HBO has another new comedy to add to its unstoppable onslaught of original programming. Laura Dern is set to star in 'Enlightened,' which is about a "self-destructive woman who has a revelatory experience at a treatment center." The pilot was co-written by Dern and Mike White, who is best known for his work on 'Freaks and Geeks' and the movie 'School of Rock.' The two have previously worked together on the movie 'Year of the Dog.'

While the premise sounds good, it's also fairly vague. This is a good thing because it allows for the creators to take the concept in whatever direction they prefer. Still, it sounds suspiciously a lot like an HBO series called 'My Name is Earl,' but with a female lead. Of course that depends on one's definition of "self-destructive."

Production of the series is set to begin this summer. The pilot has already been filmed but HBO has ordered nine additional episodes. They'll probably be broadcast either late 2010 or early 2011.

One man bands have always creeped me out. They never brought joy or happiness to my life. Even as a very, very small (in height, not width) child, they always looked like steampunk jukeboxes trapped inside some kind of twisted mechanical music machine that mocked their every step with annoying oompah-pah tunes.

One man, or rather two of him, have changed my perception on that phobia forever. Musician Fredrik Larsson has put together a beautiful rendition of TVs greatest tunes using nothing but a keyboard, an acoustic guitar and a DNA perfect clone of himself.

Trust me when I tell you this: the 'Charles in Charge' theme never sounded this, well, listenable.


[via Buzzfeed]

Created by Paul Feig and produced by Judd Apatow, 'Freaks and Geeks' is one of those rare television treasures that no one saw or appreciated until it was too late. Okay, that's unfair. Critics, the press and the loyal fans who did find the show on NBC immediately knew that it was something special. Unfortunately, it didn't find wide enough appeal to last beyond its first season.

Ironically, the show's cast of virtual unknowns now reads like an all-star comedy troupe, which is a testament to the brilliant casting that went on behind the scenes of the show. Finding such talented kids, and then coupling them with brilliant writing crafted on of the most revered television shows of all time.

The "Ask TV Squad" column, published every Wednesday, answers your questions about current and past TV shows, as well as about the celebrities appearing on TV. Every week, I will pick a question (or more) sent to us and provide answers in the column. If your question is not picked for a column, it may be answered in a subsequent column or in TV Squad's APB Podcast.

To submit questions to the "Ask TV Squad" column, you can post them below in comments or email them to asktvsquad@gmail.com.

This week, I follow up on the last "Ask TV Squad" about TV shows on DVD and answer a question about which TV DVDs you should own.

Thomas F. Wilson is mostly known for his role as Biff Tannen in the Back to the Future movies, but he's also done a lot of television. His second most famous role is likely that of Coach Ben Fredericks on Freaks and Geeks, and he's done a lot of voice acting for various cartoons including The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.

Why bring all this up? Because he also does stand-up comedy and has a clip on YouTube that practically made me pee myself and potentially ruin a good office chair.

Freaks and Geeks is not only a cult classic among TV fans, but it's also one of TV Squad's favorite "Ol' Yellers". Those are the shows that were taken out back and shot down by the networks before they had a chance to fully develop, despite the crying, whimpering, snot-producing pleas of those who loved them most. It may not be clever, but it sounded a lot nicer than "stillborns".

So it's no surprise that the show made a cameo appearance in a recent AOL interview with mega-superduperstar Seth Rogen on the heels of his new movie Observe and Report about a rogue mall cop who is more tazer-happy than the campus police at the University of Florida.

I was reading AOL TV's "TV's 50 Hottest Hunks - Ever," and I was struck by two thoughts: "Ugh, can people really use the term, 'hunk' without shuddering?" and, "David Boreanaz? Seriously?"

I get it. Television is populated with pretty people and there are just some guys who are objectively hot (hellooooo, Jon Hamm). Generally speaking though, I'm not drawn to the Luke Perrys and Mario Lopezes of the world. I like quirky guys, and so while most of the dudes on this list aren't going to make it into the People magazine "Sexiest Man Alive" issue, they keep me tuning in every week (heh, that sounded totally dirty).

Follow me after the jump for the undercover hotties: ten guys on TV I secretly love.

Beverly Hills, 90210 ... 21 Jump Street ... The Facts of Life ... see where they rank on our list.

The bad news? Summer's almost over and it's nearly time for school again.

The good news? We've got just the thing to ease you into back-to-school mode: Our countdown of TV's 21 best school shows ever.

So sharpen your No. 2 pencil and dive in to see which series just make the grade and which ones are at the top of the class.

When one of our favorite TV shows goes off the air, it can be devastating. However, many times, the cancellation is the birth of a spinoff. Sometimes it can be a great thing (Frasier) and sometimes not so much (AfterM*A*S*H). Here are some this month's spinoff ideas that I would love to see.

McCormack & Van Lowe: At Your Service
When Keith Mars becomes sheriff of Neptune and his daughter Veronica joins the FBI, Vinnie Van Lowe emerges as the county's number one private detective. His new caseload is so overwhelming and his moral compass is so out of whack that he's forced to employ attorney Cliff McCormack on a permanent basis. Together with the help of their excitable intern (Alia Shawkat), they bring their distinctive style of crime-solving to the citizens of Neptune.

As I'm going over the other TV Squad blogger lists for their summer viewing, I realize there's a whole lot of nothing on TV during the summer, as if I needed anything to tell me that. Sure, there are some gems in there, but not much that gets me excited. Thank the lord for TV on DVD.

- Ghost Hunters -- Always a guilty pleasure of mine, and since last season things have improved. They've cut back on a lot of the drama that most of us just don't care about and seem to find some pretty interesting evidence most of the time, and the fact that these guys roam around my backyard most times (New England) makes it even the more interesting to me.

A few weeks ago, AOL Television editors and TV Squad bloggers teamed up to name the shows they wished could come back from the dead.

Many of you wondered, "Where's Arrested Development? Freaks and Geeks?? Sports Night???" You took issue with some of the choices -- especially shows that had long runs, like The West Wing. For others, our picks were too edgy, like Keen Eddie.

So, we gave you the chance to strike back: We asked fans on both sites to nominate the shows you'd resurrect from the graveyard of television. Boy, was there a long list. We gathered together some of the best posts and here are the results.

Judd Apatow, who will forever be a hero to many TV viewers who loved the too short-lived NBC series Freaks and Geeks, is saying goodbye to television. But not before one final shot with the soon-to-be-released feature film The TV Set.

The movie stars David Duchovny as a series creator who butts heads with various studio executives (including Sigourney Weaver) who just don't get what he's trying to do with his TV show. And, yes, it's a version of what Apatow and The TV Set director Jake Kasdan went through when they worked on Freaks and Geeks.

The A.V. Club has a list up on their site featuring 15 "lamentably lost" TV shows that only made it one season or less. As with anything where you start listing things, there are going to be omissions. And probably more glaring, there will be inclusions that make you scratch your head and say, 'Wha-huh?" Overall, I like their list. It has the usual suspects that I would have expected with Firefly, Freaks and Geeks, and Now and Again. They also included a couple that I don't think get enough press with That's My Bush and Cupid. Really, the more press that Cupid can get the better, because it really deserves a DVD release.

The wha-huh inclusion for me though, Cop Rock. It was an original concept, sure, but "lamentably" implies that you feel some kind of sorrow that it's gone. I think 11 episodes was more than anyone needed to get full and complete closure with Cop Rock. As far as omissions, the shows that come to mind right away for me are Going To California, Keen Eddie, Maximum Bob, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., and Wonderfalls. Going To California remains my number one most wanted DVD set, and Maximum Bob is in the top five. I'm curious to hear what other people view as the ones that got away.