After lying and cheating his way through 151 episodes as the hit Fox series MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE as second-to-eldest brother Reese, Justin Berfield is in the midst of his biggest scheme to date, a second act.

Yes, rather than head off into obscurity, or worse the tabloids, this grizzled Hollywood veteran who has been working since the age of five is back on FOX, but this time, behind the camera as one of the executive producers behind SONS OF TUCSON.

“I went through life never thinking I was better than anyone or I deserved more than anyone else.” said Berfield, who credits his parents and the family-like atmosphere on the set of MALCOLM for keeping his head on straight. “From day one, there was the idea that actings is a job. Enjoy it, but you’re just like any other kid.”

Well, maybe not just like any other other kid.

After-all, there probably aren’t too many kids not named Ron Howard who parlayed multiple hit television shows (UNHAPPILY EVER AFTER and MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE) into a successful production company.

“I was fortunate enough to start young and not worrying about, but think about my future,” explained the surprisingly down-to-earth Berfield on a recent one-on-one with the TV Addict during January’s Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasedna . “I was constantly on the set [of MALCOLM] thinking of ideas and submitting them to Linwood [Creator Linwood Boomer] and Todd [Holland]”

Questions, ideas and relationship which would come in handy less than five years later when Berfield alongside his J2 Productions partner Jason Felts dropped by Holland’s house to pitch an idea for a half-hour comedy about three wealthy brothers who must hire-a-dad (Tyler Labine) while their real-life father is in prison serving time for some white collar crime.

“It was a good script, I read it and was entertained. Half hours are tough, a lot of them aren’t funny,” explained Holland on his first reaction to reading the script. “Tommy [Dewey] and Greg [Bratman] wrote a very verbal pilot, there wasn’t a lot of action and schtick like MALCOLM, it was about characters, repartee and dialogue. I really thought it was a fun idea and liked the world.”

A world that will soon find itself inhabited by a familiar face when Berfield comes full circle, and once again steps in front of the camera to guest in TUCSON’s season finale.

Promised Berflield, “I play a neighbourhood bully that never quite grew up and still lives at home with his mom. It was a fun nod to all the fans to MALCOLM who hopefully will watching our show.”

SONS OF TUCSON airs Sundays at 9:30PM on FOX (Thursdays at 9:30PM on GlobalTV in Canada Starting April 8th)

Photo Credit: Mike Leland/PictureGroup

Just what does FOX’s latest attempt at live-action comedy success have in common with a 200-million dollar 10-part HBO miniseries? Perhaps a little more than you might think! See for yourself after the jump.

Move over Atticus Shaffer, there’s a new kid in town.

Meet Frank Dolce. Who after spending almost a year stealing scenes playing Michael, the titular character’s sidekick in the Tony Award winning musical Billy Elliot, can soon be seen in FOX’s newest comedy SONS OF TUCSON.

Revolving around the Gunderson family, Dolce plays know-it-all-middle-son Gary, who along with his older brother Brandon (Matthew Levy) and younger brother Robby (Benjamin Stockham) concoct a scheme to ‘hire’ a dad (Tyler Labine) when their real one is sent to prison.

“Frank was actually the first named mentioned,” explained executive producer Todd Holland of his young star. “In their interview to be hired, [Casting Directors] Nikki Vallo and Ken Miller said ‘We just came back from Broadway, saw Billy Elliot and Frank Dolce was amazing, he’d be great as Gary.’ It really was destiny.”

A destiny that Dolce is only too happy to be apart of.

“People would recognize me in Manhattan, but some people don’t even know where Broadway is,” said Dolce when asked if it was a difficult choice to move from the glitz and glamour of Broadway to, well, the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. “I think television is definitely a step up for me, exposure wise.”

And if it’s exposure Dolce seeks, he certainly couldn’t have picked a better situation. Set to premiere on March 14 following a brand new episode of FAMILY GUY, FOX has been heavily promoting SONS OF TUCSON during that little reality show called AMERICAN IDOL in the hopes of replicating the kind of live-action-comedic success that has alluded the network since the days of MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE. A show which Dolce should be intimately familiar with considering TUCSON was the brainchild of none other than MALCOLM’s oldest brother Justin Berfield (Reese), who at the ripe old age of twenty-two has quietly carved out a successful producing career as one half of J2Pictures.

And just what advice has Dolce, a relative Hollywood neophyte received from his veteran producer? Not as much as you might think.

“He’s a little shy sometimes,” said the actor of Berfield. “But he guest stars in one of the episodes and when he steps in front of the camera, he is so upbeat and has so much energy.”

An issue that doesn’t seem to plague the well-spoken thirteen-year-old actor, who not only has his ‘why-you-should-watch-my-show’ pitch down to an exact science (“There’s something for everyone! Tyler [Labine] appeals to the adults and teenagers and kids can relate to mine and Matthew and Benjamin’s characters”), but cleverly employs a Super Mario analogy to explain the differences between acting in theater and television.

“With so much singing and dancing, theater is more physically demanding. And if you make a mistake, the show must go on, you just have to keep going through the maze collecting as many points as you can,” shared Dolce. “Whereas with television, you know where all the coins are, so when you go back through the maze [to do another take] you get everything. That’s the great thing about the show, there is such benefit to be given that extra take.”

Even if we can’t actually fathom this kid needing one.

SONS OF TUCSON premieres on Sunday March 14 on FOX at 9:30PM (March 11 at 9:30PM on GlobalTV in Canada)

For years, New York Theatergoers have bemoaned the invasion of television stars and reality TV castoffs that have become ubiquitous on Broadway marquees. From the likes of ex-IDOL’s such as Clay Aiken (Spamalot) and Josh Strickland (Tarzan) to many of our favorite TV stars such as GILMORE GIRLS’ Lauren Graham (Guys and Dolls) and GREY’S ANATOMY’s Chandra Wilson (Chicago) savvy Broadway producers have learned all to well that nothing sells tickets like the phrase, “as seen on TV.”

That said, a funny thing happened to this TV Addict as he started watching sneak peaks of what will soon be some of your favorite new Fall shows. We began to notice that the times, well, they are a changin’ And this fall, some of Broadway’s best and brightest will becoming not to a theater, but rather a small screen near you (and no, we’re not just talking about virtually the entire cast of GLEE which include the remarkable talents of Lea Michele (Spring Awakening), Jenna Ushkowitz (Spring Awakening) and Matthew Morrison (Hairspray)) Here are three actors who this fall will have traded Broadway in for the sunny beaches of Hollywood California.

Meet Graham Phillips, who at sixteen years old not only has a Steve Carell movie to his credit (Evan Almighty) but has parlayed a lead in the now-defunct Jason Robert Brown musical Thirteen into a supporting role as Julianna Margulies computer-savvy son in the upcoming CBS’ drama THE GOOD WIFE.

Frank Dolce may have lost out on a Tony nomination for his show-stopping-stand-on-your-feet-and-cheer turn as Michael in the Award Winning Broadway Musical BILLY ELLIOT, but don’t cry for him. Seriously. His ‘consolation’ prize is a starring role as the pivotal middle son (think a less geeky Malcolm, from MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE) in FOX’s soon to be hit mid-season comedy SONS OF TUCSUN.

And finally, there’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Who after his under-appreciated CBS sitcom THE CLASS got dismissed and audiences decided to take the title of his follow-up FOX sitcom DO NOT DISTURB literally, has landed — much like the character he originated in the hilarious Broadway spelling bee send-up The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee — on his feet in what we’re already ready to proclaim is the funniest new comedy of the season. Playing one half of an out and proud couple in ABC’s MODERN FAMILY, we hope Ferguson picked up a thing or two from his time on Broadway and knows how to spell E-M-M-Y-N-O-M-I-N-A-T-I-O-N.

You’ve read his take on the most promising fall shows and least promising ones. Now, in what we promise is our final look back at the Network’s UpFront offerings comes our very own Ken Tucker in-training Aleks Chan, with a look at the shows that fall somewhere in-between.

ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE (CBS)
After the horridly ill-conceived COURTING ALEX, Jenna Elfman returns to the small screen as Billie, a San Francisco film critic who hooks up with a younger guy and – surprise – gets pregnant. Pregnancy as a premise hasn’t always worked, and the clips don’t really provide much hope that AOP will be any different, but Elfman is one deft comedienne, so if anything, it’ll be tolerable. 

EASTWICK (ABC)
Also known as Charmed Lipstick Housewives and the City. Based on the John Updike novel about three women (Lindsay Price, Rebecca Romijn, and Jamie Ray Newman) who are imbued with magical powers, it looks as tawdry and superfluous as I remember CHARMED ever was – not that there’s anything wrong with that.  

FLASH FORWARD (ABC)
Everyone in the world blacks out at the exact same time and for the same duration, during which they see a few minutes into their futures. The preview opened with a “From the network that brought you LOST,” which only prompted the following afterwards: this is going to be convoluted, tricky show, and if they don’t do it right, will be painful to traverse.  

THE GOOD WIFE (CBS)
Julianna Margulies plays victimized really well, so it should suit her well in this drama where she plays the wife of a politician (Chris Noth, very much channeling Mr. Big) who takes after Eliot Spitzer, forcing her to return to her work as a lawyer after taking 13 years off. As long as they don’t fall into a procedural trap, could be a rich piece of drama.  

HUMAN TARGET (FOX)
Mark Valley stars in this adaptation of the DC Comic, about a private investigator/bodyguard who works by impersonating people close to his clients. A lot of explosions and running around in the trailer – could be campy fun as long as it keeps itself from going too far over the top.  

MERCY (NBC) 
It’s the GREY’S ANATOMY spin-off nobody asked for: a hospital drama about “feisty” and “complicated” nurses who can save others, but can barely save themselves. The cast (which includes newcomer Taylor Schilling, MEN IN TREES’ James Tupper and GOSSIP GIRL’s Michelle Trachtenberg) could save it from being utterly insufferable.  

NCIS: LOS ANGELES (CBS)
The first of what I expect to be many spin-offs of the popular procedural that everyone seems to be watching but not talking about. The backdoor pilot already aired a few weeks back on NCIS, and looks to be about the same: the cast (which includes Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J) is perfectly capable, the stories nice and easy, and the tensions is about as tight as seatbelt – comfortable. It’s perfectly harmless TV. That’s either good or bad, depending on how old you are.  

PARENTHOOD (NBC) 
Based on the 1989 Ron Howard film starring Steve Martin and Dianne Wiest, it sounds exactly like what it’s about, and marks NBC’s second attempt to launch this series, its previous foray having been swiftly cancelled in 1990 (but coincidentally starred a then unknown Leo DiCaprio). This one looks more promising (and stars Peter Krause and Maura Tierney), if a bit of a BROTHERS & SISTERS knockoff.  

SONS OF TUCSON (FOX)
Tyler Labine (REAPER) plays oafish sporting goods store employee Ron Snuffkin, who is hired by three boys to play their father after their own is sent to jail. Also reminds me of MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE (appropriately seeing how MITM’s Todd Holland directed the pilot), it will be entirely up to Labine, who’s shown his comedic chops before, to keep interest from waning.

THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE (THE CW)
I don’t why the CW didn’t just call it a MODELS INC. remake, because it’s essentially what THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE is: Pretty young models livin’ really hard, really expensive lives, except this time in New York.

THE CLEVELAND SHOW (FOX)
FAMILY GUY’s brand of irreverent, arbitrary, largely childish humor looks as if it will serve this spin-off well. Starring the otherwise harmless second banana Cleveland Brown, it follows him and his son as they start their new life with their new family. Just like FG, you’ll laugh, but it will probably be twice as empty.

GLEE
According to the official FOX description: After a special preview event airing tomorrow, Tuesday, May 19, GLEE, the distinctive new comedy from Ryan Murphy (NIP/TUCK) starring Jane Lynch (The 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN) and newcomers Matthew Morrison (Broadway’s “Hairspray”), Lea Michele (“Spring Awakening”) and Cory Monteith (KYLE XY), will enter its freshman year this fall. Combining biting humor with a soundtrack of hit music from past to present, the inventive series follows an optimistic high school teacher who – against all odds – attempts to restore McKinley High’s fading Glee Club to its former glory, while helping a group of underdogs realize their true star potential.

According to the TV Addict: We’re GLEE-ful in anticipation. So much so that you’ll definitely want to return to theTVaddict.com tomorrow… trust us.

BROTHERS
According to the official FOX description: Starring Michael Strahan (FOX NFL SUNDAY) and Daryl “Chill” Mitchell (ED, VERONICA’S CLOSET), BROTHERS is a new half-hour comedy about a former NFL hot shot who learns that even though you can always go home again, the trip back might be tougher than you think….

According to the TV Addict: And a whole lot less funny that we were hoping. Which is a shame because not only are we rooting for Daryl “Chill” Mitchell from his ED and VERONICA’S CLOSET days, it’s awfully refreshing to see a comedy on network television that doesn’t revolve around a bunch of skinny white people.

HUMAN TARGET
According to the official FOX description: HUMAN TARGET is a full-throttle, action-packed thrill ride from executive producers McG (TERMINATOR: SALVATION) and Simon West (CON AIR, TOMB RAIDER). Based on the popular DC Comics graphic novel and starring Mark Valley (FRINGE), Chi McBride (PUSHING DAISIES) and Academy Award nominee Jackie Earle Haley (“Watchmen”), the series follows CHRISTOPHER CHANCE (Valley), a unique private contractor who will stop at nothing – even if it means becoming a human target – to keep his clients alive.

According to the TV Addict: We’ve already marked our calendar for the January 17 (2010!) premiere, thanks to FOX’s choice of human targets. Mark Valley, Chi McBride, Jackie Earle Haley and Tricia Helfer (Who does a bang-up job of guesting in the series premiere). Talk about your casting call, mission accomplished.

THE CLEVELAND SHOW
According to the official FOX description: THE CLEVELAND SHOW is a new animated series that follows everyone’s favorite soft-spoken neighbor, CLEVELAND BROWN (Mike Henry), to his hometown in Virginia as he settles down with his high school sweetheart, her unruly kids and his own 14-year-old son, CLEVELAND JR. (Kevin Michael Richardson).

According to this TV Addict: Considering we pause our PVR/DVR to watch Seth MacFarlane shill for hulu.com, the chances that we’ll be missing THE CLEVELAND SHOW are about as good as Meg’s chances of being voted prom queen.

SONS OF TUCSUN
According to the official FOX description: In the tradition of MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE and THE BERNIE MAC SHOW, SONS OF TUCSON is a family comedy about three brothers who hire a charming, wayward schemer to stand in as their father when their real one goes to prison. What begins as a business relationship evolves into something more complex and compelling: a family unlike any we’ve ever seen….

According to this TV Addict: … Unless of course you’ve seen MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, which let’s face it, TUSCAN bares an eery similarity to. Luckily for FOX, we kinda dug MALCOLM and so did America. Which is why we’re not about to crown Tyler Labine the new “show-killer” just yet (RIP: REAPER and INVASION)

PAST LIFE
According to the official FOX description: Have you ever experienced déjà vu or met someone you thought seemed familiar? Do you believe in karma, fate or love at first sight? From writer David Hudgins (“Friday Night Lights”), and inspired by the book “The Reincarnationist” by M.J. Rose, comes PAST LIFE, a new drama series about an unlikely pair of past-life detectives who investigate whether what is happening to you today is the result of who you were before.

According to this TV Addict: This show belongs on CBS. ‘Nuff said.

THE WANDA SYKES SHOW
According to the official FOX description: On Saturday, Nov. 7 (11:00 PM-Midnight ET/PT), late night will never be the same when Emmy Award winner Wanda Sykes returns to FOX to host THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (working title). The irreverent Saturday late-night series will feature Sykes’ outspoken comedic perspective on current events along with topical, high-energy roundtable discussions.

According to this TV Addict: Where Wanda goes, we will follow.