Office this season as a new nemesis for Michael Scott in Dunder Mifflin corporate. You know, Stringer Bell always did have some business sense about him . . .

What do you think of the news so far? To watch a clip of Elba's previous, er, "business experience" (beware of some NSFW language), just read more.

Source

Rashida Jones Checks Into the Not-Office Office

BuzzSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:33:40 -0800

Seriously, they're going to have to give the Office non-spinoff spinoff a name really soon, because this is just getting confusing. But here's the deal: Rashida Jones has booked a role on the Amy Poehler-led new NBC comedy, which will reunite her with The Office writers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur.

Rumors of Jones joining the spinoff first surfaced months ago, but that was way back when we thought the show would be a direct spinoff of The Office (oh, how silly we were!). Today, Office Tally confirmed Jones's casting straight from Schur himself, who told the blog that Jones "will be playing a nurse named Ann (not Karen Fillipelli)."

So . . . a nurse, huh? Is that a hint about the show's setting? Is it a tidbit meant to throw us off-course that won't be relevant to the story at all? Am I thinking way too much about this show, which so far has three cast members (Poehler, Jones, and Aziz Ansari) but no title or publicly known plotline to speak of?

The answer to the last one, at least, is yes. But hey, how can I not be excited? This seems like a good move for Jones, who certainly deserves better than her last sitcom job. What do you think?

Source

The Office Spinoff Lives! Plus More From NBC

BuzzSugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:34:20 -0700

It's the last day of sessions here at the TCA press tour, and it's NBC's turn to hawk its wares. Just a few minutes ago, NBC Entertainment Co-Chairman Ben Silverman took the stage to clarify a few things about The Office spinoff (and not-spinoff), the network's plans for late night, and more. Some highlights:

First and foremost: The show in which Amy Poehler was recently cast is not a spinoff of The Office. "Amy's character will never appear inside The Office world," Silverman said. Though the shows will be stylistically and creatively similar (in that Greg Daniels and Michael Schur will be behind both of them), "the show is not set up to emanate directly from The Office."
There is still the possibility of such a spinoff, though. When Daniels and Schur were developing concepts, they came up with two, Silverman said: One that would start inside The Office and one that was completely outside of it. When it looked like Amy Poehler could be available, they put all their energy into pursuing her for the non-spinoff show, which made it the top priority. But the true spinoff could still exist, "maybe involving characters that are already inside The Office," Silverman said.
As for details on either show? Not so much getting into those (including a title, a concept, or any other basics) - though there was a promise that Daniels, Schur, and Poehler would release more details soon. The one nugget of info is that because of Poehler's pregnancy, her show - which had been pegged for the post-Super Bowl time slot - will likely premiere in March instead. No idea what's going after the Super Bowl just yet.
This season will feature "26 to 28 awesome episodes of Heroes" - which we're finally getting some glimpses of. "This 'Villains' storyline that [Tim Kring] has introduced is just awesome," Silverman said. "It's really compelling - just big, fun, accessible stuff."

Some more - including about the Jay Leno/Jimmy Fallon/Conan O'Brien transition - if you read more.

Jay Leno's last show as the host of The Tonight Show will be May 29, 2009, with Conan O'Brien stepping into the chair on June 1. Conan's stint on Late Night will end sometime in the first three months of 2009, while the target for Fallon to appear on air is sometime around March or April. Fallon will prepare by doing online mini-episodes for a few months before the show launches.
Meanwhile, NBC still hasn't ruled out finding a way to get Leno to stay, despite a story last week that quoted him saying he was "definitely done next year" with NBC.
Silverman's co-chairman, Marc Graboff, said NBC was committed to airing Friday Night Lights no matter what - even if much of the audience has already watched on DirecTV or another way. (Graboff and Silverman also didn't accept that "another way" of downloading unlicensed versions of the show online might flourish, though, saying they'd be able to control it. We'll see about that.)
Last year, NBC tried sci-fi Mondays with Chuck, Heroes, and Journeyman. This year, it's all about "a kind of male hero sandwich," Silverman said, with the Christian Slater-starring My Own Worst Enemy taking over the old Journeyman slot. Before Enemy premieres, though, the Friday night series Life will get a couple of airings after Heroes to try to reset the season and attract an audience.
Little switcheroo in the Thursday comedy schedule: The new series Kath and Kim will follow My Name is Earl, with 30 Rock returning to the spot after The Office at 9:30.

Source and Source

Amy Poehler Headed to The Office Spinoff?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:30:05 -0700

They've teamed up for SNL and Baby Mama. Could Tina Fey and Amy Poehler soon be holding down NBC's Thursday night comedy fort together, too?

That's what it sounds like, if we can believe the numerous reports that Poehler is in final negotiations to join the show, which also recently cast Aziz Ansari.

Also, apparently we have to stop calling this show an Office spinoff: According to the reports, it's looking increasingly like the show will have nothing at all to do with that other Thursday night comedy that happens to share its executive producers. (Of course, we still don't know what it will have to do with, as no plot details or title have been revealed; here's hoping that comes next week at TCA.)

There are a couple of factors that could make it tricky for Poehler to join a new show: One, she's pregnant and due sometime in the Fall, which might be a tough schedule to work around for a show that's scheduled to have a high-profile premiere immediately after February's Super Bowl. And two, she's still an active SNL cast member, playing Hillary Clinton (among other characters) and being the only ensemble member to make a semifinalist list for the Emmys.

I'm a fan of Poehler, but I know she can be a pretty divisive actress, so I'll put it to you: Would you watch a series with her in the lead?

Source

The Office Spinoff: News, Rumors, and Funny Stuff

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:31:25 -0700

Well, here's our first proof that the spinoff of The Office is actually happening: The show might not have a title, a setting, or a concept, but at least it has an actor!

Aziz Ansari of MTV's Human Giant will join the show as one member of the ensemble cast that's still being assembled. In addition to his work on the MTV sketch show, Ansari provided one of the funniest moments of the first season of Flight of the Conchords, playing a racist fruit stand owner. I'm certainly not sad to be seeing more from him.

Meanwhile, there's a wild rumor going around that Rashida Jones could be joining the spinoff, with one source saying it's happening and another saying she hasn't even been asked. It's an interesting idea, though: Would you watch a show focusing on Karen Fillipelli and the Utica branch?

In announcing Ansari's casting, Office creator Greg Daniels and producer Michael Schur also talked a bit more about the spinoff in general, so to read what they had to say - and watch Ansari's great Conchords moment - just read more.

Some tidbits from the story:

It's unlikely that any current Office characters will jump to the new show.
However, it could be a "planted spinoff" where characters are introduced on the main show and then jump to their own series.
The show could also be a completely separate series with no direct ties to The Office at all. Schur simply said, "We're focusing on making the best show we can make as a companion to The Office."
The producers have a handful of ideas for the premise and will decide which one to pursue in the coming weeks.
The writers have been hired, and they come from Everybody Loves Raymond, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and South Park, among others.

Sounds to me like it's all still kind of a mess at this point, but I'm curious to see what comes of it by the time the series premieres after the Super Bowl next year.

Here's Ansari on Conchords:

And here's the Conchords song his character inspired (vaguely NSFW, though to be fair, they're just saying "uckers"):

Source

Which "Office" Character Should Have a Spinoff?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 07:30:00 -0700

Recently there was a laughably vague rumor that Dwight on "The Office" would be getting his own spinoff show. Soon after, "a source close to Rainn Wilson" was quoted calling the rumor "complete farce." But it got me thinking: If there were a spinoff focusing on one supporting character from the show, which character should it be?

Buzz News Roundup, 8/11

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:30:51 -0700

The Office has been given the key post-Super Bowl time slot and will air a one-hour episode following the game, Entertainment Weekly reports.
According to ComingSoon, Steve Buscemi and Romany Malco will star together in Saint John of Las Vegas, a loose adaptation of Dante's Inferno.
Tori Spelling has no deal to appear on 90210 and her desired salary may be the sticking point, E! reports.
Sara Gilbert is joining the cast of The Big Bang Theory after a successful guest-starring gig, Zap2it reports.
Dennis Hopper will get his own exhibit in France where, apparently, he is highly revered, writes Variety.
Clarke Peters and Wendell Pierce - aka Freamon and Bunk from The Wire - are joining Treme, David Simon's new HBO pilot about New Orleans, writes The Hollywood Reporter.
Variety has the news that director Chris Columbus is readying a film about Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 presidential run.
24 producer Carlos Coto and Brett Ratner are working on an action-comedy for Fox titled Wild Boys, which will follow "ex-soldiers turned suburban dads," ComingSoon reports.
Matthew Bomer - aka Bryce Larkin from Chuck and Jay from Traveler - has been cast in the lead of a USA series called White Collar, writes The Hollywood Reporter.

Photo courtesy of NBC

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 07:00:18 -0800

Avatar continued to steamroll the competition at the box office, but it also pulled off an even greater feat: it surpassed Titanic to become the highest-grossing film worldwide!
In sad entertainment news, ABC canceled Ugly Betty, while Disney pulled the plug on Miramax, prompting me to reflect on my favorite movies from the studio.
The SAG Awards aired this weekend, and I brought you the full list of winners, while the rest of the network covered all the gossip, fashion, and beauty of the awards.
Conan O'Brien may have turned in his Tonight Show host badge with a performance of "Freebird", but he still has plans to work with NBC: his production company is bringing a show to the network called Justice.
We finally got a peek at Shia LaBeouf, Carey Mulligan and Michael Douglas in Wall Street 2 Sequel Money Never Sleeps with a set of new photos and a teaser trailer!
Musical TV guest star alert! Jennifer Lopez is How I Met Your Mother's latest guest star, and rock star Jon Bon Jovi will also appear as Liz Lemon's ex (along with her other past loves) on 30 Rock! One of those exes, Jon Hamm, is also gearing up to host SNL this weekend - check out his promos with Fred Armisen.
We were treated to a whole mess of new photos from Valentine's Day - check them out before the movie's release next month!
Meanwhile, Avatar star Sam Worthington is the latest actor to be cast as a vampire, in Dracula Year Zero, James Marsden took a job opposite the Easter Bunny, Demi Moore and Miley Cyrus were cast in LOL, and Zac Efron signed on for two new projects.
This week's TV news had a lot of movie stars bouncing to the big screen; Forest Whitaker landed a Criminal Minds spinoff, while Maria Bello got HBO pilot Emergency Sex, and Charlize Theron and David Fincher announced their HBO project Mind Hunter.
I got to interview When in Rome stars Kristen Bell and Duhamel about their roles in the film, as well as supporting character and cutup Will Arnett.

NBC's Fall Schedule: My Take

BuzzSugar — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:36:52 -0700

NBC started off this year's Upfronts more than a month early this afternoon, kicking off the frenzy of Fall TV announcements with its no-frills presentation (which took the form of either a PowerPoint presentation or a conference call, depending on where you were). While the format of the announcements wasn't thrilling, the content will give us much to speculate about over the next few months. Here are some of my initial thoughts:

I think Save Friday Night Lights said this one best: Touchdown! The Friday Night Lights/DirecTV deal had been sounding like a sure thing for a while, but it's nice to know for sure that the Panthers will live to play another season. There are more details over here about how the partnership will work, but the short version is that episodes will start airing on DirecTV in October and then be broadcast at 9 p.m. on Fridays on NBC starting in February. I wonder, though, if people will actually wait for the NBC episodes or if BitTorrent and YouTube will be the real beneficiaries here.
The spinoff of The Office is . . . mysterious, to say the least. NBC issued a separate press release about the show, but it's quite vague: "Audiences will follow another comic journey, complete with new faces and new locations, but with the same unique sense of humor and brand of quality from Daniels and his creative team." NBC entertainment head Ben Silverman said they were keeping a lid on things because Office fans are so rabid; when asked if characters from the main show would appear on the spinoff, he responded: "There's a huge ensemble on The Office right now . . . " Come on, man. A title? A setting? Anything?
More on that: Back in October, most of you thought a spinoff would be a bad idea. Now that it's happening, how do you feel? What's your dream setting for the show? Have you changed your mind about which characters it should focus on? Best suggestion I've heard so far: the warehouse.
Also, it's worth mentioning that the big headline from last Spring's NBC Upfront was a Heroes spinoff, and, well, we know how that turned out.
My gal Liberty is wondering what you think of NBC's plan to put special "Weekend Update" segments on the air on Thursdays leading up to the Presidential election in November. There certainly should be enough political mockery to go around by then.

Some other thoughts, plus the full night-by-night schedule, so just read more.

Most of the new shows NBC announced had been rumored for a while - we first heard about Kath and Kim way back at the TV critics' press tour last summer, and once news of a project starring Christian Slater was out there, how could it not become a series? So, no big surprises there.
Knight Rider: the series? Do you think this has any chance of succeeding? Oh, and if you were waiting on the edge of your seat to find out: Yes, Val Kilmer will return as the voice of KITT.
Silverman tried so hard to give us the warm fuzzies: NBC shows might involve losers or bad guys, but they're all just people who really want to do the right thing! Gotta give the guy props for finding a connection between Ian McShane as an evil king and the weight-loss mavens of The Biggest Loser.
I can't tell you how many times Silverman used the words "ER" and "last season" in close proximity to each other. Get it? The show will be back - but only one more time. We promise!
There's officially no Scrubs on NBC's schedule, so I have to assume that means ABC gets it, for sure.

Your thoughts? Here's a full schedule of the shows for both Fall 2008 and Winter 2009 - though, as always, this information is subject to change. New show descriptions follow below:

Fall 2008
MONDAY
8 p.m. Chuck
9 p.m. Heroes
10 p.m. My Own Worst Enemy (new)

TUESDAY
8 p.m. The Biggest Loser: Families
9:30 p.m. Kath and Kim (new)
10 p.m. Law & Order: SVU

WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. Knight Rider (new)
9 p.m. Deal or No Deal
10 p.m. Lipstick Jungle

THURSDAY
8 p.m. My Name is Earl
8:30 p.m. 30 Rock
9 p.m. The Office
9:30 p.m. The Office or SNL Thursday Night Live (new)
10 p.m. ER

FRIDAY
8 p.m. Crusoe (new)
9 p.m. Deal or No Deal
10 p.m. Life

SATURDAY
8 p.m. Dateline
9 p.m. Knight Rider repeats
10 p.m. Law & Order: SVU repeats

SUNDAY
NFL football

Winter 2009
MONDAY
8 p.m. Chuck
9 p.m. Heroes
10 p.m. The Philanthropist (new)

TUESDAY
8 p.m. The Biggest Loser: Couples
9:30 p.m. Kath and Kim (new)
10 p.m. Law & Order: SVU

WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. Knight Rider (new)
9 p.m. Deal or No Deal
10 p.m. Law & Order

THURSDAY
8 p.m. My Name is Earl
8:30 p.m. 30 Rock
9 p.m. The Office
9:30 p.m. The Office spinoff
10 p.m. ER / The Celebrity Apprentice

FRIDAY
8 p.m. Deal or No Deal
9 p.m. Friday Night Lights
10 p.m. Life

SATURDAY
8 p.m. Dateline
9 p.m. Law & Order: SVU repeats
10 p.m. Law & Order repeats

SUNDAY
8 p.m. specials / Merlin (new)
9 p.m. specials / Medium
10 p.m. specials / Kings (new)

New show descriptions (all from NBC's press release):

My Own Worst Enemy - Henry Spivey (Christian Slater, Bobby) is a middle-class efficiency expert living a humdrum life in the suburbs with a wife, two kids, a dog, and a minivan. Edward Albright is an operative who speaks 13 languages, runs a four-minute mile, and is trained to kill with his teeth. Henry and Edward are polar opposites who share only one thing in common - the same body. When the carefully constructed wall between them breaks down, Henry and Edward are thrust into unfamiliar territory where each man is dangerously out of his element. My Own Worst Enemy explores the duality of a man who is literally pitted against himself. And it raises the question: who can you trust when you can't trust yourself?

Knight Rider - On the heels of NBC's hit movie, the iconic 1980s television classic comes roaring back to life as an updated drama series showcasing the new customized KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand) Ford Mustang. As the sequel resumes, KITT is absolutely the coolest car ever created: its supercomputer capable of hacking almost any system; its weapons systems efficient; and its body - thanks to its creator's work and nanotechnology - is capable of actually shifting shape and color. It is the ultimate car -- and someone will be willing to do anything to obtain it. Knight Rider stars Justin Bruening, Deanna Russo, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, and Bruce Davison.

Crusoe - Based on the legendary novel by Daniel Defoe, this is the tale of Robinson Crusoe. A young man leaves his true love to embark on an adventure - only to end up shipwrecked on a remote tropical island for 28 years, completely detached from the life he once knew. His desire to return to his wife and his strong and unlikely friendship with Friday are the only things that keep him sane. While stranded, Crusoe encounters enemies and braves the elements. Equal parts MacGyver, Castaway, and Pirates of the Caribbean, this series is an inspirational tale of survival rife with action and comedy.

Kings - Kings is an inspiring exploration of the timeless David vs. Goliath struggle. The show is set in a modern metropolis under siege where the fighting has gone on for too long and cost far too many lives. When David Shepherd (Christopher Egan, Resident Evil: Extinction), a brave young soldier, rescues the king's (Golden Globe winner Ian McShane, Deadwood) son from enemy territory, he sets events in motion that will finally bring peace. Suddenly, David is thrust into the limelight, earning the affections of women - including the king's daughter. When he's promoted to captain, he becomes the reluctant poster boy for hope. But for David, the line between his allies and enemies will blur as the power players in the kingdom go to great lengths to see him fall. From the director (Francis Lawrence) of the blockbuster movie I Am Legend comes the ultimate story of David vs. Goliath, and there's no telling who will win.

Merlin - Merlin brings to life a new legend for a modern audience. Merlin is an exciting, hour-long fantasy series set in the mythic city of Camelot - but inspired by 21st Century storytelling. Before Merlin (Colin Morgan, Doctor Who) and Arthur (Bradley James, Lewis) became legends, they were ambitious young men looking for adventure, hoping to live up to their family's expectations, discovering love and finding their own true destiny, making mistakes along the way. The innovative, action-packed drama has cross-generational appeal and paints a picture of Merlin and Arthur's early life that audiences have never witnessed before. Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Richard Wilson (A Passage to India), Angel Coulby (Magicians) and Katie McGrath (The Tudors) also star.

The Philanthropist - This one-hour drama is about a rebel with a cause. Teddy Rist loves women, money and power. After the tragic death of his only child, Teddy has an awakening and becomes the world's first vigilante philanthropist - a renegade billionaire who uses his wealth, connections and power to help people in need. He'll do anything to achieve his goals - bargain with the self-righteous, trade with the nefarious and even tell the truth. Instead of spending $25,000 a plate at a fundraiser, he's dodging bullets in third-world countries to hand-deliver vaccine. It's a global adventure that will take viewers to the ends of the Earth and will inspire them as well.

Kath and Kim - They're the most dysfunctional duo in suburbia. Kath Day (Molly Shannon, NBC's Saturday Night Live) is the mom, a foxy, 40-something divorce who finally has time for herself and her valiant search for love. Kim Day (Selma Blair, Hellboy," "Hellboy II" is the daughter, a self-absorbed princess recently separated from her husband who finds consolation in stuffing her face. When Kim decides to move back home, Kath reluctantly agrees - but to Kim's chagrin, Kath is not about to cater to her every whim as she has in the past. Based on the most successful comedy in Australia of the same name, Kath and Kim are two brassy women who prefer the finer things in life like acrylic nails, big hair and faux diamond chips.

CBS's Fall Plans: Four New Series and a Rescue of Medium

BuzzSugar — Wed, 20 May 2009 09:00:06 -0700

CBS swooped in after NBC canceled Medium and picked up the Patricia Arquette drama at its Upfront this morning. Medium joins four other new dramas on CBS's Fall schedule, which seems downright reasonable after, say, ABC's 11 new series.

CBS's newcomers are the NCIS spinoff with LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell; Three Rivers, a medical drama about organ transplants headed by Moonlight's Alex O'Loughlin; The Good Wife, starring Julianna Margulies as an attorney who goes back to work after her husband's public scandal; and Accidentally on Purpose, a comedy starring Jenna Elfman as a movie critic who gets pregnant from a one-night stand. Two more dramas - Miami Trauma and The Bridge - will join the network for midseason, along with two new reality shows.

On the scheduling front, The Mentalist shifts to Thursdays at 10 p.m., while The Big Bang Theory gets a promotion of sorts to the plum slot after Two and a Half Men on Monday nights. The NCIS spinoff (now officially called NCIS: Los Angeles) will air right after NCIS proper on Tuesdays. And Medium will air on Fridays - though I suppose fans should just be glad it's airing at all after its cancellation yesterday.

To check out the full schedule and see how CBS describes its new series, just read more.

MONDAY
8 p.m. How I Met Your Mother
8:30 p.m. Accidentally on Purpose
9 p.m. Two and a Half Men
9:30 p.m. The Big Bang Theory
10 p.m. CSI: Miami

TUESDAY
8 p.m. NCIS
9 p.m. NCIS: Los Angeles
10 p.m. The Good Wife

WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. The New Adventures of Old Christine
8:30 p.m. Gary Unmarried
9 p.m. Criminal Minds
10 p.m. CSI: NY

THURSDAY
8 p.m. Survivor
9 p.m. CSI
10 p.m. The Mentalist

FRIDAY
8 p.m. Ghost Whisperer
9 p.m. Medium
10 p.m. Numb3rs

SATURDAY
8 p.m. Crimetime Saturday
9 p.m. Crimetime Saturday
10 p.m. 48 Hours Mystery

SUNDAY
7 p.m. 60 Minutes
8 p.m. The Amazing Race
9 p.m. Three Rivers
10 p.m. Cold Case

** Midseason: Miami Trauma, The Bridge, Arranged Marriage, Undercover Boss

The New Shows
NCIS: Los Angeles is a drama about the high stakes world of undercover surveillance at the Office of Special Projects (OSP), a division of NCIS that is charged with apprehending dangerous and elusive criminals that pose a threat to the nation's security. By assuming false identities and utilizing the most advanced technology, this team of highly trained agents goes deep undercover, putting their lives on the line in the field to bring down their targets. Special Agent "G" Callen (Chris O'Donnell) is a chameleon who transforms himself into whomever he needs to be to infiltrate the criminal underworld. His partner is Special Agent Sam Hanna (LL Cool J), a former U.S. Navy SEAL who has seen action in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and a surveillance expert who uses state of the art monitoring equipment to look out for those in the field and feed them crucial information. Both Callen and Hanna report to Special Agent Lara Macy (Louise Lombard), the OSP team leader responsible for directing the operations and making life-or-death decisions. Assisting the team is Special Agent Kensi Lo (Daniela Ruah), the exceptionally bright daughter of a slain Marine who lives for the adrenalin rush that comes with undercover work, and Operational Psychologist Nate Getz (Peter Cambor), adept at getting into anybody's head, profiling the target and monitoring agents' states of mind before, during and after missions. Armed with the latest in high tech gear and sent regularly into life-threatening situations, this tight-knit team relies on each other to do what is necessary to protect national interests. Shane Brennan (NCIS) is the executive producer for CBS Television Studios.

The Good Wife is a drama starring Emmy Award winner Julianna Margulies as a wife and mother who must assume full responsibility for her family and re-enter the workforce after her husband's very public sex and political corruption scandal lands him in jail. Pushing aside the betrayal and crushing public humiliation caused by her husband Peter (Chris Noth), Alicia Florrick (Margulies) starts over by pursuing her original career as a defense attorney. As a junior associate at a prestigious Chicago law firm, she joins her longtime friend, former law school classmate and firm partner Will Gardner (Josh Charles), who is interested to see how Alicia will perform after 13 years out of the courtroom. Alicia is grateful the firm's top litigator, Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski), offers to mentor her but discovers the offer has conditions and realizes she's going to need to succeed on her own merit. Alicia's main competition among the firm's 20-something new recruits is Cary (Matt Czuchry), a recent Harvard grad who is affable on the surface, but will use any means to ensure that he, not Alicia, secures the one full-time associate position that's available. Fortunately, Alicia finds an ally in Kalinda (Archie Panjabi), the firm's tough in-house investigator. Gaining confidence every day, Alicia transforms herself from embarrassed politician's scorned wife to resilient career woman, especially for the sake of providing a stable home for her children, 14-year-old Zach (Graham Phillips) and 13-year-old Grace (Makenzie Vega). For the first time in years, Alicia trades in her identity as the "good wife" and takes charge of her own destiny. Tony Scott, Ridley Scott, Robert King, Michelle King, Dee Johnson and David Zucker are the executive producers for CBS Television Studios.

Three Rivers is a medical drama that goes inside the emotionally complex lives of organ donors, the recipients and the surgeons at the preeminent transplant hospital in the country where every moment counts. However, dealing with donor families in their darkest hour and managing the fears and concerns of apprehensive recipients takes much more than just a sharp scalpel. Leading the elite team is Dr. Andy Yablonski (Alex O'Loughlin), the highly-skilled workaholic lead organ transplant surgeon, whose good-natured personality and sarcastic wit makes him popular with his patients and colleagues. His colleagues include Dr. Miranda Foster (Katherine Moennig), a surgical fellow with a rebellious streak and fiery temper who strives to live up to her deceased father's excellent surgical reputation; Dr. David Lee (Daniel Henney), a womanizing surgical resident who's broken as many hearts as he's replaced; Ryan Abbott (Christopher J. Hanke), the inexperienced new transplant coordinator who arranges the intricately choreographed process of quickly and carefully transporting organs from donor to patient; Dr. Sophia Jordan (Julia Ormond), the head of surgery and a dedicated medical professional; and Pam Acosta (Justina Machado), Andy's no-nonsense operating assistant and best friend. In this high stakes arena, in which every case is a race against the clock, these tenacious surgeons and medical professionals are the last hope for their patients. Carol Barbee, Curtis Hanson and Carol Fenelon are the executive producers for CBS Television Studios.

Accidentally on Purpose is a comedy starring Golden Globe Award winner Jenna Elfman as Billie, a single woman who finds herself "accidentally" pregnant after a one-night stand with a much younger guy, and decides to keep the baby . . . and the guy. A newspaper film critic, Billie is barely surviving a humiliating breakup with her charming boss, James (Grant Show), who's still trying to resume their relationship. Suddenly expecting a child with her "boy toy," Zack (Jon Foster), Billie and Zack make an arrangement: to live together platonically. Billie's party girl best friend Olivia (Ashley Jensen), and Abby (Lennon Parham), her conventional, younger married sister, eagerly look forward to the new addition and offer their own brands of advice and encouragement. But when Zack and his freeloading friends, including Davis (Nicolas Wright), start to turn her place into a frat house, Billie isn't sure if she's living with a boyfriend, a roommate, or if she just has another child to raise. Lloyd Braun, Gail Berman, Gene Stein and Claudia Lonow are the executive producers for CBS Television Studios. Pamela Fryman directed the pilot.

The Bridge is a drama about a tough and dedicated police officer who is voted to become the police union's dynamic leader. To serve the public as well as his 8,000 fellow officers, charismatic Frank Leo (Aaron Douglas) battles criminals on the street, corruption in the ranks and his own bosses. On the force is his able partner and confidante Tommy Dunn (Paul Popowich), who rides with Frank across the bridge that spans the divide between the rich and the poor in the area they patrol; Staff Sergeant Bernie Kantor (Frank Cassini), a voice of reason and moral sounding board; Jill (Inga Cadranel), a detective with a lot of attitude who is moving up the ranks; Billy (Theresa Joy), a young female cop who is determined to prove herself to the guys; and Ed Wycoff (Michael Murphy), the shrewd Chief of Police. Abby St. James (Ona Grauer) is a sharp prosecutor who begins working with the police union, and shares a mutual attraction with Frank. In his new position, Frank Leo takes on the politically-motivated department brass... and makes many powerful enemies in the process. Craig Bromell, Adam J. Shully, Laszlo Barna, Alan Di Fiore and Robert Wertheimer are executive producers for E1 Entertainment, 990 Multi Media Entertainment Company and Jonsworth Productions in association with CTV and CBS Television Studios.

Miami Trauma is about a team of expert surgeons who work at one of the premiere trauma facilities in the country, where only patients with life threatening injuries are treated. Dr. Matthew Proctor (Jeremy Northam) is new to the trauma team, after a tour of duty in a MASH unit during the Gulf war. Dr. Eva Zambrano (Lana Parrilla) is a workaholic surgeon who is more comfortable in her scrubs than she is out in the real world. Dr. Christopher Deleo, "Dr. C.," is a playboy who thrives on the high-stakes of trauma medicine and is, by his own description, a genius redneck. Dr. Serena Warren (Elisabeth Harnois) is fresh out of medical school, and head nurse Tuck Brody (Omar Gooding) keeps the doctors on track and the patients' families updated in this chaotic corner of the medical profession. Together, this team of doctors excels in the "golden hour," the 60 minutes after being critically injured, when a patient's life hangs in the balance. Jerry Bruckheimer, Jeffrey Lieber and Jonathan Littman are executive producers for Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television Distribution.

Arranged Marriage is a series that brings the tradition of arranged marriages, which is still practiced successfully by many cultures throughout the world, to the U.S., where it is virtually an inconceivable option for most single Americans. Three adults who are anxious to get married, but who have been unsuccessful in their own search for a mate, choose a life-altering path. They rely on their closest family and friends, those who love and know them best, to choose someone for them to marry based on shared goals, values, experiences and the commitment to make it work. The series intimately documents these three arranged marriages, starting with the first meetings of the families and the wedding day; and then follows the couple through the day-to-day joys, challenges, and emotional tumult that results from their arranged union. Emmy Award nominees Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth are executive producers for Magical Elves Inc.

Undercover Boss is a new reality series that follows high level corporate executives as they slip anonymously into the lowest level jobs within their companies. Once undercover, they'll get their hands dirty with the rank and file, find out what their employees really think of them and discover how smoothly their companies are really run. In the process, these senior executives learn about themselves, the perception of their company and the spirit of their work force. Stephen Lambert is the executive producer for Studio Lambert, Ltd.

Photos courtesy of CBS