Busy night tonight, so let’s get into it…

My Name Is Earl – GED - NBC – 8/7c

After Earl is rejected to apply for a credit card for not having a high school diploma, a job, or a real place to live, he decides he needs to take some big steps towards finally growing up. When Earl returns to school to re-learn everything he needs to know to take his GED, he finds out how hard it is for teachers when they have to deal with students like the one he used to be when he was a kid.

The Office – Product Recall – NBC – 8:30/7:30c

The office is in crisis mode after a large shipment of Dunder Mifflin paper is accidentally sent out with an obscene watermark — and Michael tries to manage the media with an impromptu press conference. Jim and Andy also attempt to calm the high school principal who has sent out prom invites on the affected stationery.

I think this premise has the makings of the funniest episode of Office we’ve seen.  I’m loving the new Andy, and can’t wait to see how he and Jim play off of each other.   

30 Rock - Hiatus – NBC – 9/8c

As TGS’ summer hiatus approaches, Liz deals with the difficulties of her long-distance relationship with Floyd while she enlists Kenneth’s help in locating on-the-lam Tracy. Meanwhile, Jack’s impending marriage to Phoebe brings his mother, Colleen Donaghy, to town.

Scrubs – My Turf War – NBC – 9:30/8:30c

J.D. feels a little left out when Elliot’s wild sorority sister, Melody comes to town. Not able to deal with being the third wheel he turns the girls against each other in the hopes that he will once again be Elliot’s priority friend and, if he is lucky, that he might get to “mash” it with Melody. Meanwhile, Turk and Dr. Cox go head to head when they disagree over whether or not a patient requested surgery is necessary. Elsewhere, Carla discovers an unlikely ghost haunting pediatrics in an attempt to keep it clean.

A ghost?  Really?  Come on…I know that Scrubs has never been what you’d call realistic, but a ghost?

ER – Lights Out – NBC – 10/9c

A busy ER is putting the pressure on Kovac to take care of the overflow of cases prior to being shut down for renovations. A lonely Sam befriends a terminally ill photojournalist with a negative outlook. Pratt gets a scare when his brother unexpectedly shows up in the ER. Meanwhile, the tension between Gates and his father hits an ultimate boiling point.

Grey’s Anatomy – Desire – ABC – 9/8c

The attendings are extra-attentive to a patient, who is the chairman of the hospital board; Cristina helps Burke plan the wedding.

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard or heard about the unbelievable voicemail that Alec Baldwin left for his 11 year old daughter (listen to it here). 

Hearing this and all the press that it’s been getting, it reminded me of a conversation I had with my parents a while back.  I knew that 30 Rock would be a show that they would enjoy, and I recommended that they should check it out.  They both quickly said that they would never watch it.  When I pressed them further, their answer was simple.  “Alec Baldwin.”  See, my parents are very much Republican, while Baldwin is about as red state as a person can be.  His many tirades against the Bush administration drove my parents, along with many others, I’m sure, to the point where they will not have anything to do with anything connected to him.  I’m sure that the recent voicemail tirade against his daughter will serve to further that gap.

So…when do an actor’s actions warrant a boycott?  At what point does the off-screen behavior of a performer bring us to the point where we can’t maintain the ‘temporary suspension of disbelief’ any longer?  I know that it will differ from person to person, but here’s my stance on it.

30 Rock is not ‘The Alec Baldwin Show’.  It’s a show with many talented individuals that Baldwin just happens to also be on.  Personally, I don’t think it’s fair to not give an entire show a chance simply because of one actor’s actions.  Now, if a talk-show host said some of the same things, you might have a case, since that person largely is the show.  Case in point, the Bush-bashing that the country group Dixie Chicks gave a couple of years ago.  (Don’t take this post as being political…these two events were just the first couple of things that popped into my mind.)  Their actions resulted in being banished by the majority of country radio.  This makes a little more sense, with the boycott affecting the ones that performed the offending action, rather than penalizing a large production for the actions of one small portion.

So there’s my rant for the day.  What do you think?

I’ve noticed that I have several shows that I watch that I really don’t have much to say about, so, rather than search my brain to find something creative to say, I’ll just give a little bit of what the network preview says.  So, here’s what’s on tonight:

My Name is Earl – Harassed a Reporter – NBC – 8/7c

Earl’s back after a seven week hiatus (these long breaks suck…man, the 24-formula has me spoiled).   

Tonight, via Spoilerfix, centers around how, back in his pre-karma days, Earl’s gang made up false news stories and would call up reporters to get the fake stories on the news.  Tonight Earl has to make up with a reporter whose career he destroyed with those fake stories.

The Office – Safety Training – NBC – 8:30/7:30c

Having “I’m gonna lose my freaking mind” Andy return during the closing credits last week only to have Dwight pepper spray him immediately was absolutely classic.  Tonight, Andy’s ready to make a fresh start with his coworkers after undergoing anger management.  Also, the Dwight/Michael chemistry, which has been sorely absent over the past few weeks, should be back in full swing tonight as they show the hazards that can come from the dangerous work environment of Dunder Mifflin.

30 Rock – Corporate Crush – NBC – 9/8c

NBC says:

Liz is happy in her new relationship with Floyd (Jason Sudeikis); a company executive (Rip Torn) warns Jack that he is keeping an eye on his performance.

Scrubs – My Words of Wisdom – NBC – 9:30/8:30c

With last weeks departure of Nurse Roberts, we had a great example of  what I love about Scrubs.  This show manages to be ridiculously hilarious one moment, then completely hits the brakes and can be soberingly serious the next. 

NBC says:

After saying goodbye to Nurse Roberts, members of the staff incorporate some of her lessons into their lives.

ER – Photographs and Memories – NBC – 10/9c

It’s also been a long time since we visited ER.  So long, in fact, I’ve kind of competely forgotten everything that’s happened.  Let’s let NBC remind us:

A photographer (Annabella Sciorra) comes into the ER with a terminally ill patient; a new surgical intern, who appears to be Dr. Dubenko’s new favorite, upstages Neela.

Notes From The Underbelly - Pilot; Animal Style – ABC – 10/9c

My wife’s super-pumped (pump…heh…that was not intentional) about this one, so it’s added to my watch list for Thursday nights.  Entertainment Weekly gives it a B, saying:

Overall, however, Underbelly eschews cliché and makes pregnancy surprisingly laughable — including a very funny gag with a breast pump. A phrase I never thought I’d say.

TV Squad posted a great analysis of why NBC picked up 30 Rock for a second season, but has held out on Studio 60.  From the article:

…it can’t be because 30 Rock got better ratings than Studio 60, because Studio 60 got better ratings. It can’t be because 30 Rock got a higher rating in the all-important 18 to 49 demo, because Studio 60 had higher ratings there, too.

Read the full article here.

NBC announced today that it will welcome back the faux “behind the scenes of SNL” comedy for a second season.

From the press release:

“From the beginning, ’30 Rock’ has proven to be the kind of quality comedy that doesn’t come around very often, and we are very pleased to have this show back for a second season,” said Reilly. “We expect it to continue to build its increasingly loyal audience and become another of NBC’s classic comedy series.”

This news thrills me.  30 Rock is probably the greatest new comedy this season, and it seems like NBC is finally developing their Thursday “Comedy Night Done Right”, which has been flagging since the Friends departure three years ago.

Now, just renew Studio 60, and we’ll all be happy.