Mike Hughes on TV

In a classy move, "Saturday Night Live" acknowledged (sort of) that Kristen Wiig is leaving.

Lorne Michaels, the show's producer, has said nothing would be decided until after the season. Still, the May 19 season-finale had a closing scene in which Wiig played someone who was graduating from school after seven years; she danced briefly with all the show's guys and more, including Steve Martin.

It was a nice touch, making me almost feel bad that I really wanted her to go. Wiig is extremely talented, but too often the show has had lame sketches that did little more than have her play someone weird. Wiiging out is fine, but it shouldn't be a substitute for actual wit. 

In the previous blogs, I was ranting about "American Idol" and the new fall line-ups. Let's pause for a moment, howeever, and visit "Common Law," which has its second episode tonight (May 18).

No, the USA Network shouldn't be debuting shows during the overcrowded final two weeks of the season. That may be why you haven't heard much about it.

Still, this is a fun show (in the USA tradition), worth hearing about. Here's the story I sent to papers:

By MIKE HUGHES

Michael Ealy was supposed to be a
serious actor or a serious architect or such.

Then math and fate intervened. Now –
as “Common Law” debuts – he has to be serious, funny, romantic
and an action-adventure hero.

“I said to the producers, 'This is
the hardest I've ever had to work,'” he said.

That's for the USA Network, which likes
to juggle heavy and light. It focuses on a cop duo:

– Wes Mitchell (Warren Kole). He's a
former lawyer (and formerly a lawyer's husband). He's precise and
careful, worried about maintaining an unscratched car and (at the
house where he no longer lives) an unblemished lawn. His dating life
is nil.

– Travis Marks (Ealy). He's imprecise
and instinctive. He has many romances, but they don't seem to last
beyond the next morning.

That brings comic byplay, a change for
Ealy. “I've been a dramatic actor most of my career,” he said.

That included three straight series
roles – “Sleeper Cell” (suburban terrorists), “FlashForward”
(time freezes) and “The Good Wife”(playing a slick lawyer,
scheming to run the firm). “I did those back-to-back,” he said.
“This couldn't be more different.”

His whole life, indeed, is different
than he'd expected. Growing up comfortably middle-income, Ealy
started college with plans to be an architect.

“I found that architecture has a lot
of math and science,” he said. “What I was good at is drafting;
I'm not a math and science guy …. I ended up with English, because
I could read and write.”

Along the way, he discovered acting.
Then came all those serious roles, followed by “Common Law.” It
requires a sort of partner chemistry, but that wasn't something Ealy
and Kole had time to plan. “I think we might have had lunch once,”
Ealy said. “(Producers) did a good job of casting.”

They chose Kole to be the serious one,
chose Ealy for the role he's spent his life not preparing for.

– “Common Law,” 10 p.m. Fridays,
USA, repeating at 1 a.m.

– Second episode (May 18) also airs at 11:05 p.m. Monday and at 7 a.m. the following Friday.

What is true stardom like? How should an "American Idol" winner sound and feel?

Tonight, we saw two splendid examples. Alas, neither will be an "Idol" champion.

First was Adam Lambert, the most talented male the show has ever had. He finished second (to Kris Allen, likable and forgettable) in 2009. His guest performance tonight was sensational, as usual.

Then was Joshua Ledet, the second-most-talented male the show has had. We now learn that he's merely finishing third to Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips.

If Jessica wins, that will be OK; she really is remarkable, especially at 16. If Phillip wins, the string will continue.

The first six seasons produced variety -- four women and two men, three blacks and three whites, voices that were molded by country, gospel and pop. The next four years were stagnant -- four straight white guys, three of them with standard pop voices, forgettable personas and little chance of living inside our radios. The fourth one (last year's Scotty McCreery) at least is distinctive and a country-radio star.

But Phillip Phillips? I believe there's legislation -- the Truth in Titling Act -- that would prohibit the show from calling itself "American Idol." It will simply be "American OK Guy."

This has been a busy day, so let me rush through  two things:

-- After some bold moves by the other networks (see previous blogs), CBS had only a couple surprises.

-- And for "American Idol," I see a Joshua-Phillip finale. Details:

1) CBS' big surprise involves nudging "Two and a Half Men" over to Thursdays, where a better show ("Big Bang Theory") can boost it. That makes room for one new comedy (from the "Will & Grace" guys) on Mondays, with "2 Broke Girls" at th crucial 9 p.m. slot.

2) The other surprise involves cancelling "Unforgettable," which was a strong No 15 in last week's ratings. That leaves room for three new dramas -- on Tuesdays, Thursdays ("Mentalist" moves to Sundays, providing a considerable upgrade from the canceled "CSI: Miami") and Fridays ("Undercover Boss" waits until mid-season.

3) I want Jimmy Iovine to make all decisions for "Idol" singers -- and maybe to make all decisions for everybody. The judges did badly tonight, giving tough songs to the final three; Joshua Ledet conquered his (as usual), Jessica Sanchez was overwhelmed by hers, Phillip Phillips was somewhere between. But the closing songs, chosen by Iovine, let all of them shine.

4) Phillips started badly, but had the advantage of going last, with a song he ended beautifully. I'm predicting a Joshua-Phillip finale ... and I'm rooting for Joshua, who is sensationally talented.

Earlier, I sent an overview of ABC's fall schedule. (See previous blog.) Since then, the network has had its "upfront" presentation to advertisers -- and has left me quite optimistic. Here's the new version I sent to papers:

By MIKE HUGHES

TV viewers tend to shrug when a new
network programming chief arrives.

Most have the same Ivy League
background, the same trendy phrases, the same mixed success. But as
ABC unveiled its fall line-up, one thing was clear: Paul Lee has made
a difference.

Lee repeated to advertisers Tuesday his
theory that viewers expect more than something to fill a tiny
rectangle. “Many choose to watch in their living rooms, on
huge,flat-screen monitors.”

He's talked of shows that look and feel
epic – and has sometimes delivered. This season added two
movie-style series that will return (“Once Upon a Time,”
“Revenge”) and some that won't (“Missing,” “The River,”
“Pan Am”). Next year will bring more of that.

The biggest step involves the Sunday
spot vacated by “Desperate Housewives.” Instead of a copy, he's
moving “Revenge” there and following it with a new show.”This
is an aggressive move,” he said.

The new one, “666 Park Avenue,” is
a stylish drama about an upscale apartment where dreams come true –
at a Faustian price. “Talk about cinematic scope,” Lee said of
those two shows plus “Once.”

Some other shows have a similar movie
feel. “Last Resort” has a submarine crew refusing unsubstantiated
orders to fire a nuclear missile – then fortressing itself on an
island. The mid-season “Red Widow” has a mom leaping into her
late husband's tangled criminal world.

The comedies also reflect an offbeat
taste. Lee is giving his best spot (after “Modern Family”) to a
bizarre show about a gated community with people from the planet
Zabvron. He's renewing two borderline shows (“Happy Endings” and
“Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23”) and moving them to Tuesdays;
there, he said, they can be “edgy, sophisticated and, hopefully,
entirely inappropriate.”

Clearly, Lee is a different. He's an
Oxford grad, not an Ivy Leaguer; he's an Englishman who can actually
make the title “Suburgatory” sound pleasant.

Still, he does slip. He even scheduled
“Work It,” a guys-in-dresses comedy that was universally hated.
That :tells you what the British think of us,” Jimmy Kimmel, ABC's
latenight host, joked to advertisers.

He does aim beyond his Oxford roots.
The new schedule has:

– A double dose of country:
“Nashville” has Connie Britton (“Friday Night Lights”) and
Hayden Panettiere (“Heroes”) as stars – a veteran and a hot
newcomer – reluctantly linked for a tour. “Malibu Country” has
Reba McEntire as the wife of a cheating Nashville singer; she moves
to their Malibu home with her mom (Lily Tomlin) and kids.

– Light comedies. “Something I've
wanted to do since I got here was to put family comedy back on Friday
nights.” He'll have two there, in a plan that gradually pushes ABC
from six comedies to 10.

– And one British transplant – but
not the upper-crust one you might suspect. He's adapting
“Mistresses,” a BBC show that mixes soap-opera plots with serious
writing and acting.

That show will have to wait for its
mid-season spot, as will “Red Widow” and the returning “Body of
Proof.” For the fall, Lee is gambling on shows that are serialized
and cinematic. The schedule:

– Mondays: “Dancing With the Starz”
8 p.m. (with “The Bachelor” in January); “Castle,”10.

--.Tuesdays: “Dancing” results, 8
p.m.; “Happy Endings,” 9 p.m.; “Don't Trust the B,” 9:30;
“Private Practice,” 10. (In January, with no “Dancing,” there
will be new comedies at 8 and 8:30.

– Wednesdays: “The Middle,” 8
p.m.; “Subrgatory,” 8:30; “Modern Family,” 9 p.m.; “The
Neighbors,” 9:30 p.m.; “Nashville,” 10.

– Thursdays: “Last Resort,” 8
p.m.; “Grey's Anatomy,” 9; “Scandal,” 10.

– Fridays: Season starts with “Shark
Tank” at 8; “What Would You Do?” at 9 and “20/20” at 10.
November has “Last Man Standing,” 8 p.m.; “Malibu Country,”
8:30;”Shark Tank,” 9; “20/20,” 10.

– Saturdays: College football in the
fall, then reruns.

– Sundays: “America's Funniest Home
Videos,” 7 p.m.; “Once Upon a Time,” 8; “Revenge,” 9; “666
Park Avenue,” 10.