rashidajones

Have you ever read TV Squad and said to yourself, "Hey, I wish there was a speedy, five minute podcast about this site hosted by someone with a mildly annoying South Jersey accent?" If you have, there are two things you should know: 1) your prayers have been answered and 2) you're a dangerously deranged person. Seriously, you should talk to someone before your problems get out of hand.

But before you do that, you should go ahead and download our brand new weekly podcast, TV5. Every Friday I'll be bringing you a five minute rundown of five of our most interesting stories. Why five? Because we here at TV Squad like prime numbers and TV34301 seemed like overkill. Enjoy!

(Music provided courtesy of Kevin MacLeod.)

When it comes to new comedies, the FOX network's record hasn't been very glowing as of late. Yes, the Sunday night animated comedies still bring in the audience, and Arrested Development brought critical acclaim, and Back to You and Til' Death are decent, if not outstanding, sitcoms. But, what else has the network brought to the table recently? Anyone remember The Loop, Happy Hour, Freeride, Kitchen Confidential or Stacked? Of course not; hence, the sad track record FOX has had bringing funny to its network.

This year, FOX is hoping for a stronger fall season with a shorter baseball hiatus. Instead of 26 game nights, FOX is expecting to air only 14 games leading up to and including the World Series. Once again, FOX's January schedule has FOX poised for a win in ratings with non-stop 24 and renewal of American Idol. One schedule item worth noting is The Sarah Connor Chronicles, based on the Terminator movies. Fox chose to hold it until mid-season because they want a strong female audience, which is something they get when American Idol returns.

In: 'Til Death, House, Bones, The Simpsons, Family Guy, King of the Hill, American Dad, America's Most Wanted, Cops, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, American Idol, 24, Prison Break,

New: K-Ville, New Amsterdam, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Back to You, Return of Jezebel James, Rules for Starting Over, Kitchen Nightmares, Canterbury's Law, Nashville

Out: The Winner, Standoff, Drive, The War at Home, The O.C., Justice, Happy Hour, The Rich List, Vanished, The Wedding Bells, The Loop

Moving: 'Til Death, Bones (spring)

There are reportedly two versions of The Office season finale-- one where Karen leaves and one where she stays. The reason isn't so much about storytelling as it is about the uncertain future of Rashida Jones, who plays Karen. She starred in a pilot called The Rules for Starting Over for Fox and now is waiting to see whether it's being picked up. Kristen over at E! Online says it's a good chance Fox will pick up the comedy. We'll know what happens on May 17th when Fox reveals its fall schedule.

Soapbox time: I'd like to see Karen go. I like Rashida Jones, but it feels like her character is doing nothing but treading water these days. With Karen gone, there's even more of a reason for tension between Jim and Pam because they will have to decide whether to act on the opportunity to hook up. If Karen stays, I'm fine with that too, but I hope something juicy happens in the season finale to spice up her relationship with Jim and her coworkers.

Do you want Karen back next season on The Office?

[Thanks, Chris W.!]

If the previews are correct, it looks like tonight's new episode of The Office will officially kick off the Pam vs. Karen battle. Some of you who favor Pam may look at Karen and say, "Who is this chick?!?" First of all, don't call her a chick. Second of all, I thought this was an ideal time to meet Rashida Jones, the actress who plays Karen on The Office.

Rashida Jones has some pretty amazing genes. She is the daughter of legendary music producer Quincy Jones and actress Peggy Lipton. Yeah, I know. I'm jealous, too. So, of course this beautiful woman (named one of People's 50 Most Beautiful in 2002) can both act and sing. And she's some sort of piano genius who could play classical concerts at the age of five. She is one of the back-up singers on three songs by Maroon 5's breakthrough album, Songs About Jane. And she's wicked smart, graduating Harvard University in 1997. And, even though I haven't seen it, she apparently does a great job of putting Tupac Shakur in his place during an interview in the documentary Thug Angel (Life of an Outlaw). She didn't like some things Tupac had to say about her famous dad.

Jim put himself on the line with Pam last year. That didn't work out; he transferred from Scranton. (Who knew that the Stamford office would also be full of loonies? But that only makes it more credible that either branch might be the one forced to close.)

Kudos to the writers for finding a way to put off the number one killer of sitcoms -- the hooking-up of long-unconsummated lovers. Jim appears to be the guy in the office who can't get through the tedium of a day without a little sexual tension. Who can blame him, when the other choices are pushing paper products or team-building exercises gone wild?