That thunderous pop you just head was the sound of ABC dropping pretty much every single one of its bubble shows at once.

The network has reportedly canceled most of its lowest-rated series, including veterans 'Brothers & Sisters' and 'V' as well as newbies 'Off the Map,' 'No Ordinary Family,' 'Detroit 187,' 'Better With You' and 'Mr. Sunshine.'

Though it was speculated recently that 'Brothers & Sisters' could get an abridged season pickup, it turns out that star Rachel Griffiths' jokes about being unemployed are true after all. The fifth season -- now series -- finale aired last Sunday night.

Meanwhile, the second season (and now series) finale of 'V' aired back in March.

Going into dancing classes with Mia, Casey was surprised by how bad she was on 'Better With You' (Mon., 9:30PM ET on ABC). In a special Monday airing of the series after 'Dancing with the Stars,' fans of ABC's reality competition had a chance to see one of their favorite professional dancers.

Derek Hough took the season off from 'DWTS' to film a movie, so it's a special treat for his fans to get to see him dancing on Monday night right now.

After pretending to be worse than he is on the dance floor to make Mia feel better about her own lack of abilities, she started getting cocky. Finally, after she insulted him one too many times, Casey had enough and turned to Hough.

While I was watching the first two episodes of CBS's new Monday comedy 'Mad Love,' an odd sensation came over me. And no, it wasn't a tingly feeling brought on by imagining Sarah Chalke and Judy Greer having nightly slumber parties, though the thought did cross my mind.

No, the sensation that hit me was one of cognitive dissonance. I was enjoying the show, even though I knew that the premise of the show was a bit of a stretch, the plots of the episodes had a lot of eye-rolling coincidences, and the dialogue coming out of the leads' mouths was at most moderately funny.

Then I realized where this confusion was coming from: The show's four leads were doing a great acting job. Three of them -- Chalke, Greer and Tyler Labine -- are on my short list of favorite TV actors in the past decade, and they all delivered their lines with deft comedic timing and a confidence that kept them from overcompensating for the mediocre material they'd been given. The fourth lead, Jason Biggs doing his most deft Josh Radnor impression, was OK, but as my colleague Mo Ryan mentioned in her review, he was no match for the other three pros on the show.

Well, that didn't take long. Weeks after ending his long-running CNN show, Larry King has booked another TV gig.

It's not what you'd expect, though. According to TV Guide, the newsman has booked a cameo as himself on the ABC sitcom 'Better With You.'

King will shoot the guest spot next week, and the episode is scheduled to air in March.

In other TV news ...

• The latest on board the 'Dancing With the Stars' rumor train: Mischa Barton. According to a source, "Mischa watches the show religiously, and she thinks she can hold her own and maybe even win it. She likes the idea of being on a top-rated show, too." [Perez Hilton]

• Former 'Deep End' star Ben Lawson will play one of the leads in the USA pilot 'Wild Card.' His character is a successful attorney who has a life-changing night in Las Vegas. [Entertainment Weekly]

• Justin Long and his newly formed production company sold a half-hour script to CBS. The comedy is about two polar opposite high school science teacher roommates. [Deadline]

On 'Better With You' (Wed., 8:30PM ET on ABC), Mia plans to go into "yes mode" to win over her mother-in-law. She'll say yes to absolutely everything Casey's mother requests. Her sister is familiar with that strategy when it comes to men. "You always regret it the next morning, but it does work," Maddie agrees.

As she chats with Mia's mother Vicky, Casey's mom blurts out, "By the way, I call 'Nana'!"

"That's what I want to be called," protests Vicky. "It's a tradition in my family."

The mother-in-law turns to Mia: "I can have 'Nana', right?" Mia says, "Yes!" and suddenly the woman loves her. But Mia's own mom is not pleased, to say the least.

The three couples of 'Better With You' (Wed., 8:30PM ET on ABC) all partake in the leftover knock-off Halloween candy that Mia and Maddie's dad bought.

"Kids nowadays -- they're so ungrateful," says Mr. Putney. "In my day, we would've been thrilled to get anything that had chocolate in it." Maddie says, "To be fair, this 'Almond Boy' doesn't have any chocolate in it. Oh, and FYI, the second ingredient is cotton."

Her boyfriend Ben likes the "Tac-Tacs," until they start burning the inside of his mouth. Mia's boyfriend Casey is a good sport, asking, "How much to finish all this?" Nearly everybody's willing to pony up.

Well, it was fun while it lasted. ABC has not ordered the back-nine episodes of 'The Whole Truth.' However, the network handed out full season orders to 'No Ordinary Family' and 'Better With You,' and ordered more scripts for 'Brothers & Sisters' and 'Detroit 1-8-7.'

While people involved with 'The Whole Truth' have taken to Twitter with different statements, it's clear that ABC will not be ordering more than the 13 episodes already in production.

The new sitcom 'Better With You' (Wed., 8:30PM ET on ABC) follows the lives of several very different couples. Maddie and Ben (Jennifer Finnigan and Josh Cooke) have been dating for nine years, but have not yet taken the "next step," and tied the knot. Meanwhile, Maddie's younger sister Mia (Joanna Garcia) has decided to marry Casey (Jake Lacy) -- a guy who she's only known for seven weeks. And on the premiere episode, Mia is forced to reveal the reason for the very rushed engagement.

[Warning: Spoiler alert.]

While having dinner with their parents, Mia is compelled to spill the beans during an argument with her sister. "Call me old-fashioned," Maddie says, "but I think it's appropriate to apply a little thought before making huge life choices." Then, Maddie starts protesting Mia's decision. "Why in the world does she have to get married right now?!"

"Because she's pregnant!" replies her boyfriend Ben. Oh, okay. That makes sense then.

When it comes to relationship comedies, it sometimes feels like we've seen it all -- couples in love, lust and those that are eternally monogamous. But 'Better With You' (premieres Wed., Sept. 22, 8:30PM ET on ABC) gives us all three.

The sitcom follows two sisters who could not be more different: methodical Maddie (Jennifer Finnigan) has been with her boyfriend for nine years, with no plans to marry ("it's a valid life choice"). Her impusive little sis Mia (Joanna Garcia) just met a guy and they're already engaged and expecting. And their parents are 35-year veterans to the whole marriage game so, of course, they have a unique perspective on the whole thing.

I caught up with Jennifer and Joanna to find out more about the men in their onscreen lives, their hysterical TV parents and how they're both surprisingly like the characters they're playing.

That guy! That woman! You'll be saying that a lot when you tune in to fall TV's new offerings, as the new series are loaded with familiar faces. Read on to find out where, exactly, you've seen those actors before.

If TV critics were children, Fall TV would be the equivalent of back to school time -- a lot of work to do, but so much excitement. And there's always a little disappointment as you say goodbye to summer freedom, or in our case, to our happy vacation moods.

Of course the school of TV-watching is year-round, but fall is truly the time when the networks pull out all the stops (hopefully) and show us what they've got.



So sharpen your pencils, TV fans, because class is now in session: AOL TV Editor Kelly Woo and our newest addition, Lead Critic Mo Ryan, joined me to break down all the new fall network shows. Good ("it's sexy, it's fun") or bad ("I've fallen asleep three times trying to watch this pilot"), we were brutally honest because we want this to be your go-to guide for what to watch, what to skip and those shows that fall somewhere in between.

What new fall shows are you most excited for? Sound off in the comments.

I've never been one of those people who felt that the half-hour sitcom, especially the multicamera format that is shot live in front of a studio audience, was dead. Sure, through most of the decade of the '00s, networks seemed to concentrate on developing dramas and single-camera comedies, and by the latter half of the decade, even the number of single-camera comedies had dwindled.

But, like most eras that saw a dearth of comedy development, I always felt that the format was just hibernating, waiting for a show to come along to shock it back into existence. In the '70s, it was 'All in the Family.' In the '80s, it was 'The Cosby Show.' In the '90s, it was 'Seinfeld' and 'Friends.'

In 2010, the sitcom has come all the way back from near-death to cultural and ratings prominence. And you have Chuck Lorre and 'The Big Bang Theory' to thank for that.

In our continuing effort to get you ready for the upcoming fall season, we're previewing pilots that were sent to critics earlier this summer.

Keep in mind that in each case, our opinions are based on a pilot that could be completely recast and reworked between now and the fall. Some of those changes have already been announced.

Show: 'Better With You'
Network: ABC
Timeslot: Wednesdays, 8:30PM ET (Premieres September 22)

The lowdown: This is yet another comedy about three couples in different phases of their respective relationships, but at least they're all one family. Maddie and Ben (Jennifer Finnegan and Josh Cooke) have been together for nine years but have never wanted to get married, calling it a "valid life choice" (more on that catchphrase later). Meanwhile, Maddie's more carefree younger sister Mia (JoAnna Garcia) is excited about her relationship with Casey (Jake Lacy), and it's so far along after less than two months that she's a) pregnant, and b) engaged ... in that order. Mia and Maddie clash over the various states of their relationships, and all four try to figure out how to break the news about Mia and Casey to Mia and Maggie's parents, Joel and Vicky (Kurt Fuller, Debra Jo Rupp).

ABC has a couple of break-out shows this season that could do for them this year what 'Modern Family' did for them in 2009. One of those potential hits is 'My Generation,' a unique docu-drama that follows the lives of nine high-school friends ten years after a documentary crew detailed their senior year. A lot has happened in the past ten years, and world events plus personal drama could make for fetile storytelling ground.

The Alphabet network is also hoping to capitalize on their winning family dynamics with two new comedies, 'Better With You' and 'Happy Endings,' and we'll have highlights from both those panels and 'Generation' after the jump. If nothing else, they all have very attractive casts!

You know the old expression, always the bridesmaid, never the bride? Well in the case of 'Revenge of the Bridesmaids' (premiering Sun., July 18, 8PM ET), a new ABC Family movie, it's much better to be the ones in hideous dresses as Joanna Garcia teams up with Raven-Symoné to exact revenge on their old frenemy on her big day.

Garcia is a busy lady, with the movie, a new show this fall called 'Better With You' (premieres Wed., Sept. 22, 8:30PM ET on ABC) and a wedding to plan with fiancé and New York Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher.

I caught up with the bubbly star to talk weddings, rap sheets, rabid 'Priviliged' fans, old 'Reba' pals and her soon-to-be-husband's response to the death of his boss, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.