Any scoop on Sunday’s episode of THE GOOD WIFE?
The TV Addict: Having recently had the pleasure of sneaking a peek at Sunday’s episode (And yes, we’re well aware how awesome our job can be!) we can assure you that this weekends much-anticipated return of hit CBS series is sooooooo worth the wait. And while we’re not about to spoil the outcome of Wendy Scott-Carr’s increasingly intrusive investigation into Will Gardner’s on court activities, we will alert you to the fact that sparks will fly. Specifically between Alicia and Peter, who have exchange so tense, it would make Jackie blush! Also of note for fans of Archie Panjabi is a confrontation between Kalinda and Monica Raymond’s Dana that gets a little physical. Read into that what you will.

Cannot express how pleased I was to see theTVaddict.com jump on the SWITCHED AT BIRTH bandwagon earlier in the week. Gushing aside, any clues as to how serious Daphne and Wilke are going to get?
The TV Addict: Serious enough that the sources close to the production have let it slip that Producers are currently on the lookout for an actor to play Wilke’s dad! That’s the good news. With the bad news beings that whomever snags the part of Wilke’s dad may very soon be on the receiving end of a very upsetting phone call. Gulp!

Please tell me you know how Rachel is going to respond to Finn’s proposal on GLEE?
The TV Addict: While we’re not about to pretend we know the outcome of Finn’s proposal on GLEE, we do know what will complicated things: The Tuesday January 31st episode that will see both Kurt and Rachel hear about their applications to the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts. Double Gulp!

According to a recent tweet of yours, you recently had the opportunity to talk to GLEE’s Vanessa Lengies. Did she happen to spill anything about a possible Sugar/Artie hookup?
The TV Addict: Interestingly enough, she did. But rather than listen to us blabber on wouldn’t you much prefer to hear from the source of the information herself? Said Lengies, in a full interview that we’ll be sharing next Tuesday on theTVaddict.com, “In the episode that just aired they had to cut a scene at the end which was kind of like an Artie/Sugar cliffhanger, so stay tuned.”

Seeing as though I remain completely freaked out by Monday’s episode of ALCATRAZ, I was hoping you could prepare me for some of the insane baddies we can expect tosee pop up in upcoming episodes.
The TV Addict: While you’ll be happy to know that Monday’s criminal of the week will be far less cringeworthy than last Monday’s uber-creepy child killer. Odds are you’ll be slightly less than excited to learn that this Monday’s Bank robber Cal Sweeney will be played by none a ROOKIE BLUE gone bad Eric Johnson (Pictured below).

With the return of DEGRASSI just around the corner, I was hoping you had some intel to share on what fans might expect.
The TV Addict: With DEGRASSI having finished completed shooting their season quite some time ago, the only thing we really have to share is a ridiculous vague tease from Executive Producer/Director Stefan Brogren who had this to say during our recent visit to the set of THE L.A. COMPLEX, “One of your favorite characters is going to turn out to be not such a nice person.”

Is there any truth to the rumor that Fiona gets knocked up on SHAMELESS this season?
The TV Addict: No! That said, we can assure you that one beloved denizen of the South Side will very soon be eating for two. What’s more, she won’t be the only one harboring a secret as evidence by Steve’s unexpected return that brings with him an entirely new set of complications.

Is Monday’s episode of HOUSE really as big a deal as my Twitter feed is making it seem?
The TV Addict: Considering it’s not everyday that executive producer/director Greg Yaitanes takes the time to email select members of the media with a personal note expressing that the Monday February 6th episode entitled is “the work I am most proud of in my 16 years on the floor directing television,” we’re going to go out on a limb and say yes! What’s that… still not convinced? Yaitanes continues, “Jeffrey Wright (“The Ides of March”) is the guest star and is at the heart of our episode as the arbiter of House’s fate. Watching him and Hugh Laurie work is how I imagine the Gehrig/Ruth Yankees must have been to watch play. They spend the episode across the table from each other and their work is substantial. “Nobody’s Fault” is written by Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner and David Foster, who also wrote “House’s Head” in Season Four that I was fortunate to direct. We’ve created something very special to us – something important to the story fate of the show and something that we are excited to share.”

Some HAPPY ENDINGS scoop would make me really happy.
The TV Addict: Well consider today your lucky day, because we just stumbled across a first look photo of James Wolk’s (RIP LONE STAR) upcoming guest appearance as Max’s “perfect” boyfriend Grant from the February 15th episode appropriately titled, “Everybody Loves Grant.” Enjoy.

THE GOOD WIFE isn’t going anywhere
Bad news for those of you who can’t seem to remember to program your DVR/PVR properly, NFL overruns are here to stay. Which is to say, CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler is very happy with the performance of THE GOOD WIFE on Sunday nights. “We do hear from a lot of viewers about the overruns, but that means we have a very passionate and engaged audience,” Said Tassler of the NFL’s penchant for playing havoc with fan’s attempting to record the show. ” says of the fall NFL impact on THE GOOD WIFE. “The show feels like a better fit on Sunday night. More importantly, the audience that does watch the show on Sunday is more upscale, more female and very engaged.”

2 BROKE GIRLS to remain broken
Or at least that was our big takeaway from Tassler’s response to a question on the topic of the somewhat less than stellar supporting cast surrounding the 2 BROKE GIRLS’ hilarious Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs. “We have a really great working relationship with Michael [Showrunner Michael Patrick King].” Sighting THE BIG BANG THEORY as an example of a show that took a little time to flesh out a comedy’s supporting cast, “They’re [referring to the writers] equal opportunity offenders.”

PERSON OF INTEREST to get more even more interesting
Despite characterizing her feelings with regards to the performance of PERSON OF INTEREST as “extremely pleased,” Tassler did admit to a little Network meddling when it came to the contribution (or lack thereof) of Taraji P. Henson’s character Carter. To the point that the Network had a very “creative” meeting with Showrunner Jonah Nolan requesting that his plan to bring Carter into the Reese/Finch fold be sped up to midseason. Said Tassler, “We feel that that was a key ingredient to really letting the show build and expand.”

THE GOOD WIFE (CBS)
Since previous “Best Ofs” have already seen us shine the spotlight on the crackling chemistry that comes hand-in-hand with THE GOOD WIFE’s all-star ensemble and roster of guest stars that reads like a “Who’s Who” of Broadway, we thought we’d take this opportunity to highlight something slightly less sexy about the show that good doesn’t even begin to describe. Once thought of as the show’s achilles heel, this year saw the legal drama raise the bar on the courtroom aspect of the series thanks to sharply written and thought provoking case-of-the-weeks whose interest — unlike many shows of the same ilk — often rival that of the relationship melodrama outside of the courtroom.

GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
Complete with epic battles, copious amounts of sex and violence, and a level of storytelling so ambitious it’s almost more befitting the big screen than that of the small, HBO’s adaptation of George R.R. Martin epic fantasy series GAME OF THRONES didn’t just live up to the hype, it surpassed it. And in doing so reaffirmed HBO’s long-dormant mantra, “It’s not TV, it’s HBO.” Indeed.

PARKS AND RECREATION (NBC)
As if season after season of consistently delivering laughs thanks to an all-star ensemble and all-too-frequent phenomenal guest cast isn’t reason enough to extol the virtues of one of the best comedies you’re not watching, this season of PARKS AND RECREATION solidified its spot amongst our all-time favorites (see: FRIENDS, FRASIER) thanks to three important factors: 1) More romance (Amy Poehler and Adam Scott give adorkable NEW GIRL Zooey Deschanel a run for her money). 2) More Aziz Ansari (RIP Entertainment 7Twenty). And 3) Even more heart, culminating in the recent midseason finale that had Leslie’s entire staff pledging their allegiance to her campaign in an emotionally poignant moment reminiscent of THE WEST WING’s “I serve at the pleasure of the President.”

PARENTHOOD (NBC)
For every Showrunner and Network Executive that spent the better part of the last year losing sleep over the idea that the coming together of two popular television characters means the death of drama (Yes, we’re talking to you, fine folks involved with BONES and CASTLE), we respectively present our rebuttal in the form of the entire extended Braverman family. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll surely join us in scratching your head over why more people aren’t watching the remarkably acted and beautifully written family drama that is NBC’s PARENTHOOD.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (NBC)
After almost five seasons of near flawlessness, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS ran out the clock with a win so big we’re still reeling from the emotional satisfaction that came from a beautiful football-free final montage befitting a series that was about so much more than what happened on any given Sunday. Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.

HOMELAND (Showtime)
If Showtime’s spy-tastic new thriller HOMELAND proved anything, well aside from the undeniable awesomeness of stars Claire Danes and Damien Lewis, it’s that less is indeed more. Not saddled with the Kiefer Sutherland thriller’s twenty-four episode per season time constraint that generally amounted to an explosive start and finish to every season marred by an extraneous middle padded with silly story lines (Think: Elisha Cuthbert and a cougar trap!), HOMELAND’s 13 episode cable-sized season was just right. And by “just right’ we of course mean jam-packed with a seemingly never-ending number of twists and turns that had us questioning motives of an ever-expanding roster of morally dubious characters up until the very moment the final episode’s credits rolled.

HAPPY ENDINGS (ABC)
Since we’ve already gone on record in heralding HAPPY ENDINGS as quite possibly the funniest series since that show about that coffee addicted gang from Central Perk, we’ll simply say this: The only thing that makes us happier than getting to revel in the misadventures of Eliza Coupe, Elisha Cuthbert, Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, Damon Wayans Jr and Casey Wilson on a week-in-and-week-out-basis is the idea that— thanks to a surprising second season uptick in ratings — we’ll be getting to do so for many seasons to come.

PERSON OF INTEREST (CBS)
What PERSON OF INTEREST may lack in verbiage from its somewhat emotionless leading former military man that is Jim Caviezel’s mysterious John Reese, it more than makes up for thanks to showrunner Jonathan Nolan. The immensely talented storyteller (See writing credits that include: The Dark Knight, The Prestige and Memento), who in teaming up Reese with the equally mysterious multimillionaire Harold Finch (LOST’s Michael Emerson) and Cops Carter (Tarjai P. Henson) and Fusco (Kevin Chapman) has quietly created the superhero television series television genre fans so richly deserve.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (CBS)
Despite the fact that we continue to be vocal about the decisive lack of movement on the mother of all mysteries, we feel that it’s important to note when it comes to HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER that we chastise because we love. Oh, and did we mention we’re not alone? Almost unheard of in this modern 500 channel universe, our infatuation with this hilarious and heartwarming series continues to grow along with… drumroll please… the show’s audience! In other-words, co–creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas must be doing something right.

DOWNTON ABBEY (PBS)
Move over MELROSE PLACE, television scandal has a new address! The place: Victorian England. The Time: Early 20th Century. The Hook: Having recently devoured the entire first season courtesy of Netflix, we find ourselves completely enthralled in the sordid sex-filled scandal-ridden lives of the Crawley family and the staff that serves them. Seriously. You have not lived until you’ve witnesses a dressing down by family matriarch Violet (Dame Maggie Smith).

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
REVENGE (ABC): Aaron Spelling would be proud.
CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM (HBO): Did you see “Palestinian Chicken”?
BONES (FOX): For giving the middle-finger to the MOONLIGHTING Curse!
HART OF DIXIE (CW): Possibly the most delightful small town since Stars Hollow.
RAISING HOPE (FOX): Living under the poverty line hasn’t been this funny since ROSEANNE.
SHAMELESS (Showtime): Thanks to the funniest collection of kids since MODERN FAMILY. Speaking of which…
MODERN FAMILY (ABC): Still undeniably the most consistently funny performer on television.
THE DAILY SHOW/COLBERT REPORT (Comedy): Also known as the silver-lining to the out-and-out insanity that the American political system.
COMMUNITY (NBC): To borrow a line from the dearly departed Steve Jobs, “Here’s to the crazy ones.”
THE MIDDLE (ABC): Now that the entirety of the critic community has jumped on the Heck bandwagon, we’d like to take this opportunity to remind you all that we were there first!
Animation Domination (FOX): This season’s trifecta of Seth MacFarlane shows (FAMILY GUY, AMERICAN DAD, CLEVELAND SHOW) and THE SIMPSONS have been so enjoyable we’re willing to forgive Fox for ALLEN GREGORY.

Related:
• The Top 10 Television Shows of 2011 (A Second Opinion)

This week in Awesome: Not only did PARKS AND RECREATION have Leslie taking a page from FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS’ Coach Eric Taylor (“Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose”) in an effort to inspire the troops, the episode’s final scene that saw her hard-working staff dedicate the next few months of their lives to her election campaign was this close to having us standing up and cheer, “I serve at the pleasure of the President.”

You’re a Mean One, Mr. NBC: Indeed, nothing says cruel and unusual punishment like forcing fans to watch another exemplary episode of COMMUNITY all the while knowing full well that this may be the last time we see it on the air for God knows how long!

Most Controversial Moment: Despite the internet being fiercely divided over this week’s highly contentious episode of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER that removed the possibility of Robin ever having biological children of her very own, there is one thing anyone would be hard-pressed to argue about: Having attracted the show’s highest ratings in two years, the show’s writers must be doing something right.

The Biggest Loser: Judge Nicole Scherzinger, who after crushing the dreams of 14-year old Rachel Crow on Thursday’s edition of THE X FACTOR couldn’t muster even a word or two of an explanation. Weakest link much?

Biggest Head-scratcher: While we’re usually the first to commend those smarter-than-your-average-showrunners over at THE GOOD WIFE for sharp storytelling and believable character development, we feel the need to take them down a peg based on Sunday’s comedy of errors in which daughter Grace was presumed kidnapped having accidentally butt-dialled mother Alicia. To borrow a line from SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’s Seth and Amy, “Butt-dialing… 12 times… Really?”

From the Department of Thou Shalt Covet Objects From Thy Favorite TV Set: Is anyone else obsessed with the Victoria’s Grayson’s mesmerizing black and white chair on REVENGE? Or are you — as you should be — too busy counting down the days until the new season’s guiltiest pleasure returns?

Most Unexpected Moment: Question: When is the only acceptable time for a transgendered person to get into a fight with two grown men? Answer: On Tuesday’s hilarious RAISING HOPE, which now that BETTER OFF TED has been put to bed, is quietly solidifying itself into the funniest show you — yes YOU — aren’t watching.

Occupy Ustream: A company with far too much disposable income on their hand has apparently offered Octomom Nadya Suleman six-figures to star in her own weekly internet show to be broadcast on Ustream.

Adding Insult to Industry: Despite announcing that the incredibly unfunny MAN UP! is being yanked from their schedule, ABC has yet to throw COUGAR TOWN a bone. Deciding instead to fill the space with repeats of Tim Allen’s LAST MAN STANDING. Ouch!

And the Award for the Hardest Working Man in Show Business Goest To…: Mark Pellegrino, who following stints this year on CSI:MIAMI, BEING HUMAN, BREAK OUT KINGS, THE CLOSER, SUPERNATURAL, and LOCK & KEY will end the year by infusing a little ruthlessness into CASTLE’s 1940′s film noir episode. Speaking of which…

Funniest Moment: Five days after the fact, we’re still chuckling over Castle’s suggestion to Beckett that the only way they’re going escape being cuffed together was for her hand to be sawed off 127 Hours-style because “it’s smaller.”

So excited for tonight’s return of BONES. Even more excited for what’s rumored to be an Emmy-worthy episode for David Boreanaz. Anything you care to tease? — Nancy
The TV Addict: As much as I’d love to be able to tease the heartbreaking circumstances that come crashing down on Booth in tonight’s episode that afford David Boreanaz an opportunity to deliver one of his most emotionally impactful performances to date, we’re afraid that to do so would pretty much spoil the episode’s most shocking moment. Cue obligatory ambiguous tease that goes a little something like so: This time, it’s personal.

With all the buzz surrounding Booth, I’m curious if there is anything for us Brennan fans in tonight’s episode of BONES? — Jenn
The TV Addict: Oddly enough, tonight’s episode does an excellent job of highlighting a handful of positives as a result of Brennan’s decreased workload due to Emily Deschanel’s real-life pregnancy. One of which has to do with a hilarious anatomy lesson that Brennan gives Squintern Clark, while another is the return of the always welcome Tina Majorino as Booth’s sidekick Agent Shaw.

Any HAWAII FIVE-0 Scoop? — Jake
The TV Addict: Do you happen to be the parent of a teenager who bares a striking resemblance to a young Alex O’Loughlin? If so the Producers of HAWAII FIVE-0 want to hear from you! Okay, they don’t really want to hear from you, that said, sources have confirmed that they are searching for a young man to play a 16-year old version of McGarrett for a pivotal upcoming episode that will shed some very welcome light on McGarrett’s relationship with his super secretive father.

Does admitting to you that I’m a thirty something gal obsessed with ABC Family’s PRETTY LITTLE LIARS warrant any scoop about the show’s January return? — Brenda
The TV Addict: Indeed it does! And you’ll be happy to know that when the hit ABC Family show returns for the second half of its sizzling second season on January 2nd, it will make up for lost time by delivering an incredibly action-packed episode. Emphasis being on the physical fireworks that doesn’t just go down when Ezra and Aria decide to fess up to Aria’s not-so-receptive parents about their relationship, but also when the girls finally come face-to-face with a certain letter of the alphabet. Suffice it to say, there will be blood. There will also be a long overdue development that may finally give the girls the upper hand in the battle to bring down A!

Now that ONCE UPON A TIME has solidified itself as my favorite new show of the season, I could really use some scoop? — Brandon
The TV Addict: Us to! Unfortunately, co-creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz spent six years learning about the LOST art of secret keeping from Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse so they know a thing… or five about keeping secrets. Which means, all we have to share with you are some brief teases culled from across the internet that has Sunday offering up a very Charming episode that will see our favorite new prince be forced to choose between Mary Margaret and Kathryn. More exciting still, when ONCE closes out the first half of it’s 2011 season, it will do so on a decidedly hopeful note when another resident of StoryBrooke begins to remember his (or her!) fairytale past.

For some inexplicable reason that may-or-may-not have to do with my own insecurities, it would really help me out if you could give me some hope that THE MIDDLE’s Sue Heck will succeed at something, heck, anything this season? — Amy
The TV Addict: First, let us start off my saying that despite the fact that a guy who runs a website called theTVaddict.com should probably not be the one to judge anyone, Sue Heck most definitely should not be the barometer for which you measure your own self worth. That said, if it is, you’ll be happy to learn that your favorite member of the family Heck will be starting off 2012 on the right note when she scores her very first… wait for it… boyfriend! More exciting still, he’s a wrestler named Matt.

Why is 2 BROKE GIRLS not available On Demand? It’s, like, the ONLY show that CBS airs which isn’t. (And no jokes about “because nobody wants to see that sh*t”) — Richie
The TV Addict: Since you already read our mind by offering up a variation of Valerie Cherish’s catch Comeback catchphrase (“I didn’t need to see that”), we’ll forgo the obvious by doing something we rarely do: Offer up actual information. 2 BROKE GIRLS is not available On Demand (or iTunes for that matter) because it’s produced by Warner Bros. Television, which unlike most studios has a tendency to make their comedies appointment viewing. A strategy, which judging from their track record including THE BIG BANG THEORY, TWO AND A HALF MEN and THE MIDDLE is hard to argue with.

As a diehard Ben and Leslie “shipper” on PARKS AND RECREATION, I could really use some reassurance as to just what exactly Leslie’s former boyfriend is doing back in Pawnee? — Bill
The TV Addict: While we’re sure Producers would like you to believe that the very likeable Louis C.K. has come back to Pawnee to drive a wedge between Ben and leslie, we’re talking 47916 (Random Indiana Zip Code) not 90210. Translation: What brings C.K’s Dave Sanderson back into the fold isn’t so much to rekindle a relationship with Leslie, but a job opportunity that will have him interviewing for Pawnee’s Chief of Police.

Can THE GOOD WIFE get any better this season? — Rachel
The TV Addict: Yes. Specifically, this Sunday’s episode that features the return of the duplicitously delicious Michael J. Fox as Alicia’s legal nemesis Louis Canning (A first look of which we’ve handily posted below)

Since getting her start in television and movies at the not-so-tender age of 43, one might say that actress Mary Beth Peil has spent the better part of the past two decades making up for lost time. How else to explain the fact that when she isn’t busy stealing scenes as Jackie Florrick in THE GOOD WIFE as what the actress herself characterizes as a “Mamma Grizzly” to son Peter Florrick and grand-children Zach and Grace, she can be found on stage eight shows a week belting music from Stephen Sondheim’s Follies. But just what is life like juggling Broadway with one of televisions most addictive dramas and is there any hope that Jackie and daughter-in-law Alicia will ever see eye-to-eye? We recently had the pleasure of catching up with Peil to find out just that. See for yourself after the jump.

Having spent the majority of your career in theater what was the impetus for transitioning to film and television?
Mary Beth Peil: The first twenty years of my life were spent on stage, but I was an opera singer. So the first conscious decision was when I did my first musical in my early forties and a lightbulb went off and it was like “Oh I get it, I’m an actress who sings, not a singer who acts,” which brought me to music theatre. And at that age there were not a lot of roles to choose from, it’s not like starting at 23, to start at 43 was a different situation so I decided to take acting classes and get ready for some eventual, hopefully, maybe parlay into some TV and film work and straight theater work, drama on stage. And fortunately, she said, knocking on wood, it happened. In the 90′s I was able to make that transition into doing straight plays, and then into television and film work and here we are.

One of your most famous roles, at least for TV Addicts such as ourselves was the character of Grams on DAWSONS’s CREEK. Is it safe to assume that you had no idea that show would turn out to be what it was?
None of us had any idea. In fact, when I had the audition I only had two pages of a scene. I knew that my character’s name was Grams, I knew that the person I was playing a scene with was Gramps and I knew the name of the show, DAWSON’S CREEK. I went into the audition and said I have no idea what century this is, is it Alaska, Tennessee? They said no, it’s Cape Cod, now! So I tried to hustle up a New England/Bostonian accent and that was the beginning of it. The kids were all very young, the show was a midseason replacement and it was a big surprise to everyone that it took off the way it did.

Being the star of a hit television show like DAWSON’s CREEK must have been quite an adjustment for a long time theater vet?
Well it was interesting because I had never been the kind of actor who was a star per say, or recognized because my favorite thing to do is disappear so people are surprised or don’t recognize me from one role to the next. But I found I was recognized a lot by teenagers, mostly abroad when I was in Europe or South America. I don’t know if it’s about watching American television that makes them notice things more but I would get stopped by young people mostly and now it’s fun to get stopped by an older demographic who appreciate THE GOOD WIFE for its intelligence, brilliant writing and incredible cast of actors.

Are you surprised that a show as smart and intelligent as THE GOOD WIFE would be able to not just survive, but flourish on Network TV, which far too often caters to the lowest common denominator?
I was a little bit. I did know it was one of the best pilot scrips I ever read and I didn’t know — I probably shouldn’t say this — but I hoped the Network would be savvy enough to recognize its value. I knew that if Julianna [Margulies] was involved in it there probably was a future, but one never knows what kind of future in television. It’s a mystery to me, I don’t pretend to understand or want to understand.

Watching you film what is sure to be another classic Alicia/Jackie showdown while on set today, I wanted to ask just how much work goes into making the most of those memorable scenes?
Jackie’s a very complicates person. She’s seemingly one kind of a person and yet underneath maybe another kind of person. It’s so well written that you really can find those layers much quicker and easier then you would on other projects let’s say. And you know working with somebody like Julianna is a ball because she makes it really easy.

Is it difficult to justify the way Jackie treats Alicia?
Jackie has no boundaries. She does not have a good sense of appropriateness, she is a Mamma Grizzly! She’s that way about her son and that way about her grandchildren and she doesn’t think things are being taken care of the way the way she would take care of them.

Will there every be a time when Jackie and Alicia bury the hatchet?
I don’t have any idea what they have in store, but I do feel that they both have so much in common with respect to how much they love their children. The difference being for Jackie, her career was her husband’s career and her son and now it’s her grandchildren where as Alicia has a much more complicated and much harder juggling act which is harder for Jackie to understand, let alone approve of it. So the learning curve is for jackie, and we shall see.

One of the only downsides to having such a talented ensemble is that Jackie hasn’t been around nearly as much this season. Are there any plans to see more of her as the season progresses?
I hope so but you’ll have to ask the powers that be. That being said, I like the way they use Jackie, it’s not like a soap opera. I think if she was around all the time the show might perilously come close to a soap opera. Jackie is used best when she just kind of heightens the stakes every once in a while.

Is there any chance we’ll see Jackie interact with anyone outside the immediate orbit of the Florrick family?
As actors we ask ourselves those questions all the time! I was just in the hair and make room with Archie [Archie Panjabi plays Kalinda] and we were saying, “What could Kalinda and Jackie get into?” Of course, if they’re in cahoots you know the show is in trouble!

Is it a challenge to juggle your day job that is THE GOOD WIFE while performing eight shows a week on Broadway in Stephen Sondheim’s Follies?
Actually I’m one of the lucky people where they say if you’re doing what you love, you’re never tired. Of course there are times when you overextend or don’t get enough sleep but it energizes me. And I feel so lucky at this age to be able to do both because I’m on Broadway in a great Stephen Sondheim Musical at the same time I get to come in and check in on Jackie.

Is there something that you haven’t accomplished in your career that you’d like to?
There are a few stage roles that I’d like to do and I would love to do a little more film work but I figure the older I get there going to always need old ladies, so hopefully it will keep on happening.

Between yourself, Alan Cumming, Graham Phillips and Christine Baranski there is a ridiculous amount of musical theater talent on the show. Which raises the obvious question, do you think we’ll ever see the musical episode of THE GOOD WIFE.
There’s always a dream sequence! I think it’s very smart of the casting people, directors and producers because music theater people are actually perfect for television because they know how to work quickly and have a sense of rhythm. Plus, their ability to memorize and be precise about props, hitting your mark has been well honed in musical tehater person probably more so than a straight drama person/actor.

As someone who has had a remarkable career in an incredibly tough industry, what advice would you have for those wishing to follow in your footsteps?
That’s a tough one. The first piece of advice I have would be to follow your heart, which is a huge generalization and alway hard to do because sometimes it means making choices that don’t make sense to anyone but you and require tremendous leaps of faith. But the leaps of faith are hopefully for right reason about the work. And whether you’re getting paid for it or not, just keep working, as an acting teacher of mine once said, it’s all about survival. Whoever can hang in the longest.

THE GOOD WIFE airs Sundays at 9PM on CBS (10PM on Global TV in Canada) and stars Julianna Margulies,Matt Czuchry, Archie Panjabi, Josh Charles, Christine Baranski, Chris Noth, Makenzie Vega, Graham Phillips, Alan Cumming and Mary Beth Peil. Catch up on past episodes you may have missed for free online at clicktowatch.tv

Just when FX thought that AMERICAN HORROR STORY had helped them corner the market on truly terrifying television came last night’s HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER guest appearance by Katie Holmes. Yet rather than ad insult to injury by joining what pretty much amounts to the entirety of the internet — which for those keeping track all but reached a consensus at precisely 8:28PM eastern standard time that last night’s performance by Holmes made Britney Spears look talented — we thought we’d focus on the positive that was Neil Patrick Harris and Cobie Smulders. Which is to say, Robin and Barney’s “B” story that had everybody’s favorite Canadian export chiding the Legen.. wait for it… dary one upon discovering that he was one-fourth Canadian was everything the much-anticipated return of Holmes’ Slutty Pumpkin wan’t: Funny, romantic and worth our time.

Since we here at theTVaddict.com pride ourselves on providing Networks and Studios with unsolicited advice on how they might wish to consider promoting their current crop of new and returning shows, we thought we’d take a moment to fill Showtime in on a little something we discovered whilst jumping on the HOMELAND bandwagon. Simply put, thanks to a winning mix of political intrigue, secretive CIA operatives and terrorists threats at every turn, it finally occurred to us what exactly has us so hooked on the Howard Gordon produced series: It’s 24 2.0! Cooler still, since the pay-cabler only requires thirteen episodes in comparison to the twenty-four that the Kiefer Sutherland starrer required as a result of the show’s central conceit, HOMELAND is able to perfectly dole out all the spine-tingling chills and didn’t-see-that-coming thrills without having to rely on filler that may-or-may-not involve a character getting stuck in a cougar trap!

This just in: The CLEVELAND SHOW has really grown on us. To the point that Sunday’s antics that saw the genuinely loveable Cleveland and Rollo Brown spend the night in a haunted house while Donna and Cleveland Jr watched was far and away the funniest thing to come out of Fox’s Animation Domination lineup. Of course, not helping things was the immense disappointment that was the series premiere of ALLEN GREGORY (Stewie Griffin he ain’t), a truly bizarre FAMILY GUY that for some reason or other decided to dedicated an episode on the unfortunate fact that Quagmire’s sister Brenda was trapped in an abusive relationship, and to paraphrase a line from ‘Comic Book Guy,’ what may have been THE SIMPSONS’ worst “Treehouse of Horrors” ever.

While it will probably won’t come as much of a surprise that our love affair with THE GOOD WIFE continues following yet another stellar episode on Sunday in which the ridiculously watchable Eli Gold (Alan Cumming) discovered that his ex-wife (Perfectly played by Parker Posey) had slept with an actual relative of Bin Laden (Seriously folks, you have to see this!), we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention our one teensy little problem with the episode. Aside from setting viewers up for what will surely be a very interesting relationship between Alicia and firm newbie Caitlin (Anna Camp), the case of the week that had Alicia investigating an unfortunate death on a ‘Booze Cruise’ did little except reinforce the unmistakable fact that we’re getting old! No really, are we the only TV Addict who had never heard of a “Stoplight Party?”

When THE GOOD WIFE launched, it was largely focused on the literal trials and accompanying tribulations faced by Alicia Florrick in the wake of hubby Peter’s arrest. After all, right there in the title, it told us our attention should be focused on the wife. But as the show developed, the rest of Peter’s family was fleshed out and increasingly focused on, including the pair’s son, Zach. As a result, the troubled teen’s portrayer, Graham Phillips, has seen his own star rise. Already known in Broadway circles for his role in Thirteen and by movie lovers from Evan Almighty (opposite THE OFFICE’s Steve Carell, Phillips was probably better prepared to be thrust into the spotlight that comes with starring on a major hit series than was poor Zach. But to get the scoop on growing up Florrick, we went straight to the horse’s mouth for this exclusive chat!

How easy is it to relate to a character like Zach?
Graham Phillips: Well Zach is a kid who is in the midst of finding himself and figuring out what kind of role he has to play in protecting the family, what is he supposed to share and what is he supposed to keep secret. He’s in a much more difficult situation than a lot of teens are but at the same time what he’s going though mirrors what a lot of kids go through with divorce, people trying to butt into the family’s affairs, etc. But I think that in the third season he has found himself a bit more and I’ve found that I’m becoming more like him because I’m two years older than the character. So it’s bizarre seeing Zach go through a lot of the same things that I went through two years ago.

Ever since last May’s steamy elevator ride between Alicia and Will [Josh Charles], your TV mom has been incredibly secretive about her personal life. When do you think she’s going to start filling Zach and Grace in on what’s going on?
I think later in the season she’s going to start addressing a lot of the issues she’s been putting off. Throughout the season thus far she really hasn’t been as upfront with us as she used to be and I think that’s because she’s no longer the perfect role model, the title of the show. She’s the rebellious ex-wife and I think because of that she’s kind of afraid of these family meetings because for the first time she’s arguably in the wrong in her kids eyes. I think the first scene with Will [Josh Charles] was really funny because it’s just so awkward on his part, he’s trying to bond, be on the cool side with me and it just crashes and burns and it really sets up this great dynamic later in the season if he continues to come to the house and if they start seeing each other more, which I think he’s going to happen.

Fans have always had a sense that Zach was rooting for his parents to reconcile. Do you think the official introduction to Will cause him to rebel?
Zach has always wanted his parents to stay together and he’s always been on the side of his father on issues — somehow — and that was kind of just a naive child just wanting to have a father still in his life and not understanding why he can’t be with both of his parents. That said, as you might have seen in a recent episode, I have a talk with my dad [Peter] and he’s a little more candid with how he hurt my mom and the degree to which he hurt his mom and how he might have hurt her even more than she knows now. And I think that’s the first time that this idolized version of my father starts to deteriorate and the scene immediately after is me helping my mom with the dishes and asking if she thinks I’m like my dad and that’s sort of the beginning of me becoming more of a ‘Momma’s boy’ in the show. I think I start becoming less frustrated by her decisions and I start realizing that she’s a parent above everything else. She’s not just like a parent who’s making me do things just for the sake of giving rules, she’s a person and there comes a time in every kid’s life when they realize that their parents aren’t just perfect people, they’re just trying to find their way just like the kids are.

Having two such strong parental figures as he does, have you ever given much thought as to what parent he might choose to emulate more going forward?
Sort of like a Harry Potter/Voldemort thing going on with him and his father! I would say that he would like to be more like his mother in many ways. I think there are things that he likes about his father just by the way he carries himself and by his work ethic and how strong he is mentally, but now that he’s seen behind the curtain there’s a part of him that will always be fighting the urge to be like his dad in a lot of ways and so I’m interested to see how that dynamic plays out, that love/hate relationship with his father.

Based on scenes we were fortunate enough to just witness it appears that Zach’s next girlfriend [whose identity we're not about to spoil here!] may be the offspring of a character fans have already come to know and love. What can you tease about that?
I’ve played the first scene with her and it was kind of flirty, but the writers didn’t really tell us whether it was supposed to be flirty as if it was going somewhere or whether we were just intellectually sparring with each other. We were trying to play it both ways at the same time and I think it came out very well. It’s very funny that Zach seems to always have a new girl! I don’t think anyone really realizes this but Zach has had more relationships than anyone on the show. Well, except maybe Kalinda, but that’s never really shown. I think that sort of epitomizes his likeness to his father and I think that is one of the reasons why he asks his Mom in a recent episode if she thinks he’s like his Dad because his relationships do end really quickly.

Lastly, we can’t end this interview without asking about your on-screen sibling. Is there any chance you can shed some light on where Grace’s relationship with her tutor might be going?
Well, between you and me I’m very confused about it myself! It seems like Grace is possibly more confused about who she is than Zach. In the past two seasons she’s become some sort of Ethicist, a religious fanatic and now she’s hanging out with this rebellious sort of off-color street dancing physics tutor which is a very bizarre relationship and I think that it just sort of epitomizes how she is sort of taking in whatever she is hearing from whomever is around her and becoming that person. Which I see in so many other kids around me, that’s such a basic survival technique socially that kids use. Whatever anyone else is doing, do that, and you’ll be okay and I think that’s kind of what she’s doing.

Related:
Hangin’ with THE GOOD WIFE

New episodes of THE GOOD WIFE air Sundays at 9PM on CBS (10PM on Global TV in Canada) and stars Julianna Margulies, Matt Czuchry, Archie Panjabi, Josh Charles, Christine Baranski, Chris Noth, Makenzie Vega, Graham Phillips, Alan Cumming and Mary Beth Peil. Catch up on past episodes you may have missed for free online at clicktowatch.tv

As someone who has always had a special affinity for DEXTER since the very beginning (Note: Not as creepy as it sounds, we promise!) we’re disappointed to admit that when it comes to summing up our feelings for the show’s much-anticipated current season, the best we can come up with is ‘conflicted.’ On the one hand, four weeks in, the show’s writing team deserves credit for managing to keep this aging series interesting by promoting Deb to Lieutenant, correcting last season’s wrong that was Laguerta and Angel’s marriage, and introducing a truly terrifying team of baddies (Edward James Olmos’ Professor Gellar and Colin Hanks’ Travis Marshall) into the mix. On the other — something that we can’t quite put our finger on — is missing. Whether it’s a symptom of the increasingly predictable nature of the show (Does anyone else have a feeling that Professor Gellar is to Travis what Harry is to Dexter?) or the fact that the astounding success of the series has all but eviscerated the once spine-tingling stakes for America’s favorite serial killer seeing as though Showtime isn’t about to put a knife in the back of its most popular property anytime soon, the simple fact of the matter is that this once must-watch-for-fear-of-being-spoiled-show has quietly devolved into yeah, we’ll-watch-it-when-we-get-around-to-it. #sad

Dear ABC (Re: PAN AM), a multimillion-dollar per episode price tag and top notch talent both in front and behind the camera is not enough to get us to to care about a group of women whose personalities are about as inciting as airplane food. We’re sorry.

With this being DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES eighth and final season, a part of us feels really bad for having jumped off the bandwagon at the start of this year. Until that is we decided to give last night’s episode one last kick at the can. Cut to a forty-something Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher) not being able to compose herself during an art class involving a nude model and us very quickly realizing that we have far better things to do with our time. Which brings us to…

In response to last night’s tweet that had us exclaiming just how in love we are with THE GOOD WIFE, a follower (@tvonmyterms) asked us to be specific. So here, in a nutshell, it goes: From a seemingly never-ending roster of ridiculously talented guest stars (Anna Camp! Dylan Baker! Lisa Edelstein!) to a level of storytelling — complete with political intrigue, back room deals and sizzling romance — that has become almost unheard of on Broadcast television, THE GOOD WIFE doesn’t just manage to keep us on the edge of our seat each and every Sunday night, it keeps us off our iPad, which in this day and age, is sadly almost unheard of.

Since it has become increasingly rare when our viewing habits intersect with that of the rest of the country, we here at theTVaddict.com just wanted to take a moment and thank the 13 million or so of you who gave last night’s series premiere of ONCE UPON A TIME a try. And while we don’t pretend to know whether or not co-creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis have what it takes to maintain the level of story-telling demonstrated in the pilot, we sure as heck are looking forward to finding out.

Not just anyone gets invited to hang out at Alicia Florrick’s apartment, let alone when THE GOOD WIFE is in the middle of a tense scene with Jackie, the mother-in-law who is part blessing (hello, babysitter!) and part curse (nosey much?). But during a recent visit to the CBS hit’s Brooklyn studio, that’s exactly where this TV Addict found himself. And it was during my stint as the proverbial fly on the wall that I got an up-close and personal view of exactly what goes into the making of not a show, but a single scene.

How hard can it be, right?

Wrong, naive reader. Oh, so wrong. Because even a scene as simple as the one being taped that morning for a future episode — between Julianna Margulies’ Alicia and Mary Beth Peil’s Jackie — is more complicated than anything you or I will encounter over the course of an entire day. First, there’s a script supervisor making sure that any minor dialogue detours stay true to the scribe’s original intent. In another corner, the cinematographer and several others discuss whether or not Jackie’s coat is the right color. And of course, there’s the Transformers-worthy shift in energy and focus on everyone’s part the moment director Rosemary Rodriguez shouts, “Action!” A few moments later, that word is bookended by its counterpart, “Cut!”

But, of course, the action doesn’t stop there. As Marguelies and Peil — who haven’t spent as much time working together this season as last thanks to the on-screen rift between Peter and Alicia — catch up with one another, the creative team around them buzzes about. What footage is still needed for the currently-taping scene? What details need to be re-set so that another take won’t have continuity errors?

After eavesdropping on a conversation between Margulies and Piel about the latter’s recent work with Dallas Roberts (who plays Alicia’s brother, Owen), it’s back to work when the director calls everyone together for another take of the previous scene.

“There’s more to being a great actor than simply making one specific choice that you think is the right one and sticking with it,” says Graham Phillips (better known as Alicia’s son, Zach, who has sidled up to share his thoughts. “A couple weeks ago, I shot a scene with Josh Charles (Will Gardner) for the first time — which I’m really excited to see! — and I noticed they give multiple renditions of the scene, which is really important to give the editor material to work with.” He added that giving a different performance in each take of a scene “lets them play the arc of the story in different ways.”

As if to illustrate Phillips point, the actors give subtle but distinctly different performances during this version of Jackie and Alicia’s scene. And so it goes for the rest of the morning until the director has what she needs in the can and, as eventually happens to every fly on every wall, we are shooed away.

Coming Next Week: Exclusive Interviews with Stars Graham Phillips and Mary Beth Peil.

New episodes of THE GOOD WIFE air Sundays at 9PM on CBS (10PM on Global TV in Canada) and stars Julianna Margulies, Matt Czuchry, Archie Panjabi, Josh Charles, Christine Baranski, Chris Noth, Makenzie Vega, Graham Phillips, Alan Cumming and Mary Beth Peil. Catch up on past episodes you may have missed for free online at clicktowatch.tv