friends

Matt LeBlanc may be having a lot of fun playing an exaggerated version of the actor Matt LeBlanc on 'Episodes,' but that persona wouldn't exist if it weren't for the show that made him who he is, 'Friends.' On 'The Graham Norton Show' (Sat., 10PM on BBC America), LeBlanc talked about his experiences on the show.

After all these years, he's still thanking the audiences that tuned in. "Thanks everyone for watching it," he said. "We're all really, really happy." By really, really happy he means they're all still swimming in piles of cash almost a decade later.

Graham Norton then shifted gears to a darker chapter in LeBlanc's life.

It's undeniable: 'Glee' is a sensation, a phenomenon, a pop cultural juggernaut thanks to its inventive song-and-dance numbers. So, we decided to put together a little tribute to all the TV musical/dance numbers that came before it and will certainly come after this Gleek invasion.

The idea of a incorporating musical numbers into a weekly TV show has been around since the 1950's when Lucy "wanted to be in the show.' They haven't always been successful (see: 'Cop Rock', 'Viva Laughlin') but they have always pushed the boundaries and brought levity and warmth into our living rooms or more recently our computer screens.

Check out this compilation of some of the best musical and dance numbers throughout television history; reminding us all to shake it up, to break into song in the middle of work, to tap dance on your way to class, and always, always sing way too loud in your car.

Parts of the first-season finale of 'Episodes' (9:30PM ET Sunday, Showtime) are very funny.

But it takes a long time for 'Episodes,' which chronicles the adventures of an English couple adapting their hit British show for an American network, to get to places that are consistently amusing or emotionally nuanced, despite first-rate work from the show's cast.

Creators Jeffrey Klarik and David Crane, who've written for everything from 'Friends' to 'Mad About You' to 'The Class,' have endured their share of frustrations while they labored in the network sitcom trenches, and 'Episodes,' which stars a sly and skilled Matt LeBlanc as a self-absorbed version of himself, is clearly their revenge on narcissistic actors and an entire army of network suits.

The thing is, if Crane and Klarik were trying to avoid and mock the limitations of traditional sitcoms, why make a comedy that is often obvious and broad? Why create characters that are, for much of the show's seven-episode run, one-dimensional and disposable?

Our No. 1 choice for the best Christmas episode ever may not be a surprise -- any episode that involves the creation of a new, Christmas spin-off holiday has to rate a top spot! -- but countdown is designed to bring some ho-ho-ho holiday cheer to your celebration this season.

So, jump down off the aluminum pole, postpone that Airing of Grievances and recall these classic Christmas TV installments.

What's the best weapon in the U.S. arsenal for fighting terrorism? Foreign aid? Military might? Propaganda?

The answer: American TV shows.

According to a report at the Guardian.co.uk titled "WikiLeaks cables: Jihad? Sorry, I don't want to miss 'Desperate Housewives'," satellite broadcasts of American TV shows are doing more to persuade Saudi Arabian youth to reject violent jihad than hundreds of millions of dollars of U.S. government intervention.

This interesting cultural fact was told by informants to the American embassy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and revealed as part of the recent WikiLeaks of U.S. cables.

Here they are, the 10 best Turkey Day-themed primetime TV episodes of all time. 'Gilmore Girls,' 'The Bob Newhart Show' and the gang from 'Cheers' all make the list, as does the sitcom that tried to prove that turkeys could be dropped out of a helicopter and safely land in the parking lot of a Midwestern shopping center.

Ten years ago, there was no "Facebook." There were no updates about what a random high school pal had for lunch today, no updates about how a second cousin's virtual "farm" was doing. Now, thanks to the magic of Facebook, you can get this info. But Jimmy Kimmel thinks this may not be a good thing.

On 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' (weeknights, 12AM ET on ABC), the host discussed his latest project: "National UnFriend Day," which is a holiday set for November 17th. Although the average Facebook user has 120 "friends," many Facebook users have lists going into the thousands.

Kimmel has had enough, and he's taking a stand against the debasement of the word "friend."

Jennifer Aniston is the guest on the latest 'Daily Show' (weeknights, 11PM ET on Comedy Central). And while she's on the show, we get a shocking, semi-shocking, or at least kind of shocking revelation. Back in the early '90s, when she was a star on 'Friends,' Jen Aniston went on a date with ... Jon Stewart! He took her out to an Italian restaurant. No lie! True story!

Sadly, the date didn't go that well, which is probably why Jen ended up becoming Ms. Brad Pitt. (And then became ex-Ms. Brad Pitt.) According to Jon's recollection of the event, he realized that the date was going badly when Jen brought "so many of her friends." ... Yeah, that's never good.

In January, we ran an item ranking the career paths of the 'Friends' cast members since the show ended in 2004. Back then, the only solid news we had was the early renewal of Courtney Cox's 'Cougar Town.' Meanwhile, there was some speculation on new TV projects coming up from Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, and Matt LeBlanc.

Turns out five months makes a lot of difference! Since that time Perry, Kudrow, and LeBlanc have all been given greenlights for their shows. Over the next year, four out of the six 'Friends' cast members could have programs on either the major networks or pay cable.

Here's an updated status of who's involved where, plus some additional information on the supporting characters that were connected with the show during its decade on the air.

Courteney Cox is whooping it up in 'Cougar Town,' Matthew Perry is shooting a pilot that may find him joining her at ABC, Matt LeBlanc is returning to the tube at Showtime, and now, Lisa Kudrow is joining her 'Friends' in a return to primetime comedy.

Showtime has reportedly picked up Kudrow's online series 'Web Therapy,' in which she plays Fiona Wallice, a therapist who gives her patients advice via a Webcam. The dark comedy revolves around the very self-interested Fiona, who thinks three minutes of Web therapy is better than 50 minutes of in-person therapy, since, to her way of thinking, regular sessions mostly consist of patients going off on irrelevant tangents.

Fiona hopes her online sessions can spark a worldwide revolution in how people seek psychiatric care, and her motives to build her brand are usually evident in her interactions with her patients.

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]

You gotta hand it to Matt LeBlanc. The guy must have a pretty good sense of humor to star as himself in a show where he's essentially nothing but a punchline.

The former 'Friends' cast member is the joke (or at least one of the jokes) in the new Showtime/BBC comedy series 'Episodes', about a successful UK comedy duo forced to cast LeBlanc as the lead in a crappy US version of their hit show.

Bob posted a promo for the show last month, in which LeBlanc is humiliated having to audition to play himself ("You want Matt LeBlanc, you get Matt Leblanc!"). Judging by the funny promo, it looks like 'Episodes' could appeal to fans of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm', 'Entourage', and 'Pilot Season'.

We don't have a premiere date for the series yet, but THR is reporting that three actors have signed to co-star alongside the one-time Joey Tribbiani.

They're anticipated, but sometimes dreaded. They can be just what a show needs, or a ratings killer. They can unite or divide audiences. What has this much power in television? TV babies.

Jim and Pam on 'The Office' are just the latest fictional couple to welcome a baby into their wacky fold in tonight's special one-hour episode (9PM ET, NBC). To commemorate the occasion, we're taking a walk around the virtual nursery, looking back at some of TV's most anticipated -- for both good and bad reasons -- babies.

Did your favorite TV baby make the list? Check after the jump.

For years, NBC has been looking for the new 'Friends.' Now they may have finally found it. With benefits.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, NBC has ordered a pilot for 'Friends With Benefits,' a new single-camera sitcom from '24' executive producer Brian Grazer (pictured) that had previously been in development for ABC. They passed on the project, however, allowing NBC to scoop up the co-production from 20th TV and Imagine TV.

'Friends With Benefits' is described as a comedy that "explores modern-day romance through the eyes of five friends, each looking for 'the one' but in the meantime settling for 'friends with benefits.'" The series will be written the '(500) Days of Summer' team of Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber, with the pilot scheduled to be helmed by 'Wedding Crashers' director David Dobkin.