After the cancellation of the FOX sitcom Back to You in May, male lead star Kelsey Grammer immediately landed an ABC comedy pilot called Roman's Empire.  His Back to You co-star Patricio Heaton, however, wasn't as lucky. She was cast in Hallmark Hall of Fame's Front of the Class but other than that, her TV career was deemed uncertain.  Now, ABC is hoping to bring 50-year-old actress back to primetime as she takes the lead on the comedy pilot called The Middle.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Back to You actress has signed on to play the matriarch of a middle-class Midwestern family in the pilot directed by Julie Anne Robinson, whose credits include Weeds, Grey's Anatomy, Holby City and Pushing Daisies.

ABC is cooking up another comedy project, this time with veterans Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, who are creating a single-camera series that follows a Dutch documentary filmmaker dealing with three very animated American families.  The yet untitled series has already received a pilot commitment with a significant penalty, and will be produced by 20th Century FOX TV, with whom Levitan and Lloyd are tied up in a deal.

The series will be focusing on three families, two of which are very untraditional.  Levitan revealed that the idea for the show came about while he was having conversations with Lloyd about “small things that were happening in our houses and lives” with their families.  Both are married and have children, with Levitan having three kids aged 10-15 and Lloyd with two boys, aged 9 and 13.

Barely two weeks after FOX canceled the sitcom Back to You, lead star Kelsey Grammer has already landed yet another comedy series.  This time however, the Emmy-winning comedy vet has signed on to ABC's upcoming pilot called Roman's Empire.

The single-camera comedy revolves around Leo, portrayed by Nick Thune (Knocked Up, Unaccompanied Minors), a lovable young guy who, after getting dumped by his girlfriend, played by Christine Woods (Welcome to the Captain, CSI: Miami, How I Met Your Mother), tries but cannot seem to disentangle himself from her wealthy family.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Back to You star's quick return to primetime TV puts him in an outrageous and overbearing role as Woods' father Roman Pretty.

It's network upfront week, everybody!  Over the next few days, all of the major networks will unveil their Fall schedules, which shows have made the cut, which have been canceled, and which new shows will be invading network TV next season. FOX is a network whose 2008-2009 TV slate is looking mighty interesting.  On the docket for next season: a new J.J. Abrams series, a new Joss Whedon series, and a new Mitchell Hurwitz (creator of Arrested Development) series.  In advance of their upfronts this Thursday, a number of reports from Variety and TVGuide have surfaced relating to the fates of both new and old FOX shows, including Fringe, Dollhouse, Back to You, Til Death, and New Amsterdam. 

After receiving complaints from a national Polish-American organization for airing an offensive comment made by a character on its sitcom Back to You, FOX apologized and vowed never to broadcast the clip again.

Last month, the network aired an episode of Back to You entitled “Something's Up There,” which contained a historically inaccurate Polish slur.  It involved Marsh (Fred Willard), the dim-witted reporter, trying to convince Gary (Ty Burrell) to go bowling after work by saying: "Bowling is in your Polish blood, like kielbasa and collaborating with the Nazis."

Kelsey Grammer's Back to You is the first of FOX's new scripted line up to receive a full season order from the network.  Known for their quick axe, the move is a bit surprising considering Back to You has not been a ratings power house.  The smart money is on the apt prediction that Grammer's sitcom-royalty status will be a continuous, albeit slow, draw for the show.