Back to You

ABC Puts 'Back to You' Star in 'The Middle'

editor@buddytv.com — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:30:00 GMT

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 Gets 'Back to You' Producers for a New Comedy Project

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:30:00 GMT

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.

'Back to You' Star Goes Back to Work

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 27 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT

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.

FOX Upfront Preview: 'Back to You' Canceled, Abrams and Whedon Shows on the Way

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:27:05 GMT

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.

FOX Apologizes For Offensive Comment on 'Back to You'

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 08:00:00 GMT

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."

Fox Gives 'Back to You' a Full Season

editor@buddytv.com — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 19:47:49 GMT

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.

'Back to You' Star Evacuates

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 08:30:00 GMT

Back to You star, Kelsey Grammer, was among the many prominent celebrities forced out of their homes by raging California wildfires yesterday.

The spreading inferno had been blazing a trail of death and destruction across the California landscape since the weekend. The mindless scorching monster had been devouring people and property from the horse country north of Los Angeles all the way to the Mexican border.

'Back to You' Star Goes Back to Good Parenting

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:30:00 GMT

Kelsey Grammer is getting a second shot at weekly television sitcom stardom via his new vehicle, Back to You, where he co-stars with another sitcom veteran, Patricia Heaton. Back to You has just completed its first month airing, with the fifth episode of this maiden season on tonight.

Now that he's back to what he does best, providing weekly doses of humor to TV audiences, Grammer is also hoping to get a second chance with something else – being a father.

Exclusive Interview: 'Back to You' Star Laura Marano

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 14:46:32 GMT

When young Laura Marano tells her school friends she's starring on a FOX TV show, they'd probably assume it was as one of the kids on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Instead, this already accomplished actress stars on the new sitcom Back to You as the daughter of two contentious local news anchors played by Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton.

BuddyTV sat down with Laura to discuss this impressive accomplishment. In addition, the young actress spoke about working with those two sitcom legends, he dedication to the craft, and the fact that she's finally appearing in a show her friends can actually watch. Below you'll find the mp3 audio file of the interview, as well as a summary of the highlights.

'Back to You' Star Selling Home

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 08:30:00 GMT

Back to You star Kelsey Grammer is selling his 7,500-square foot Bridgehampton residence. The traditional-style structure is now on the market for $16.1 million, just under two times what the multi-Emmy Award-winning actor and his wife paid for when they acquired it two years ago.

This is the latest in a string of Grammer's habitual buying and selling forays in real estate.

Exclusive Interview: 'Back to You' Star Fred Willard

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 15:00:03 GMT

Fred Willard is a comedy legend at this point. His work in Christopher Guest films alone is enough to warrant that distinction, and in particular, his role as the bumbling dog show announcer in Best in Show is, for my money, one of the single funniest performances in recent cinematic history. He plays a similar role on the new FOX sitcom Back to You, as local sports anchor Marsh McGinley.

BuddyTV got the chance to sit face-to-face with Fred Willard and discuss his role on Back to You, his affinity for baseball, his views on what makes something funny, and the joys of working with Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton. Below you will find the transcript as well as the mp3 audio file of the interview.

BuddyTV at the FOX Fall TV Party

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:41:09 GMT

As part of FOX's Fall TV press junket in Los Angeles last week, we were lucky enough to receive an invite to the FOX Fall Eco-Casino party at trendy nightclub Area in West Hollywood. Being a lowly internet writer, this was my first experience at a big-time Hollywood event. They even had a red carpet (which I did not walk down; bloggers use the back entrance, out of sight from the real press), which was all flash bulbs and TV cameras. Exciting stuff. We were driven from our hotel to the club, dropped off at the press table, picked up our credentials and walked straight in. It was sweet.

FOX Acquires New Live Production System for 'Back to You'

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 08:30:00 GMT

FOX is bringing in new technology for one of its freshest series, Back to You. The network has just acquired a live production system to help re-create the news show setting required for certain segments of the program.

In Back to You, former Frasier star, Kelsey Grammer and Everybody Loves Raymond's Patricia Heaton are television news anchors for a Pittsburgh station. The recently purchased new live production system will provide the various elements needed for their news program sequences.

'Back to You' Premieres Tonight

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Fans will finally witness the highly-anticipated union of two Emmy Award-winning actors, Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton, when Back to You premieres tonight at 8/7c on FOX. Much hype has been generated with the comedians' return on television ever since they became household names in their respective long-running sitcoms. Grammer, who played psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on Frasier, and Heaton, who portrayed Debra Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond, will now be a regular Wednesday night item as part of a 13-episode commitment by 20th Century Fox Television, which serves as a lead out to ‘Til Death, a sitcom that stars Heaton's former costar, Brad Garrett.

Created and executive-produced by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, Back to You centers on a pair of star news anchors with on-air chemistry and off-air conflict who find themselves working together again after 10 years apart.

'Frasier' and 'Everybody Loves Raymond' Stalwarts Come Together on 'Back to You'

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 10:30:00 GMT

Frasier star Kelsey Grammer and Everybody Loves Raymond’s Patricia Heaton are back at what they do best – entertaining viewers on weekly comedy television. The two sitcom heavyweights with seven Emmy awards between them star as former co-anchors who must once again share the spotlight at a Pittsburgh news desk.

Grammer, who earned a pair of Golden Globes and five Emmy awards for his portrayal of the snobbishly intelligent Dr. Frasier Crane on Frasier, now essays the role of the less than stellar yet egotistical Chuck Darling on Back to You. The upcoming FOX series marks a reunion of sorts for Grammer and fellow Frasier alums, Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd. Lloyd and Levitan both served as writers and executive producers on Frasier and are now co-creators of Back to You. The three Frasier stalwarts recently spoke about making the transition from their old series to their new one.

Good Actor, Poor Show: Fred Willard in 'Back to You'

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:00:01 GMT

In BuddyTV's 2007 Fall TV Guide, we analyzed which great stars are working on shows that aren't worthy of their skill levels. The three to earn that distinction in 2007 are Fred Willard in Back to You, Jerry O'Connell in Carpoolers, and Joshua Malina in Big Shots.

Fred Willard is a comedic semi-genius. Ten, 20 years ago I might have given him full-fledged genius, but the man is 67-years-old (though he doesn't look it) and slowing down just a tad. In recent years, Willard has given scene-stealing performances in the Christopher Guest films Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind, and more mainstream fare like Anchorman. Ironically, he'll be gracing the small screen this Fall in a sitcom likely inspired by Anchorman's success in the new FOX sitcom Back to You. Back to You stars sitcom legends Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton as adversarial anchor-people. Back to You has yet to be made available to anyone (bad sign) and the promos have been, for lack of a better word, cringe-worthy. Despite the star power involved, Back to You looks like your typical unfunny sitcom, which leads me to this question: Why, Fred Willard? Why?

Beauty and the Beast: Back to You

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:00:01 GMT

In BuddyTV’s 2007 Fall TV Guide, we stared at countless photographs of the new show casts to determine which were most pleasing to the eye (the “Beauties”) and which weren’t so pleasant (the “Beasts”). In the end, we settle on Private Practice, Cane and Gossip Girl as having the hottest casts, while Cavemen, Dirty Sexy Money and Back to You all came up short in the looks department.

I always thought people on the local news were supposed to be chosen based on looks. FOX's failed reality series Anchorwoman tried to throw a model and WWE Diva into the role, and perhaps it's failure proved my hypothesis wrong. Also proving my hypothesis wrong: the new sitcom Back to You.

Back to You: BuddyTV Fall 2007 Preview

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Premiere Date and Time: Wednesday, September 19, 8pm

Network: FOX

Time Slot Competition: Pushing Daisies, Deal or No Deal, Kid Nation, America's Next Top Model

Cast: Kelsey Grammer, Patricia Heaton, Fred Willard, Josh Gad, Ty Burrell, Laura Marano

Fox's Back to You: Meet the Cast

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:00:00 GMT

Back to You is an upcoming sitcom on the Fox Network. It is created, written and executive-produced by Steven Levitan, the man behind such comedy series as Just Shoot Me! and Wings . Emmy-award winning screenwriter Christopher Lloyd is also credited as an executive producer.

The series revolves around the story of a fallen Pittsburgh news team, Chuck and Kelly. The duo dominated television news back in the 1990’s, but when Chuck came upon a bigger career opportunity, Kelly did not stand in his way, especially since the camaraderie they shared on-screen did not translate to real life. However, after a humiliating on-air argument wound up on the internet, Chuck’s trip to stardom took a turn for the worse. So, when he was invited back to Pittsburgh to reunite with now single mom Kelly, he immediately jumped at the chance, hoping to recapture their fame, as well as the station’s no.1 ranking.

Read on to know more about the cast of Back to You.