One housekeeping note: there are a couple of questions within the piece which were asked by my TCA compatriot Bill Brioux, who has a great and appropriately-titled site called TV Feeds My Family. Poor Bill was forced to battle his way through the last half of the tour with an excruciating case of laryngitis, and he asked if – in lieu of trying to croak out all of his questions – he could piggyback on a couple of my interviews, so if you should happen to be one of the few people who reads both of us, let me assure you that any crossover between our pieces on “Outsourced” is totally authorized.

Bullz-Eye: You and I first met back in the summer, for the initial “Outsourced” panel. Are you nervous about being back amongst the critics?

Rizwan Manji: (Laughs) You know what? We’re very excited to be back. We’re glad that we’re still here and that we’re doing so well, so we’re very happy about that. Yeah, I think we’re a little bit more relaxed than we were in August. We were very nervous about what we were going to be asked, and we hadn’t done it before. Now, we’re sort of…we’ve gone to a bunch of different events now, so we’re a little bit calmer than we were in August.

BE: Plus, you guys are a hit now.

RM: Yes! We’re very excited about that!

BE: I liked the show from the get-go, actually. I used to work in a call center, so I had a natural affinity to the concept.

RM: So you’re the real Todd, I guess? (Laughs)

BE: Well, I did my best. In fact, I just spoke with your onscreen nemesis a few minutes ago.

RM: You did…? (Cuts eyes suspiciously around the room, then laughs)

BE: You guys really have some great chemistry together, a hero/villain dynamic or whatever you want to call it.

RM: Oh, thank you! Yeah, me and Ben, we have a tremendous time. We actually even live really close by each other, so we actually even see each other on the weekends. My daughter loves him, and whenever she sees him on TV, she’s always, like, “More Ben! More Ben!” (Laughs) She’s two, and that’s what she can come up with. You know, it’s…I’m so thankful that, as you said, the chemistry worked out, because we never auditioned together. It was one of those things where I found out really late in the game, because, as I think I might’ve mentioned to you in the summer, I auditioned for a different part. So when we actually met was the first time we were reading it for the network, and we were, like, “Oh, my God, this works!” So it could’ve gone horribly wrong, or it could’ve been this, and I’m so happy that we have a little bit of chemistry.

BE: Is it fun getting to play slimy? And I mean that in the best possible way, of course.

RM: (Laughs) You know, it’s so cathartic, I guess, because I get to say the meanest things. My wife always says, “Don’t bring that home with you!” Sometimes I get home and I’m using words that I’ve used on the set. But it’s a lot of fun. Rajiv gets to say the craziest things.

BE: Speaking of crazy things, all of us critics got a lovely Halloween gift from the show: our very own remote-controlled tarantula, a la the one Rajiv destroyed on the show. Were you fortunate enough to get your own? Because my daughter loves ours.

RM: I was not! Actually, we only had six of them on set, and they said, “If we ruin all six of them, the shot is done.” Luckily, we got it on the last take, because I had actually demolished all six of them by the end of that thing. So, no, I did not get one to take home…but now that I know you got one, I’m going to ask for one! (Laughs) I was actually out in Phoenix yesterday doing a press event, and they were giving out my favorite novelty, the toilet-bowl mug. That was great. The novelties are becoming characters on their own!

BE: Now that you’ve been working together for a few months now, who’s the easiest to make laugh and who’s the hardest?

RM: The easiest, I would probably say, are Ben and Anisha…Todd and Madhuri. They’re the easiest to break up. The one who pulls the most pranks is Parvesh, who plays Gupta. Definitely. He’s constantly doing crazy things to us on and off the set. There’s a video floating around where he’s taking a close-up video of the inside of my nose. So, yeah, he does crazy things like that.

BE: Where does Diedrich Bader fall in the ranks?

RM: Diedrich, he’s a prankster, but you’d be surprised: he’s very professional on set. He does lighten up at some points, and he’s so funny when you see him on TV, but he’s actually very, very professional. A joy to work with, but very professional.

BE: They showed us a little clip today of the upcoming Bollywood sequence.

RM: By far my favorite episode, and I’m so glad it’s on January 20th, when we move to 10:30 PM. You saw the little clip of the dancing, but you don’t actually hear the singing. Three of us sing, but only one of us can actually sing, so…

(At this point, Parvesh Cheena strolls up and joins the conversation.)

RM: I was just talking about you. We’re talking about how awful you are in the next episode.

Parvesh Cheena: Oh, shut up! You Canadians… (Referring to Manji, who is from Toronto, ON) …don’t know hell.

RM: (Laughs) So, yeah, there’s the Bollywood dance sequence, and then there’s the singing, so…

PC: Riz sings, too, by the way.

RM: I won’t tell you if I’m one of the good ones or not. I might be the terrible one.

PC: Let’s just say it’s a song by an ‘80s pop icon who’s seen better days since leaving her husband, Bobby.

RM: Rajiv clearly is a fan of ‘80s music.

PC: (Laughs) And you know that you sing in this episode (we’re getting ready to film), too?

RM: Yeah, there’s an episode that we’re about to shoot, and…I don’t know how much I can say!

PC: You can’t say anything. But I can! You sing…

RM: (Interrupts) I won’t tell you why, but I actually sing another song.

PC: From the ‘70s.

RM: It’s great.

Bill Brioux: Was there extra rehearsal involved for the Bollywood episode?

PC: Yes! We were, like, “Glee” meets “The Sing-Off.” (Laughs) Seriously! We had to lay down tracks…and I think I now have the street cred where I say can “lay down tracks”…Anisha and I and Ben. We had choreography. The choreographer, Fred Tallaksen, is one of Madonna’s choreographers from two tours, and I’m glad I didn’t learn that until the last day. Otherwise, I would’ve freaked out. I just thought, like, “Okay, I’ll do it. I’m sweating, but I’ll do it.” And then we had to film the rest of the episode, too, so we’d be filming something, table read, going to the music studio to record, coming back for dance rehearsal in this dungeon basement at CBS Radford, and then coming back to film.

RM: And the director of that episode (John Scott) has directed episodes of “Glee,” so it really just looks amazing. It’s the perfect episode to inaugurate that 10:30 timeslot.

PC: It really is. We’re really glad that they have that episode as the first one back, as a push. And to show that Anisha, who’s our quiet one, has a Broadway baby voice…? It’s a blessing.

BB: Can you speak to what the key Bollywood moves are?

PC: A lot of hips, and every so often a turn. That’s all you need to do! Hip, hip, turn. Sometimes some arms, but I wanted to keep it to the lower body for you guys.

RM: I feel like one day Rajiv needs to do some Bollywood dancing. (Laughs)

PC: You’ve got some moves.

RM: I feel like Rajiv would be awesome!

BE: So you’ve obviously got a great episode to kick off your new location, but are you guys excited or feeling tentative about the new 10:30 timeslot?

PC: No, I love it. The fact that we got to follow “The Office” before, and now we’re following “30 Rock”…? We can’t lose.

RM: And I think it’s one of those things where, because the entire night is this event now, a 3-hour comedy block, and there’s a lot of publicity for the three hours of comedy on NBC, there’s a lot of buzz about it. At the 9:30 timeslot, we had built our fanbase, and people are really obsessed with the show and love it, so I feel like they’re going to move with us to 10:30. I think our crowd is…

PC: Our fans have been really loyal and supportive, and…where have we gone? We’ve gone to New York together, and I went back to Chicago, where I’m from, and it’s just been awesome the amount of people who’re watching. Kids, even. Parents. And that’s from every ethnic group, let alone the Indian community. We’ve been so grateful to everyone.

BE: So when you guys became a hit, who was the first person to yell, “Suck it, critics”?

PC: Rizwan!

RM: (Lowers head) Oh, my God…

PC: But only because Rizwan says “suck it” a lot, generally. I’m just thinking, like, “It must be him.” He’s said to everyone at one time or another. (Laughs) But, no, we understand what purpose a pilot serves. It’s an introduction. And we were, fairly or not, under the microscope a lot more because we are the first show with a predominantly South Asian cast in America.

RM: And to the critics’ credit, there were several articles written after about the fifth or sixth episode…after the Bolloween episode, I believe…where they were saying, like, “You know what? I’m really sorry that I said all this, because I’ve changed my tune, and I just think it’s not everything I thought it was based on the clips that I was seeing at the previous TCA tour.” So to their credit, some of them took it back. And you know what? There are still some people harping about the stereotypes and all that stuff, but I feel like we’ve addressed that. And we’re so not that show.

PC: No one ever makes a problem out of, “Oh, that show about the lower income white family living in the trailer.” It’s a stereotype…or, rather, an archetype…and…

(At this moment, Anisha Nagarajan suddenly pops her head in between Manji and Cheena.)

PC: And here’s our Bollywood baby right now! Anisha, come talk to the fine gentleman!

Anisha Nagarajan: Hello!

PC: We were just talking about how…he asked the question, “Who was the first person to say ‘suck it’ to the critics?” And I said it was you.

AN: (Horrified) It was…?

PC: No, no, it wasn’t.

RM: I don’t think he believes it, anyway.

BE: I don’t think anyone could believe that.

PC: She’s too nice! I felt bad even saying that. I just imagined her starting to cry. (Laughs)

BE: So tell me about your part in the Bollywood episode.

PC: She’s my back-up dancer.

AN: (Laughs) I start out that way. But then I kind of find my voice in the episode. Let’s just say that.

BE: Was it nice to finally get the chance to use it?

AN: Yes! (Laughs) That’s for sure!

PC: And it’s an amazing voice that we’re glad we get to share with everyone, too.

AN: And his voice is really great in the episode, too. He sings an amazing song that you’ll see.

PC: We do pimp Anisha out wherever we go to sing, so now that it’s actually going to be on national television, it makes us all so happy that she’s not in “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.” We keep her safe. That was her back-up! If she’d done “Spider-Man,” she wouldn’t be here with us. She’d be on Broadway, soaring over people’s heads.

BE: Or in the hospital!

PC: (Mock horror) No, Anisha! I will keep you safe!

AN: (Laughs) I saw the show when I was in New York over the winter holidays, and it looks like it’s really…as my mom said, it looks like it’s finding its eight legs.

PC: It just got pushed again, though. To a March opening.

AN: Yeah, I saw that. But what I saw of it, they had no faux pas, no malfunctions. It was really well done.

PC: And Glenn Beck thought it was really good, too.

AN: I saw that!

RM: Well, if Glenn Beck liked it, let’s all rush out and see it! (Laughs)

PC: Rizwan is a big Fox News fan.

RM: Well, Rajiv is, anyway! (Laughs)

BE: What were you going to be doing in “Spider-Man”?

AC: Well, I actually did all the workshops, and the part I was playing in the workshops was the villainess part, Arachnae. But that was in the workshops. I was actually cast as an understudy for the featured ensemble of the show. Given the circumstances, though, I don’t know if that would’ve actually happened, or if I would’ve played the part, or what is going on, but…

PC: All right, she’s being very modest, but I’m going to say it: she was called by them about her availability to maybe come back in the show. So she’s being very modest and humble.

RM: Yeah, it’s a lot bigger part than she’s letting on.

PC: And I’ll also let you in on some news: Riz and I are in talks to play Doctor Octopus and The Lizard. Yes, we are a three-for-one package. I will be playing Doctor Octopus, because I’m very handsy, and Riz will be playing The Lizard because he’s just slimy.

RM: Oh, man!

PC: Sorry, I meant “reptilian.”

RM: I like that better.

BE: You’d think I hadn’t already called you “slimy” earlier in the interview.

PC: (Bursts out laughing)

RM: I can take it!

BE: So are you guys happy with the way the show is evolving?

PC: Yes.

AC: Yes!

RM: Absolutely!

PC: We get creative input, we get to improvise, we get to play…we pitch ideas. I don’t know if you know this, but there’s one scene where, like, Rizwan slapped me twice…? We just pitched it, like, “If Rizwan got on a power trip, this is what he’d do.”

AC: At this point, I think you’ve been slapped by every character in the show…including me!

PC: I think I have. Now, this slap didn’t make it.

RM: They cut it from the show. They said it was a little…

PC: Too sick for the holidays. But I do know that the working title for one of the upcoming episodes is “The Slap.”

RM: It is not!

PC: I think it is!

RM: I just enjoyed it because for seven takes I got to slap him really hard in the face. So I didn’t even care that it didn’t make the final cut. I just got to slap you…

PC: It was a stage slap.

RM: Let’s just do it.

(Rizwan slaps Parv hard enough that it is very much audible on the recording.)

PC: Ow!

BE: Did that hurt?

PC: No. (Bursts into mock sobbing)

RM: (Starts laughing)

PC: That’s stage training for you.

BE: I’m going to start wrapping up here, but, Parv, I mentioned to Rizwan that I used to work in a call center, which is why I had a natural affinity to the show right off the bat.

PC: You know, I was a box office ticket agent, and we’d have to cold-call our subscribers…like, people who are paying high-end Chicago Shakespeare theater subscriptions…and ask, “Could you give $10?” “NO! How dare you call me?” I’m, like, “Ma’am, the upstairs studio is named after you. I thought maybe we could hit you up for ten bucks!”

BE: Lastly, for all of you, where would you like to see “Outsourced” go in the future, either for your character or just in general?

PC: I really have been pleased with how we’ve been leaving the call center for a lot of episodes. One of our upcoming ones is a full-on train. We built a whole train station and a moving train, and we employed 250 background artists. I love seeing that. I love seeing more of where we go to, like, Riz’s home, and the personal relationships, too. And Madhuri…

AC: Madhuri may or may not have a special twist during the Valentine’s Day episode. (Laughs) So stay tuned!

PC: It’s very exciting!

RM: Yeah, I think my favorite part about what’s developing in the show is you finding out the background of the call center workers and…just scenes that are not at the call center but, as he said, at people’s houses, or just meeting different characters that are relationships, like her grandmother and (to Parv) your mom and my fiancée. These are people who we’re going to meet.

PC: I forgot!

RM: What?

PC: I completely forgot about the episode with my mom! (Laughs)

BE: I’ve kind of likened the evolution of “Outsourced” to that of “Cougar Town,” in that it started with a simple-to-summarize concept but soon expanded beyond that as we learn more about the characters in the ensemble.

RM: Yes!

PC: I agree. That’s a very good analogy.

“Outsourced” is NBC’s new workplace comedy series centered around a catalog-based company, Mid America Novelties, that sells American novelty goods including whoopee cushions, foam fingers and wallets made of bacon, and whose call center has suddenly been outsourced to India. After recently completing Mid America Novelties’ manager training program, Todd Dempsy (Ben Rappaport, off-Broadway’s “The Gingerbread House”) learns that the call center is being outsourced to India, and he is asked to move there to be the manager. Having never ventured out of the country, he is unprepared for the culture shock. Overwhelmed, Todd discovers that his new staff needs a crash course in all things American if they are to understand the U.S. product line and ramp up sales from halfway around the world. The sales team Todd inherits includes Gupta (Parvesh Cheena, “Help Me Help You”), a socially awkward employee; Manmeet (Sacha Dhawan, BBC’s “Five Days II”), a young romantic who is enamored with America; Asha (Rebecca Hazlewood, BBC’s “Doctors”), a smart, striking woman who finds herself intrigued by Todd; Rajiv (Rizwan Manji, “Privileged”) the assistant manager who wants Todd’s job; and Madhuri (Anisha Nagarajan, Broadway’s “Bombay Dreams”), a wallflower who suffers from extreme shyness. Todd also discovers other transplants working in his office building, including an American expatriate, Charlie Davies (Diedrich Bader, “The Drew Carey Show”), who runs the All-American Hunter call center, and Tonya (Pippa Black, “Neighbours”), a beautiful Australian who runs the call center for Koala Air. (Premieres September 23rd at 9:30/8:30c)

The Event (Mon., Sept. 20 @ 9:00 PM, NBC)

* The competition: “Dancing with the Stars” (ABC), “Two and a Half Men” and “Mike & Molly” (CBS), “Lone Star” (Fox), “Gossip Girl” (The CW)

Starring: Jason Ritter, Sarah Roemer, Blair Underwood, Laura Innes, Scott Patterson, Ian Anthony Dale, Zeljko Ivanek

Producers: Steve Stark (“Medium”), Evan Katz (“24”), Nick Wauters (“The 4400,” “Eureka”), Jeffrey Reiner (“Friday Night Lights,” “Trauma”)

Network’s Description: an emotional, high-octane conspiracy thriller that follows Sean Walker, an Everyman who investigates the mysterious disappearance of his fiancée, Leila, and unwittingly begins to expose the biggest cover-up in U.S. history. Sean’s quest will send ripples through the lives of an eclectic band of strangers, including: newly elected U.S. President Martinez; Sophia, who is the leader of a mysterious group of detainees; and Sean’s shadowy father-in-law. Their futures are on a collision course in a global conspiracy that could ultimately change the fate of mankind.

The Buzz: NBC ain’t playing around with this one: the big question of the summer for TV fans has been, “What is ‘The Event’?” Most of those who’ve seen the pilot seem to at least be hooked enough to come back for Episode 2, though I’m sure no one is counting on finding out what ‘The Event’ is anytime soon. On a related note, there’s some very reasonable concern from folks about whether they’re going to be let down by a promising sci-fi pilot that starts strong but then either peters out early in the season or never gets properly resolved before it’s canceled. (“FlashForward,” anyone?)

Pilot Highlight: There are several moments which will have you raising your eyebrows both at what you’re seeing and what it means, particularly the final scene, but the most effective sequence begins when Sean – who’s on a cruise with Leila – returns from a solo outing to find things aren’t quite the same as he left them.

Bottom Line: The rapid-fire back and forth between past and present combined with people getting the sensation that NBC’s trying for the next “Lost” is going to make it a tough sell for some, but, damn, the first episode sure intrigued the hell out of me.

Chase (Mon., Sept. 20 @ 10:00 PM, NBC)

* The competition: “Hawaii Five-0” (CBS), “Castle” (ABC)

Starring: Kelli Giddish, Cole Hauser, Amaury Nolasco, Rose Rollins, Jesse Metcalfe

Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer (“CSI”), Jonathan Littman and Jennifer Johnson (“Cold Case”), KristieAnne Reed (“The Forgotten,” “Miami Medical”)

Network’s Description: a fast-paced drama that drops viewers smack into the middle of a game of cat-and-mouse as a team of U.S. marshals hunts down America’s most dangerous fugitives. U.S. Marshal Annie Frost is a cowboy boot-wearing deputy whose sharp mind and unique Texas upbringing help her track down the violent criminals on the run. The members of Frost’s elite team are Jimmy Godfrey, an East Texas kid who never grew up and is a true American cowboy; Marco Martinez, a good intelligence guy who loves to talk; and Daisy Ogbaa, a weapons/tactical specialist and a woman of few words. Rounding out the cast is Luke Watson, the fresh-faced newcomer, whose Washington, D.C., upbringing did little to prepare him for the Lone Star State.

The Buzz: It ain’t great. For one thing, Bruckerheimer was nowhere to be seen at the panel for the series (he was apparently on the set of the new “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie, but he somehow managed to make it in for ABC’s panel for “The Whole Truth” a couple of days later), and then the panel itself was notably shorter than the ones for some of the other new entries on the NBC schedule. Maybe we shouldn’t make too much of either of these things, though. It’s more likely that it’s just a case where the show was too pedestrian to inspire much in the way of unique promotion.

Pilot Highlight: Nothing, really, and I can’t help but recall that I had this same problem with one of NBC’s pilots last year, too. (Would you please rise from the grave and take a final bow, “Mercy”?) Sometimes, a show arrives, follows its formula, and departs without leaving much of an impression. “Chase” is one of those shows.

Bottom Line: Don’t let the Bruckheimer name suck you in this time. “Chase” is the most by-the-book, formulaic cops-and-robbers drama I’ve seen in awhile, with no “hook” to make it stand out from the pack. If “Hawaii Five-0” doesn’t blow it out of the water, then I’ll have to echo Alex O’Loughlin’s sentiments and concede that I’m completely bewildered and have no idea how television works at all.

WEDNESDAY

Undercovers (Wed., Sept. 22 @ 8:00 PM, NBC)

* The competition: “The Middle” and “Better with You” (ABC), “Survivor” (CBS), “Hell’s Kitchen” / “Lie to Me” Nov. 10 (Fox), “America’s Next Top Model” (The CW)

Starring: Boris Kodjoe, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Gerald McRaney, Ben Schwartz, Mekia Cox, Carter MacIntyre

Producers: J.J. Abrams (“Alias,” “Lost,” “Fringe”), Josh Reims (“Brothers & Sisters,” “Dirty Sexy Money”)

Network’s Description: a sexy, fun, action-packed spy drama that proves once and for all that marriage is still the world’s most dangerous partnership. Outwardly, Steven Bloom and his wife, Samantha, are a typical married couple who own and operate a small catering company in Los Angeles — with help from Samantha’s easily frazzled, handful of a sister, Lizzy. Secretly, the duo were two of the best spies the CIA had ever known, until they fell in love on the job five years ago and retired. When fellow spy and good friend Leo Nash goes missing while on the trail of a Russian arms dealer, the Blooms are reinstated by boss and agency liaison, Carlton Shaw, to locate and rescue Nash. With assistance from resourceful CIA field agent Bill Hoyt, whose professional admiration for Steven isn’t hard to miss, the pair is thrust back into the world of espionage, disguises and hand-to-hand combat. Following leads that take them to cities spanning the globe, Steven and Samantha quickly realize that perhaps this supercharged, undercover lifestyle provides exactly the kind of excitement and romance that their marriage has been missing.

The Buzz: Relatively strong, although it’s rather odd how little we’ve heard from Abrams on the project, given that he’s usually out front and ready to pound the pavement to promote his series. Still, you’ve got “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” fans who can’t help but notice a similarity between that film and this series, and you’ve got those who are curious and/or excited about the idea of a spy drama with black leads, so there are definitely folks who are ready to check out the show.

Pilot Highlight: Maybe it’s just because I’m a sucker for the classics, but the bits with Bill treating Steven as a god among spies were extremely funny. It’s not something that I’d want them to try and sustain for the long haul – I expect that a constantly-fawning Bill would get pretty annoying pretty quickly – but it worked great for the introduction of the character, anyway.

Bottom Line: I still don’t think it feels like a J.J. Abrams production, and the idea of the couple maintaining their catering company while working as spies seems like the kind of thing that’s primed to be dropped during a mid-season retooling, but Boris and Gugu do make the sparks fly when they’re together. Given that it’ll be the only drama in its timeslot when it first premieres (“Lie to Me” doesn’t come back ’til November), I’d say it has a good shot at taking off.

Law & Order: Los Angeles (Wed., Sept. 22 @ 9:00 PM, NBC)

* The competition: “The Whole Truth” (ABC), “Defenders” (CBS)

Starring: Skeet Ulrich, Corey Stoll, Wanda De Jesus, Alfred Molina, Terrence Howard, Regina Hall, Megan Boone, Teri Polo

Producers: Dick Wolf, Rene Balcer, and Peter Jankowski (“Law & Order”), Blake Masters (“Brotherhood,” “Rubicon”)

Network’s Description: the classic ripped-from-the-headlines storytelling with the distinctive backdrop of LA – delving into the unique attitudes, cultures and crimes of the West Coast. Detectives Rex Winters and Tomas “TJ” Jarusalski pursue cases through the diverse City of Angels as members of the Los Angeles Police Department’s elite Robbery Homicide Division. Winters is a straight-shooting ex-marine with a clear-cut world view as stubborn as he is, while “TJ,” who grew up the son of an Oscar-winning Polish cinematographer, knows too well the dark underside that is behind-the-scenes Hollywood. Protecting the detectives who serve under her is Lieutenant Arleen Gonzales, and is driven, focused, and meticulous. She is a twenty-year vet with a background in military intelligence who now oversees the Homicide 1 section of Robbery Homicide Division. Deputy District Attorney Morales is a sarcastic realist who believes moral righteousness is great in theory, but ineffective in a street fight. Though he knows how to manipulate both his public image and the behind-the-scenes politics, he is still a killer in the courtroom who lives to see justice served. At Morales’ side is Deputy District Attorney Evelyn Price, an idealist and a true believer. She has faith that the system she serves is capable of drawing clean lines between good and evil, a belief that her boss, the pragmatic DDA Morales, does not share.

The Buzz: Originally, the only buzz was surrounding the strange decision by NBC to cancel the original “Law & Order” series just as they’re greenlighting a new “Law & Order” series, but as the cast has begun to take shape, people are beginning to take note of the caliber of talent that Dick Wolf has pulled together for what originally seemed to be just another “L&O” spin-off. Skeet Ulrich and Teri Polo? Alfred Molina and Terrence Howard?!? Well, if nothing else, they’re getting people’s attention.

Pilot Highlight: As of this writing, we still haven’t received a copy of the pilot. Word on the street is that Ulrich’s character will be introduced in an episode of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” first, but, uh, we haven’t gotten that yet, either. Basically, all we’re willing to commit to is that the highlight will either involve law or order. Probably not both…but you never know.

Bottom Line: It’s a proven franchise. If you love any other “Law & Order,” there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to love this one, too.

THURSDAY

Outsourced (Thurs., Sept. 23 @ 9:30 PM, NBC)

* The competition: “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC), “CSI: Crime Scene Investigations” (CBS), “Fringe” (Fox), “Nikita” (The CW)

Starring: Ben Rappaport, Rizwan Manji, Sacha Dhawan, Rebecca Hazlewood, Parvesh Cheena, Anisha Nagarajan, Diedrich Bader, Pippa Black

Producers: Ken Kwapis (“The Office”), Tom Gorai and David Skinner (“Outsourced,” the film that inspired the series), Alexandra Beattie

Network’s Description: After recently completing Mid America Novelties’ manager training program, Todd Dempsy learns that the call center is being outsourced to India, and he is asked to move there to be the manager. Having never ventured out of the country, he is unprepared for the culture shock. Overwhelmed, Todd discovers that his new staff needs a crash course in all things American if they are to understand the U.S. product line and ramp up sales from halfway around the world. The sales team Todd inherits includes Gupta, a socially awkward employee, Manmeet, a young romantic who is enamored with America, Asha, a smart, striking woman who finds herself intrigued by Todd, Rajiv, the assistant manager who wants Todd’s job and Madhuri, a wallflower who suffers from extreme shyness. Todd also discovers other transplants working in his office building, including an American expatriate, Charlie Davies, who runs the All American Hunter call center, and Tonya, a beautiful Australian who runs the call center for Koala Air.

The Buzz: It seems pretty much split down the middle: either people think it’s really, really funny, or they think it’s really, really racist. Personally, I’ve got it sitting in the former category, but, I mean, I’m not Indian, so that might have something to do with it…although the members of the cast seem to think it’s funny, too, so I feel like they’ve kind of got my back.

Pilot Highlight: There’s certainly a lot of funny stuff happening as the staff hones their pitches in order to properly sell American novelty products, but if I had to pick a single moment, it’s when Gupta busts a move.

Bottom Line: I can see where people might perceive it as racist, but when I watched it, I just saw a culture-clash comedy…and a very funny one, at that. It feels like it’ll fit perfectly in NBC’s Thursday night comedy line-up.

FRIDAY

School Pride (Fri., Sept. 24 @ 8:00 PM, NBC)

* The competition: “Secret Millionaire” (ABC), “Medium” (CBS), “Human Target” (Fox), “Smallville” (The CW)

Starring: Susie Castillo, Jacob Soboroff, Tom Stroup, Kym Whitley

Producers: Denise Cramsey (“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”), Melissa Stokes (“True Beauty”), Adam M. Neal (“Stylista”), Cheryl Hines (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”)

Network’s Description: a proactive, alternative series that tells the stories of communities coming together to renovate their aging and broken public schools. While transforming the school, the community also restores its sense of value and school pride. The cameras follow students, teachers and parents as they roll up their sleeves and rebuild their own schools, concluding with the unveiling of a brand new, completely transformed school. They are motivated by a quartet of community organizers and personalities — a SWAT Commander, an interior designer Susie Castillo, a comedian and former substitute teacher, and a journalist. Together, the team of experts will lead the community through the makeover process.

The Buzz: None to speak of, aside from the fact that Cheryl Hines is one of the executive producers.

Pilot Highlight: We haven’t been provided with a pilot yet, so I couldn’t say.

Bottom Line: You’d think that the lack of buzz and a pilot would have me saying, “This thing’s D.O.A.,” but you never can tell with inspirational reality shows like this. Sometimes they take off (“Undercover Boss”), sometimes they don’t (“Breakthrough with Tony Robbins”), and I’m not going to pretend that I have any clue which way this one will go.

Outlaw (Fri., Sept. 24 @ 10:00 PM, NBC)

* The competition: “Blue Bloods” (CBS), “20/20” (ABC)

Starring: Jimmy Smits, David Ramsey, Ellen Woglom, Carly Pope, Jesse Bradford

Producers: John Eisendrath (“Alias,” “My Own Worst Enemy”), David Kissinger, Conan O’Brien and Jeff Ross (“Andy Barker, P.I.”)

Network’s Description: Few jobs are guaranteed for a lifetime, and a Supreme Court appointment is a position that no one ever quits — unless he is Cyrus Garza. A playboy and a gambler, Justice Garza always adhered to a strict interpretation of the law until he realized the system he believed in was flawed. Now, he’s quit the bench and returned to private practice. Using his inside knowledge of the justice system, Garza and his team will travel across the country taking on today’s biggest and most controversial legal cases. Garza’s team includes his best friend since childhood, Al Druzinsky, a brilliant defense attorney with liberal beliefs; Mereta Stockman, a hopeless romantic who is Garza’s loyal law clerk; Lucinda Pearl, a wildly unorthodox private investigator who uses her sex appeal and wit to gather information for Garza, and Eddie Franks, a tightly wound, rabidly ambitious Yale-educated attorney, recently hired as Garza’s law clerk.

The Buzz: At first, it was about the irony that NBC had picked up a show executive produced by Conan O’Brien, then it was about how the show was so completely preposterous that it could be a Conan sketch. (“He used to be on the Supreme Court, but now he’s ridin’ the rails delivering his own brand of justice!”) Right now, I think most people are just waiting to see if viewers really will watch Jimmy Smits no matter what role he plays.

Pilot Highlight: It’s a tough call between Justice Garza getting thrown out of a casino for counting cards and unabashedly committing sexual harassment in a discussion with an attorney. Basically, it’s the moments where he’s being way more raucous than any real Supreme Court Justice would ever be, not the legal drama, that really stand out.

Bottom Line: Absolutely preposterous, yes, but Smits’s character is so over the top that “Outlaw” is actually kind of entertaining. Still, I can’t see the show being able to top CBS’s built-in buzz for the return of Tom Selleck to series television.

Fortunately, the first day of the Summer 2010 TCA Press Tour started slowly, providing visits to the sets of a few series, a trip around the Warner Brothers studio lot, a ride on the latest addition to the Universal Studios tour, and – to ease us in slowly – only two proper panels. We did, however, get a few Q&A ops while at the various sets, some of which were decidedly more impressive than others.

“Desperate Housewives” set visit

Having never watched a complete episode of “Desperate Housewives (I rather expect I’d like it, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day to play catch-up at this point), I had no personal investment in visiting the set for Wisteria Lane, but when you’re a heterosexual male and you’re presented with the opportunity to stand within a few feet of Eva Longoria Parker, you don’t turn it down.

Unfortunately, it took us for-freaking-ever to finally make our way to the set, as our bus driver apparently had no clue as to its whereabouts, aside from the fact that it was located somewhere on the Universal Studios lot. As a result, instead of getting to enjoy a leisurely breakfast on the set before beginning our interaction with series creator Marc Cherry and members of the show’s cast (Longoria Parker, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, and new addition Vanessa Williams), I got off the bus and barely had a chance to grab a cup of coffee and a bagel before the proceedings had begun.

Cherry and the cast appeared, cheerily greeted the assembled critics and thanked us for coming to the set, then split the group, with Huffman and Williams setting up camp in one house and Cherry, Cross, and Longoria Parker in another. Even if Eva hadn’t been in the mix, I knew from previous TCA experience that Cherry is always entertaining, so I followed him and his Housewives inside to hear what they had to tell us about the upcoming season of the show. At first, Eva was going to speak to what we could expect from Gabrielle’s storylines this year, but she stumbled almost immediately, admitting that she couldn’t remember what Cherry had told her she could say and what she couldn’t.

“And here’s where I step in,” said Cherry, to much laughter from the crowd. “The very first scene and what we start to deal with in the first episode (of the new season) is the ramifications of her friendship with Brie, because she finds out something that we’ve been holding back for six seasons: Andrew, Brie’s son, has run over her mother-in-law.”

“Oops,” said Cross.

“That comes out,” continued Cherry, “and that starts to affect their friendship in a major way. In the second episode, two families are again put into conflict, because there’s another hit-and-run.”

“Oops,” Cross said again.

“There’s another accident involving both families and stuff, so that’s one of the things we start to explore: their friendship. One of the things that I learned on ‘The Golden Girls’ is that you want your ensemble of ladies to be very close and very friendly, but it gets a lot funnier if they’re in conflict, so we’ve decided to put them into some conflict this year. We also have coming up…Brie will have a new love interest in the form of Brian Austin Green.”

After the hoots and hollers died down, Cross assured us, “He’s making me do it!”

“When we had the first table read…we always do a thing at my home where we read the first script of the season, and I introduced Brian as Marcia’s new love interest, and…Marcia blushed,” said Cherry.

“I’m still blushing!” said Cross. “I’m not really acting yet! Seriously, we did a scene yesterday, and he’s touching me, and I’m, like, ‘Aaaaaah!’ So I don’t have to act yet!”

“So, anyway, we’re off to a good start,” said Cherry, “and we’re just thrilled as all get-out to have Vanessa joining the cast. She’s been just a sweetheart, and we’re having fun with her. One of the things I’ve learned over the evolution of the show is that a lot of different talents are required to be on ‘Desperate Housewives.’ You have to be able to do both drama and comedy. The drama, you have to have a twinkle in your eye, and the comedy has to be very rooted in reality. Over the years, some of the additions have been more successful than the others.

“What was interesting was that the idea for this came from Steve McPherson. He never, ever suggests casting to me, but he called me a couple of months ago, just before I was going on my yearly 2-year vacation in New York, and he said, ‘Hey, what about Vanessa? Because ‘Ugly Betty’ is ending.’ And I, at first, was very skeptical because she was just coming off another ABC show, and that hadn’t really been on m radar, so I said, ‘Well, let me meet with her.’ So I walked into a restaurant in New York, my arms crossed, and about halfway through it, I went, ‘Please do my show!’ I just fell in love with her, and I found what was so great about her was that she really got the tonality of the show. I knew that she was capable of doing some wicked comedy based on her performance in ‘Ugly Betty,’ but what really struck me was her understanding of what it is that we do here, and I was convinced amazingly quickly.

“Just a little piece of trivia: it was, like, the quickest deal in the history of ‘Desperate Housewives.’ I met with her for lunch on Thursday, and her deal was closed by Tuesday morning, before ABC’s presentation. And I was, like, ‘They closed it?’ And I was thinking of all the deals we’ve done in the past, which went on for weeks and weeks and weeks…and it just happened, and that was both due to the fact that Vanessa really wanted to be on the show and ABC really wanted her here. So it was kind of a dream come true that’s been delightful ever since, and we’re having a lot of fun with the character.”

Warner Brothers Animation panel

Given that I’ve just started a column over at Popdose.com where I’m interviewing voice actors (“You’re The Voice”), you can imagine that I was pretty psyched to attend a panel which promised to provide us with several voice actors from a trio of Warner Brothers’ current crop of animated series on Cartoon Network: Diedrich Bader, who voices Batman on “Batman: The Brave and the Bold,” Frank Welker, who voices Scooby Doo and Fred (he’s been doing the latter since the character’s inception) on “Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated,” and Jeff Bergman, who’ll be voicing both Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck on “The Looney Tunes Show.” I know that not all of my fellow critics shared my excitement, but, hey, like I said, I wasn’t all that thrilled about “Desperate Housewives,” so, y’know, different strokes, as the cliché goes.

I’ll be providing you with some of my favorite quotes from the panel as soon as the folks at Warner Brothers get around to sending over the transcript they assured us they were doing for us, but for the moment, I’ll just tell you that Bergman’s one-man “Flintstones” scene was a riot (he’s masterful at both Fred and Barney), Welker told a funny story about how excited he was to work with Jonathan Winters on “The New Scooby Doo Movies,” and Bader’s awe of his fellow voice actors was downright sweet, as was his acknowledgement of how tight-knit the voice actors’ community is and what lovely people they are.

At the conclusion of the panel, we were all treated to a viewing of two of the new theatrical shorts starring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. I think a lot of us were skeptical about the shorts…partly because they were in 3D, but mostly just because it’s hard to accept than anyone can match the classic work of Chuck Jones…but I’m here to tell you that a lot of us left the theater in awe: the cartoons were absolutely hilarious, and they made fantastic use of the 3D medium. Look for them at the beginning of the next few Warner Brothers’ family releases. I’m not saying that they’re good enough to make you want to see “Cats & Dogs 2: The Revenge of Kitty Galore,” but, you know, you can always leave afterward and sneak in to see a different movie. I’m just sayin’…

Warner Brothers Studios tour

When I saw on the schedule that we were being treated to a general tour of the Warner Brothers lot as part of our day at the studio, my first thought was one of uncertainty…as in, “Why are we doing this when we could be visiting the set of some show or other? I mean, we’re TV critics, aren’t we?” I have no idea where this sensible reaction came from, however, as the geek in me quickly fell in love with the tour, as I surely must’ve known in my heart that I would.

Admittedly, some of the moments that would’ve been showstopping to others were slightly less so to some of the other critics. I mean, I’ve only been doing this since 2007, but as the guide pointed out the buildings which housed “Two and a Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Chuck,” or the studios which once were home to “E.R.” and “Cold Case,” I have to admit that my first thought on each location was, “Seen ’em,” but they were immediately followed by memories of the occasions when I did those tours, and it reminded me just how awesome a job I have.

Plus, I have to admit that I had no idea that “True Blood” filmed on the Warner Brothers’ lot. I don’t know if it’s all filmed there, but as you can see, the exterior of Merlotte’s is there, and there’s also a lagoon not far away from that set which is used on the show. I don’t know if that’s where Sam’s infamous skinny-dipping scene during Season 2 took place, but it certainly wouldn’t surprise me.

In addition to being geeked out by such sights as the last surviving set from “Casablanca” and the small-town area that formerly served as Stars Hollow on “Gilmore Girls,” I also got a cheap thrill out of being able to see the “Friends” set (which saved from destruction by Jay Leno, we were told, and remains more or less intact, at least from what I could tell) and several cars from various Warner Brothers films and television series, including the General Lee, Michael Keaton’s Batmobile, Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino, and…well, you’ll probably recognize the rest of them. Enjoy the shots, and we’ll reconvene on the other side.

“Undercovers” set visit

It must be said that, of all the things that were on our agenda, this is the one that proved to be the most disappointing. I’ve seen the pilot for “Undercovers,” produced by J.J. Abrams, and I thought it was decent enough, so I figured, “Okay, this should at least be interesting,” and I kept my fingers crossed for an appearance by J.J. during our tour of the set. Apparently, I didn’t cross them tightly enough, though, because not only was Mr. Abrams MIA, but, geez, there wasn’t even a single cast member in attendance!

Now, don’t get me wrong: it’s cool to get to tour the set of any TV show, and this one was no exception. In particular, there’s a kitchen set – the premise of the series involves two former spies stepping back into their former profession, but in their “retirement,” they’ve started a catering business – which is pretty mindblowing, and in fairness, the couple’s house looks pretty sweet, too. But, really, how excited can you possibly get about seeing the set of a series that you’ve only watched for the sum total of 42 minutes? Yes, the show’s food stylist and production designer were in attendance to answer any questions, but…well, maybe I just don’t think far enough ahead, but I really just didn’t find myself with any burning questions to ask them. Perhaps I’ll be kicking myself for not taking advantage of the opportunity if the show should become a big hit. Probably, though, I’ll just find myself thinking, “Man, I still can’t believe that no one from the ‘Undercovers’ cast came to the set…”

“Parenthood” set visit

…unlike the cast of “Parenthood.” Some of them were on the set while we did our tour (Peter Krause and Monica Potter were hanging out in their characters’ kitchen, and Craig T. Nelson and Bonnie Bedelia did the same on the set of their characters’ house), but the entire cast sat down for a Q&A after the tour, then joined us for a barbecue on the external set for the Braverman’s house.

Now, come on, you can’t tell me that’s not cool.

This is, unfortunately, another case where I’m still waiting on the transcription of the panel, so for the moment, I can’t offer you much more than the revelation that Billy Baldwin will be playing the boss of Peter Krause’s character, Adam Braverman, in the new season. But I will say that Dax Shepherd was pretty damned funny. The only unfortunate part was that I didn’t get a chance to do much in the way of one-on-ones after the panel, owing to the fact that A) I was hungry and needed to take advantage of the free food at the barbecue, and B) the majority of the writers opted to scarf down their food in order to take advantage of another opportunity.

“King Kong 3D 360”

That’s right: I could either do interviews or ride the brand new Peter Jackson-designed “King Kong 3D 360” portion of the Universal Studios tour.

I have no regrets. It was AWESOME.

Some people got scared out of their wits, some people got nauseous, others found it utterly “meh,” but as far as I’m concerned, it’s an instant reason to go on the studio tour for…well, basically, for as long as “King Kong 3D 360” is a part of it. It’s a short experience, lasting for less than 3 minutes long, I believe, but it’s one that you won’t soon forget.

With that, Day 1 was at an end…and Day 2, with all of its panels, loomed in the distance. Time to go back to my hotel room and work, right? Well, actually, no: it was time to go to Roni’s, a pleasant little drinking establishment within a 10-minute walk of the Beverly Hilton, and toss back a few beers. And then it was time to return to the hotel, descend to Trader Vic’s, and have one more. But then it was time to go back to the room and…sleep.

C’mon, I had three beers. Like I was ever going to do anything else.

Bullz-Eye: Hello?

Megyn Price: (Sounding startled) Hello. Uh, hi, is this Will?

BE: Yes, it is.

MP: Oh, hi, it’s Megyn Price calling. (Laughs) I’m sorry, you sound exactly like my husband. I’m just, like, “Oh, crap, I called the wrong number!

BE: I’m sorry to have totally freaked you out.

MP: You did, you totally freaked me out. But it’s okay…and I’m sorry I’m a little bit late. I was being killed by a small woman who’s training me.

BE: (Laughs) Well, that’s quite alright. At least you have a good excuse.

MP: I’m training for another triathlon, and this crazy woman is trying to make me croak or throw up in the middle of the day.

BE: Awesome. Well, hopefully this’ll be at least a little less stressful, then.

MP: And I pay her for that, too, by the way.

BE: Even better.

MP: It’s very messed up. Can you hear me okay on these headphones? ‘Cause that’s what I’m using.

BE: Yeah, you’re fine.

MP: Okay, good.

BE: You and I actually have chatted in the past, at least slightly, in the past. I was at the TCA tour, standing next to you and Drew Carey for a little bit.

MP: Oh, yes, of course. Oh, I totally know who you are. Yes!

BE: I’m looking forward to the new season. I’ve been a fan of the show since the beginning.

MP: Well, that’s very sweet of you.

BE: I talked to Patrick (Warburton) at the beginning of last season, so I wanted to spread the wealth. So what can we expect from this season? It looks like, from the press photo that I saw, that you’ve formally added a new cast member.

MP: Well, I don’t know what the press is sending out, but, yes, Adhir Kalyan has joined the cast, who played David Spade’s assistant, Timmy, and he’s just the greatest addition to our cast. They’re like an old married couple, those two…and, sadly, they’re like that in real life as well. So that’s one change which I think is a good change, because it sort of makes David part of a couple. (Laughs). You know, I feel like every year I’ve said, “It’s the best it’s ever been,” and then this year…I mean, they’ve tweaked our writing staff again, and every season it’s just sharper and sharper. And this is…it’s so odd to me, because I’ve done a lot of series…I mean, I’ve been on series for years at a time…and it always works so that the first day of our work week the script is rough, and by the end of the week the script is tight, and this year…I swear, the first day of the week, it’s almost the exact same script as it is by the end of the week. It is so good. The writers have…I mean, they have totally figured out our voices and where all of the relationships are at their best, you know? They’ve really figured out what works and what doesn’t work. And it is such a joy to go to work. It’s, like, there’s no stress; it’s just all funny, all the time. I’m just never stressed that the script isn’t going to work out or that it’s going to be difficult to do the show. It’s always easy because it’s so well written now. It’s unbelievably fun. I feel like we’re in our tenth season because it’s just so smooth, you know?

BE: Well, you and Patrick had an instant chemistry from day one, I thought.

MP: I am so married to him, it’s ridiculous. It’s retarded. I was on jury duty and I called him. Like, I was feeling sad and out of sorts, and I called Patrick from my house. What? Not that my own marriage isn’t wonderful, because it is, but it’s, like, Patrick’s a different kind of husband. He’s a big, tough, burly husband.

BE: When I talked to him, he said that we would know “Rules of Engagement” had officially jumped the shark if the two of you ever got pregnant on the show.

MP: Oh, God, every time we read even hints of that, we’re, like, “That can’t happen.” It’s not going to happen. Our writers have addressed it this season. I don’t know if I’m supposed to say this, but…they hinted that I’m getting a surrogate. That’s how much they don’t want us to be pregnant. It might be the first sitcom ever with a surrogate. It’s crazy. Yeah, I’m, like, “Forget it, dude, I’m not wearing the fat suit.” I’m not doing it. We’re not going to have a baby. It wouldn’t work.

BE: Well, that answers my question of how the dynamic is going to change this season.

MP: Yeah, well, I’ll tell you what: those writers, any time they get access to a computer and they get to write a script, it’s nudity, nudity, nudity. It’s their favorite thing. I swear, there was a script where the writers actually, after we read the script out loud, they came to me with that look, like, “Are you going to hit me? Are you going to hit me?” There’s so much nudity. I’m, like, “You guys, I’m not 16. What are we doing with all of these nude things?” They’re, like, “What? We like it. We think you look good.” Okay, so I’m naked on camera all the time. It’s terrible.

BE: Hey, you were the one who just told me you were working out, so it seems like you’re going to be set.

MP: I know, right? As the wardrobe girls said, “You know, those guys would have written it whether you were working out or not, so you’re just lucky that you’re actually in good shape.”

BE: So who would you say is the person that you get to work with the least within the ensemble that you would like to work with more?

MP: Oliver (Hudson). We’re great friends in real life, and our kids are the same age and we hang out. And every time we come to work, we’re, like, “Hey, why don’t we ever get to be in scenes together?” Then Oliver says, “there would be too much chemistry. They just wouldn’t believe that we’re only neighbors.” (Laughs) It’s our joke. Yeah. He’s the one. I’m never in scenes with Oliver, and he’s one of my favorite people. I can’t say he’s my favorite because, you know, that would sound bad.

BE: Well, sure.

MP: But he’s my favorite person that I work with, and we never have scenes together.

BE: Will there be more Audrey / Jennifer episodes?

MP: You know it’s strange, because I feel like the dynamic with the women and the men separately is much better than the women together. Like, I feel like when Audrey and Jennifer are in the same room, we’re kind of, like, “Yeah, I know, me, too.” You know, there’s not a lot of conflict with those two. I mean, occasionally there is, but I feel like the conflict which is more funny to watch comes from the male characters with the female characters. There’s such a disconnect between the logic. II feel like when Jennifer and Audrey are in the same room, it’s just, “Yeah, I know.” You know what I mean? There’s not a lot of conflict, so I don’t really like those scenes as much as I thought I would. I mean, I love Bianca (Kajlich), I think that we are very good friends, but I feel like those characters are written to be buddies rather than to have, you know, sort of a snipey relationship. Like, the guys have a snipey relationship amongst themselves, but I like the girl/guy things better. Also, when we’re in a group, I think that’s always really fun. When we have diner scenes where it’s all of us, that’s always the most fun… (Laughs)…jamming us all into those booths and then all of us attacking each other.

BE: I love the episodes when Audrey and Russell team up, particularly the episode where we find out that he loves musicals.

MP: Absolutely. I think that was probably my favorite episode to shoot. There’s another one this season that, again, it’s so brilliantly written. It’s written like a play, in that everything happens kind of on two different sides of the stage. It’s, like, there’s rapid fire lying…it’s between Jeff and Audrey, of course. We’re lying to each other for no personal gain…just, you know, lying because that’s how they are. (Laughs) And it snowballs and it is just quick, quick cuts. And David is, I think the funniest he has ever been in his entire life. I mean, to the point where we had to do so many retakes from all of us cracking up. And it’s basically Jeff lies about going to a bachelor party that was canceled. And I know that he’s lied, and then I lie about something else that was canceled, and he knows that I’m lying. And we all kind of know the other one is lying, but we never give it up. Up to the end, with this insane…me smoking four cigarettes at the same time, trying to prove that someone who smokes had been in the room. It’s insanity. And it is so fun and silly and…I feel like it is old school Broadway, the kind that doesn’t even exist anymore, you know? But it’s been so much fun, I can’t even believe it’s my job, you know? That they pay me to show up.

BE: Now that Adhir is going to be in the cast also, is he going to be interacting more with other characters besides just David?

MP: Yeah, actually, Adhir and I got to do a really fun episode last year that was…he and I were in a car, and it was, like, this very tightly shot scene where it seems like it’s entirely sexual and…it’s not. I don’t mean at all what he thinks I mean. It’s another case of just brilliant writing. He is such a good actor. You know, he’s a crazy actor. I’m sure we’re going to see him in a Merchant Ivory film in between sitcoms. He’s so specific in what he does, and he has this whole method that he uses. He’s really a fascinating guy.

BE: So who can we expect for guest stars? I read somewhere that Jaime Pressly was popping up.

MP: She is. Once again we hearken back to the old surrogate idea. It’s frightening. Alan Ruck shows up as our marital counselor, which was so fun. He’s, again, just such a historically hilarious actor. I mean, he’s iconic. He walks in the room and everyone’s, like, “Oh, my God, it’s Cameron from ‘Ferris Bueller’! Oh, my God!” (Laughs) So, yeah, he shows up, and…I’m trying to remember all of our other guest stars. I feel like they did so much with our core cast that we really got to explore that group a lot. I go back to my office which, again, involves me getting in trouble and a lot of nudity. Beth Littleford came back, and so did Susan Yeagley, who played the funny girl in my office from last season. But I’m trying to think if we had any other guest stars…

BE: Did anyone’s parents or siblings return?

MP: No, and that makes me sad. I’m dying to see who my mother is. I keep hearing it thrown around that it’s going to be Oliver’s actual mom, that it’s going to be Goldie Hawn who’s going to play my mom.

BE: Oh, wow.

MP: Which to me would be a dream come true, because she has to be my favorite actress, really, of my whole life. I mean, really, it was a little weird when I met her. I’m, like, “Oh, my God!” (Laughs) I think my first movie in the theater was “Foul Play,” and, I mean, my mother raised me from the time I was four years old watching Goldie Hawn. So, yeah, I would love for her to play my mom. That would be great.

BE: I wanted to ask you about a couple of other sitcoms you have been on. First off, I’m a huge fan of “Grounded For Life.”

MP: Oh, thank you! Me, too, actually. I don’t think I realized how funny it was until I watched it in rerun.

BE: I’ve always described it to people as being almost like a “Memento” of sitcoms, because of the structure.

MP: Oh, yeah, completely.

BE: That must have been somewhat hellish to film as a result, though, because of the structure.

MP: The funniest thing about that crazy show is that I had…well, they didn’t cast me until 15 minutes before the first table read because they thought I was too young. So they kept saying, “She’s too you, she’s too young,” and then they kept saying, “But she’s funny!” “But she’s too young, she’s too young.” So whatever, I was only ten years older than my 16 year old daughter on the show, you know, whatever. It’s TV, it’s magic. (Laughs) So I was cast…literally, they called me up, I was in my pajamas, playing the piano, and they said, “Get in your car and come over here; you got the job.” What? What? Okay, so I show up and that day is when they say, “Well, tomorrow morning you have a six AM call, and we’re starting the shooting for the…” I said, “Wait, no, no, no. This is a sitcom. We don’t do film shooting. What are you talking about?” I had no idea. So, yeah, we shot film two or three days a week, and then we also shot a full audience show, where they would play back everything that we had shot on film earlier. So, yeah, it was crazy. It was so fun, but it was nuts.

BE: Has there ever been any talk of bringing any of the cast members of “Grounded” on for guest appearances on “Rules of Engagement”?

MP: We have talked about Kevin Corrigan, who I actually got to have lunch with last week, he’s shooting a movie in L.A. And I think Kevin has to be beaten over the head and dragged into Los Angeles, because he’s really a New York guy. And, you know, Donal Logue is always working. He’s in Vancouver right now shooting something. So it’s kind of rough to get my peeps back. Although I have pitched a couple of times Richard Riehle, who played the father-in-law from “Grounded.” He had worked with Tom Hertz, our creator, on another show. He’s such a fantastic actor. So I pitched him to play my dad, it just hasn’t come up yet, that I’ve had any parents. But that was such a joy, to do that, to do “Grounded” because, I mean, as actors, we’re such great actors. It was just so incredibly fun. And talk about being married, I mean, Donal and I were basically married for five years. (Laughs)

BE: I’m also the proud owner of “LateLine: The Complete series.”

MP: Are you really?

BE: I am, yeah.

MP: You know that show almost made me quit acting?

BE: Really? I liked it.

MP: No, I mean, when they canceled that show.

BE: Oh, okay. That I can believe.

MP: Oh, I just said forget it. It made no sense to me. I really have a hard time even talking about the show without getting weepy. I still think it’s great. One of my best friends is the creator of that show. It was so brilliantly done. I think it was so ahead of its time, too.

BE: I loved it. I mean, going in, I obviously loved Al Franken, but I’d been a big Miguel Ferrer ever since I had seen him on “Twin Peaks”.

MP: Who’s also one of my dear, dear friends. It was just such an amazing experience, too, to shoot that. And we shot it in New York. Yeah, it was incredible, and it was incredibly exciting, too, to work with…I mean, talk about great actors. I think Robert Foxworth is a legend; Miguel is a legend. You know, Al is hysterically Al. I mean, everyone from that show has just gone on to just work, work, work. Oh, that’s so sweet that you have that. I love that you have the complete series!

BE: Well, keep in mind that I am a TV critic. But, still, I actually paid money for that set (Laughs)

MP: Well, yeah, but you’re a TV critic. That means a lot.

BE: Well, thanks. But, y’know, then again, you were also in “Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector.”

MP: (Laughs) Well, that’s how I got out of doing another sitcom that they wanted me to do. I didn’t want to do this other sitcom when they kept offering me more money, and it was getting ugly. So I was, like, “I’m going to do a movie.” And I’m telling you, Larry the Cable Guy, that guy, he is the greatest human being. I mean, I know his comedy is a little rough and whatever, but he is such a great guy! That was, again, such a joy. We shot in Florida, in August. It couldn’t have been more disgusting, and I couldn’t have had more fun. (Laughs) I really just couldn’t have had more fun. Those people were just great people.

BE: Oh, yeah, he’s one of those guys…I mean, I would not begin to claim that I’m a fan of his comedy, but from what I’ve read, he definitely seems like a heck of a nice guy.

MP: Do you know…there was this show that he did in, heck, I can’t remember, some city in Florida, that we all went to when we were shooting. And he stayed after…he did a two and a half hour show, and then he stayed for three hours after his show signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. Who does that? He sold out a stadium and then hung around for three hours afterwards, just so his fans could say “hi.” I mean, he’s such a nice guy. He’s over and above the call of duty, that guy. He’s so not a star, you know? Meanwhile, we’re all making jokes about, “Can I have the ten million dollars? That wouldn’t hurt ya, right? Can I have a check?” (Laughs) “Can I have a plane? Hey, Dan, can I have a plane?” (Writer’s note: Larry the Cable Guy’s real name is Dan Whitney.)

BE: Well, obviously, I mentioned talking to you at the TCA tour when you were talking to Drew. Had you been friends with him since you appeared on his show? It was a small role, I guess, but…

MP: He’s another guy who…I mean, I’m telling you, since day one, that guy…I had a tiny role on his show, and he treated me like I was his long lost sister, you know? He was just…all of those guys on that show, Ryan (Stiles) and Diedrich (Bader), they were just so kind. And it was, again, such a fun set to work on. And that was my first sitcom, really. I mean that was, like, I just got that role, it was just “Waitress.” There was nothing else to it. But, yeah, he’s such a great guy. Drew is also a guy who I think is so genuine. And, I mean, you know that from talking to him.

BE: Oh, yeah, definitely.

MP: He’s so what you see is what you get. I just love that. I think I’ve been really lucky, too, in my career, because I have worked pretty much nonstop since I started. And I really never worked with jerks, you know? I’ve really always worked with great people, and I don’t know if that’s because I choose well or if I’m just a regular girl and I’m not really attracted to divas, but I really have been so lucky. No one wants to hear those stories, though. They always want to hear the diva stories.

BE: Well, I will wrap up here by telling you that, by standing around that conversation between you and Drew, it resulted in me hearing the greatest anecdote of the entire press tour.

MP: (Excitedly) What? What was it?

BE: Your story about going to see “Footloose” The Musical” with David Cross. Oh, my God, I’ve told that story to more people than I can count.

MP: (Laughs) Oh, that’s hilarious. I’m going to tell him that. Oh, that was funny. I forgot I told that story.

“David Cross and I decided that we were going to go to ‘Footloose,’ because we were, like, ‘It’s gonna be so bad that it’s gonna be fun!’ So we’re sitting in the theater, and we decided at intermission that we were just gonna do shots. We were, like, ‘It’s gonna get better, because now we’re all drunk!’ So we go back in and we sit down, and these boys in front of us, who were, like, fifteen and were clearly there under duress from their mother, turn around and say to David, ‘Hey, you’re in ‘Mr. Show.’ We thought you were cool.’ And he was so bummed for the longest time! He was, like, ‘No, no, if you’ll just let me explain…! I’m here ironically!’”

BE: Oh, man, I laughed so hard. Actually, I do have one more I wanted to ask you. What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on that didn’t get the love that you thought it deserved?

MP: Well “LateLine”, obviously.

BE: Yeah, that’s what I was going to say. I thought it might fall back to that, but it’s kind of stock question of mine.

MP: It has to be “LateLine,” because I really feel, in all honesty, “LateLine” is one of those shows that could have gone on for ten years, easily. You know? It felt to me like one of those shows that was topical without being too self-aware. You can watch the reruns now and you don’t go, “Oh, wow…” You know, like, people referencing IM’ing or something. It doesn’t feel dated to me when I watch it. It still feels current. And it’s kind of one of those hybrid shows that didn’t know where it belonged and it got caught up in politics. I think it got canceled kind of through no fault of its own. There was a big change in execs at the network and, you know, the new guy doesn’t want the old guys stuff. It seemed like such a waste to cancel that show, because it was so brilliant.

BE: I know that you mentioned that there was a sitcom that you didn’t want to do, which led to “Larry the Cable Guy.” But has there ever been a pilot that you did that didn’t get picked up that you still can’t believe didn’t get picked up?

MP: No. You know, that’s the weirdest piece of trivia about me: I have never done a pilot that did not get picked up.

BE: That’s pretty impressive.

MP: Including one that I did that I didn’t do the series for. But the pilot still got picked up to series. Isn’t that crazy?

BE: What was that, just out of curiosity?

MP: The Freddy Prinze, Jr. pilot. Bruce Helford created it, and he’s the one who gave me my first job on “Drew Carey.” I was actually in New York, doing theater, and Bruce Helford called up and said, “We can’t cast this role, will you do it? Will you just do the pilot? Because you’re the pilot Buddha. Every pilot you do gets picked up. Will you help me get my pilot picked up?” And I said, “Absolutely.” So I came back on and shot it, and the pilot got picked up, but I was not signed on to do the series. And that was right after “Grounded for Life,” too. That was when I kind of needed a little bit of a break after that. But, yeah, I’ve never done a pilot that didn’t get picked up. So when pilot season comes around, there are casting directors who say, “Please, please. She’s the pilot Buddha. Please, just play a receptionist and then the pilot will get picked up.”

BE: I’m so honored to have spoken with the pilot Buddha.

MP: (Laughs) The pilot Buddha, yeah. I don’t know, it seems like a wild suspect claim to fame, but it is true. Yeah, I know lots of people who say, “Oh, whatever, just do the pilot.” I never just do the pilot. If I do a show, it’s because I think it’s a good show, you know? And the reason I did “Rules of Engagement” was it was Patrick; it was Tom Hertz, who I knew was the creator and is a great director; it was Adam Sandler’s project. You know, there were reasons. I don’t just take work for no reason. Which is probably why I don’t work all of the time, because I don’t like to just do garbage. I like to do stuff that makes me proud.

BE: Makes sense. Well, it’s been awesome actually speaking to you directly, as opposed to sharing a conversation.

MP: And as opposed to you telling my stories when I’m not around! (Laughs)

BE: (Laughs) Exactly.

MP: I love telling that one because it’s so good at David’s expense.

BE: Oh, man, but it’s so funny.

MP: (Laughs) Yeah, it really is.

BE: All right, well, maybe I’ll see you at the next press tour.

MP: Oh, I hope so! So let’s go over all the important stuff again before we go. (Laughs) On March 1, we’re coming back. Now, do they give you all the screeners?

BE: They do, and I’ve seen the first two episodes.

MP: I’m looking forward to seeing them myself! (Laughs) I’m telling you…and, again, I’m sure everyone says this, but…it is our best season we’ve ever done. It gets better and better. And now I’ve hyped it too much, so now you’ll be disappointed. (Laughs)

BE: I’m now officially afraid to watch.

MP: Hey, can I ask you a question?

BE: Sure.

MP: What’s your favorite show on TV?

BE: Let’s see, my favorite show at the moment…? Well, the obvious answer for a sitcom is going to be “Modern Family” or “Community,” but having just seen the opening two episodes, “Damages” is currently my favorite drama.

MP: Oh, really?

BE: Yep. I’ve just seen the first two episodes of the new season, and it’s, like, out of the box, I’m ready to tune in for the rest of the season.

MP: All right. Good to know, because I’m not…see, I never have time to watch TV, so I’ll TiVo. But I don’t even know what to TiVo, so I always…I have a friend who has totally opposite taste than mine and is always telling me what to watch, and I don’t like “Ugly Betty,” and, ah, whatever.

BE: Well, have you watched “Damages” at all?

MP: No. I haven’t at all.

BE: Well this is the third season, but usually they do a really nice recap before hand.

MP: I have Netflix, so I can do that.

BE: Okay, excellent. Yeah, you definitely should check it out. I mean, the whole run of the show is great. I’m actually revisiting season two right now because it just came out on DVD. But the new season, they’ve got Martin Short and Lily Tomlin doing dramatic stuff, and…

MP: Oh, my God, I love Lily Tomlin so much. I can’t even describe it. Did you see her on Kathy Griffin’s show? On “The D-List”?

BE: I did not.

MP: Oh, it is one of the best episodes on television, I’m telling you. Kathy Griffin goes like backstage with Lily Tomlin, and Lily Tomlin is just genius. By the way, I saw her live three years ago, and you would think…Lily Tomlin’s what, pushing 70?

BE: Got to be, yeah.

MP: Yeah, it would be like watching Phyllis Diller or Bette Midler or whatever. Lily Tomlin is unbelievable live. She’s unbelievable. Her jokes are crazy sharp. I mean, I’m sure she’s writing some and she has good writers, but she’s brilliant on stage. Even at whatever age she is, she’s just fantastic.

BE: Oh, and she’s obviously really quick too because they had the panel for “Damages,” and she was there by satellite. It was something like 11:00 in the morning, and you could see her titling a glass every once in awhile, so one of the critics was, like, “Uh, Lily, are you drinking wine this early?” She’s, like, “Oh, no, this is water. But I stopped drinking wine just a little bit ago.”

MP: Uh-huh, yeah. That was her the whole Kathy Griffin show. She’s drinking wine through the whole thing, and she’s absolutely hysterical. Talk about quick, man, she’s quicker than Kathy Griffin. I mean, she’s unreal. Yeah, she’s fantastic. We used to take pilates from the same woman and, I swear, I would bribe the pilates teacher to book me right after Lilly just so I could hang out with her for a few minutes. She studied for about seven minutes of her hour session, by the way. She would just gab and talk. (Laughs) Alright, that’s all the glamour that I have, so it’s over!

BE: (Laughs) But to answer your question, yes, absolutely, “Damages” I 100% recommend.

MP: Alright, I’m putting that on my list, because I need something good. I’m bored of TV, and I know it’s just because I don’t know the right things to watch. Cool, man, thank you!

BE: No problem. Well, again, thanks for chatting with me, and like I said, hopefully I’ll see you come this summer at the TCA tour.

MP: Absolutely. I will see you…or you should seek me out, because I’m probably easier to find.

BE: Given that crowd, yeah, probably. Alright, thanks a lot Megyn. I appreciate it.

MP: Alright, take care!