Day: January 27, 2011

If you were on the Internet at all in the past week, then you already had learned that Ricky Gervais filmed a short cameo as David Brent, the character that catapulted him and The Office to stardom, to appear in the American version alongside Steve Carell's Michael Scott. Gervais confirmed it a week ago to Piers Morgan on CNN, but said he wished it had been a surprise. I do, too. Knowing it's coming builds up your expectations for something special. Not knowing makes the surprise itself special, adding to your enjoyment. But since that was out of the way, what did you think? The scene opened the episode, completely without context. We don't know where they are, or why they're there. Did we need to know that, though? All we see is a hallway and an elevator, as David Brent emerges and meets Michael Scott. Needless to say, they hit it off, as they're two peas in a cluelessly offensive pod. If you haven't seen it yet, or just want to see it again, here it is. Short and sweet. Roll the clip!   Gervais agreed to reprise his role as a gesture to Carell to honor him before he leaves the show later this season. Slightly related: Will Ferrell also has agreed to appear in four episodes this season to help say goodbye to Carell's Michael Scott....

The second season of Archer, the animated spy spoof with an attitude, premieres tonight on FX. The series takes the idea of James Bond and takes it to a darker, bawdier place, with more than a healthy dose of snark. The voice cast is headed up by Jon Benjamin as Archer, and surrounded by talent with Jessica Walter as his boss and mother, plus Aisha Tyler, Chris Parnell, Judy Greer, Amber Nash and George Coe. If you need catching up, as well as an idea of what you're in for, here's a PSA the show put together using clips from the first season.   To prepare for tonight's debut, FX also has a few things to help get you in the mood. For a soundtrack, you can listen to the "Archer Horizontal Mambo Mix" on the show's own Pandora channel. When I looked it up online, these were the first dirty dozen tracks to shuffle onto my laptop… "Boom Boom Pow," Black-Eyed Peas "Black is Black," Rick Springfield "Another One Bites the Dust," Queen "You Make My Dreams," Hall & Oates "Come Together," Aerosmith "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe," Barry White "The Final Countdown," Europe "Ready or Not," The Fugees "Get Down Tonight," K.C. and the Sunshine Band "Neutron Dance," The Pointer Sisters "SexyBack," Justin Timberlake "Addicted To Love," Robert Palmer OK. So now you know that Archer's...

CBS announced a series of schedule changes yesterday for three of its sitcoms: New midseason comedy, Mad Love, starring Jason Biggs, Sarah Chalke, Tyler Labine and Judy Greer, will debut a week earlier than planned to coincide with Valentine's Day on Monday, Feb. 14. It'll take the 8:30 p.m. Monday slot currently occupied by Rules of Engagement, which will pop back up on the schedule Feb. 24. at 8:30 p.m. Thursdays. That means your final chance to catch rookie blog-to-book-to-sitcom $#*! My Dad Says will be Thursday, Feb. 17, completing its first 18-episode season. CBS has not yet decided on whether to renew it for the fall. You'll still get plenty of Shat on your TV in 2011 as the third season of William Shatner's Shatner's Raw Nerve returns to the Bio Channel on Jan....