For those of you missing Charlie Sheen doing something other than ... whatever it is he has been doing lately, relief is in sight. The one and only Warlock (remember when he was just Charlie Sheen?) joined Drew Carey and his company of comedians for the upcoming series Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza for a live taping of a completely improvised comedy sketch, and that sketch will appear on the series on Tuesday, April 12th at 8PM on GSN.

In case you were not aware, Sheen has booked a comedy tour for himself and there is some question as to whether or not he will be able to deliver on the entertainment. The general consensus is he will come out, sit in a chair, say something that connects a celestial event with one of his body parts, say "winning!" with great effect, get a huge pop - then proceed to flop for the next ninety minutes. Perhaps this presentation of his comedic skills will change people's minds, of course Sheen won't be buffered by the comic genius of Carey and company when he takes to the road - so, maybe not.

The sketch has been described as "Unpredictable" and features Sheen working with Carey, Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie, and Greg Proops. The sketch was filmed on January 18th, right on the cusp of Sheen's epic run in the scandal sheets - not that it really had a discernible beginning. Regardless of how it works out for Sheen, the appearance is all win[ning] for Carey and company and will bring some much deserved attention to his efforts.

He may have tiger’s blood, but does he have the eye of the tiger necessary to excel at the formidable art of improv? Charlie Sheen joins the fun during the premiere week of DREW CAREY’S IMPROV-A-GANZA, a new original, primetime daily strip series that premieres Monday, April 11, 2011, at 8pm & 11pm ET/PT on GSN. Sheen will appear in the episode airing Tuesday, April 12.

Charlie Sheen Does Primetime With Drew Carey

Missed last weeks review? Read what Michael had to say about "Regrets Only" here.

This week on Modern Family, we got a look at life (adoption), death, and how to talk to your wife. With Mitchell and Cameron dealing with a problem with Lily's adoption, Jay wondering if Gloria will find a new burial place (and a new husband) after he is gone, and Phil learning how to properly handle situations Claire brings up, Modern Family gives every character this week something to worry about. Do all these story lines cause a bit of disorder in the episode or does everything chaotically flow to create a great episode? Read on to find out.

With Modern Family being a multi-family show, there is always going to be problems to address. With Mitchell and Cameron's story being featured heavily this week, it's only right to start there. When Cameron realizes that Mitchell has given Lily only the Pritchett last name, you'd think that Cam would go into a plethora of crazy antics. That however is not the case as we were given a different side of Cam this week. It was nice to see Cameron do a complete emotion change that allowed for a great make up moment between him and Mitchell. While there was great humor between the couple this week, the moment when the two make up was really a satisfying end to the story. I think the Two Monkeys and a Panda book really helped with the ending and helped Cameron and Mitchell realize Lily is starting to learn that adoption shouldn't be looked at as a bad thing in her life.

Having teenagers in your family can really make your life stressful. I can say this from the teenage point of view with great confidence. Having other people in your life that want you to do everything for them can cause even more stress. We all know that Claire is the one who usually deals with the major problems in the Dunphy household but it seems Phil may soon be reading to lend a helping hand. While dealing with a clothing argument between Alex and Haley, Claire tries to get Phil to do one little thing for her. With Phil being at the spa surrounded by women, he tries to do the right thing and give Claire advice on what to do. While this backfires at first, Phil is taught by the women on how to really help out his wife. It seems that Phil's reactions to Claire's needs may be changing but, even with the changes it still comes across with perfectly executed humor. With Phil growing up in a sense, it will be interesting to see if this transformation sticks throughout the season.

Jay and Gloria's story was somewhat different then the other two stories this week. With Jay beginning to worry about how Gloria will live once he dies, the story provided some depth into the character of Jay but, felt a bit out of place with the rest of the episode. Seeing Jay begin to feel like he will be replaced, he changes his afterlife preparation to make sure Gloria and whatever man she may marry never forget him. Luckily, through the story Manny told Jay, it looks like Jay won't ever be replaced as he is the only one Gloria feels equal to as a mate. I have to say, it's always nice to see great father/son moments and this week Modern Family gave us a great one between Jay and Manny. Let's hope that we the viewers can get more of these heartfelt moments between the two. 

With all three families dealing with their own problems this week, Modern Family could have had too much confusion to grasp a great episode. Luckily, the three seperate stories provided mini breaks for each other and were able to hold their own during the half hour. A

What did all of you think about the episode this week? Sound off in our comment section section.

Modern Family 2.17 "Two Monkeys And A Panda" Review

 With the past few weeks, I feel that TBBT has slowly slipped into a rut and began to only use marginally funny jokes of science and a great amount of sexual humor. It seems I may have spoken too soon as TBBT has come back around and surprised not only me but I believe a lot of viewers last night. Does it seem TBBT is finally regaining its foothold in comedy?

This week showed a slight deviation from other episodes as it split its time across 3 stories, 2 of which were connected. To start, we the viewers were thrust into the love life of Howard and Bernadette. The two have been a couple for quite some time and every now and then we get a glimpse into their life. This week actually gave us more on their relationship than what we have seen before. With Bernadette feeling awkward with Howard leaving every night after sex, she asks him to choose between her and his mother. Oh if Bernadette knew what she was asking of Howard. For most this is a semi difficult decision but, for Howard this is like asking to choose between his girlfriend and air. The relationship between Howard and his Mother is one of the funnier story lines that have gone on since season one. The scenes tonight between the two were no exception. It was a gutsy move for the writers to rely on the same joke between Howard and his Mother (The whole sex criminal routine was done about 4 times) but I believe it really paid off in the end. I laughed every time it happened and sadly I will probably laugh just as hard when I watch it on reruns/DVD.

The two crossing stories were really not as good as I hoped. With Raj's sister Priya returning, Leonard sees this as a chance to get back together with her. This leads of course to Penny starting to feel insecure about herself and begins to spiral downward emotionally... again. While it is nice to see that Penny is showing signs that she still may have feelings for Leonard, I feel like it is every other week Penny gets emotional about Leonard dating. At least this time around Penny had Amy there to comfort her and this lead to some great moments this week. With Amy being the female equivalent of Sheldon, I expected the consoling from Amy to be somewhat rooted in science and zany formulas that we know Sheldon uses with his friends. However, the writers did a nice job throwing in a little curve and have Amy use Penny as an experiment for her research. Now I know Sheldon from time to time will experiment on his friends but to see Amy use Penny at her lowest point for science really showed me that not only are Amy and Sheldon meant to be together but, Amy and Penny's relationship as friends is analogous to that of Sheldon and Leonard. One can only hope for a great double date between the four of them.

This episode started to restore my faith in the show but it still seems that TBBT is quite a ways away from being the way it was in its first two seasons. Hopefully by season end we can not only see an emergence of Penny and Leonard together again but an emergence of more episodes like this. A-

The Big Bang Theory 4.16 "The Cohabitation Formulation" Review

Don't know what's going on? Click here.

We've already cleared through the Best Guest Actor awards -- winners are Leonard Nimoy for Fringe and Betty White for Community. Now we're moving on to the bigger acting awards: namely, Best Actor in a Comedy. For the major acting categories, we've got ten nominees, meaning an even harder decision for you!

Vote below, and ensure your favorite actor gets the award!

This poll will close at 6:45 EST on December 31, 2010.

[poll id="22"]

TVO Awards - Day 2 - Best Actor in a Comedy

You know, it's really nice to see the titular character on Louie not mess up a date. Er, wait a second.

All is going great until he convinces his date to join him for a doughnut and some "watery coffee" and is threatened by some high school jock. His peaceful response to the threats result in a abrupt end to his otherwise stellar date.

"When was the last time you got your ass kicked?" asks Sean, the loudmouth jock.

As Louie politely asks Sean not to beat him up, I both applaud the decision to not have Louie actually fight the kid and shake my head at how common this type of situation is. I've thankfully never been on the end of any ass kicking but I've seen them happen for remarkably little. Guy A will bump into Guy B on accident and chests are beaten and faces are punched.

This episode gets to the core of what the problem is: upbringing. Louie follows Sean home and brings the threats to the attention of his parents. The father reacts by hitting Sean when Louie comes to his defense. He is absolutely right. This kid would've turned out a lot better had he been raised in a more loving environment.

Once again, Louie is light on laughs. However, I can't stress enough that this is a good thing. The subject matter and jokes presented throughout the series would fail miserably if they were presented in a slap-sticky, "sitcom" manner.

Here's hoping that this keeps this up next season.

Louie 1.09 "Bully" review

As someone who has never had a sip of alcohol, puff of a cigarette or even a hit off of a joint, I appreciate drug humor. It's not always laugh-out-loud hilarious but I always at least appreciate it. Louie getting smoked out by his neighbor, getting way too high and freaking out wasn't the best part of the whole first chunk of this week's episode. Louie decides it's time to get real and try to get healthy but ultimately reverts back to his ice cream shoveling, pizza scarfing, old ways.

Putting off exercise to eat junk food always gets the "it's funny because it's true" reaction. It is true. I mean, pizza is awesome and exercise can sometimes be a real pain in the ass.

This week's "Louie" strays from the two vignette formula. Each segment transitions nicely into the next. Louie decides to work out, he smells pot, confronts his neighbor about it who then gets him high and drunk, nurses his hangover the next day and meets a dog and ultimately decides to adopt one of his own. This change, though weird at first, was welcome.

Like the preceding episode, this week's episode was light on out loud laughs. Again, that's not to say it was any less funny than any other episode. Think of tonight's episode as one single joke with a great lead-in and one hell of a punchline.

If you still haven't at least given "Louie" a chance, I suggest you do so before the season ends. Why? Because it's not stupid. It doesn't have a laugh track, it doesn't have canned one-liners and it certainly isn't safe. What does it have? Excellent writing, acting and most of all, smarts.

Louie 1.08 "Doghouse" Review

A lot of stand-up comics have material about their mothers. Frankly, a lot of it isn't funny. It is, but it's the kind of funny where you keep a straight face and think to yourself, "Huh, that's funny I guess." Forgettable.

Tonight's episode, though light on the belly laughs, was quite the opposite of forgettable. Louie at first seems to just be mean to his mother, but you soon realize that he has a deep-seeded hatred for her for never being there emotionally. The scene in which Louie and his brother, Robbie, meet their mother's very young and attractive wife is particularly hard to watch. Their mother refuses Robbie's pleas to tell him that she loves him.

These sad moments are punctuated by quick jokes. Louie tries to ignore the awkward back and forth between Robbie and their mother by asking her partner, "So do you go to school, or ..."

The other vignette, which actually appears first, also involves Robbie. I really like this character. The "not the brightest bulb" brother character is a little played out, but actor Robert Kelly absolutely nails it and is a delight to watch.

Robbie has a new girlfriend and decides to overshare with Louie about how things are going physically. He then asks Louie for a rather awkward favor: he wants Louie to join them in bed.

Only the dumb brother.

While not as funny as previous episodes, "Double Date/Mom" continues the show's domination of television comedy.

Louie 1.07 "Double Date/Mom" Review

"Louie" took a turn into the realm of silly this week with the first vignette, "So Old." In it, Louis meets a young woman after his set who is turned on by his advanced age. When he explains how old he is during sex, it made me think of the things I've experienced that will seem ridiculous. Print media, cell phones without cameras and dial-up internet will just seem like stone age technology by the time I'm in my 40s.

The second vignette is a return to form for the show as Louis embarrasses himself at a PTA meeting.

"I mean, school sucks ... right?"

After the meeting, he meets a woman whose son shares a class with one of his daughters and they set up a play date. They enjoy dinner and discuss parenting as their kids play. This scene reminded me of last weeks episode where Louis and Nick bond in the emergency room. These bittersweet moments are quickly becoming the hallmark of the series.

The highlight of the episode, however, is Louis' therapist. This guy is clearly unfit to be anybody's shrink. He constantly is putting words in Louis' mouth and generally making him (and me) very uncomfortable.

This week's episode had the most laughs of the series thus far, but it still didn't lose its sincere edge.

Louie 1.04 "So Old/Playdate" Review

This episode of “Louie” continues with the theme Louis' dissatisfaction over how he looks and feels. He visits his doctor, played by the brilliant Ricky Gervais, who does nothing but ridicule him over how he looks. Dr. Ben even brings a nurse in to laugh at Louis' privates.

The dialogue between Louis and Dr. Ben seems truly genuine. Ben's constant jabs come off as actually offensive to Louis. It's almost as if they had Gervais say the meanest things he could thing of as Louis stood in front of him in his underwear.

This vignette in particular hit a new high (or low?) in “Louie's” quest to be the saddest sitcom around.

The “Nick” segment of this episode features fellow comedian Nick DiPaolo. After the two finish up their sets at a club, they begin to discuss politics which eventually declines into a fist fight in which Nick injures his hand.

Again, everything in the vignette comes off as sincere. You can tell that Louis and Nick are indeed great friends that simply don't share the same world view, at least when it comes to politics.

The sweet moments that punctuate the sullen are what make the show what it is. Is it fair to call “Louie” a situation dramedy? Does such a thing exist?

It seems that Louis C.K. is on to something.

Louie 1.03 "Dr. Ben/Nick" Review

The more I let the second episode of "Louie" stew, the more I liked it. I only laughed out loud during one or two scenes but that doesn't mean that this episode wasn't as brilliant as the first.

However, this episode opened on the unexpected: social commentary. Granted, that social commentary was punctuated with poop jokes, but it was thoughtful nonetheless. Louis and his friends and fellow comics, one of whom being openly gay, sit around a poker table and discuss the gay lifestyle and Louis' liberal use of the word "faggot" and the word's origins. This moment turned out to be very thoughtful but never stopped being funny.

The rest of the episode focuses on Louis' new life as a 42-year-old single man. He reduces himself to flipping himself off in the mirror and stalking his former crush from 1980 on Facebook. Tammy is not how Louis remembers her. She's now married with three kids, lives in a real pit of despair and has really let herself go. After an awkward, forced conversation, the two end up making out on her kitchen floor.

We then cut to Louis on stage doing material about having sex with animals. This well-placed cut provided the first belly laugh of the episode: right at the end.

In "Poker/Divorce," the show continues to make a name for itself as the saddest comedy on television. The message that I take away from the show is something that I've always thought: sometimes life sucks but when it does, you just have to laugh at it.

Louie 1.02 "Poker/Divorce" Review

Louis C.K. gets it. He has been one of my favorite comedians for a very long time and is also a gifted comedy writer. In his latest television effort, "Louie," he really shines as an actor and provides television with a sitcom that will most likely be remembered as truly innovating.

The pilot begins with Louis performing in a comedy club and talking about his two daughters, their understaffed school and volunteering there.

The first vignette begins with Louis and another parent ushering kids onto a school bus for a field trip. Louis is faced with a busload of screaming kids and a driver that has no idea where he's going and doesn't care. The bus ultimately breaks down in Harlem and the group is deserted by the driver.

The driver has a great Stanley from "The Office" quality to him and is a great counterpart to Louis' discomfort in this situation.

The chunk is about Louis' single life at age 42, and how dating and marriage never really work out perfectly.

We cut to Louis at his date's front door. His evening is already off to a bad start. He gets chewed out by his date's nude and elderly neighbor, justifies wearing a suit to a casual date by mentioning that his father passed away ... a while ago, traps his date in the cramped apartment building foyer while trying to open the door for her and then smiles awkwardly for their whole subway trip. As the date continues, his efforts are increasingly shot down by his date's icy demeanor (who eventually flees to a waiting helicopter in the most unexpected moment in the episode).

While this vignette is wonderfully acted and has great comedic timing, it really bums me out to see our hero striking out with this woman so hard. C.K.'s tendency to over share is reminiscent of Larry David in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and his way with women definitely reminds me of some of my more awkward friends.

The great thing about "Louie" is that it's the most subtle and relatable sitcoms based off of a comic's material that I've seen.

Punctuated by hilarious stand-up material, these vignettes do a great job of turning "Louie" into the saddest sitcom on television and it would only work with someone like Louis C.K.

"Louie" definitely fits into FX's comedy lineup very well and provides a subtle, more cerebral approach to offset the ridiculous "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and the raucous "The League."

Louie "Pilot" Review

ABC has announced a number of pick-ups for its 2010-2011 season.

On the comedy front, ABC has ordered three comedies into production.  The first is Happy Endings, oddly, not about a massage parlor, but rather starring Elisha Cuthbert (24) as a bride who leaves her fiance at the altar.  Second, is Better Together, starring Joanna Garcia (Privileged, Gossip Girl).  It centers on two sisters at different places in their respecitve relationships.  Lastly, and the one I am most excited about, is Mr. Sunshine.  This stars Matthew Perry (Friends) as the manager of an ice hockey rink who realizes that he's getting too old to continue his womanizing ways.  Mr. Sunshine also stars Allison Janney (The West Wing) and James Lesure (Las Vegas).

ABC also picked up three dramas today.  Generation Yis a documentary-style show centering on the lives of a group of high school students post-graduation, starring Jamie King (Gary, Unmarried) and Michael Stahl-David (Cloverfield).  Michael Imperioli (Christopher from The Sopranos and late of Life on Mars) stars in Detroit 1-8-7, a semi-comic take on the homicide division of the Detroit Police Department.  Finally, The Whole Truth is yet another legal drama, starring Rob Morrow (Numbers) and Joely Richardson (Nip/Tuck).  Its hook is that each week's featured case will be shown from both parties' perspective.

ABC presents its upfront on Tuesday, May 18th, where they will let us know how all of these new shows fit into the schedule, alongside its returning shows like Desperate Housewives, Modern Family, Cougar Town and the renewed V.  So, do any of these show tickle your fancy?  How do you think ABC's schedule is shaping up?  Leave your comments below, and be sure to check back at TVOvermind for more 2010-2011 season news as it develops.

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ABC Picks Up Three Comedies, Three Dramas

Science Fiction is an interesting genre and one that I admit I live and die by.  Over the years sci-fi has branched out into a variety of directions on the big and small screens.  From hard core science fiction dramas like Battlestar Galactica to more subtle science fiction like Lost and FlashForward.  But on December 8 Syfy will take us on a new science fiction adventure, but it's not one you might expect.  Syfy announced yesterday a new series called Outer Space Astronauts that will mix live-action and 3D animation to produce a unique comedy about eight vaguely courageous military-misfit astronauts who explore the galaxy.

The new series has five episodes planned and will follow the adventures of the crew of the O.S.S. Oklahoma on their missions of exploration and adventure across the galaxy.  Creator and producer Russell Barrett (who also stars in the series) developed and edited everything in his basement and used childhood friends for several of the characters.

Semi-animated comedy sci-fi series such as this one certainly aren't the norm.  I applaud Syfy for taking a chance on this and creator Russell Barrett for giving us something new, original, and hopefully very funny.  I realize that there will be sci-fi fans out there that will reject and complain about this series.  They'll use Outer Space Astronauts as an excuse to further attack the Syfy network, and that's fine.  I don't blame Syfy for wanting to branch out and increase their audience anymore than I blame them for the massive amounts of crap tv-movies they produce.  There's no doubt in any science fiction fanatics mind that Syfy (and SciFi Channel before that) hasn't exactly lived up to the potential in their name.  But they have had hits, and they have surprised us.  Look at Battlestar Galactica.  I never would have dreamed they could have produced such a fantastic show.  And Stargate Universe might not have wide acceptance, but I love it.  And Warehouse 13 has been an entertaining and fun series that I hardly ever miss.  Is it ground-breaking sci-fi?  No.  But it's not trying to be.  Outer Space Astronauts is supposed to make you laugh.  Its supposed to be entertaining.  It's supposed to be fun.  And regardless of what your initial impressions of the screenshots in this article might be, its going to be visually innovative.  Hell, just the images alone make me want to laugh.

So is Outer Space Astronaut's going to be a huge hit? Who knows.  But I'm not going to let some preconceived notions of what other people think sci-fi ought to be make my decisions for me.  On December 8, I'll be tuning into Syfy and watching Outer Space Astronauts, and most likely laughing my ass off.  I'll have an open mind, and then I'll judge it on its merits.  So whether you're a sci-fi fan or not, just give the show a chance, already.  It just might surprise you.

Below is the full press release from Syfy about the upcoming show.

SYFY TEST-DRIVES A NEW APPROACH TO ANIMATION WITH OUTER SPACE ASTRONAUTS

SERIES PREMIERES TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8 AT 9:30 P.M. (ET/PT)

The Five-Episode, Half-Hour Series is Executive Produced By Russell Barrett, Scott Puckett and David O. Russell (Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees)

Premiere Episode Follows Season Finale of Hit Reality Series, Scare Tactics

New York, NY – November 12, 2009 – Syfy continues to expand its horizons with the premiere of new irreverent half-hour comedy series, Outer Space Astronauts.  Using the latest in computer graphics technology to meld live-action and 3D animation, the visually innovative five-episode series premieres on Syfy on Tuesday, December 8 at 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT) following the season finale of the hit reality series, Scare Tactics at 9 p.m. (ET/PT). Outer Space Astronauts will continue to roll out every Tuesday night at 9 p.m. (ET/PT).

Series creator and executive producer, Russell Barrett took a complete do-it-yourself / hands-on approach to the creation of the show by developing, executing and editing the series right in his very home.  He also enlisted childhood and hometown friends as series stars including, Adam Clinton (Commander Dick Amos), Stephanie Clinton (Lieutenant Sunny Hunkle), Jay Wendorff (voice of Kyle 14) and Dana Kirk (Operations Officer Donna Kennedy).

”Syfy fans have never seen animation quite like this before! The graphics may be basic and simple, but combining them with live-action elements has never been done in a series before. To say that it was a grassroots endeavor is an understatement. Russell literally produced this in his basement for more than a year, and that allowed him to create a unique series with a sharp, sly sense of humor.” said Mark Stern, EVP Original Content Syfy & Co-Head Universal Cable Productions.

Outer Space Astronauts is a futuristic comedy series about eight vaguely courageous, highly distractable military personnel who journey to the far reaches of the galaxy, seeking knowledge, adventure and whatever else they can come up with.  On board the O.S.S. Oklahoma, this legion of misfits are led by a lackluster captain who would rather be planning the next “margarita Monday” than leading a mission against evil, much to exasperation of his by-the-book second-in-command.  Regardless of being a comedy of errors, this team will surprise even themselves as they navigate their way around the solar system.

“Russell Barrett is a very dry, very funny guy who created his own part animated, part live-action space ship world in a series of episodes using his own style and vision of animation,” said David O. Russell, Executive Producer.  “What more needs to be said about outer space astronauts who are in outer space working as astronauts, in outer space?”

Outer Space Astronauts was created by Russell Barrett, and is executive produced by Barrett, Scott Puckett and David O. Russell (Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees).

Meet the series characters:

Captain Bruce Ripley (Russell Barrett) is the worst captain in the fleet with the best reputation.  He’s uninterested, bored and sloppy, yet manages to always get the job done.

Commander Dick Amos (Adam Clinton) should be the leader of the ship since he holds the most credentials than anyone, but even with his top performance record, Dick is always stuck behind the eight ball.

Lieutenant Sunny Hunkle (Stephanie Clinton) With a name that equally matches her ‘sunny’ disposition, the sweetest girl in the galaxy gets along with everyone.  She doesn’t mind that her ‘secret relationship’ with Dick should remain a secret, she’s cool, calm and easy going.

Intern Jimmy Peck (Peter Burns) has been Captain Ripley’s right-hand man since their college days.  A bit simple-minded, or just eternally naïve, Jimmy has a way of coming through just when you thought  he was completely useless.

Pilot Johnny Boothe (Benjamin Nurick) shouldn’t be flying or driving anything as he holds the most citations for reckless piloting out of anyone (a record he states proudly!).  Boothe’s disregard for safety and his addiction to speed however has saved many a day on board the O.S.S. Oklahoma.

Kyle 14 (voice: Jay Wendorff) is one of the first artificial humans to be given a post on an OSA ship.  He’s the most state-of-the-art android in existence and “waaaay better than the Kyle 13 model.”

Chief Weapons Officer Andy Matheson (Laura Valdivia) has saved the life of every crewman on the ship more times than they can count.  His enormous stature and history of big time whuppin’ sometimes intimidates his fellow crewman except for Brimley.

Weapons Officer Chad Brimley (Tony Bravo) likes to find other’s weak spots and poke at it with a stick.  He has excellent skills, and is highly intelligent in weapons development and ammunition science, but his motivation for work isn’t always top notch.

Operations Officer Donna Kennedy (Dana Kirk) and technology don’t mix.  She tries in vain to hide her ‘fear of all things that plug in and beep’ from the crew, but on a ship which functions solely from the latest technology, her technophobia gets the best of her.

Chief Mechanic Pinto (Steve Millunzi) is a human monkey wrench.  If something is broken, Pinto can fix it - which is great, because things tend to break quite frequently!

Ka’ak (Jacey Margolis) is from another planet and skilled in all areas of space travel. Despite her super-model looks, her mangled use of English is a good tip-off to her alien roots; not to mention her blood-red skin!

Syfy Tackles Comedy in 'Outer Space Astronauts'

Now that season 5 of Ideal (starring Johnny Vegas) has come an end, it’s time for the BBC to air another dark comedy. If you watch Ideal and like it, then you probably enjoy that feeling of concern that always follows an episode. Lucky for us, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, two thirds of the League of Gentlemen, took to our screens again last night in their new comedy thriller, Psychoville. The League of Gentlemen was a big hit, but after 3 seasons and a film the boys called it a day. Psychoville sees a return to form for Shearsmith and Pemberton. It is awkward and uncomfortable, yet hilariously funny and a bit magical all at once.

But it’s certainly not for kids. In Pemberton’s words “It's the same tone as The League Of Gentlemen, it's called Psychoville, it's on late-ish...” so consider yourself warned. They aimed for an intriguing thriller comedy, and have definitely achieved it. They watched programmes like 24, Lost and Dexter, and wanted a comedy that has some of the same feeling, squeezed into seven half hours due to good old British sitcom tradition. The result should be a narrative that slowly reveals itself over the course of the entire series.

Unlike the League, the boys aren’t playing every major character this time around, but they still play a lot of them. The League started out feeling like a sketch show and gradually mutated to have a storyline, but in Psychoville the story is there straightaway. We just have to figure out what it actually is. In fact, this is my only criticism of the show so far. Intrigue is immediately set up; five seemingly unconnected characters each receive a Harry Potter-esque letter stating “I know what you did”.

Now, I’ve seen this tactic used in horror films. Everyone gets quite irate for a while and people end up dead. This doesn’t happen in Psychoville, of course, but after two episodes we’re still left having no idea what it is, but luckily we’re given plenty of character information instead. Will all the characters and plots introduced early on, the letters initially take a backseat.

There’s Mr Jelly (Shearsmith), an irate clown hell bent on becoming the best party clown in Salford. Unlucky for him, Mr Jolly currently has that title.

There’s Joy (Dawn French), a midwife who seems to think the doll she’s carrying around is a real baby named Freddy.

Robert (Jason Tompkins), a pantomime dwarf, seems to exhibit some more of these magical properties whenever he’s angry, which happens quite a lot.

David (Pemberton) is a serial-killer obsessed man-child. It remains to be seen whether he wants to be a killer, or just admires them.

Maureen (Shearsmith) is his long-suffering and now suspicious mother. Her relationship with her son isn’t quite normal.

Lomax (Pemberton) is a blind art collector, has unfortunately had all his art stolen, but doesn’t know it. His Holiest of Holies is safe for now though.

All characters so far look promising. As in the League, these writers are brilliant at taking a funny scene and delivering it with a poignancy and depth. The scene where Joy hands her ‘baby’ to her husband for changing is exceptionally sad. The aim of the game seems to be to make you feel everything in carefully devised stages, and it works. It looks as though Pemberton and Shearsmith intend to continue down this vein whilst upping the comedy thriller stakes of the game. It should make for entertaining viewing.

Apparently the boys initially wanted six episodes, but the BBC pushed for seven. The fourth episode is the one ‘squeezed in’. It will mostly consist of Shearsmith and Pemberton sat at a table, talking. Playing which characters and talking about what exactly remains to be seen.

UK TV Review : Psychoville