LITTLE ROCK — Admit it, guys. Is PJ Franklin not the ideal girlfriend?
I mean seriously. The girl is a Chicago Sun-Times sportswriter. Sports! She lives independently in her own spacious apartment in the city. She likes nothing better than downing a few brews with the boys at the local pub. And she hosts a Thursday-night poker game each week.
She’s compassionate and funny and a tomboy who cleans up real good. I mean real good.
But she doesn’t exist in nature. Only on TV.
All of this beautiful fantasy comes from writer/producer Betty Thomas, so don’t go making PJ out to be some sort of male-invented dream girl. TBS’ My Boys is the sitcom version of a chick flick.
Season 4 of My Boys kicks off with fresh stuff at 9 p.m. today. We get two back-to-back episodes to start the season.
Jordana Spiro, 33, plays PJ with spunk and just the right touch of vulnerability. Spiro’s career is on the rise. She’ll star along with Ugly Betty’s Becki Newton in NBC’s new sitcom, Love Bites, in the fall.
Meanwhile, we get to enjoy her all summer on TBS.
The boys of My Boys are PJ’s gaggle of best buds. There’s a boyfriend and an apartment mate and two longtime chums.
Gone from the lineup this season is PJ’s brother Andy,played by Jim Gaffigan. The storyline has Andy now living in China for his new job. With Andy/Gaffigan off the show, that leaves a hole in the Thursday night poker game.
Tonight’s first episode, “Addition by Subtraction,” deals with the gang’s attempt to find a suitable player to fill the void. The applicants are hilarious. I won’t spoil the surprise by telling you who finally fits in with this eclectic bunch.
Another major change is that PJ’s boyfriend, Bobby (Kyle Howard), is no longer filthy rich. It seems that’s a nod to the economy. Bobby’s wealthy family evidently lost the fortune in the recession.
That means Bobby’s job as a sportswriter at the rival Chicago Tribune actually means something now that he can use the money.
That reminds me. If they’ve explained how PJ, as a newspaper sportswriter, can afford an enormous apartment and spend all her time schmoozing at the local watering hole, I missed it. Yes, she has a roommate, but still.
Another mystery: PJ covers the Cubs, although you’d hardly ever know it since she rarely seems to actually be working. But this is the world of TV where verisimilitude never gets in the way of a good sitcom.
The rest of the boys:
Brendan Dorff (Reid Scott) is PJ’s frequent apartment mate. Mike Callahan (Jamie Kaler) fancies himself a ladiesman and works with his buddy Kenny at a sports memorabilia store.
Kenny Moritorri (Michael Bunin) owns the sports store, but not for long. The recession has also hit him hard.
And Stephanie Layne (Kellee Stewart) is still a girlie-girl and PJ’s best friend. She’s also dating Kenny.
Tonight’s second episode, “Gourmets and Confused,” involves fancy restaurants andmarijuana brownies.
My Boys is rated TV-14-DL for “intensely suggestive dialogue” and “crude, indecent language.”
That sounds a whole lot worse than it is for such a sweet show. Let’s just say the series comes on late because it’s not for the small fry.
Mad Men
reminder.
If you haven’t dug out your TV Week from the bowels of the newspaper yet, do so now.The cover story is all about Mad Men, which returns at 9 p.m. today on AMC.
There are lots of changes this season. Don Draper and Co. are out there in the wind.
One more week.
For both of you who asked, former CNN reporter Christiane Amanpour starts her duty as host of ABC’s This Week on Aug. 1. She replaces Jake Tapper, who has subbed for George Stephanopoulos since George went to Good Morning America in December.
New HBO series.
Can there be success for producer David Milch after the brilliance of Deadwood and the self-indulgence of John From Cincinnati? We’ll find out if Milch has any luck with Luck. The new HBO series will star Dustin Hoffman and takes place in the world of horse racing, with all its nuances, shady characters, jockeys and gamblers.
Milch owns racehorses and knows the business. Series production begins in the fall.
Dexter
news.
Season 5 of Showtime’s critically acclaimed series Dexter will debut Sept. 26. Eight episodes this season will feature guest star Peter Weller (Robocop, 24) as a troubled Miami police officer.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. E-mail:
Style, Pages 52 on 07/25/2010