I’m probably not alone in this, but the moment I saw “New Leads” listed as tonight’s episode, I was half-expecting, half-hoping for a Scrantonian send-up of Glengarry Glen Ross. Who’d be Shelly? Stanley? Or Phyllis? Would Michael perform his own version of Alec Baldwin’s monologue? Heck, Baldwin’s on 30 Rock, at the very least he could make a guest appearance…

Well, for fans of David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the only resemblance is that there are new leads in, they’re gold, and the sales staff can’t have them—and it’s probably for the best because parodies are like Betty White hosting SNL bacon-wrapped Peeps: in the end, never as funny as the idea.

Also good because it would’ve weighed an otherwise very good episode down.

The titular new leads are $50,000 worth of names Sabre has spent to be doled out to the sales staff as per the corporate office’s new “Sales is king” policy.  Naturally the power’s gone to the salesmen’s heads—Phyllis refuses to answer Angela’s e-mails; Andy (while on the phone, no less) flaunts his supposed dibs to everything in the office, including Darryl’s pencil; and Dwight believes he’s in the same company as Jesus (“If sales is king, and I’m the king of sales, that makes me the King of Kings).

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News came in last week that NBC’s latest addition to their Thursday night line-up, Community, will be returning for a second season, and we couldn’t be happier. We are all in agreement that Dan Harmon’s sitcom about a group of community college students and their weekly antics is one of the funniest shows on TV, and we’re happy to see it return.

With that said, this week’s episode, entitled “Basic Geneology”, looks to be yet another funny one, as former American Idol star Katharine McPhee stops by. From NBC:

It’s Family Day at Greendale Community College and the gang’s families come to campus to join in the fun. Meanwhile, Jeff (Joel McHale) agrees to help Pierce (Chevy Chase) connect with his stepdaughter Amber (guest star Katharine McPhee). Things take an interesting twist when Amber shows an interest in Jeff.

We’ve got two new hilarious clips from the episode, which you can check out after the jump. Be sure to catch the “Basic Geneology” episode of Community on NBC this Thursday at 8/7C.

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Things have been heating up on the comedy/action spy series Chuck this season. Chuck has taken on more missions as a full-blown spy, he got (and then lost) a new girlfriend, and everything seems to be coming together for our protagonist in his new life. In tonight’s episode, entitled “Chuck Vs. The Beard”, things get a bit more complicated. From NBC:

Chuck (Zachary Levi) feels like his life is falling apart when he can’t flash and gets left behind for a mission. While Shaw (guest star Brandon Routh), Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) and Casey (Adam Baldwin) go on without him, Chuck finds himself in a sticky situation back at the base.

Fans of The Drew Carey Show and Batman: Brave and Bold will get Diedrich Bader in this week’s episode as well. We recently got our hands on three new clips from tonight’s episode, which you can check out after the jump.

Be sure to catch “Chuck Vs. The Beard” tonight on NBC at 8/7 C.

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For those of you who were anxiously awaiting news that your favorite Thursday night comedies were getting another season, the wait is over. Today, NBC announced it was giving another season to 30 Rock, The Office and one of our favorite new shows, the extremely funny Community.

This news comes on the heals of NBC’s recent announcement that Parks and Recreation was renewed for another season. Seeing as how we are huge fans of these shows, this news is great and we’re looking forward to more fun and laughs.

For more info, check out the official NBC press release following:

NBC Gives Pickups To Thursday-Night Comedies ‘30 Rock,’ ‘The Office’ And ‘Community’ For 2010-11

Renewals Follow Previously Announced Green-light for “Parks and Recreation” on Thursdays

NBC has renewed three more of its Thursday-night comedies – “30 Rock” (9:30-10 p.m. ET), “The Office” (9-9:30 p.m. ET) and the freshman series “Community” (8-8:30 p.m. ET) for the 2010-11 season. The returning programs join the previously announced “Parks and Recreation” (Thursdays, 8:30-9 p.m. ET) that also will return for next season.

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A classic staple of the sitcom, aside from the clip show (hmm, they covered that one a few weeks ago, right?) and the Big Wedding (that one, too) is the Baby Episode. Staples, yes, but also synonymous with jumping the shark.

Fortunately, The Office writers seem aware of this and made the wedding episode, Niagra, one the season’s strongest. On the other hand, the clip show, The Banker, was one of the weakest.

The Delivery, The Office’s Baby Episode falls somewhere in between. In this hour-long installment, Jim and Pam, on the verge of joy-bundling, are determined to hold off on getting to the hospital until the very last minute since their health insurance covers only two nights’ stay. As Pam begins contracting, Michael calls a conference to get her mind off the little fella inside her clawing to get out. Andy performs the evolution of dance (sans music, as it’d just throw him off), Erin recites Kentucky Derby winners, and Michael usefully suggests doing the opposite of 10 Things to Induce Labor.

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In today’s television marketplace the traditional paradigm of new shows in the Fall and then reruns all Summer has gone away. Now, we get new shows almost anytime during the year with the midseason being one of the most popular.

Case in point are our friends at NBC who have several new shows for the midseason and we’ve got preview videos of some of them for you today. Some of these shows include The Marriage Ref, Minute to Win It and Who Do You Think You Are?.

For The Marriage Ref we’ve got a preview where Madonna goes head-to-head with Larry David and the panel turns again host Tom Papa Plus, Kelly Ripa and Don Rickles hand out some marriage advice. Next up is Minute To Win It where we find out just how difficult the challenges can be and get a closer look at two of the challenges with a slow motion camera.

Finally, with Who Do You Think You Are?, watch celebrities such as Lisa Kudrow, Spike Lee, Emmitt Smith and Susan Sarandon experience very personal moments and get a preview of four of these stories as they discover their own pasts. Actually, of the three, this one looks to be the most interesting. But whatever your thoughts about these shows, be sure to check out all the previews after the break.

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Well, Pam has been pregnant for nearly 9 months in “TV time”, which means that it’s time for a classic pregnancy episode! The Office returns this Thursday after NBC’s 2 week hiatus for the Winter Olympics. What better way to come back than with a one-hour baby special? From NBC:

Pam’s (Jenna Fischer) contractions begin but she and Jim (John Krasinski) are determined to wait it out as long as possible so they can have more time at the hospital. Meanwhile the rest of the office tries to distract Pam from the pain with food and entertainment.

In the second half hour, Michael (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) anxiously waits for Pam and Jim’s baby to be born. Back at the office, Erin (Ellie Kemper) makes Andy (Ed Helms) jealous when she has lunch with Kevin (Brian Baumgartner).

We’ve got four brand new scenes from this week’s special, including some great moments, such as Andy doing the “Evolution of Dance” dance…in complete silence. Check out the clips after the jump, and be sure to catch “The Delivery Pt 1 and 2″ this Thursday at 9/8C on NBC.

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My unwavering love of NBC’s geeky spy show with a heart of a Pentium chip, Chuck, began one cramped and overly air-conditioned afternoon at the San Diego Comic-Con. Many of the straight-laced network honchos had their doubts, until that one fateful day at Comic-Con changed everything.

I sat in one of the smaller rooms surrounded by geeks of all ages and gender as the cast of Chuck impatiently stood to the side awaiting our response to the debut of NBC’s latest pilot. As the first scene began, the entire audience was hooked. They erupted in sounds ranging from fits of laughter to surprised exclamations. After the credits rolled, the audience roared in rapturous applause and took to their feet in a standing ovation. The cast then ran onto the stage like rock stars playing to a sold-out crowd.

Since that day I have been an avid Chuck supporter. Chuck sky-rocketed geeky spy splendor into the new millennium by fearlessly ripping pre-conceived molds to shreds. Chuck is a computer geek who seeks to prove he can also be a super secret spy. Agent Sarah Walker is a super secret spy pretending to be his girlfriend while working at a yogurt shop. It’s as refreshing as a vanilla scoop of Pinkberry goodness that Sarah wasn’t strictly relegated to the girlfriend role.

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Even though today is Monday and nobody really likes Monday, at least one good thing is happening tonight: Chuck returns with a brand new episode. After some time off, everyone’s favorite reluctant yet determined spy returns and we’ve got the promo video to prove it.

But wait, that’s not all. The video is not just a promo for tonight’s episode, it also gives us a lot of stuff about what we can expect from the second half of season 3. This includes guns, explosions, back flips, romance, action and, apparently, teeth pulling. Yeah, I don’t quite get that last one either.

Still, with Chuck being one of the few “geek” shows left on the air, it’s nice to see it coming back strong for the rest of the season. Hopefully, things will continue to go well for the show and we’ll get a season 4.

Check out the video after the break. Chuck airs tonight at 8/7 C on NBC.

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Next week, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit returns with an all new episode and to keep things as fresh as possible, they’re bringing on a guest star you might recognize: Kathy Griffin. I know what you’re thinking? She’s a comedienne and host’s CNN’s New Years Eve show, but is she an actor too?

Well, apparently she can act, at least judging from the clips we have from the show next week for you. In thise clips we are introduced to her character “Babs Duffy” as she brings a complaint against your favorite SVU officers, meets ADA Cabot (Stephanie March) for the first time and then confronts Detective Benson (Mariska Hargitay) — not really a confrontation you want to have.

We’ve also got a video interview with Griffin where she talks about her role on the show. Of course, she’s very funny as usual. Be sure to check out all the clips after the break. SVU returns next Wednesday at 9/8C on NBC.

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