sit down shut up

• At 7, ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos, followed by new episodes of Extreme Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.
  
• CBS has a new 60 Minutes at 7, then new episodes of The Amazing Race, Cold Case, and The Unit.
  
• NBC has a new, two-hour Dateline at 7, then a new Celebrity Apprentice.
• At 8, FOX has a new Simpsons, followed by new episodes of Sit Down, Shut Up, Family Guy, and American Dad.
• TV Land has The TV Land Awards at 8.
• ESPN has the Red Sox/Yankees game at 8.
• TNT has the Trail Blazers/Rockets game at 8.
• HBO has a new No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency at 8, then two new episodes of In Treatment.
• There's a new Challenge on Food Network at 8, followed by a new Iron Chef America.
• At 9, PBS has a new Masterpiece Theater.
• USA has a new Law and Order: CI at 9, then a new In Plain Sight.
• Showtime has a new episode of The Tudors at 9, followed by a new Tracey Ullman's State of the Union.
• GSN has a new High Stakes Poker at 9.
• G4 has a new G4 Underground at 9.
• Also at 9: MTV has a new Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory, followed by new episodes of Bully Beatdown and Nitro Circus.
• At 10, AMC has a new Breaking Bad.
• At 11:45, Cartoon Network has a new Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
• At 1AM, Cartoon Network has a new Mighty Boosh.

Check your local TV listings for more.

I know that only one episode of Sit Down, Shut Up has aired, but I'm not sure if I can get into it. I hate the way it's filmed (often real backgrounds with animation upfront) and, well, it's not that funny. I think I laughed 1 1/2 times during the first episode. Anyway, here's a sneak peek at Sunday's episode. Warning: features the most offensive men's room hand dryer you've ever seen.

[via Pop Candy]

What do you call an animated show whose premiere is sandwiched between two other highly-rated animated shows yet still manages to be third in its timeslot? You could call it a lot of things. You could call it "poor" or "slow". You know what I call it? A one-season show.

Seriously, I watched the premiere of Sit Down, Shut Up (and it was reviewed here on TV Squad), and while I thought some bits were funny, I don't see it lasting more than a season on Fox, if that. This is a network that is quick to pull the plug on many quirky shows (including Hurwitz's previous work, Arrested Development).

I could be wrong. Arrested Development lasted three seasons and animated shows are only a fraction of the budget of live-action ones. If his last show is any indicator, Sit Down, Shut Up is probably one of those shows that rewards loyal viewers with various Easter eggs and hidden double-meanings. Hopefully Fox will give it time.

(S01E01) I still stand behind the early look of Sit Down, Shut Up I did a few days ago: the pilot was underwhelming. For everything that works about it, there seem to be at least two things that don't. However, before I did this review, I decided to watch the pilot again, so it would be fresh in my mind. What I found is that the show definitely grows on you.

While I didn't really laugh at all the first time through, re-watching it allowed me to pick up on some of the more subtle things that I missed. That, combined with the fact that I've seen the second episode, which is much better, really made me appreciate this episode more.

• At 7, ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos.
• CBS has a new 60 Minutes at 7, then a new Amazing Race and the movie The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler.
  
• NBC has the Miss USA 2009 Pageant at 7, followed by a new Celebrity Apprentice.
• At 8, FOX has a new Simpsons, then the series premiere of Sit Down, Shut Up and new episodes of Family Guy and American Dad.
• There's a new Challenge on Food Network at 8.
• ABC Family has the movie My Fake Fiance at 8.
• Also at 8: HBO has a new No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, followed by two new episodes of In Treatment.
• At 8:30, Disney has a new Wizards of Waverly Place.
• At 9, ABC has a new Desperate Housewives, then a new Brothers & Sisters.
• PBS has a new Masterpiece Classic at 9.
• USA has the season premiere of Law and Order: CI at 9, then the season premiere of In Plain Sight.
• GSN has a new High Stakes Poker at 9.
• Nickelodeon has a new Nick News at 9.
• G4 has a new G4 Underground at 9.
• Showtime has a new episode of The Tudors at 9, then a new Tracey Ullman's State of the Union.
• At 10, AMC has a new Breaking Bad.
• At 11:45, Cartoon Network has a new Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
• At 1am, Cartoon Network has a new Mighty Boosh.

Check your local TV listings for more.

'Sit Down, Shut Up'
(Sun., 8:30PM, Fox) series premiere
It's not the return of 'Arrested Development,' but there are plenty of familiar voices in this new 'toon from 'Arrested' creator Mitch Hurwitz.

The show revolves around the wacky faculty members of Knob Haven High, a northeast high school with money issues, ornery students and teachers with plenty of angst of their own.

Among them: Will Arnett as bodybuilder/English teacher Ennis Hofftard, Jason Bateman as gym teacher Larry Littlejunk, Kenan Thompson as Principal Sue Sezno (who always "says no"), Will Forte as Vice Principal Proszakian, who uses the drugs he confiscates from students' lockers, and Henry Winkler as suicidal German teacher Mr. Deutschebog.

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who has been breathlessly anticipating Sit Down, Shut Up (premiering on FOX Sunday at 8:30 PM ET), the newest series from Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz. SDSU is an animated series based on a live-action Australian show by the same name. It follows a group of under-performing teachers at a Florida high school.

The teachers are all flaky, disinterested in their students, and with the exception of Larry Littlejunk (Jason Bateman), highly under-qualified for their positions. An example? Miracle Grohe (Kristen Chenoweth), the science teacher, beat Larry out of the job by stripping off all her clothes and yelling, "I ain't come from no monkey!"

The humor manages to be both broad and subtle at the same time, much in the way Arrested Development managed to be. However, though Bateman himself calls this show an animated version of AD, that's overstating it a bit. Sit Down, Shut Up, is more like Arrested Development's annoying younger brother.

I don't know about you guys, but I've been super-excited about the premiere of Mitch Hurwitz's new animated show, Sit Down, Shut Up. It seems like I've been hearing about it forever, but it finally premieres this Sunday night on Fox. Recently, the screener came up for grabs, so naturally I jumped at it. What I didn't realize is that I would be getting the whole press kit with it.

All press kits are not created equal: I'd definitely enjoy a talking Barney bobblehead from How I Met Your Mother, but a busted picture of Eliza Dushku's face from Dollhouse really wouldn't do a whole lot for me. The press kit for Sit Down, Shut Up is kind of low-rent, but it is for a Mitch Hurwitz show on FOX. The low-rated Arrested Development didn't exactly make FOX a boatload of cash while it aired, so they're probably waiting to see how the ratings go for this one before they shell out any more dough on fancy tschotkes for the press.

The fact that Will Arnett may not actually be the father of wife Amy Poehler's baby is just one of the shocking tidbits you learn from Jason Bateman on the soundstage for Sit Down, Shut Up, Mitch Hurwitz's upcoming animated comedy in which he and Arnett both lend their voices. We heard about the mini Arrested Development reunion almost a year ago, and while the series doesn't premiere until April 19th, FOX has given us a taste of what to expect.

The video is great because it's not even a preview of the show, nor does it talk about the animated series in any way. Instead, it's three minutes of Jason Bateman and Will Arnett talking about height, "hair hats" man boobs, and intelligence (or lack thereof). It's blatently aimed at rabid, drooling Arrested Development fans who are clamoring for any smidgen of a hint of the show's former glory-- and it works.

The long, drawn-out cancellation of Arrested Development was one of television's greatest crimes against humanity. It ranks right up there with the approval of a new Knight Rider when the original was already one too many, the spinoff Baywatch Nights, and the made-for-TV movie Knight Rider 2000. That's right, I just hassled the Hoff. If any of you want a piece of me, I also come with a side of "whoop-ass."

But with the Arrested Development movie clawing its way inch-by-inch towards the big screen, Mitchell Hurwitz will at least have one other project on the horizon and on the very same network that tried to destroy him. Either he's showing he's a good guy and can take rejection in stride, or he's trying to bring down the place from the inside. You make the call.

Fox announced that Hurwitz's new show, Sit Down, Shut Up, will air sometime next fall. Critics also got an advance screening at the Television Critics Association conference last week.

With the new year comes a whole new batch of shows to watch -- everything from Whitney's big move to 'The City' to Edie Falco's big return to primetime.

Think your DVR can handle it all?

Check out our guide to what's new in midseason and see what everyone will be talking about in 2009.

Between the sessions for So You Think You Can Dance and Fringe, FOX Entertainment president Kevin Reilly happily took answers from the gathered critics. Perhaps the most interesting piece of news he unleashed on us was that the network is officially going to have two development seasons: the traditional one that ends in May with the upfronts, and a new one that ends in December, which will position the network to air pilots in the January/February time frame, a time Reilly called the network's "high season." (Which it is, of course, given the presence of the BCS and American Idol).

In fact, Reilly has eight pilots currently in development for consideration in December, far more than he had for this past May, due to the writers' strike and other reasons. Other interesting bits after the jump.

And you thought that all that business with the WGA strike was over.

The writers for the new animated FOX show Sit Down, Shut Up have walked out, saying they were misled by Sony Pictures. They thought that under the agreement reached a few months ago they would be represented by the Writer's Guild of America but Sony actually has them covered under the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Under their rules, writers don't get all those things they fought for, including new media (online, DVD, etc) money or even residuals.

FOX announced its plans for the 2008-2009 season today. Here are the highlights:

Returning: The Moment of Truth, So You Think You Can Dance, The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, American Idol, America's Most Wanted, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Bones, Cops, Don't Forget the Lyrics!, Hell's Kitchen, House, King of the Hill, Kitchen Nightmares, MADtv, The Moment of Truth, Prison Break, Talkshow with Spike Feresten, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, 'Til Death

Out: Back To You, Canterbury's Law, K-Ville, Nashville, New Amsterdam, Next Great American Band, Return of Jezebel James, Unhitched

New: Sit Down, Shut Up; The Cleveland Show; Dollhouse (Midseason); Fringe; Do Not Disturb (formerly The Inn); Secret Millionaire (Midseason)

Schedule and detailed descriptions of the new shows after the jump.

Ok, it is after midnight here in the Jet City, and as I sit down to bang this post out on my beloved Model M it would appear that my tasty glass of juice is half empty. Maybe I'm just not in the right frame of mind to spin this news in a positive direction that will lead to a 2009 full of Dollhouse win.

Tucked away in a report on various network goings on over at Hollywood Reporter is a little line that says "Dollhouse is expected to launch mid-season." This is me shaking my fist in the general direction of Fox and screaming "Khaaaaan!" Just, because. Doesn't this seem like a road that has been traveled before? It's one that usually leads to a pretty disappointing destination. We haven't seen the finished fall schedule yet, but I would wager that most of us could easily find three or four hours where the network would be better served by inserting Dollhouse. Highlights of what the networks have planned are available after the jump.