ABC Primetime Preview Weekend
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The New Shows
A little about the new ABC shows this season:
"8 Simple Rules for Dating My
Teenage Daughter" (Tuesdays from 8:00-8:30 p.m., ET)
Official
Website
John Ritter ("Three's Company") and Katey Sagal ("Married...with Children") return to series television in this charming family comedy about a loving, rational dad who suddenly discovers that his two darling daughters have unexpectedly morphed into hormonally-charged, incomprehensible teenagers.
Paul Hennessy (Ritter) has grown accustomed to his stay-at-home wife Cate (Ms. Sagal) taking care of their son and two daughters. His job as a sports writer kept him on the road a lot during the kids' formative years. But when Cate decides to return to work as a hospital nurse, Paul takes a job as a columnist and agrees to make the duties of raising the kids a shared experience.
Paul fondly remembers the days when his daughters would sit on his lap singing silly songs, and he was their hero for scaring away monsters from under the bed. But those days are long gone.
Although not new to fatherhood, Paul is just a bit rusty on day-to-day interaction and discovers that he's grown a little out of touch with his kids - especially his daughters. His value has been reduced to a wallet and a ride to the mall. Sixteen-year-old Bridget (Kaley Cuoco, "Growing Up Brady," "Ladies Man") has matured into a beautiful and popular teenager with a different boyfriend each week and a taste for fashion that tends to be a little too revealing for her father's taste. By contrast, 15-year-old Kerry (Amy Davidson, ABC Family series "So Little Time") is intelligent and cute, but her lack of self-confidence has led her to hide behind a mask of sarcasm. Thank goodness for 13-year-old son Rory (Martin Spanjers, "Daddio"), fondly referred to as "The Boy" by Paul and Cate, who remains on the sane track...at least for the time being.
Though Bridget and Kerry still love their father, Paul has to come to grips with the fact that he is no longer the most important man in their lives at the moment. Dating boys and fitting in with their peers are the girls' top priorities. No matter what they do, Paul has one major rule that will never change - "If you make my daughters cry, I'll make you cry."
"8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter," based on W. Bruce Cameron's best-selling book by the same title.
"Less Than Perfect" (Tuesdays from 9:30-10:00
p.m., ET)
Official Website
Sara Rue ("Popular") stars as Claudia "Claude" Casey, a temp who has worked at the GBN Television Network for two years before she unexpectedly lands a job on the coveted desk of handsome news anchor Will Butler, played by Eric Roberts.
After Will hires her full-time, Claude quickly realizes she may be in over her head in this new world of assistants fighting to get ahead. Her co-workers on the 22nd floor seem less interested in her brownies and cheery attitude than in getting rid of her. Kipp (Zachary Levi) and Lydia (Andrea Parker) are certain that Claude is a minor inconvenience who will easily fold, but while she may look like a pushover, they'll learn not to push her. With the help of her old friends from the fourth floor, Ramona (Sherri Shepherd) and Owen (Andy Dick), Claude is determined to prove that she may not be perfect, but she's also not going down without a fight.
In this series, writer Terri Minsky ("Sex and the City") draws upon her own experiences as a young woman working in a newsroom. We'll follow Claude on her journey as she battles her own insecurities in a size-2 world while refusing to compromise her values.
"Life With Bonnie" (Tuesdays
from 9:00-9:30 p.m., ET)
Official Website
Bonnie Hunt brings the same accessibility she brought to the films "Jerry Maguire," "Jumanji" and "Return to Me" to her new family series "Life with Bonnie," on which she portrays Bonnie Molloy, a woman who juggles the roles of wife, mother and host of the local morning talk show "Morning Chicago."
In the series, Hunt's improvisational skills shine during unscripted interviews with real life guests (non-actors) of "Morning Chicago." In the pilot episode, Bonnie traded quips and tips with two authentic Italian chefs during an offbeat-cooking segment. The unscripted segments of the talk show, along with the talented cast of regulars, make for a truly unique comedy mix.
The "Life with Bonnie" cast includes the gifted and funny David Alan Grier as David Bellows, the producer who struggles with the daily challenge of... Bonnie. He's aided by the makeup and cue card artists, played by Holly Wortell and Chris Barnes, veterans of the famed Second City improvisational group. Anthony Russell portrays Tony Russo, Bonnie's sidekick piano player who comes straight to her show from his Vegas lounge act.
At home, Gloria (Marianne Muellerleile) is a houseguest more than a housekeeper. Bonnie's husband, John (Mark Derwin), is a hard-working family practice doctor who does his best to survive life with Bonnie. Together they are raising three young children, Samantha (Samantha Browne-Walters), Charlie (Charlie Stewart) and infant Connor, as Bonnie creatively balances family commitment and career obligations using sincerity and humor.
"MDs" (Wednesdays 10:00-11:00
p.m., ET)
Official
Website
It's the hospital greens vs. the corporate grays when two iconoclastic doctors fight the HMO and hospital brass in "MDs." Set in a fictional San Francisco hospital, Mission General, "MDs" highlights the lives and dedication of a few good doctors who find themselves at war with a sometimes heartless health care system that's increasingly obsessed with the bottom line.
Dr. Robert Dalgety (John Hannah, "Sliding Doors, "Four Weddings and a Funeral") and Dr. Bruce Kellerman (William Fichtner, "Black Hawk Down," "A Perfect Storm") are two renegade surgeons -- subversive, witty and irrepressible -- working together in a mega-sized, mega-frugal, aging HMO. They buck the system any way they can, even admitting an uninsured woman as a corpse so they can do her surgery under the guise of performing an autopsy.
Fichtner's character, Dr. Bruce Kellerman, is head of cardio thoracic surgery; a definite rebel, he knows the system and isn't afraid to play it in any way that will benefit his patients. Dr. Kellerman is recently divorced and in a custody dispute with his wife over their young son.
As Dalgety, Hannah is a dedicated and brilliant general surgeon who's also a charming rogue. A war-trained trauma specialist, he becomes as willing as Kellerman to buck the system in pursuit of the care patients need and deserve.
Leslie Stefanson ("The General's Daughter") portrays the new hospital administrator, Shelly Pangborn. She's confident and enthusiastic, but the fact that she comes to her new position from the world of theme park management -- and gets sick at the sight of the sickly -- makes her struggle for respect an uphill battle.
Aunjanue Ellis ("Undercover Brother") portrays Dr. Quinn Joyner, an attending physician at the hospital. She's brilliant, gorgeous and by-the-book, but her penchant for following the rules doesn't discourage Kellerman from admiring and secretly lusting after her.
Jane Lynch is Nurse "Doctor" Poole, an anal retentive nurse with a Ph. D. in management who cares more about profit than the patients she's supposed to serve.
Robert Joy portrays assistant administrator Frank Coones, a nemesis of Dalgety, Kellerman et al. He simultaneously sucks up to his new boss, Ms. Pangborn, while secretly distributing topless photos of her throughout the hospital.
Michaela Conlin portrays a new and naive intern, Dr. Maggie Yang. Sensitive and caring, she becomes a natural ally -- albeit a nervous one -- of the HMO rebels, Kellerman and Dalgety.
"Push, Nevada" (Thursdays from
9:00-10:00 p.m., ET)
Official
Website
Ben Affleck, Oscar-winning co-writer of "Good Will Hunting," and Sean Bailey, his executive-producing partner on the breakout hit "Project Greenlight," take another bold step in the re-invention of modern entertainment with the provocative and offbeat mystery series "Push, Nevada."
Mild-mannered IRS agent Jim Prufrock (Derek Cecil) travels to a remote desert town in search of missing money and stumbles on a place where mystery, danger and peculiar characters lurk around every off-kilter corner. Everyone has a secret in Push, Nevada, but no one is talking, unless they're telling Jim to get out of town -- fast. Every word, every sign, every gesture could hold a clue to solving the riddle of this tiny Nevada town.
The mystery begins when a fax from the Versailles Casino in Push is sent by accident (perhaps) to Jim, alerting him to a sizable accounting error -- and an embezzlement scheme involving a fortune in cash. Casino honcho Silas Bodnick refuses to talk about the missing money, so Jim's investigation leads him to Push, where nothing is as it seems.
Push is a town where neighborhood couples indulge in synchronized romance each night at 9:15; where the only casino, the Versailles, pays out the biggest jackpots in the state; and where the lonely look for companionship at "Sloman's," a slow-dance bar. It's there that Jim meets Mary (Scarlett Chorvat), a beautiful and enigmatic woman who tells him that the mystery of Push is, "like all the best secrets, not quick in the telling," and warns him to go home before he gets hurt. A determined man, Jim plans to find out what mystery lies behind Push, no matter what the risk. All along the way, a shadowy team of high-tech operatives monitors his every encounter with the town's denizens.
Each episode will have new puzzles to follow and solve, along with a dazzling array of guest stars. In a next-generation twist, viewers following "Push, Nevada," the mystery series, will also be able to play "Push, Nevada," the game. Every episode of the show will hold clues to solving the mystery, beginning with the premiere episode, "The Amount." At the end of the 13 episodes, the winner of the mystery contest will be able to claim the stolen money.
"That Was Then" (Fridays from
9:00-10:00 p.m., ET)
Official
Website
Travis Glass is about to turn 30 and his life couldn't be worse.
He's a door-to-door door salesman. He lives at home with his mom, Mickey, a widowed homemaker with a caustic but loving edge. Meanwhile Claudia, the girl of his dreams, is married to Gregg, his obnoxious older brother. Fortunately Travis has one solace in this unsatisfying life -- Gregg and Claudia's 10-year-old son, Ethan, whom Travis adores.
Travis' descent into loserdom dates back to a fateful and humiliating week in high school. Now, on the eve of his 30th birthday, Travis tells his best friend, Pinkus, that he has only one wish: A second chance. Even Ms. Frisch, his former, quirky English teacher, advises him to just enjoy the life he has. But Travis wants to be able to go back in time to win over Claudia and give the prize-winning speech he couldn't manage to give the first time.
Be careful what you wish for...
That night, while lying on his bed listening to the '80s song "Do It Again" by The Kinks, a bolt of lightning hits the house. An electrical jolt sends Travis back in time -- to 1988 - when he was 16 and hope was still alive, as was his dad, Gary "Double G" Glass.
Travis doesn't dare tell his unbelievable secret to Zooey, his ten-year-old sister. But he does let his best buddy Pinkus in on it. Together, they are determined that this time Travis will give the speech and get the girl.
But things don't go entirely as planned. With his first foray into the past, Travis manages to win then lose Claudia's affections, save a life, jeopardize his parents' marriage and inspire his class with his newfound wisdom. A million things seem to go wrong, but one thing definitely goes right: Claudia and Gregg break up. Just when it seems that Travis will get his dream girl after all, he hears again The Kinks' tune that sent him back in time. He is immediately transported back to his 30th birthday.
Only this time he awakens to his smothering wife (not Claudia), their twin girls and his career as town mayor! Adding to Travis' confusion is the realization that the present-day Pinkus is no longer his buddy. There has been no marriage between Gregg and Claudia, and so Travis' beloved nephew, Ethan, does not exist.
For Travis this new scenario is even worse than the life he started with. Now all he wants to do is go back in time once again and try to make everything right. But how can he put things right when every move he makes results in a new and totally unexpected future?
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