['Modern Family' - 'Boys' Night']

You've got to love a show that takes a big star and integrates that person into its rotating family of guest players. 'Glee' has done that with Gwyneth Paltrow, and it seems that 'Modern Family' has done that with Nathan Lane.

How else can you explain his appearance as Pepper this week, appearing without fanfare and without any of the plot revolving around him (at least until the end... more on that later)? We knew that Lane was coming back, but what we didn't know was going to happen was that we would see him as just one of Mitch's and Cam's buddies, out for a night of absinthe-laden fruity drinks and randy conversation?

Anyway, tonight's episode was solid, mainly because we saw some characters out of their comfort zones, but also because an episode with both Nathan Lane and Philip Baker Hall in it is bound to be pretty good.

'Modern Family' is adding more Pepper -- otherwise known as the hilarious Nathan Lane -- to its award-winning comedy recipe.

According to TV Guide, Lane will reprise his role in a spring episode. "Mitch and Cam go out for a boys night with Pepper and a bunch of their other gay friends," according to Steve Levitan, executive producer of 'Modern Family.'

Look for Jay to wind up at the party. "We're having a lot of fun playing with Nathan, and this will be a very funny use of him," Levitan said.

In other casting news ...

• Jean-Ralphio Ben Schwartz has landed a pilot. The 'Parks & Recreation' and former 'Undercovers' actor will star opposite Don Cheadle and Josh Lawson in the Showtime pilot 'House of Lies.' Cheadle plays Marty, a "self-loathing, highly successful management consultant." Schwartz will play a member of Cheadle's character's team. [Deadline Hollywood]

• Jeffrey Dean Morgan is in final talks to star in Starz's 'Magic City.' The 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Watchmen' actor will play the owner of one of Miami's famous hotels. [Deadline Hollywood]

• 'The View' co-host Sherri Shepherd will appear in a new pilot. Sadly, it's not '30 Rock''s fictional 'Queen of Jordan.' Shepherd will appear opposite Christine Taylor in TV Land's workplace sitcom. Shepherd will play the office drama queen. [Deadline Hollywood]

['Modern Family' - 'Earthquake']

'Modern Family' just keeps rolling right along in its second season. Another week, another funny episode that shows a writing and acting team that's in a fantastic groove.

It doesn't seem to matter if the three families' stories are separate or intermingled; all of the stories have funny moments and feel like genuine, non-sitcommy situations. Even the over-the-top presence of Nathan Lane couldn't take away from the fun vibe the show is throwing off right now. And, considering how much of a scenery chewer Lane can be -- and he tried to gnaw on the furniture in his brief appearance tonight -- that's a pretty impressive feat.

Nathan Lane explains why he finds 'The View' (weekdays, syndicated) so compelling, taking a shot at former co-host Rosie O'Donnell, then breaking down the typical experience for guests on the show in the process.

Nathan Lane is spending some time with the 'Family' next season.

Lane, star of Broadway and the movies, will play Pepper, a friend of Cam (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) on the ABC series 'Modern Family,' according to the Vulture report. He's described in the report as their "ultraflamboyant" friend, and that's saying something considering the personalities of the outwardly blissful Cam and Mitchell.

'The Marriage Ref' (Thu., 10PM ET on NBC) is a show that's designed to save the relationships of selected couples. But if your marriage is really having problems, you might not want the advice of professional trouble-maker Tracy Morgan. Uh-oh.

Watch the video after the jump.

Jude Law hosted 'Saturday Night Live' (Sat., 11:35PM ET on NBC) this week, and while the episode was lackluster overall, it did offer a few highlights. One was Law's audition for 'Hamlet' on Broadway. Apparently, he had some stiff competition, including Nicolas Cage, Nathan Lane, and Al Pacino.

Andy Samberg's Nic Cage impression never fails to make us laugh out loud. He sounds just like him, especially when he goes into his 'National Treasure' schtick.

Watch the video after the jump.

It seems unusual to do any sort of review for a Broadway musical on a television site, but 'The Addams Family' has had four television incarnations thus far, two filmed and two animated. Plus, both the leads in the Broadway version (most notably Bebe Neuwirth) have had some history with television acting. Finally, we've mentioned the play here on TV Squad before so it's really just a continuation of a previous idea.

As one of the lucky few who caught the Broadway show within it's first week, I have to say that the characters have notable differences from the more familiar television or movie versions. For one thing, their mansion is located in Central Park in Manhattan rather than in the suburbs. For another, Thing and Cousin It only make the briefest of cameos with the rest of the family taking much more of the spotlight.

The Addams Family is coming back. No, this times it's not a TV series, nor a motion picture. No, this time Broadway is taking Charles Addams' amazing dysfunctional gothic family and putting their antics to music. That's right, The Addams Family is becoming a Broadway musical.

One of the things that sounds really promising about the musical is the casting. The two leads seem perfect for their roles -- Nathan Lane as Gomez and Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia. They're both like cartoon characters already, and in that bizarro world, they should be right at home. Hams on parade ... with music! It sounds glorious.

"Hot Mess": Ahh! Olympic fever is catching hold. The famous Torch attempted to make its epic journey through various lands pain-free, only to have protesters and crazy people totally ruin everything. In Paris, France, things got so bad that the police decided to shut it all down and just throw the torch in a car and speed off. And then Jon gave us a quick little history factoid when he shared that the Torch tradition was started under Hitler's regime. His message to France: "Way to sh*t on Hitler's legacy".

Although I was only five or six when the very short-lived series One of the Boys aired, I think I actually remember it. At least, I remember Mickey Rooney being in it. I had no idea who the rest of the cast was, and neither would anyone else until years later.

The show centered on Rooney, who moved in with his college-age grandson (played by Dana Carvey) and his roommate, played by Nathan Lane. Meg Ryan also starred in the series, which, according to IMDb, ran for a whopping eight episodes.

(S01E17) We learned many important things from 30 Rock this evening.

1. When you have to break bad news to someone, fake them out with something cute or distracting first. Whoa, holy crap, what's that? A baby panda sneezing!

2. Name your fists. St. Michael and St. Patrick. Tip O'Neill and Bobby Sands. Bono and Sandra O'Connor. Whatever works.

3. Catholicism, while it comes with the confession thing, also comes with crushing, crushing guilt. You could be eating tacos alone in a park, and boom, there's the guilt. As someone raised by an Irish Catholic family with more than one priest in its ranks and educated at Catholic schools, let me personally confirm that one. I feel guilty right now... for no apparent reason. It's just there - always crushing.

This episode didn't reach the farcical highs of "Black Tie." It was more standard sitcom fare than goofy bliss, but it wasn't bad. How wrong can you go cataloging Tracy's possible religious options, meeting Jack's family and seeing Liz embrace her role as the decider?

Broadway actors Nathan Lane and Kristin Chenoweth have reportedly teamed up on a project that they intend to bring to a national television audience. The unnamed sitcom they're developing is about a pair of talk show hosts, similar to Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa. Not much else is known about the project, but I already like the characters. I'm a pushover for stuff that makes fun of Hollywood.

Nathan Lane actually has a lot of experience in television. I only remembered his guest appearances on Sex & The City and Mad About You, but he also had roles in failed sitcoms including Encore! Encore!, Charlie Lawrence, and One of the Boys. Lane is currently starring in Butley on Broadway. Kristin Chenoweth played Annabeth Schott on The West Wing, and had the starring role in a sitcom called Kristin back in 2001. I don't think it ever made air. She currently appears on stage in The Apple Tree and co-stars with Danny DeVito in Deck the Halls.

[Via TV Tattle]

"Mess O' Potomac": Good news... John Bolton is out. Bad news... he's making money with moustache rides. Even more bad news... Donald Rumsfeld has wormed his way back in the news. An old memo has surfaced and it's not fun and it's full of quotation marks. Senior Foreign Policy Analyst John Oliver elaborated on the use of quotes and air-quotes. The sun analogy was beautiful, haha.