TV on Tap: Morrissey “Ducks” Kimmel, TBS Wants More “Nerds” and Maya Rudolph Craves Variety

Oh CBS, you and Golden Boy had me at Theo James but you’ve got Kevin Alejandro and Chi McBride too.

News

AE-fave hunk Alan Ritchson is headed to Hawaii Five-0, Zap2It reports. Ritchson will play a sweet Navy SEAL who was a drinking buddy of Steve, which just sounds like a great way to start a triangle for McDanno.

I’ve been amazed at how much I’ve enjoyed TBS’ King of the Nerds. You have some true geeks in the cast instead of people who just live up to central casting’s idea of a nerd. Sure, the humor isn’t completely nerdy (though Dr. Mid-Nite was one of the answers in a challenge) but it does a good job celebrating nerd culture, so it’s great news that TBS has ordered a second season. I’m keeping my fingers crossed it can avoid that sophomore slump so many reality shows face.

Rachel Griffiths is headed to Camp this summer, taking the role of the camp director of NBC’s summer series that takes inspiration from movies like Meatballs.

As we get closer to the return of All My Children and One Life to Live both soaps are making casting announcements. The Price is Right model Robert Scott Wilson will appear on AMC as the son of Opal while Eden Riegel will return for a story arc as the groundbreaking character Bianca. Finally, General Hospital has figured out a way to share Roger Howarth so that he can return to OLTL as Todd without leaving Port Charles in the long run.

With few hits this past season, TV Guide says the upcoming pilot season trend is for “big” shows that are easily marketed because of their stars, or a simple but attention-getting concept. Of course, not every pilot season trend shows up on the fall schedule, so we’ll see if the networks maintain that view when it’s time to announce their fall picks.

Thanks to Jezebel, I now know that there’s a yogurt marketed to men. They so owe royalties to Raising Hope. But no hamburger flavor?

Morrissey was supposed to appear on tonight’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, but he cancelled because the cast of Duck Dynasty was supposed to appear on the same show. (That’s a popular reality show that follows a family company that sells duck hunting supplies, in case you were wondering.)

With Up All Night on the verge of being scrapped, I’ve been wondering what’s next for Maya Rudolph. According to Deadline, she’s been turning down offers for pilot roles because she’s dreaming about hosting her own variety show. Surely, she’s learned a few things from her time on Saturday Night Live that can be applied to updating the variety format for modern tastes.

Alica Silverstone has a new pilot, Deadline reports. The Clueless alum has joined the Lifetime series HR which follows a Human Resources director whose view of life changes after a brain injury.

Glenn Beck is launching a campaign to get his audience to demand that their cable company begin carrying his internet-based channel. Personally, I’m debating if it would be worse for more people to have access to his views or for only his ardent fans to be aware of the alternative universe that exists only in his head.

Listings

Anderson Live (syndicated) Check local listings
Anderson‘s guest-host today is Kenya Moore, one of those Atlanta housewives from when I stopped watching, and two Top Chef finalists.

The View (ABC) Check local listings
On the bright side, today’s show has Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Brooke Shields is guest-host all week (that’s a good thing, right?). On the other hand, Kale Gosselin is also visiting to make the case that an appearance on Celebrity Wife Swap and a TLC special is the beginning of the world caring about her again.

The Rachael Ray Show (syndicated) Check local listings
Kyan Douglas is back to perform another makeover, but this time he’s encouraging a guy who has worn the same mullet for the past three decades to change his look. I’m going to go outside, stare at the dirt and contemplate my ancientness now that I’ve realized that the mullet has been around long enough for someone to sport one for three decades.

Days of Our Lives (NBC) Check local listings
Since the soap gods won’t allow happiness to last long (not, at least, unless you hope to fade into the background and wait until one of Salem’s drama-prone couples need advice) Nick‘s providing WilSon with a bit of coitus afterglowus interruptus to try to get Will to give up his paternal rights. Again. Can we get to the point where Sonny pulls the “I know what Gabi did last summer” card, already? (Was that last summer? Longer?) You know this can’t be allowed to air without a liveblog, so be sure to join us starting at 1PM Eastern!

Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family) 8:00 PM ET
Spencer‘s on the verge of breaking that “Don’t bother me, I’ve got 99 issues” glare she’s been sporting for a month now and share some information about Toby with Emily. Too bad “A” has a plan to derail all that.

NCIS (CBS) 8:00 PM ET
Robert Gant shows up in this episode as the NCIS team try to resolve Ducky and Jimmy‘s disappearance. Gant’s always a welcome presence, let’s just hope he gets enough screen time to properly handsome up the show.

Raising Hope (Fox) 8:00 PM ET
We’ve seen most of the My Name is Earl cast show up in Natesville separately, but tonight the entire cast appears in the same episode for Hope‘s birthday party, which is looking like a disaster until the town assembles to turn things around.

Face Off (Syfy) 9:00 PM ET
Since this is Face Off, it’s not enough to challenge the artists to create Werewolves or aliens. No, it’s got to be werewolf aliens. Maybe they should just take the complete package from The Sims and ask for an Alien-Ghost-Vampire-Werewolf-Plant Person. (Did I forget anything? It’s been a while.)

Parade’s End (HBO) 9:00 PM ET
For those of you who need some Benedict Cumberbatch to get you through a longer-than-usual Sherlock hiatus, HBO is importing this mini-series that follows an old-fashioned British man who finds himself torn between the two women amid the cultural changes that WWI brings. That sounds like something that could also satisfy those of you starting to show signs of Downton Abbey withdrawal.

New Girl (ABC Family) 9:00 PM ET
Jess‘ latest awkward love interest comes courtesy of Winston who gets an interview with a football player (Steve Howey) that ends up being more interested in the one with the big eyes and bangs.

Cult (CW) 9:00 PM ET
What is it with CW shows that have cringe-y pilots but second-episode guest casts that draw you back? First, Beauty and the Beast had Luke MacFarlane, now Cult brings on Stacey Farber (she played Ellie on DeGrassi) as a techie who helps Jeff‘s search for his brother.

Go On (NBC) 9:00 PM ET
It’s time for a Studio 60 reunion as Bradley Whitford shows up as a comedia dell’arte expert with a book on how we overestimate Tina Fey. No, wait, he’s just playing a lonely, single friend of Ryan who sits alone with only the nutrition label on his box of Bachelor Chow to keep him company at dinner.

The New Normal (NBC) 9:30 PM ET
Rocky and Jane learn what happens when you keep battling Bryan and David‘s insistence that they don’t want a baby shower — your mink onesy gets donated to an adoption center. Add that to the sitcom premises that inspire the phrase, “You know this isn’t going to end well.”

Smash (NBC) 10:00 PM ET
Eileen finds herself facing a “moral crossroads” over the future of Bombshell. I’m so hoping this choice involves whose face she will throw a drink at next. Anjelica Huston is just too good at the drink throwing.

White Collar (USA) 10:00 PM ET
Peter and Neal get closer to finding out the mystery behind Ellen’s evidence box while simultaneously chiseling their way through the world of sculpture forgery.

Golden Boy (CBS) 10 :00 PM ET
From what I’ve been able to gather from the promos, CBS’ newest drama is about how Theo James is pretty. However, since the network publicity department didn’t want to write several hundred words about James’ good looks, it turns out there’s a story about the career of the New York City cop who will one day become the city’s youngest police commissioner. If you need more reason to tune in, the cast also includes Kevin Alejandro as the alpha dog who clashes with the new rookie.

What will you be watching tonight? Please share in the comments!

Tomorrow’s Preview

Anderson Live (syndicated) Check local listings
Comedian Heather McDonald joins Anderson tomorrow.

The View (ABC) Check local listings
Tomorrow’s show has The Americans‘ star Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys… unless I’ve mixed them up with an appearance by the band The Americans again.