The night the first CHEERS aired

Thirty years ago today at 9:30 pm CHEERS premiered on the NBC television network. We look back and it was a major milestone, but at the tim...

Why CHEERS wouldn't sell today

I was going to do this as a Friday question. But it seemed more like a Saturday answer. Arjewtino asked: Of all the shows you worked on, ...

The stupidest thing I've said on the air

TGIFriday Question Day. Long Paul starts us off: What is the stupidest thing you’ve ever said on the air? Wow. There’s such a long list it...

THE MINDY PROJECT -- review

I like Mindy Kaling. I’m a big fan of her writing. She wrote some terrific OFFICE episodes, her pieces in the New Yorker are funny, and I ...

The truth about Premise Pilots

With pilots still premiering, I thought I’d take this Friday Question from Jill Pinnella Corso and devote an entire post to it.  The questio...

What it's like to win an Emmy

Emmy fever is still upon us.  It will last another hour or so.  But I thought I'd take advantage of that to tell you what it's like ...

SITCOM ROOM registration is now open

Ever wonder what it's like to be a comedy writer on a sitcom?   Being surrounded by really funny people in a work environment where laug...

My 2012 Emmy Review

Once again the TV industry took a night off to ignore its hemorrhaging ratings, 90% failure rate, and NBC to pat itself on the back for anot...

Here's my book trailer

Attention authors: You need book trailers these days. It used to be you needed book stores but there are very few of those around anymore. S...

The CHEERS intelligence graph

Compliments of Neatogama.com. As someone who wrote these characters for nine years, this would be my order: Lilith Frasier Diane (now comes ...

My most asked questions

But always worth answering. Happy Friday Question Day. kermit is the latest to ask them: If I'm a writer who's written for broadcast...

Who makes the best pizza?

If there was ever a question that has no answer that’s the one. Other than agreeing that it’s not Dominos there is absolutely no consensus...

5 Best TV shows in history

Last night 20/20 did a segment on the five best television series of all-time (as compiled by ABC News and People Magazine).  Was hoping BIG...

Fall Movies Preview Part 3

The conclusion of this season's boxoffice fare. Part one was Monday.  Part two was yesterday. SKYFALL – 23rd James Bond movie. Daniel C...

Fall Movies Preview Part 2

Part 1 was yesterday. How many of these will you be seeing? TAKEN 2 – Last time it was Liam Neeson’s daughter who was abducted. This tim...

Fall Movies Preview Part 1

A blog tradition -- the Fall Movies Preview -- mini-summaries of the films that will be released this season. Disclaimer: Not that this has...

Happy Birthday to my hero

Today is my dad's 85th birthday. He remains my hero. You of course recognize him as the host of the restaurant Nancy Travis entered ...

Guess the first cancellation of the Fall

Okay, kids, it's that time of year again.  Time to select the first new series of the Fall to get cancelled.  Leave your entry in the co...

My worst directing experience

You know what day it is. First Friday Question is from DyHrdMET: Have you ever had (or heard of) an audience boo at a scene, an actor, or ...

I miss NBC WEEK

The networks are rolling out their new fall shows. I think. The premieres are scattered; some not even airing in their regular time slots. ...

Remembering Larry Gelbart

As if 9/11 wasn't already the bleakest day in modern history, three years ago on that date Larry Gelbart passed away.  He was 81.   He w...

9/11 and David & Lynn Angell

I re-post this every year on this date. 9/11 affected us all, profoundly and in many cases personally. Two of my dear friends were on fligh...

Gilbert Godfried reads 50 SHADES OF GREY

As a postscript to today's post on bad sex writing -- how about some bad sex reading?    And to think I recorded my own audiobook instea...

Bad sex writing... or rotten erotica

WARNING: SEXUAL CONTENT AND NAUGHTY WORDS! With FIFTY SHADES OF GREY such a huge sensation, erotic fiction is the zeitgeist of the day (or i...

You've got to see this video

This must've taken weeks! Thanks to deft editing, the MAD MEN cast performs Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up."

Everything you wanted to know about the CHEERS "Bar Wars"

I get a lot of questions about the “Bar Wars” episodes of CHEERS that my writing partner, David Isaacs and I wrote. So here are the FAQ’s.D...

Great minds plot alike

Am I the only one who noticed that the big concluding scene of THE NEWSROOM and SUITS was the exact same scene? I’ve held off writing this...

Telling an actress she needs plastic surgery

As always, thanks for the Friday Questions. Here are a few answers and a visual aid. Jim S. gets us started: You mentioned that a network m...

My Good Day LA appearance

From this morning. On with Steve Edwards and Lauren Sanchez. I was somewhat thrown by the fact that the people interviewing me actually re...

What the fuck is happening here?

Been spending the week catching up on shows I had DVR’ed while on the road. Mostly cable hour dramas. (What else is on in the summer?) ...

The rain, the park, and other things

This is part two of my recent travelogue.  Part one is here.  And more photos are here. Rendezvoused with my son Matt in Chicago. The first ...

On the road again

Another summer swing calling Mariners games. This one took me to Seattle, Chicago, and Minneapolis. Proving I’m the king of great timing,...

The Berlin Wall, bikini waxes, princesses in butter and MORE!

Happy Labor Day!  How are things shaking?  Tomorrow I'm posting my travelogue from my recent road trip with the Mariners. But first, som...

Going through another earthquake

They always seem to be in the middle of the night when it's warm.  This morning about 3:30 everyone in LA was jolted out of bed by somet...

AV Club's Top Ten MASH episodes

You can find it here.  Happy to say my writing partner, David Isaacs and I made the list with POINT OF VIEW.   We also made honorable mentio...

I miss Jerry

The Labor Day weekend just isn't the same without Jerry Lewis hosting the telethon.   I unabashedly loved that show. I looked  forward t...

My day with Johnny Carson

Back in Los Angeles. Travelogue of my road trip with the Mariners will follow sometime next week. In the meantime, got a Friday question y...