melissa peterman

'Working Class,' CMT's first scripted series, has been canceled.

Although sitcom legend Ed Asner and 'Reba' veteran Melissa Peterman starred on the show, Deadline reports that a second season of the series will not be produced by the country music TV station.

"Unfortunately, CMT will not be pursuing a second season of 'Working Class,'" read a note on the show's official Facebook page. "We're sad to see it go, but you can still catch Melissa Peterman in new episodes of 'The Singing Bee.'"

Another network is departing from its usual fare and expanding into scripted television: CMT just announced that it will produce 12 episodes of a new scripted comedy, 'Working Class,' Deadline reports.

The show stars Melissa Peterman ('Reba,' 'The Singing Bee') as a single mom who buys a house in a pricey neighborhood so her kids can get a taste of the good life, but she can barely afford the place on her blue-collar salary. The show is scheduled to start production in October and will tentatively premiere in January. It is one of four pilots the network ordered.

I guess NBC is getting the last laugh. Sort of. Well, not really. Nevertheless, when they first launched The Singing Bee in 2007, the FOX copycat machine was in full effect. In fact, NBC had to push up the premiere of Bee to try and get an edge on FOX's Don't Forget the Lyrics. But while Lyrics has been canceled, Bee is still going strong. Just not on NBC.

Actually, by broadcast network standards, it's still doing horrible, but its 1.5 million viewer debut back in June on CMT was enough to make it the highest-rated series debut ever on the network. CMT is so excited with The Singing Bee, they've asked for 20 more installments. The show went country when it switched to CMT, dumping Joey Fatone in favor of Melissa Peterman (Reba) as host, and focusing more on the sad, sad lyrics that make up country music.

If I were NBC, I'd go ahead and get excited about this. Sure, they canceled the show and it was performing horribly for them. But by doing so, they created a big hit for CMT. And they can still claim that their show outlasted FOX's copycat. Sort of. Well, not really.

Melissa Peterman of Reba will be hosting the first four episodes of CMT's new stand up comedy showcase, CMT Comedy Stage. The series, which will tape in front of an audience at Nashville's Belcourt Theater, will debut in February of 2007. The series will feature comedians such as Etta May, Jon Reep, Vic Henley and Killer Beaz. Out of that list the only one I've heard of is Etta May, but that's why God created YouTube, so y'all can get up to speed on these comics.

When Jeff Foxworthy first brought Southern humor to the masses, it wasn't the kind of humor I was into. However, that scene has since exploded and I no longer think it's possible to crowbar every Southern / rural /red state comedian into the same category. It's like saying all New York comedians are the same, it just isn't true. Hey, it doesn't matter to me if you watch this new show or not, but thar ain't nuttin' wrong with expanding your comedy horizons a li'l.

For those of you who have been dreading a year without Reba, you can now relax. After rumors about the network ditching the show proved false, and after star Reba McEntire renegotiated her contract for more money , the sitcom will begin its sixth season next Sunday.

In the one-hour season premiere Barbara Jean (Melissa Peterman) shows off her new, thinner figure and her dedication to exercising at the gym. This gives Brock (Christopher Rich) pause because he fears that Barbara Jean's new male trainer is the reason for her continued visits. So, he enlists ex-wife Reba to spy on her. Meanwhile Chyenne (JoAnna Garcia) is afraid of losing her looks after Van (Steve Howey) is caught staring at Barbara Jean's new figure. If I may be a bit sarcastic for a moment; I don't know how they're going to fit all of this hilarity into a 60-minute program.

Having said that, I actually like Reba. It's one of the few sitcoms that I can actually watch without cringing at some of the dialogue and jokes. Plus, it's a show that you can watch as a family, which is rare in network television today. You can view a preview of the season premiere by clicking here.