2011 Wednesday Night Preview

Wednesday Nights are jam packed with original programming.

We start at 7:30pm with the new ABC sit-com Suburgatory. Criminal Minds from CBS returns at 8:00pm, followed by CSI at 9:00pm starring Ted Danson for the first year, and sophmore NBC show Harry's Law at 10:00pm. The jam packed night is not over though as Law & Order SVU starring two new detectives airs at 11:00pm.

While Criminal Minds is guaranteed its spot, and Harry's Law is likely to stay, look for either CSI or SVU to drop off the schedule by December, and whether Suburgatory suceeds or not is also up in the air.

I Hate My Teenage Daughter gets a late start on FOX, premiering on Nov 23rd. Due to that late start and the plethora of dramas available, it will be picked up by Abaza TV but moved to Thursday nights at 8:30pm following The Office.

Hulk Hogan's MCW from Tru TV which starts Sep 14th will also likely be aired but moved to a very late night time slot.

Suburgatory
Single father George only wants the best for his 16-year-old daughter, Tessa. So when he finds a box of condoms on her nightstand, he moves them out of their apartment in New York City to a house in the suburbs. But all Tessa sees is the horror of over-manicured lawns and plastic Franken-moms. Being in the 'burbs can be hell, but it also may just bring Tessa and George closer than they've ever been. Tessa (Jane Levy) and George (Jeremy Sisto) have been on their own ever since Tessa's mom pulled a "Kramer vs. Kramer" before she was even potty trained. So far, George has done a pretty good job of raising Tessa without a maternal figure in their lives, but suddenly he's feeling a little out of his league. So it's goodbye New York City and hello suburbs. At first Tessa is horrified by the big-haired, fake-boobed mothers and their sugar-free Red Bull-chugging kids. But little by little she and her dad begin finding a way to survive on the clean streets of the 'burbs. Sure, the neighbors might smother you with love while their kids stare daggers at your back, but underneath all that plastic and caffeine, they're really not half bad. And they do make a tasty pot roast. The show stars Jeremy Sisto ("Law & Order") as George Altman, Jane Levy ("Shameless") as Tessa Altman, Carly Chaikin ("The Last Song") as Dalia Royce, Allie Grant ("Weeds") as Lisa, Alan Tudyk ("V") as Noah Lerner and Cheryl Hines ("Curb Your Enthusiasm") as Dallas Royce. Ana Gasteyer ("Saturday Night Live") guest stars. Emily Kapnek ("Hung") writes and executive-produces this bitingly ironic single-camera comedy. "Suburgatory" was directed by Michael Fresco ("Raising Hope"), who also executive-produced the pilot. It is produced by Warner Bros. Television.

I Hate My Teenage Daughter
new multi-camera comedy about two best friends who are single moms struggling to raise their difficult and over-privileged teenage daughters. ANNIE (Emmy Award winner Jaime Pressly, "My Name Is Earl") and NIKKI (Tony Award winner Katie Finneran, "Wonderfalls") are former high school outcasts whose pasts inform their current parenting styles. Annie, who was raised in an ultra-strict, uber-religious household where she had little-to-no freedom, pretty much allows her daughter, SOPHIE (Kristi Lauren, "You"), to do whatever she wants. Nikki, once an unpopular, overweight social pariah, has reinvented herself as a pretty Southern belle whose top priority is providing her daughter, MACKENZIE (Aisha Dee, "Dead Gorgeous"), with the childhood she never had. Sophie and Mackenzie are also best friends, which leads to a lot of co-parenting for Annie and Nikki. They have given the girls everything they asked for and everything they never had: clothes, money and self-esteem. The unintended consequence is they have created two mean girls just like the ones who tortured them years ago. Sophie finds her mother embarrassing and mocks her at every opportunity, but she secretly needs her mom and knows that her behavior is not always appropriate. Mackenzie, on the other hand, is the more manipulative of the daughters - she knows how to work her mother's insecurities to her benefit. Annie's ex-husband, MATT (Eric Sheffer Stevens, "As The World Turns"), wants to be a good parent, but is too clueless to know what that even means. That leaves his brother, JACK (Kevin Rahm, "Desperate Housewives," "Judging Amy"), an attractive, high-powered attorney, to serve as more of a father figure for Sophie. Jack's meddling would annoy Annie more if she didn't have such a crush on him. GARY (Chad Coleman, "The Wire"), Nikki's ex, also tries to help raise his challenging daughter, but the couple's complicated relationship often makes his involvement more difficult. As their daughters begin to experience their first high school dances and other life-changing teen events, Annie and Nikki are often reminded of their own tortured adolescent years. But when Sophie and Mackenzie's mean-girl antics cross the line, the moms quickly realize that they must, for the first time, dole out some real punishment and fix what is broken. They have no idea how to do that, but they do know one thing: They can't do it without each other.


Hulk Hogan's MCW
Hulk Hogan, one of the legendary stars of pro wrestling, believes you need to start small if you want to win big. Now he's lending his expertise to the new Micro Championship Wrestling, where he gives little wrestlers advice on recruiting, training and mentoring. It's all with the goal of getting the MCW off the ground and into the arena. Hulk Hogan's MCW comes to truTV from Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment.