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For nearly half a century, being right felt wrong to Carol Wilson. A member of the British soccer squad that participated in the Women’s World Cup in Mexico in 1971, Wilson uses the doc “Copa 71” to describe how she “remembered thinking I’m never going to see anything like this again.” In James Erskine and Rachel Ramsay’s brisk and rousing history of the tournament, few can say that they’ve even seen it when footage of the event was buried in archives for years, all but erased from collective memory. Why? The doc suggests the reasons were rooted in both misogyny and economics, seeing as how the Federation Int’l Football Association disapproved of the games as a rare major soccer event they had no control over — at least, not until starting their own women’s tournament in 1991.

What’s more fascinating than why the event isn’t...

Christina Milian continues her streak of rom-coms at Netflix with the upcoming holiday movie “Meet Me Next Christmas.”

The project marks the actor and musician’s third collaboration with Netflix following her popular destination romances, 2021’s “Resort to Love” — which spent four weeks on the streamer’s global top 10 film list — and 2019’s “Falling Inn Love.”

Milian will executive produce and star in “Meet Me Next Christmas,” playing Layla, who, in pursuit of a fairytale romance with the man of her dreams, must race through New York City to get her hands on the hottest ticket in town: the sold out Pentatonix Christmas Eve Concert.

The film also stars Devale Ellis, Kofi Siriboe and Kalen Allen, alongside the Grammy-winning a capella group Pentatonix.

Directed by Rusty Cundieff, “Meet Me Next Christmas” is written by Molly Haldeman and Camilla Rubis. Mark Roberts is producing the project, while Simon Lythgoe and Matt Code executive produce alongside Milian.

Chicago – The Country Music industry has become as huge as any category of music entertainment. So Mark Roberts, the creator of the TV sitcom “Mike & Molly,” has fashioned a boisterous new play about the machinations of that genre of music industry, and gave it the plaintive title of “New Country.”

Play Rating: 4.5/5.0

“New Country” is making its Midwest premiere after a triumphant Off Broadway run in New York City. It involves a two-faced but wildly popular country singer on the eve of his wedding in Nashville. Roberts has combined the “cletus” element of the genre, through his self-portrayed character Uncle Jim, and the business side through a pair of duplicitous handlers. What follows is a focused and (at times) emotional statement on the industry of entertainment, especially regarding who wins and who is left behind. What Roberts never forgets is his funny bone, the play is freaking hilarious, and hits...

Deadline continues its Sundance Film Festival panel series today with Co-Editor In Chief Mike Fleming Jr. sitting down with director Andrew Neel and the cast of the U.S. Dramatic Competition drama Goat. Cast including Nick Jonas and Ben Schnetzer join Neel for a live discussion from our Samsung Studio on Park Avenue. The Killer Films pic, written by Neel, David Gordon Green and Mark Roberts based on Brad Land’s memoir, premiered last night at the Library Center…...

Sarah Tarkoff, a writer on ABC’s Mistresses who this year sold her debut Ya sci-fi novel Eye Of The Beholder to HarperCollins in a competitive three-book deal, has signed with Apa. She has also penned episodes of Arrow and The Witches Of East End, and previously worked on Jane The Virgin and Gossip Girl. Primary Wave Entertainment has signed Mike & Molly creator and onetime Two And A Half Men scribe Mark Roberts. The deal makes Roberts the latest writer to join the…...

Documentarian Errol Morris clearly loves to work and tell stories, as, in between his features, he's always got a plethora of short projects brewing for a variety of outlets, including The New York Times. His latest venture is for Grantland, and it's a half-dozen short sports documentaries, and as per usual, it finds Morris taking a unique angle and capturing the kinds of tales you're not likely to get from any other filmmaker. So let's break them down: —"The Subterranean Stadium" takes a portrait of John Dicarlo and his friends, who are the most enthusiastic electronic football players you're likely to meet. —"The Heist" tells the story behind the theft of Michael Jordan's jersey from the rafters of the Dean Dome. —"The Streaker" introduces viewers to Mark Roberts, who for more than two decades has been letting it all hang loose at sporting events around the world. —"Being Mr.

Lakeshore Entertainment has injected a title into a typically quiet run-up to the market, announcing that Sierra/Affinity will introduce buyers to the romantic action comedy starring Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick.

Tim Roth, James Ransone, Anson Mount, Michael Eklund and RZA also star in Mr. Right, which commenced shooting in New Orleans on October 13.

Paco Cabezas directs from a screenplay by Max Landis. CAA and Amasia Entertainment represent Us rights.

The story charts a luckless lady who finally meets the man of her dreams and must deal with the consequences after she learns he is a reformed hitman.

Michael Helfant and Bradley Gallo are producing through Amasia Entertainment along with Lawrence Mattis and Rick Jacobs of Circle Of Confusion in association with 3311 Productions.

Stephen Emery, Landis, William C Gallo, Allen Church, Mark Roberts, P Jennifer Dana, Ross Jacobson, and Sheldon Rabinowitz serve as executive producers.

"If it's not on the screen, it never happened," say the characters in Enter at Forest Lawn, Mark Roberts' Off-Broadway play that offers a partially absurd, partially accurate view of what happens inside the executive offices of the television industry. "That's actually something I had heard somebody say! I've heard some of it, and I've heard a lot worse," Roberts — former Two and a Half Men head writer, The Big Bang Theory executive consultant and creator of Mike and Molly — tells The Hollywood Reporter of the lines. "It's funny — when the people in the theater

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Mark Roberts’ extensive television credits include serving as executive producer and head writer for seven seasons of Two and a Half Men and as executive consultant on three seasons of The Big Bang Theory; he also created Mike and Molly, on which he served as executive producer for the first 70 episodes. So it’s no surprise that he knows something about the ins and outs of network sitcoms. What is surprising is that he’s so willing to bite the hand that feeds him with Enter at Forest Lawn, his new play receiving its world premiere by New York’s Amoralists Theatre Company. This viciously dark and

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Happy 25th birthday to This Morning, which celebrates its silver anniversary today (October 3).

The famous ITV daytime show's current hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby were joined by original hosts Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan for a special episode at This Morning's first home in Liverpool's Albert Docks.

To commemorate this momentous occasion, here's Digital Spy's pick of This Morning's most memorable moments.

1. Booyakasha!

Who could forget Richard Madeley's misjudged and horrendously toe-curling Ali G impersonation? He appeared on our screens completely in character, right down to the drawn-on goatee, while an awkward Judy Finnegan visibly cringed and attempted to plough on with the show.

2. Two Vaginas Lady

Well done Holly Willoughby, who was able to keep a straight face while explaining that poor Hazel Jones has a medical condition which means she has two vaginas. The discussion spanned double periods, the difficulty of inserting tampons and some very graphic camera shots.

"Mike & Molly" has been renewed for a Season 4, but the CBS comedy will return without its creator, Mark Roberts. Roberts, who worked as the sitcom's showrunner and executive producer for the first three seasons.

According to a report from Deadline, Roberts is leaving to focus on other projects. The original article quoted a Warner Bros. TV statement that said, "Al Higgins, currently co-executive producer of 'Mike & Molly,' has been named executive producer and will serve as day-to-day showrunner of the comedy for its upcoming fourth season."

There is no further word from the studio about why Roberts decided to leave now, but there has been speculation that the cast and crew of the show were not happy with the creator in charge.

Higgins has worked on the show since its premiere and will now serve as executive producer with Chuck Lorre. It is unlikely, however, that Lorre will have much to do with production.

Whenever it may be that Mike & Molly returns for Season 4, the CBS comedy will have a new man at the helm.

Related | Your Complete Fall TV Grid: What’s on When? And Versus What?

Series creator Mark Roberts (inset) is stepping down as showrunner after three seasons, producer Warner Bros. TV confirms for our sister site Deadline.

Replacing Roberts as an exec producer (alongside Chuck Lorre) and as showrunner will be Alan J. Higgins, who most recently served as a co-executive producer on Mike & Molly and whose previous TV credits include ‘Til Death and Malcolm in the Middle.

Related | TVLine...

"Mike & Molly" creator Mark Roberts has stepped down as showrunner from the CBS comedy, an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap. Roberts has been with the comedy for its entire three-season run. He's leaving the show to focus on other projects. Co-executive producer Al Higgins has been promoted to executive producer and showrunner for the upcoming fourth season. His previous credits include "Malcolm in the Middle" and "Newsradio." The series' ratings saw a decline in viewers this past season. It's penultimate episode of the season got a 2.4 rating/6 share in...

CBS’ Mike & Molly is undergoing some behind-the-scenes changes.

Mark Roberts, the creator and showrunnner for the comedy’s first three seasons, is stepping down to focus on other projects. In his place, Al Higgins, currently co-executive producer, has been named executive producer and will serve as day-to-day showrunner of the comedy for its upcoming fourth season.

Though CBS ordered a full 22-episode season of the show starring Melissa McCarthy and Billy Gardell, the network notably opted to save the comedy for midseason. The benching helps CBS find room to launch four new sitcoms this fall: Mom, The Millers, The Crazy Ones and We Are Men.

Mark Roberts, the creator of Mike & Molly, will be leaving the CBS comedy series, which was recently renewed for a fourth season. Roberts “will be stepping down from his showrunner and executive producer roles after three successful seasons to focus on other projects,” Mike & Molly producer Warner Bros. TV said in a statement to Deadline. “Al Higgins, currently co-executive producer of Mike & Molly, has been named executive producer and will serve as day-to-day showrunner of the comedy for its upcoming fourth season.” The studio would not comment on the reasons for the change, however there has been speculation for months that the show’s cast and crew were not happy with Roberts. Veteran comedy writer-producer Higgins has been on Mike & Molly since after the pilot. His previous series credits include NewsRadio and Malcolm In The Middle. On Mike & Molly, he will serve as executive producer alongside Chuck Lorre, who has...

Celebration Theatre’s musical production of “The Color Purple” saw the buzz its run generated turned into a glittering haul of statues at the Ovation Awards Monday. “Purple” took home six of the L.A. Stage Alliance’s honors, including best production, acting ensemble, and featured actress (La Toya London as Shug Avery) in a musical (intimate theatre) Center Theatre Group was the overall winner of the night, bringing in five awards alone for “Waiting for Godot” at the Mark Taper Forum, including best production of a play. It also won the night's top honor for best season. In total, Ctg took home 13 statues (one was an Ovation Honor for video design for Brian Gale). The decision to hand out honors instead of awards in certain categories had generated controversy in the lead up to the event. But the ceremony was largely free of discord, except when “Mike & Molly” creator Mark Roberts wondered aloud,...

NoHo Arts District, CA, September 13, 2012 – Today the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, along with Producer Spike Jones, Jr. and Coordinating Producer Carole Propp announced additional presenters for the 2012 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy® Awards. Newly announced presenters include Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Johnny Galecki & Bill Prady (The Big Bang Theory), Mark Margolis & Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad), Emily Deschanel & Hart Hanson (Bones), LL Cool J & Ken Ehrlich (The Grammy Awards), Mary Murphy & Nigel Lythgoe (So You Think You Can Dance?), Billy Gardell & Mark Roberts (Mike & Molly), Tom Kenny & Dane Boedigheimer (Annoying Orange) and Sig Hansen & Thom Beers (Deadliest Catch), Mark Gardner and David Carbonara (Mad Men), David Neal (2010 Winter Olympics) and Kathy Griffin (Kathy). They join previously announced presenters Lisa Kudrow & Dan Bucatinsky (Web Therapy), Chris O’Donnell & Shane Brennan (NCIS: Los Angeles), Christina Hendricks & Matthew Weiner (Mad Men), Jennifer Morrison, Adam Horowitz & Edward Kitsis (Once Upon A...

Warner Bros. Television has firmed up its early sale of off-network syndication rights to Mike & Molly. Following reports of early deals for its CBS comedies Mike & Molly and 2 Broke Girls, and the latter's sale to TBS, FX announced Tuesday that it will host exclusive syndication of the Mark Roberts-created sitcom starting in September 2014. Mike & Molly, which stars Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy and was the most-watched new series of the 2010-11 season, joins fellow CBS comedies How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men in FX's syndication portfolio.

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By his own admission, Mark Roberts has had a lucky career. He began as a stand-up in Chicago, and was soon spotted by a casting director who helped him land work in commercials and "every movie that filmed in Chicago." Sitcom work soon followed, including a series regular gig on the Tea Leoni series "The Naked Truth," before Roberts chose to pursue writing, his true passion. His 2000 play "Couples Counseling Killed Katie," starring Roberts and Jessica Tuck, caught the eye of producer Chuck Lorre, who went on to hire him as a writer and producer on "Two and a Half Men." Roberts and Lorre would then go on to create "Mike and Molly," which won an Emmy last year for star Melissa McCarthy. With his TV career flourishing, Roberts has decided to return to the stage with a vengeance. The next few months will see the mounting of three...

A teaser image of Melissa McCarthy in her Mike & Molly wedding dress has been revealed. The picture is the first glimpse of the titular couple's big day, which takes place in the CBS sitcom's season finale on May 14. Speaking to TV Guide, executive producer Mark Roberts described the crystal and pearl satin gown as "really purty and elegant". However, he also teased that Mike (Billy Gardell) (more)...

Weaving together home video, passenger and staff stories, National Geographic Channel will air a one-hour documentary February 13th recounting the recent Costa Concordia ship disaster off the coast of Italy. Titled Italian Cruise Ship Disaster: The Untold Stories, the U.S. documentary will look at the similarities and differences with the Titanic. In January, Carnival Cruise-owned Costa Concordia collided with rocks, tearing a 160-foot hole on the port side of the ship carrying 3200 passengers and 1000 crew, killing at least 17. The doc is produced by Dragonfly TV for National Geographic Channel. Alison Turner, Simon Dickson and Mark Roberts executive produced for Dragonfly; Michael Welsh and Evp Programming Michael Cascio executive produced for Ngc. Marc Tiley and Paul O’Connor are producer-directors.

TV programs often run into challenges when the lead characters finally get together or, worse, get married. These moments often mark the high point of a series and everything after that goes down hill. So it was a surprise when, at the end of Season 1 of "Mike and Molly," that the title characters decided they're going to get hitched. As for how the show will keep up the tension and evolve, the show's Ep Mark Roberts has the answer.

"I'm married and it comes with plenty of problems," Roberts says at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. He adds that other members of the cast, which includes Reno Wilson, Nyambi Nyambi and Rondi Reed will have expanded roles. Roberts says they're making the show into "a bigger ensemble with other interesting characters. We're going to follow their lives too...Mike and Molly, in some story lines, can become supporting players.

A wedding is on the way for CBS' "Mike & Molly" this May, show Creator Mark Roberts revealed on Wednesday, and Melissa McCarthy has some ideas about how she'd like to see her character walk down the aisle.

"I hope it's like Vfw-ish," she told AccessHollywood.com on Monday, referring to a type of reasonably priced wedding hall. "I hope it's like, in a hall. I think it should feel like Chicago, it should feel like most of my relative's weddings."

When it comes to a dress for Molly, Melissa, after her panel session for "Mike & Molly" at ...

Copyright 2012 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Exclusive: No hard feelings? Two months after her surprising ouster from CBS’ daytime show The Talk, Holly Robinson Peete is returning to the network for her first major post-Talk gig: a multiple-episode arc on CBS’ sophomore comedy Mike & Molly. Robinson Peete has been enjoying an outpouring of support from fans of The Talk following CBS’ August decision not to pick up her and fellow co-host Leah Remini’s options for Season 2, and there has been a lot of curiosity about what the actress would do next. Joining a CBS series was probably not high on anybody’s guess list. Mike & Molly, from creator Mark Roberts, executive producer Chuck Lorre and Warner Bros TV, stars Billy Gardell as overweight police officer Mike and Melissa McCarthy as his plus-size schoolteacher girlfriend Molly. Robinson Peete will play a love interest for Mike’s partner Carl (Reno Wilson), who lives with grandmother and has been struggling with women.

Melissa McCarthy has had a pretty good summer. "Mike & Molly" ended its first season as the top-rated new comedy on TV. She turned in a scene-stealing performance in "Bridesmaids," and last month she scored her first Emmy nomination for her work on the CBS show.

"It's been nice couple of -- god yeah," McCarthy told Zap2it Wednesday night (Aug. 3) at the Television Critics Association press tour. "Crazy. Delightful."

McCarthy also had one of the more memorable reactions to being nominated in recent memory (you can watch it here). She was announcing the nominations with "Fringe" star Joshua Jackson on July 14, and she was a little overcome when she heard her name (she says the TV academy kept her nomination secret during rehearsals). She recounts her "completely surreal" in-the-moment reaction:

"It was all going along smoothly, and then my name comes up, but usually when your name comes up it's prompting you.

On September 20, Warner will release the first season of the hit romantic comedy TV series Mike & Molly on Blu-ray and DVD.

Scheduled for release on the eve of the television show’s second season premiere on CBS, Mike & Molly: The Complete First Season will carry the list prices of $54.97 for the Blu-ray and $44.98 for the DVD.

Something's eating Melissa McCarthy and Billy Gardell in Mike & Molly.

Created by Mark Roberts (TV’s Two and a Half Men), Mike & Molly stars Billy Gardell (TV’s My Name Is Earl) and Melissa McCarthy (TV’s Gilmore Girls) as, respectively, affable police officer Mike and cheerful teacher Molly. With each other’s support and the help of the Overeaters Anonymous meeting where they met, Mike and Molly learn to open up and trust one another as they fall in love—surrounded by friends and family that make it all the more fun and challenging.

Whether you first fell for her on Gilmore Girls, or like her salt-of-the-Earth charm on Mike & Molly, or are intrigued by her gruff weirdness in the Bridesmaids trailer, it strikes me as impossible not to root for Melissa McCarthy. In a recent conversation, the 40-year-old actress talked about her love for her delightfully odd Bridesmaids character, her frustration with the usual spate of hack women’s roles, and her hit show Mike & Molly. (And can I get a Hell Yeah! for her disgust over the bitter screed “Should Fatties Get a Room” that ran on Marieclaire.com last fall.)

Entertainment...

CBS’ hit comedy Mike & Molly will have the last word on the Marie Claire blog post “Should ‘Fatties’ Get a Room? (Even on TV?). Star Billy Gardell (Mike) told EW exclusively that he’ll make a “tiny nod” to last month’s internet debate at the end of the Thanksgiving episode planned for Nov. 22.

“It’s a very eloquently put thing that I get to say at the Thanksgiving speech that kind of says everything we feel,” said Gardell, who begrudgingly admits that the post generated a lot of awareness for the Monday night comedy. “It did give it a lot of attention,...

As heated, personal discussions continue online about the Marie Claire blog post ”Should ‘Fatties’ Get a Room? (Even on TV?),” in which the writer admits she doesn’t want to watch the leads on CBS’ Mike & Molly kiss or do anything else on her television or in real life, EW chatted Thursday with the show’s creator Mark Roberts. “I’m really not that angry. I’m hurt for my two friends who had to read horrible things that some woman said about them,” he told us. “I feel more sad. That’s pretty much the predominant feeling.”

Entertainment Weekly:...

A Marie Claire blogger created a storm earlier this week when she slammed CBS' new hit comedy "Mike & Molly," about a romance between a plus-sized couple. Now, the creator of the show is hitting back.

Creator Mark Roberts told The Hollywood Reporter that he considered Maura Kelly's blog, titled "Should "Fatties" Get a Room? (Even on TV?)," "hateful."

"My initial reaction is she's talking about [Billy Gardell and Melissa ...

Copyright 2010 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Marie Claire writer Maura Kelly has caused quite the stir on the Interwebs after comments regarding the “fatties” of CBS’ freshman sitcom Mike & Molly. In her post “Should ‘Fatties’ Get a Room? (Even on TV?)”, Kelly pondered the question, do viewers feel uncomfortable watching overweight people making out on television? Kelly explained that seeing Mike (Billy Gardell) and Molly (Melissa McCarthy) get physical would likely lead her to become physically ill: “I think I’d be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other…because I’d be grossed out...

Filed under: TV News

When Marie Claire blogger Maura Kelly wrote that she was uncomfortable watching the two main characters on CBS sitcom 'Mike & Molly' making out because they were so overweight, she surely knew she'd encounter some sort of backlash. Now Mark Roberts, creator of the offending show, and 'The Talk' host Sharon Osbourne have spoken out against the article, calling it "hateful" and "deplorable."

"I think I'd be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other, because I'd be grossed out if I had to watch them doing anything," Kelly wrote in a blog on the magazine's website.

Roberts told The Hollywood Reporter, "My initial reaction is she's talking about [Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy] and I love them; I feel protective and angry about people being loose-lipped. I guess hateful is the only way to describe [the post]."

 

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“Mike & Molly” creator Mark Roberts took the offensive yesterday in response to a blog post by “Marie Claire” contributor Maura Kelly who criticized his show for its overweight leads Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy. According to “The Hollywood Reporter,” Roberts criticized the woman for making a judgment on the sitcom based on the appearances of its leads. “I hate when people stand in judgment over anybody,” Roberts said. “We all have our own struggles, There’s something wonderful about embracing everybody; it’s what makes us human. And it’s what people are responding to in this show. I don’t see these people size-wise, they’re just so lovable to me.”...

The person who wrote "Should 'Fatties' Get a Room? (Even on TV?)" insists that she is not "some size-ist jerk." No, she's just "a discredit to other women—and I think she is a bitch and I want her arse here," said Sharon Osbourne, who along with her fellow cohosts on The Talk listened in awe as Julie Chen read some of the choicer phrases from Maura Kelly's MarieClaire.com blog post from Oct. 25 on the air. Kelly quickly updated her item with an apology, but not before Mike & Molly creator Mark Roberts—who interpreted the post as an attack on his show—called the item "hateful" and said he was definitely "unfriending that woman on...

"Mike & Molly" creator Mark Roberts heard about the now-infamous Marie Claire blog post when he got to work Wednesday (Oct. 27). He initially paid it little mind, "and then I started getting phone calls."

The calls were about a post on MarieClarire.com titled "Should 'fatties' get a room? (Even on TV?)" that leveled some really harsh words at the show's portrayal of two people (Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy) who meet at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting and fall for one another. Harsh like this: "I think I'd be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other ... because I'd be grossed out if I had to watch them doing anything," it reads

The post caused an uproar online and was a topic of discussion on the "Today" show, "The View," "The Talk" and elsewhere. The writer and Marie Claire's editor have apologized,...

It's always nice if you have a great story about how you first met to tell the kids later. 'Mike & Molly' (Mon. 9:30Pm on CBS) have a long way to go before they reach that stage of the relationship but they've definitely got a story to tell.

Creator Mark Roberts and executive producer Chuck Lorre ('Two and a Half Men,' 'The Big Bang Theory') wanted to present a comedy that more accurately reflected the America we see outside our windows rather than the one reflected back to us from our televisions.

Enter Mike Biggs (Billy Gardell) and Molly Flynn (Melissa McCarthy), two overweight singles who meet at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting.

 

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By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith

HollywoodNews.com: For Swoosie Kurtz, landing on CBS’s forthcoming “Mike & Molly” represents “a whole new time for me and a new road. It’s not just that I’m in a new television show.”

The Emmy and Tony-winning actress will be seen as the mother of Molly (Melissa McCarthy) in the comedy about a young couple (McCarthy and Billy Gardell) who meet in an Overeaters Anonymous group and fall in love. Her second daughter (Katy Mixon) is a wild girl with a fondness for pot.

“This is an entirely different character from any I’ve ever played – this woman you picture with a beer bottle attached to her hand, sitting on a crate at the bowling alley, talking to the guys. She’s loving, she’s insensitive, she’s an oblivious enabling mother. You know that she has something to do with...

Mike & Molly's executive producers have insisted that the upcoming romantic sitcom will not focus purely on weight issues. Mark Roberts and Chuck Lorre, who also work together on Two And A Half Men, told TV Guide that jokes will be "self-deprecating and with affection", with an element of poignancy to the script. Lorre said: "Hopefully, the humour is self-deprecating and with affection. Some of the jokes at Mike's expense that Carl [Mike's partner on the force] takes, you can see that he really does care about his partner and friend. "Television would normally (more)...

The creators of CBS' new romantic sitcom Mike & Molly insist that the show isn't about weight issues.

"I wanted to write a show about two people at the beginning of a relationship, and that was what intrigued me the most," says executive producer Mark Roberts (Two and a Half Men).

See TVGuide.com's editors' picks for the best new fall shows

Still, the show's nascent courtship begins when city cop Mike (comedian Billy Gardell) meets cute with...

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Filed under: Features, TV News, Fall TV

If the questions from the assembled television critics in the 'Mike & Molly' TCA panel are any indication, the press at large seem to view CBS's new comedy, which follows two overweight singles who meet at Overweight Anonymous and begin dating, as a prolonged fat joke masquerading as a rom-com.

Thankfully, creator Mark Roberts and executive producer Chuck Lorre were here to dispel that notion. "This isn't a show about weight," Lorre insisted. It's about real people with real issues trying to have a relationship -- [I know] TV would have cast Chris O'Donnell and Courtney Cox as two members of Overeaters Anonymous ... but [Mike and Molly] are just people trying to make their lives better and find love."

Despite this early clarification, the assembled journalists were like a dog with a bone, continuing to prod stars Melissa McCarthy and Billy Gardell on their weight.

Gardell heroically introduced some much-needed levity to the proceedings,...

Chicago – CBS announced their fall schedule today. While fans of canceled “Accidentally on Purpose,” “Cold Case,” “Gary Unmarried,” “Numb3rs,” “The Ghost Whisperer,” and “The New Adventures of Old Christine” may disagree, the big TV news of the week is that several of the top network’s biggest shows are moving. “Survivor” jumps to Wednesday nights, “The Big Bang Theory” moves to Thursdays, “CSI: NY” slides to Fridays, and “CSI: Miami” now goes down on Sundays.

As far as on-the-bubble renewals are concerned, CBS saved “Rules of Engagement” and “Medium”. The rest of their renewals were pretty obvious choices as the network continues to air many of the biggest hits on TV including the #1 drama (“NCIS”), #1 comedy (“Two and a Half Men”), #1 new series (“Undercover Boss”), #1 news magazine (“60 Minutes”), #1 new drama (“NCIS: Los Angeles”), and #1 scripted series for the 18-49 and 25-54 demos (“The Big Bang Theory”).

Of course, all of those shows are returning,...

Update 5/14: CBS ordered the pilot to series today.

Nothing’s official yet, but it looks like CBS is oh-so-close to ordering a third comedy from Chuck Lorre, the uber-producr behind the network’s hit shows Two and A Half Men and The Big Bang Theory. The multi-camera sitcom is called Mike and Molly, a romantic tale about an overweight police officer named Mike (My Name is Earl’s Billy Gardell), and a pleasantly plump gal named Molly (Gilmore Girls’ Melissa McCarthy) who meet at Overeaters Anonymous. A pickup announcement is expected as early as today (May 14).

CBS will announce...

It's Mike & Molly from Chuck Lorre, who already has the top-rated Two And A Half Men and The Big Bang Theory on CBS. The early pickup for Mike & Molly, written by Mark Roberts and directed by James Burrows, is extremely rare for CBS, which traditionally orders its new series on the Monday of upfront week. The series stars Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy as an overweight couple. Reno Wilson and Katy Mixon co-star. Previous: Is Chuck Lorre's 'Mike & Molly' Headed for Early Pickup At CBS?...

I hear CBS may break away from its tradition of picking up all of its new series on the Monday of upfront week this year and greenlight the Chuck Lorre-produced new comedy Mike & Molly later this week. It’s not that a series pickup for the pilot would shock anyone. The comedy about an overweight couple and their friends written by Mark Roberts and directed by James Burrows has been the clear frontrunner at the network through table read, filming, testing and screenings. CBS is said to have a very short window to pick up the comedy or release it [...]...

"Past Life" star Kelli Giddish has landed the lead in "Chase," Jerry Bruckheimer's drama pilot for NBC.

Additionally, Ben Chaplin is set to star in David E. Kelley's drama pilot "Kindreds" for NBC, and it's "Happy Endings" for "Saturday Night Live" alumna Casey Wilson, who landed a lead in the ABC comedy pilot six months after her ouster from NBC's late-night program.

In other pilot castings, "Wire" alum Domenick Lombardozzi is set to star opposite Laz Alonso in Fox's drama "Breakout Kings"; Eric Lange and Malcolm-Jamal Warner have landed lead roles in ABC's drama "True Blue"; comedy veterans Kurtwood Smith and Swoosie Kurtz have joined two high-profile CBS half-hour pilots, Chuck Lorre's "Mike and Molly" and Josh Schwartz's "Hitched," respectively; Leven Rambin, Vanessa Marano and Carlos Bernard of "24" fame have been added to ABC's dramedy series "Scoundrels"; and Valerie Cruz has been cast in "Off the Map,...

It’s no secret we love TV. We watch it, talk about it, review it and generally spend a lot of time with it. So, it should come as no surprise we’re very interested in what new shows may potentially be coming to the networks in the near future.

Fortunately, we don’t have to do a lot of work to find out, and you have to do even less, because the guys and gals at EW have gathered together lists of all of the 2010-2011 season pilot orders for ABC, CBS and NBC. Wasn’t that nice of them? Yes, yes it was.

Just between these three networks (we’ll bring you Fox and the others, including cable, later), 31 dramas and 29 comedies are being considered. What shows will make it to the Fall schedule is still anyone’s guess, and we’ll have to wait until May to find out,...

CBS may have created two of the most popular new series this season - NCIS: La and The Good Wife - but the network still has some bare spots to contend with (we hardly knew ye, Three Rivers!) Not one to stray from its bread and butter shows, the network's got a Criminal Minds spinoff in the works plus a new project from CSI honcho Carol Mendelsohn, but all eyes are on its redux of Hawaii Five-o starring Lost's Daniel Dae Kim. And don't think CBS is resting on its laurels with the (unfathomable) success of Gary, Unmarried...

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing. More Chuck Lorre on the way... CBS has given a pilot order to multi-camera comedy Mike and Molly, written by Mark Roberts (Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory) and executive produced by Chuck Lorre (Two and a Half Men). Project, from Warner Bros. Television, will center on a couple who are overeaters and meet at an Overeaters Anonymous support group. (Variety, Hollywood Reporter) Emmy Rossum (Dragonball Evolution), Allison Janney (The West Wing), and Justin Chatwin (Dragonball Evolution) have been cast in Showtime drama pilot Shameless, a Us adaptation of Paul Abbot's UK skein that will star William H. Macy. Rossum will play Fiona, the 18-year-old daughter of an alcoholic (Macy) whose wife has gone missing and who must raise her five younger brothers. Janney will play a potential love interest for Macy's character, while Chatwin will play a...

By Josef Adalian

Comedy titan Chuck Lorre is developing another half-hour for CBS.

The network has greenlit production on a pilot for "Mike and Molly,"a multicamera sitcom to be written by "Two and a Half Men" writer Mark Roberts. Roberts and Lorre will serve as executive producers.

Roberts and Lorre have come up with an interesting plot for the show: It will revolve around a couple who both reguarly do battle with the bulge.

"Mike and Molly" will be produced via Lorre's overall deal with Warner Bros. TV. It will begin production next year for consideration...

HBO has set a premiere date for its World War II miniseries "The Pacific."

The 10-part miniseries, which follows U.S. Marines fighting in the Pacific Theater, will premiere Sunday, March 14 and air weekly through May 16, HBO confirms to Zap2it. The Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg-produced miniseries has been years in the making and makes a bookend to the Emmy-winning "Band of Brothers," which focused on the war in Europe.

"The Pacific" stars Joe Mazzello, Jon Seda and James Badge Dale and is based on a pair of books: "With the Old Breed" by Eugene Sledge (who will be played by Mazzello) and "Helmet For My Pillow" by Robert Leckie (played by Dale).

- HBO has also picked up a second season of its animated series "The Life and Times of Tim," which it will pair with "The Ricky Gervais Show" early next year.

Both shows will debut Friday,...