jim gaffigan

My Boys, the TBS comedy that I keep meaning to watch, was just picked up for a full season. The comedy, about a sports-loving girl with a bunch of guy friends, is the network's first attempt at an original, scripted comedy. It premiered with about 1.8 million viewers, which is enough to make TBS happy. The network ordered nine more episodes, bringing the total first-season order to 22. Production on the additional episodes will begin in early 2007 and they will air this summer. The first thirteen episodes will play out before the end of this year. And, if you're like me and you haven't seen them, you can watch on TBS.com. I think the presence of Jim Gaffigan as a co-star is what has me intrigued. No word yet on the fate of TBS's other original scripted comedy, 10 Items or Less.

Is anybody watching this? What do you think?

One of the things I dislike about television is when they try to compare a new show to an established classic. You know, when they begin a promotion with "If you liked Friends . . .", or something like that. When I hear that what immediately comes to mind is, "It will absolutely, totally not be like Friends."

So, when I heard promotions for the TBS original comedy My Boys (which premieres on November 28th at 10 pm) start with the line "If you like Sex in the City . . ." I was immediately wary. After watching a few episodes of the series I can honestly say that it is similar to Sex in the City only that the main character is a woman who is a writer. Oh, I'm not saying that the show isn't watchable, because it is, but it is definitely not in the Sex category. In fact, I'm not too sure what category it falls in, other than single-camera comedy.

You thought we were done with press kit reviews, didn't you? No sir, not in the new television world of hundreds of channels and year-round original programming. As winter approaches you may see more reviews as the fall season makes way for the mid-season premieres. Just fair warning to you all.

If you didn't catch Jim Gaffigan: Beyond The Pale on Comedy Central, you should try and catch it again this Saturday because Jimmy Gaffigan is a damn funny man. You might recognize him from his appearances on Conan and Letterman, but he's also appeared in several commercials and movies (he's the confused man who gets "meowed" at in Super Troopers and was seen most recently in a series of television spots for Sierra Mist along with Michael Ian Black and other comedians). Gaffigan uses a lot of the same observational humor as other comics, but with a quieter, more surreal approach. He kicks off Beyond the Pale with a hysterical bit of meta-comedy in which he pretends to be a woman in the audience commenting on the performer on stage. Eventually this turns into an impression of the woman complaining she can't understand what he's saying because his impression is too quiet. Gaffigan has a perspective on things that is almost extraterrestrial; he's both one of the oddest and smartest comedians I've seen.

Also, you can catch Jim on Conan tomorrow night. Plenty of Jim to go around, no need to shove.