everybodylovesraymond

Fox has made the call, and it's a big "see ya later" for Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton. But their loss is someone else's gain. The pilot for the Jason Bateman directed comedy series The Inn has been picked up for a 13-week commitment, while Back to You has been axed. The Brad Garrett-Joely Fisher sitcom, Til Death, meanwhile, has been given another year.

Bateman, who starred in Arrested Development -- the Emmy-award winning comedy that the network dumped unceremoniously because of low ratings -- was behind the camera for The Inn pilot. The show, which is about the haves and have-nots in a fancy, five-star New York City hotel, has a promising cast of funny folks including Niecy Nash (Reno 911!), Jerry O'Connell (who looks like Jason's twin), and the really hilarious Jesse Tyler Ferguson (remember him on The Class -- he was so funny!).
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AOL Television has compiled a list of the 50 Best TV Comedies -- Ever, this week revealing numbers 50-41. Inspired by what they did, I've decided to list my favorite sitcom sidekicks, those funny foils that oftentimes make the star shine even brighter than you might have thought. Coming up with just a ten-pack hasn't been so easy. Many times, I'd look at a show and think, "No, it's more of an ensemble. There isn't one sidekick." Falling into that category were B.J. and Trapper John on M*A*S*H. Neither were Hawkeye's sidekick, really (any more than Radar was). Same thing with Friends -- they were all each other's sidekicks. Also, on The Odd Couple, Oscar and Felix were equal; neither was a sidekick. Ditto Two and a Half Men and Laverne & Shirley. Also, because it's my list, I decided not to include married couples -- sorry Rob and Laura, Ricky and Lucy, Archie and Edith.

Whew, after all that, here, in alphabetical order, are the ten I love -- within my own parameters! Feel free to comment with your choices, if your favorite isn't on my list.

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Welcome back, Raymond.

TNT has signed Ray Romano for a new one-hour comedy/drama pilot, Men of a Certain Age. After the success of Everybody Loves Raymond for CBS -- 1996 -2005 -- Ray Romano left television sounding very much like a guy who wasn't interested in another show. After all, he could have kept Everybody Loves Raymond going for years. It was an Emmy-award winning, Nielsen champ. The show is doing great in syndication.

A new study at Marymount Manhattan College has concluded that real-life dads are less supportive and accepting than dads on sitcoms. Happy Father's Day!

The study went like this: a communications researcher showed episodes of various TV comedies, including The Simpsons, Everybody Loves Raymond, My Wife and Kids and George Lopez, to 108 college students and then asked them how the TV dads compared to their real-life dads. In every instance, the TV dad was better than the real dad.

Sad news to report on an actor who graced our television screens for many years. Peter Boyle, who played Frank Barone on the CBS comedy Everybody Loves Raymond, died last night at New York Presbyterian Hospital. He was 71-years-old. According to his publicist Boyle was suffering from multiple myeloma and heart disease.

For many people he was known as the grumpy, obnoxious father of Ray Barone on Everybody Love Raymond. However, before that role he had a successful movie career starring in such films as Taxi Driver and The Candidate. His biggest role came in 1974 when he portrayed Frankenstein in Mel Brooks' comedy Young Frankenstein. The actors last appearance was as Father Time in Santa Claus 3.

Every Tuesday here on TV Squad , we will highlight the week's TV-on-DVD releases. Some noteworthy releases today, May 9, 2006:

• The Andy Griffith Show - The Complete 6th Season
• Baby Felix - Volume 01: His Magic Bag Of Tricks
• The Bullwinkle Show - The Best of Boris & Natasha; The Best Of Rocky And Bullwinkle
• Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist  - Season 1
• Everybody Loves Raymond - The Complete 6th Season
• The Facts of Life - The Complete 1st and 2nd Seasons
• The Golden Girls - Season 5
• Life Goes On - The Complete 1st Season
• Northern Exposure - Seasons 1 & 2 (New Package)
• The Phil Silvers Show (AKA Sergeant Bilko) - 50th Anniversary Edition
• Rescue Me - The Complete 2nd Season
• Scrubs - The Complete 3rd Season
• Search For Adam & Eve - The 1st Season
• That '70s Show - Season 4
• Trailer Park Boys - Season 5
• The West Wing - The Complete 6th Season

I was impressed by this episode, because they made it seem like a last episode without making it seem like a "last episode." They didn't move, no one died, no one got married, no big mystery was solved. But with Ray going to the hospital and later finding out how his family members really feel about him (they care, they really care!), it was a nice coda to the series. 

• Not sure if you've heard, but Everybody Loves Raymond's finale is Monday night. 
• Quite possibly the most disgusting thing ever covered on television: the wedding of Mary Kay Letourneau.
• In the print edition (can't find it online), a section on the Seinfeld fourth season DVD set coming out this Tuesday. It's the season where everything started to click (episodes like "The Contest," "The Outing," "The Implant"). Jerry tells some behind the scenes secrets, like the fact that the idea for Mulva's real name (Dolores) actually came from an audience member.
• Also in the print edition, an interview with Quentin Tarantino, who is directing the CSI season finale.
• An interview with ____ ____, who is returning to Alias this Wednesday. (Oh, you probably know who it is, but just in case...)