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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, April 19, 2019 18 Cable Conversion Chart O SB C NB GG N Dish DTV ABC WIVT Binghamton - 6 - - - 6 - - ABC WUTR Utica 7 - - 7 10 - 20 20 CBS WKTV2 Utica 5 3 - - - - 12 - CBS WRGB Schenectady 26 - 6 - 6 - - - CBS WTVH Syracuse - - - - - - - 5 CW+ WBU Utica 11 - - - - - - - FOX WFXV Utica 6 9 - 6 - - 33 33 FOX WICZ Binghamton 3 3 - 3 - 10 - - FOX WOLF Scranton - - - 10 - - - - FOX WXXA Albany - - 8 - 8 - - - IND WISF Oneonta - 1231 - - - - - - MNT WPNY Utica - - - 27 - - - - NBC WBGH Elmira - 5 - - - 5 - - NBC WKTV Utica 4 - - 4 - 17 2 2 NBC WNYT Albany - - 13 2 13 - - - NBC WSTM Syracuse - - - - - 3 - - NBC WTEN Albany - - 10 - - - - - PBS WCNY Syracuse 12 12 - 12 - 12 - - PBS WMHT Schenectady - - 11 - 11 - - - PBS WSKG Binghamton 8 8 - 8 - 7 - - WGN Chicago 25 25 87 - 87 28 239 307 ABC FAMILY 16 16 35 16 35 25 180 311 AMERICAN HEROES CHANNEL 140 140 140 140 140 140 195 287 AMERICAN MOVIE CLASSICS 66 66 29 66 29 66 131 254 ANIMAL PLANET 67 67 132 67 132 67 184 282 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 42 42 38 42 38 42 118 265 BRAVO 29 29 59 29 59 29 129 237 CABLE NEWS NETWORK 15 15 46 15 46 24 200 202 CNN INTERNATIONAL - - 216 - 216 - - - CARTOON NETWORK 59 59 32 59 32 59 176 296 CINEMAX 531 531 531 531 531 531 310 515 CINEMAX 2 (MOREMAX) 532 532 532 532 532 532 312 517 CNBC 39 39 48 39 48 39 208 355 COMEDY CENTRAL 32 32 36 32 36 32 107 249 COUNTRY MUSIC TELEVISION 30 30 293 30 293 30 166 327 CSPAN 47 47 14 47 14 18 210 350 CSPAN2 226 226 21 92 21 92 211 351 DISCOVERY CHANNEL 41 41 37 41 37 41 182 278 DISCOVERY LIFE 70 70 180 70 180 70 - 261 DISNEY CHANNEL 51 51 34 51 34 51 172 290 E! ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION 44 44 60 44 60 44 114 236 ESPN 14 14 24 14 24 23 140 206 ESPN2 63 63 25 63 25 63 143 209 ETERNAL WORD TELEVISION 52 52 78 52 78 21 261 370 FOOD NETWORK 48 48 42 48 42 48 110 231 FOX NEWS CHANNEL 55 55 70 55 70 55 205 360 FOX SPORTS 1 76 76 73 76 73 76 150 219 FOX SPORTS OHIO - - - - - - 425 660 FREEFORM 16 16 122 16 122 25 180 311 FX MOVIES 632 632 632 632 632 632 384 258 FX NETWORK 43 43 31 43 31 43 136 248 GOLF CHANNEL 71 71 51 71 51 71 401 218 HALLMARK 34 34 123 34 123 34 185 312 HEADLINE NEWS 45 45 45 45 47 45 202 204 HOME BOX OFFICE 511 511 511 511 511 511 300 501 HOME BOX OFFICE 2 512 512 512 512 512 512 301 502 HOME BOX OFFICE SIGNATURE 513 513 513 513 513 513 302 503 HISTORY CHANNEL 57 57 39 57 39 57 120 269 HOME & GARDEN 20 20 41 20 41 47 112 229 ION TELEVISION 2 4 20 10 20 4 250 305 LIFETIME 37 37 30 37 30 37 108 252 MADISON SQUARE GARDENS 60 60 54 60 54 60 - 634 MSNBC 69 69 49 69 49 69 209 356 MTV 18 18 57 18 57 40 160 331 MTV2 119 119 119 119 119 119 161 333 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 33 33 61 33 61 33 186 276 NBC SPORTS NETWORK 49 49 44 49 44 49 159 220 NICKELODEON 36 36 33 36 33 36 170 299 OXYGEN 90 90 171 90 171 90 127 251 PARAMOUNT NETWORK 21 21 55 21 55 52 241 241 QVC 159 159 159 159 159 159 137 70 SHOWTIME 551 551 551 551 551 551 318 545 SPORTSNET NEW YORK 19 19 66 19 66 62 - 639 SYFY CHANNEL 62 62 53 62 53 38 122 244 TLC 58 58 40 58 40 58 183 280 TRAVEL CHANNEL 68 68 165 68 165 68 196 277 TRUTV 46 46 71 46 71 46 148 246 TURNER BROADCASTING SYSTEM 38 38 5 38 5 20 139 247 TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES 31 31 58 31 58 31 132 256 TURNER NETWORK TELEVISION 22 22 27 22 27 26 138 245 TV LAND 50 50 63 50 63 50 106 304 USA NETWORK 17 17 28 17 28 27 105 242 VIDEO HITS 1 35 35 56 35 56 35 162 335 WOMEN'S ENTERTAINMENT 61 61 65 61 65 61 128 260 YANKEES NETWORK 53 53 52 53 52 53 - 631 O - Oneonta, SB - Sidney/Bainbridge, C - Cobleskill, NB - New Berlin, GG - Grand Gorge, N - Norwich, D1 - Dish Network, D2 - DirecTV By Kyla Brewer TV Media W hile revisiting one's high school days may not be every- one's cup of tea, reliving the glory of days gone by can be lots of fun. Time travel may not be possible (yet!), but one TV show has been trans- porting viewers back to the grunge era, and people are beginning to take notice. AJ Michalka ("The Gold- bergs") stars as Lainey Lewis, a young woman who takes a job teaching music at her old high school when her dreams of rock 'n' roll stardom fall flat in "Schooled," airing Wednes- day, April 24, on ABC. She ini- tially takes the job just to pay the bills, but as she begins to make a difference in the lives of her students, she learns she has a knack for using music to connect with kids. "Schooled" had been a long time coming. It pre- miered in January of this year, but it's actually been in the works since 2016. The show is a spinoff of another hit ABC comedy, "The Gold- bergs," which tells the story of a family in the totally radi- cal 1980s. Producer and play- wright Adam Goldberg ("Breaking In") based that series on his own life, and "Schooled" is an extension of his world. A script was or- dered in 2017, and a pilot was shot starring Nia Long ("Third Watch") in the lead role, but ABC passed on the show in May of that year. However, in January 2018, the pilot aired as a special episode of "The Goldbergs" entitled "The Goldbergs: 1990-Something," and by April it was announced that ABC had picked up the show. Long would not return, how- ever, as she had been cast in the CBS drama "NCIS: Los Angeles," and Michalka was selected to star, reprising the role of Lainey, which she originated in "The Gold- bergs." She isn't the only familiar face for fans of "The Gold- bergs." Bryan Callen ("MADtv") reprises his role as no-nonsense Coach Rick Mellor in "Schooled." Cal- len's "Goldbergs" co-star, Tim Meadows ("Saturday Night Live"), appears as John Glascott, the one-time Wil- liam Penn Academy guidance counselor who now serves as principal. Wendi McLendon- Covey ("Bridesmaids," 2011) has guest starred more than once in the series as big- haired overprotective mom Beverly Goldberg. Stephen Tobolowsky ("Heroes") has also appeared as former prin- cipal Earl Ball, while Ana Gasteyer ("Saturday Night Live") carries on as teacher Susan Cinoman. The cast exclusive to "Schooled" includes Brett Dier ("Jane the Virgin") as hip young teacher Charlie "C.B." Brown, Lainey's teaching rival and sometimes friend. Rachel Crow ("Diedre & Laney Rob a Train," 2017) stars in a recurring role as Glascott's niece, Felicia, and Lennon Parham ("VEEP") re- curs as teacher Liz Flemming. What "The Goldbergs" does for '80s aficionados, "Schooled" does for those with a soft spot for the grun- ge era. For fans of all things '90s, it's a nostalgic romp through the decade full of fashions, music and other pop culture references. Noth- ing is sacred as the show pokes fun at trends such as Tamagotchis as well as mov- ies such as "Romy & Mi- chelle's High School Re- union" (1997), "She's All That" (1999) and even "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" (1999). Yet, "Schooled" isn't just a schmaltzy, silly comedy; it's full of heartwarming poi- gnant moments. The show has the potential to appeal to old school and new school TV viewers as it explores typical high school milestones that still happen today — school dances, student council elec- tions, concerts and more. The '90s may seem like ancient history to some people, but many of the show's themes resonate with people today, a fact that's reflected in the ratings. Close to five million viewers tuned in to check out the show's premiere, and that number jumps to 6.4 million when DVR viewers are added. "Schooled" has experienced a bit of a drop in the ratings since January, but the comedy has been consis- tently pulling in more than three million live viewers. 'Schooled' takes viewers back to the '90s featurestory Cherry Valley Memorials 3 x 2 The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, April 19, 2019 18 Cable Conversion Chart O SB C NB GG N Dish DTV ABC WIVT Binghamton - 6 - - - 6 - - ABC WUTR Utica 7 - - 7 10 - 20 20 CBS WKTV2 Utica 5 3 - - - - 12 - CBS WRGB Schenectady 26 - 6 - 6 - - - CBS WTVH Syracuse - - - - - - - 5 CW+ WBU Utica 11 - - - - - - - FOX WFXV Utica 6 9 - 6 - - 33 33 FOX WICZ Binghamton 3 3 - 3 - 10 - - FOX WOLF Scranton - - - 10 - - - - FOX WXXA Albany - - 8 - 8 - - - IND WISF Oneonta - 1231 - - - - - - MNT WPNY Utica - - - 27 - - - - NBC WBGH Elmira - 5 - - - 5 - - NBC WKTV Utica 4 - - 4 - 17 2 2 NBC WNYT Albany - - 13 2 13 - - - NBC WSTM Syracuse - - - - - 3 - - NBC WTEN Albany - - 10 - - - - - PBS WCNY Syracuse 12 12 - 12 - 12 - - PBS WMHT Schenectady - - 11 - 11 - - - PBS WSKG Binghamton 8 8 - 8 - 7 - - WGN Chicago 25 25 87 - 87 28 239 307 ABC FAMILY 16 16 35 16 35 25 180 311 AMERICAN HEROES CHANNEL 140 140 140 140 140 140 195 287 AMERICAN MOVIE CLASSICS 66 66 29 66 29 66 131 254 ANIMAL PLANET 67 67 132 67 132 67 184 282 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 42 42 38 42 38 42 118 265 BRAVO 29 29 59 29 59 29 129 237 CABLE NEWS NETWORK 15 15 46 15 46 24 200 202 CNN INTERNATIONAL - - 216 - 216 - - - CARTOON NETWORK 59 59 32 59 32 59 176 296 CINEMAX 531 531 531 531 531 531 310 515 CINEMAX 2 (MOREMAX) 532 532 532 532 532 532 312 517 CNBC 39 39 48 39 48 39 208 355 COMEDY CENTRAL 32 32 36 32 36 32 107 249 COUNTRY MUSIC TELEVISION 30 30 293 30 293 30 166 327 CSPAN 47 47 14 47 14 18 210 350 CSPAN2 226 226 21 92 21 92 211 351 DISCOVERY CHANNEL 41 41 37 41 37 41 182 278 DISCOVERY LIFE 70 70 180 70 180 70 - 261 DISNEY CHANNEL 51 51 34 51 34 51 172 290 E! ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION 44 44 60 44 60 44 114 236 ESPN 14 14 24 14 24 23 140 206 ESPN2 63 63 25 63 25 63 143 209 ETERNAL WORD TELEVISION 52 52 78 52 78 21 261 370 FOOD NETWORK 48 48 42 48 42 48 110 231 FOX NEWS CHANNEL 55 55 70 55 70 55 205 360 FOX SPORTS 1 76 76 73 76 73 76 150 219 FOX SPORTS OHIO - - - - - - 425 660 FREEFORM 16 16 122 16 122 25 180 311 FX MOVIES 632 632 632 632 632 632 384 258 FX NETWORK 43 43 31 43 31 43 136 248 GOLF CHANNEL 71 71 51 71 51 71 401 218 HALLMARK 34 34 123 34 123 34 185 312 HEADLINE NEWS 45 45 45 45 47 45 202 204 HOME BOX OFFICE 511 511 511 511 511 511 300 501 HOME BOX OFFICE 2 512 512 512 512 512 512 301 502 HOME BOX OFFICE SIGNATURE 513 513 513 513 513 513 302 503 HISTORY CHANNEL 57 57 39 57 39 57 120 269 HOME & GARDEN 20 20 41 20 41 47 112 229 ION TELEVISION 2 4 20 10 20 4 250 305 LIFETIME 37 37 30 37 30 37 108 252 MADISON SQUARE GARDENS 60 60 54 60 54 60 - 634 MSNBC 69 69 49 69 49 69 209 356 MTV 18 18 57 18 57 40 160 331 MTV2 119 119 119 119 119 119 161 333 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 33 33 61 33 61 33 186 276 NBC SPORTS NETWORK 49 49 44 49 44 49 159 220 NICKELODEON 36 36 33 36 33 36 170 299 OXYGEN 90 90 171 90 171 90 127 251 PARAMOUNT NETWORK 21 21 55 21 55 52 241 241 QVC 159 159 159 159 159 159 137 70 SHOWTIME 551 551 551 551 551 551 318 545 SPORTSNET NEW YORK 19 19 66 19 66 62 - 639 SYFY CHANNEL 62 62 53 62 53 38 122 244 TLC 58 58 40 58 40 58 183 280 TRAVEL CHANNEL 68 68 165 68 165 68 196 277 TRUTV 46 46 71 46 71 46 148 246 TURNER BROADCASTING SYSTEM 38 38 5 38 5 20 139 247 TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES 31 31 58 31 58 31 132 256 TURNER NETWORK TELEVISION 22 22 27 22 27 26 138 245 TV LAND 50 50 63 50 63 50 106 304 USA NETWORK 17 17 28 17 28 27 105 242 VIDEO HITS 1 35 35 56 35 56 35 162 335 WOMEN'S ENTERTAINMENT 61 61 65 61 65 61 128 260 YANKEES NETWORK 53 53 52 53 52 53 - 631 O - Oneonta, SB - Sidney/Bainbridge, C - Cobleskill, NB - New Berlin, GG - Grand Gorge, N - Norwich, D1 - Dish Network, D2 - DirecTV By Kyla Brewer TV Media W hile revisiting one's high school days may not be every- one's cup of tea, reliving the glory of days gone by can be lots of fun. Time travel may not be possible (yet!), but one TV show has been trans- porting viewers back to the grunge era, and people are beginning to take notice. AJ Michalka ("The Gold- bergs") stars as Lainey Lewis, a young woman who takes a job teaching music at her old high school when her dreams of rock 'n' roll stardom fall flat in "Schooled," airing Wednes- day, April 24, on ABC. She ini- tially takes the job just to pay the bills, but as she begins to make a difference in the lives of her students, she learns she has a knack for using music to connect with kids. "Schooled" had been a long time coming. It pre- miered in January of this year, but it's actually been in the works since 2016. The show is a spinoff of another hit ABC comedy, "The Gold- bergs," which tells the story of a family in the totally radi- cal 1980s. Producer and play- wright Adam Goldberg ("Breaking In") based that series on his own life, and "Schooled" is an extension of his world. A script was or- dered in 2017, and a pilot was shot starring Nia Long ("Third Watch") in the lead role, but ABC passed on the show in May of that year. However, in January 2018, the pilot aired as a special episode of "The Goldbergs" entitled "The Goldbergs: 1990-Something," and by April it was announced that ABC had picked up the show. Long would not return, how- ever, as she had been cast in the CBS drama "NCIS: Los Angeles," and Michalka was selected to star, reprising the role of Lainey, which she originated in "The Gold- bergs." She isn't the only familiar face for fans of "The Gold- bergs." Bryan Callen ("MADtv") reprises his role as no-nonsense Coach Rick Mellor in "Schooled." Cal- len's "Goldbergs" co-star, Tim Meadows ("Saturday Night Live"), appears as John Glascott, the one-time Wil- liam Penn Academy guidance counselor who now serves as principal. Wendi McLendon- Covey ("Bridesmaids," 2011) has guest starred more than once in the series as big- haired overprotective mom Beverly Goldberg. Stephen Tobolowsky ("Heroes") has also appeared as former prin- cipal Earl Ball, while Ana Gasteyer ("Saturday Night Live") carries on as teacher Susan Cinoman. The cast exclusive to "Schooled" includes Brett Dier ("Jane the Virgin") as hip young teacher Charlie "C.B." Brown, Lainey's teaching rival and sometimes friend. Rachel Crow ("Diedre & Laney Rob a Train," 2017) stars in a recurring role as Glascott's niece, Felicia, and Lennon Parham ("VEEP") re- curs as teacher Liz Flemming. What "The Goldbergs" does for '80s aficionados, "Schooled" does for those with a soft spot for the grun- ge era. For fans of all things '90s, it's a nostalgic romp through the decade full of fashions, music and other pop culture references. Noth- ing is sacred as the show pokes fun at trends such as Tamagotchis as well as mov- ies such as "Romy & Mi- chelle's High School Re- union" (1997), "She's All That" (1999) and even "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" (1999). Yet, "Schooled" isn't just a schmaltzy, silly comedy; it's full of heartwarming poi- gnant moments. The show has the potential to appeal to old school and new school TV viewers as it explores typical high school milestones that still happen today — school dances, student council elec- tions, concerts and more. The '90s may seem like ancient history to some people, but many of the show's themes resonate with people today, a fact that's reflected in the ratings. Close to five million viewers tuned in to check out the show's premiere, and that number jumps to 6.4 million when DVR viewers are added. "Schooled" has experienced a bit of a drop in the ratings since January, but the comedy has been consis- tently pulling in more than three million live viewers. 'Schooled' takes viewers back to the '90s featurestory Cherry Valley Memorials 3 x 2 The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, April 12, 2019 18 Cable Conversion Chart O SB C NB GG N Dish DTV ABC WIVT Binghamton - 6 - - - 6 - - ABC WUTR Utica 7 - - 7 10 - 20 20 CBS WKTV2 Utica 5 3 - - - - 12 - CBS WRGB Schenectady 26 - 6 - 6 - - - CBS WTVH Syracuse - - - - - - - 5 CW+ WBU Utica 11 - - - - - - - FOX WFXV Utica 6 9 - 6 - - 33 33 FOX WICZ Binghamton 3 3 - 3 - 10 - - FOX WOLF Scranton - - - 10 - - - - FOX WXXA Albany - - 8 - 8 - - - IND WISF Oneonta - 1231 - - - - - - MNT WPNY Utica - - - 27 - - - - NBC WBGH Elmira - 5 - - - 5 - - NBC WKTV Utica 4 - - 4 - 17 2 2 NBC WNYT Albany - - 13 2 13 - - - NBC WSTM Syracuse - - - - - 3 - - NBC WTEN Albany - - 10 - - - - - PBS WCNY Syracuse 12 12 - 12 - 12 - - PBS WMHT Schenectady - - 11 - 11 - - - PBS WSKG Binghamton 8 8 - 8 - 7 - - WGN Chicago 25 25 87 - 87 28 239 307 ABC FAMILY 16 16 35 16 35 25 180 311 AMERICAN HEROES CHANNEL 140 140 140 140 140 140 195 287 AMERICAN MOVIE CLASSICS 66 66 29 66 29 66 131 254 ANIMAL PLANET 67 67 132 67 132 67 184 282 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 42 42 38 42 38 42 118 265 BRAVO 29 29 59 29 59 29 129 237 CABLE NEWS NETWORK 15 15 46 15 46 24 200 202 CNN INTERNATIONAL - - 216 - 216 - - - CARTOON NETWORK 59 59 32 59 32 59 176 296 CINEMAX 531 531 531 531 531 531 310 515 CINEMAX 2 (MOREMAX) 532 532 532 532 532 532 312 517 CNBC 39 39 48 39 48 39 208 355 COMEDY CENTRAL 32 32 36 32 36 32 107 249 COUNTRY MUSIC TELEVISION 30 30 293 30 293 30 166 327 CSPAN 47 47 14 47 14 18 210 350 CSPAN2 226 226 21 92 21 92 211 351 DISCOVERY CHANNEL 41 41 37 41 37 41 182 278 DISCOVERY LIFE 70 70 180 70 180 70 - 261 DISNEY CHANNEL 51 51 34 51 34 51 172 290 E! ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION 44 44 60 44 60 44 114 236 ESPN 14 14 24 14 24 23 140 206 ESPN2 63 63 25 63 25 63 143 209 ETERNAL WORD TELEVISION 52 52 78 52 78 21 261 370 FOOD NETWORK 48 48 42 48 42 48 110 231 FOX NEWS CHANNEL 55 55 70 55 70 55 205 360 FOX SPORTS 1 76 76 73 76 73 76 150 219 FOX SPORTS OHIO - - - - - - 425 660 FREEFORM 16 16 122 16 122 25 180 311 FX MOVIES 632 632 632 632 632 632 384 258 FX NETWORK 43 43 31 43 31 43 136 248 GOLF CHANNEL 71 71 51 71 51 71 401 218 HALLMARK 34 34 123 34 123 34 185 312 HEADLINE NEWS 45 45 45 45 47 45 202 204 HOME BOX OFFICE 511 511 511 511 511 511 300 501 HOME BOX OFFICE 2 512 512 512 512 512 512 301 502 HOME BOX OFFICE SIGNATURE 513 513 513 513 513 513 302 503 HISTORY CHANNEL 57 57 39 57 39 57 120 269 HOME & GARDEN 20 20 41 20 41 47 112 229 ION TELEVISION 2 4 20 10 20 4 250 305 LIFETIME 37 37 30 37 30 37 108 252 MADISON SQUARE GARDENS 60 60 54 60 54 60 - 634 MSNBC 69 69 49 69 49 69 209 356 MTV 18 18 57 18 57 40 160 331 MTV2 119 119 119 119 119 119 161 333 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 33 33 61 33 61 33 186 276 NBC SPORTS NETWORK 49 49 44 49 44 49 159 220 NICKELODEON 36 36 33 36 33 36 170 299 OXYGEN 90 90 171 90 171 90 127 251 PARAMOUNT NETWORK 21 21 55 21 55 52 241 241 QVC 159 159 159 159 159 159 137 70 SHOWTIME 551 551 551 551 551 551 318 545 SPORTSNET NEW YORK 19 19 66 19 66 62 - 639 SYFY CHANNEL 62 62 53 62 53 38 122 244 TLC 58 58 40 58 40 58 183 280 TRAVEL CHANNEL 68 68 165 68 165 68 196 277 TRUTV 46 46 71 46 71 46 148 246 TURNER BROADCASTING SYSTEM 38 38 5 38 5 20 139 247 TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES 31 31 58 31 58 31 132 256 TURNER NETWORK TELEVISION 22 22 27 22 27 26 138 245 TV LAND 50 50 63 50 63 50 106 304 USA NETWORK 17 17 28 17 28 27 105 242 VIDEO HITS 1 35 35 56 35 56 35 162 335 WOMEN'S ENTERTAINMENT 61 61 65 61 65 61 128 260 YANKEES NETWORK 53 53 52 53 52 53 - 631 O - Oneonta, SB - Sidney/Bainbridge, C - Cobleskill, NB - New Berlin, GG - Grand Gorge, N - Norwich, D1 - Dish Network, D2 - DirecTV By Kenneth Andeel TV Media A BC's newest single- camera comedy series premieres on Tuesday, April 16. "Bless This Mess" is the story of a newlywed cou- ple from New York City who pick up and move to an unfa- miliar, challenging setting. The freshman series stars Lake Bell ("Childrens Hospi- tal") and Dax Shepard ("Par- enthood") as Rio and Mike, a slightly cynical couple who tire of life in the big city and seize an unexpected opportunity to move to Nebraska and live on a farm. They're both excited by the prospect of a major change of scenery and the chance to leave behind their unsatisfying jobs and the stresses of urban life. They hope that a slower-paced ex- istence will bring them peace, despite the objections of their New Yorker friends and par- ents, who all think they're cra- zy for leaving. Upon arriving at their new digs, Rio and Mike begin to mingle with the locals, played by a supporting cast of famil- iar faces. Ed Begley Jr. ("Arrest- ed Development") plays Rudy, Rio and Mike's new next-door neighbor and an ominous fel- low who feels completely at ease letting himself into their place without announcing himself. David Koechner ("Su- perior Donuts") and Lennon Parham ("Lady Dynamite") star as a local couple who are baffled by their new neigh- bors' big-city ways. Pam Grier ("The L Word") is Constance Terry, the local sheriff and a close friend of the former oc- cupant of Rio and Mike's country home. The previous homeowner was Mike's great aunt, who died and left him her farm- house, and the show pulls an unsurprising bait-and-switch with the farmhouse itself. The only photo Rio and Mike have of the home shows it at the height of its glory — it's a masterfully carpentered struc- ture with sparkling white clap- boards and a tidy green lawn stretching as far as the eye can see. Upon arriving in Nebras- ka, however, the new owners discover that their photograph is woefully out of date, and time has worked its inexorable effect on the farm. Instead of a quaint and spruce country home, the two New Yorkers are a greeted by a dusty and barren landscape crowned by a dilapidated, slowly collaps- ing farmhouse. Having already quit their jobs and mentally distanced themselves from their past lives in cosmopolitan New York, Rio and Mike decide they'll stay in Nebraska to deal with the not-so-perfect situation and try to make a go of things. And thus, we have our sitcom. "Bless This Mess" was co- created by Bell and showrun- ner Elizabeth Meriweather, whose previous projects in- clude Fox's "New Girl" and ABC's "Single Parents." The pi- lot order for "Bless This Mess" was actually commissioned by Fox, but when that network ultimately passed on extend- ing the order to include addi- tional episodes, executives at ABC — who had been keep- ing a close eye on the series' production — jumped at the chance to pick up the show for a run of six episodes. If those first six do well, more will be sure to follow. Whether the show succeeds will largely depend on its writ- ing. The premise of the series is a fairly well-worn, fish-out- of-water concept where the audience is privy to the POV of characters who are thrust into an environment so far out of their comfort zone that come- dy is bound to follow. This gimmick has a long history in sitcomland. In 1962, CBS's "The Beverly Hill- billies" posited the reverse of the "Bless This Mess" formu- la by transplanting a group of well-meaning country bump- kins into glamorous Holly- wood-adjacent Beverly Hills. After the success of that show, the same group of cre- ators were offered another half-hour time-slot on CBS, and in 1965 developed "Green Acres." "Green Acres" was a sort of companion series to "The Bev- erly Hillbillies" and had almost exactly the same premise as "Bless This Mess." In "Green Acres," a Manhattanite couple moves to a rundown country farm and begins the struggle to assimilate into country life. Country roads: A New York couple discovers the quiet life in rural Nebraska featurestory Cherry Valley Memorials 3 x 2 Music, Art & Entertainment www.thesceneonline.com or The Scene on Facebook

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