Sofia Vergara is hosting “Saturday Night Live” this weekend with featured musical guest One Direction.

The Colombian actress is excited to be on SNL, according to Access Hollywood.

“I’m very happy, very excited because I never thought I was going to be part of that TV show,” said Sofia. “I think it’s an American tradition. It’s a TV show that the whole world knows, so for me, it’s an honor to be part of that group of actors that are known for their excellence.”

While the “Modern Family” vixen is ready for any task the cast throws at her, she’s in the dark as to what characters they’ll ask her to play on the famed NBC late night sketch show.

“I don’t know yet what they have in mind,” she told Access. “I’m going to go to New York a week before Saturday and we rehearse and they come up with the sketches, so, it’s like a whole week of work.”

Vergara’s performance isn’t the only thing to watch out for tonight. This is the show’s first episode back after a month-long hiatus, meaning that the cast and creatives have had time to relax, rejuvenate, and think up sketch ideas that don‘t involve Kristen Wiig talking like a Howard Hawks character. We’re also going to be treated to performances by tween dreams One Direction, a group that hearkens back to the good old days of non-theatening, manufactured boy bands.

Sofia Vergara has sharpened her comedic skills on the set of “Modern Family” and judging from the promotional videos for her episode, will be taking full advantage of her sex-symbol image and Colombian accent.

Vergara has been honored for her television work. She was nominated for two Emmys and two Golden Globes for her role as the second, younger wife of extended family patriarch Jay Pritchett, played by Ed O’Neill, and mother of Manny Delgado, played by Rico Rodriguez, on “Modern Family.” The ABC comedy series has won two Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series.

“‘Modern Family’ has been the best thing that has ever happened to me professionally,” said Vergara. “I’ve had the career that I never, ever, even dreamed about, even though it was hard because of my accent and because of the way I look. I really, really have to be thankful.”

The Screen Actors Guild award ceremony screened on Sunday, resulting in multiple wins for “The Help” and “Boardwalk Empire”. The full list of winners is listed below.

Theatrical Motion Pictures

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

• “The Help”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

• Jean DuJardin, “The Artist”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

• Viola Davis, “The Help”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

• Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

• Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

Primetime Television

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

• “Boardwalk Empire”

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

• “Modern Family”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

• Steve Buscemi, “Boardwalk Empire”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

• Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

• Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

• Betty White, “Hot in Cleveland”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

• Paul Giamatti, “Too Big to Fail”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

• Kate Winslet, “Mildred Pierce”

SAG Honors for Stunt Ensembles

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series

• Game of Thrones

Nominees for the Golden Globes were announced on Thursday. The 69th award ceremony will take place on January 15.

Best Motion Picture – Drama

• The Descendants – Ad Hominem Enterprises; Fox Searchlight Pictures
• The Help – DreamWorks Pictures, Participant Media; Touchstone Pictures
• Hugo – Paramount Pictures presents a GK Films Production; Paramount Pictures
• The Ides of March – Columbia Pictures, Cross Creek Pictures, Exclusive Media Group, Crystal City Entertainment; Sony Pictures
• Moneyball – Columbia Pictures; Sony Pictures Releasing International
• War Horse – DreamWorks Pictures; Touchstone Pictures

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

• Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs
• Viola Davis – The Help
• Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Meryl Streep – Iron Lady
• Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

• George Clooney – The Descendants
• Leonardo DiCaprio – J. Edgar
• Michael Fassbender – Shame
• Ryan Gosling – The Ides of March
• Brad Pitt – Moneyball

Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical

• 50/50 – Summit Entertainment and Mandate Pictures; Summit Entertainment
• The Artist – a La Petite Reine-Studio 37-La Classe Americaine-JD Prod-France3 Cinema-Jouror Production-uFilms coproduction-The Weinstein Company
• Bridesmaids – Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Apatow Productions; Universal Pictures
• Midnight in Paris – A Mediapro, Versatil Cinema & Gravier Production; Sony Pictures Classics
• My Week with Marilyn – The Weinstein Company; The Weinstein Company

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical

• Jodie Foster – Carnage
• Charlize Theron – Young Adult
• Kristen Wiig – Bridesmaids
• Michelle Williams – My Week With Marilyn
• Kate Winslet – Carnage

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical

• Jean Dujardin – The Artist
• Brendan Gleeson – The Guard
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt – 50/50
• Ryan Gosling – Crazy, Stupid, Love.
• Owen Wilson – Midnight in Paris

Best Animated Feature Film

• The Adventures of Tintin – Paramount Pictures/Columbia Pictures/ Hemisphere Capital/Amblin Entertainment/Wingnut Films Production/ Kennedy/Marshall Production A Steven Spielberg Film; Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures
• Arthur Christmas – Columbia Pictures & Sony Pictures Animation; Sony Pictures Releasing International
• Cars 2 – Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Pictures
• Puss In Boots – DreamWorks Animation; Paramount Pictures
• Rango – Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink / GK Films Production;  Paramount Pictures

Best Foreign Language Film

• The Flowers of War (China) – (Jing Ling Shi San Chai) New Pictures Film Company; Wrekin Hill Entertainment
• In the Land of Blood and Honey (United States) – GK Films; FilmDistrict
• The Kid with a Bike (Belgium) – (Le Gamin au Velo) Les Films du Fleuve; Sundance Selects
• A Separation (Iran) – (Jodaeiye Nader az Simin) Asghar Farhadi; Sony Pictures Classics
• The Skin I Live In (Spain) – (La piel que habito) El Deseo D.A., S.L.U.; Sony Pictures Classics

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

• Berenice Bejo – The Artist
• Jessica Chastain – The Help
• Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs
• Octavia Spencer – The Help
• Shailene Woodley – The Descendants

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

• Kenneth Branagh – My Week With Marilyn
• Albert Brooks – Drive
• Jonah Hill – Moneyball
• Viggo Mortensen – A Dangerous Method
• Christopher Plummer – Beginners

Best Director – Motion Picture

• Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
• George Clooney – The Ides of March
• Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
• Alexander Payne – The Descendants
• Martin Scorsese – Hugo

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

• Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
• Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne, Jim Rash – The Descendants
• George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon – The Ides of March
• Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
• Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian – Moneyball

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

• Ludovic Bource – The Artist
• Abel Korzeniowski – W.E.
• Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Howard Shore – Hugo
• John Williams – War Horse

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

• “Hello Hello” – Gnomeo & Juliet (Music by Elton John, Lyrics by Bernie Taupin)
• “Keeper, The” – Machine Gun Preacher (Music and Lyrics by Chris Cornell)
• “Lay Your Head Down” – Albert Nobbs (Music by Brian Byrne, Lyrics by Glenn Close)
• “Living Proof, The” – The Help (Music by Thomas Newman, Mary J. Blige and Harvey Mason, Jr., Lyrics by Mary J. Blige, Harvey Mason, Jr. and Damon Thomas)
• “Masterpiece” – W.E. (Music and Lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost and Jimmy Harry)

Best Television Series – Drama

• American Horror Story (FX) – Twentieth Century Fox Television
• Boardwalk Empire (HBO) – Leverage, Closest to the Hole Productions, Sikelia Productions and Cold Front Productions, HBO Entertainment
• Boss (STARZ) – Lionsgate Television in association with Grammnet NH Productions, Roya Productions and Old Friends Productions
• Game of Thrones (HBO) – Bighead, Littlehead, 360 Television, Grok and Generator Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
• Homeland (SHOWTIME) – SHOWTIME Presents, Teakwood Lane Productions, Cherry Pie Productions, Keshet, Fox 21

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama

• Claire Danes – Homeland (SHOWTIME)
• Mireille Enos – The Killing
• Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife (CBS)
• Madeleine Stowe – Revenge
• Callie Thorne – Necessary Roughness

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

• Steve Buscemi – Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
• Bryan Cranston – Breaking Bad
• Kelsey Grammer – Boss (STARZ)
• Jeremy Irons – The Borgias
• Damian Lewis – Homeland (SHOWTIME)

Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical

• Enlightened (HBO) – Ripcord Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
• Episodes (SHOWTIME) – SHOWTIME Presents, Hat Trick Productions, Crane Karik Productions
• Glee (FOX) – Ryan Murphy Television, Twentieth Century Fox Television
• Modern Family (ABC) – Twentieth Century Fox Television
• New Girl (FOX) – Chernin Entertainment in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical

• Laura Dern – Enlightened (HBO)
• Zooey Deschanel – New Girl (FOX)
• Tina Fey – 30 Rock (NBC)
• Laura Linney – The Big C (SHOWTIME)
• Amy Poehler – Parks and Recreation

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical

• Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock (NBC)
• David Duchovny – Californication (SHOWTIME)
• Johnny Galecki – The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
• Thomas Jane – Hung (HBO)
• Matt LeBlanc – Episodes (SHOWTIME) 

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Cinema Verite (HBO) – A Pariah Production in association with HBO Films
• Downton Abbey (Masterpiece) – A Carnival/Masterpiece Co-production
• The Hour (BBC AMERIC) – Kudo Film and Television/BBC America co-production
• Mildred Pierce (HBO) – A Killer Films/John Wells Production in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and HBO Miniseries
• Too Big to Fail (HBO) – A Spring Creek and a Deuce Three Production in association with HBO Films

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Romola Garai – The Hour (BBC AMERIC)
• Diane Lane – Cinema Verite (HBO)
• Elizabeth McGovern – Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)
• Emily Watston – Appropriate Adult
• Kate Winslet – Mildred Pierce (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Hugh Bonneville – Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)
• Idris Elba – Luther
• William Hurt – Too Big to Fail (HBO)
• Bill Nighy – Page Eight (Masterpiece)
• Dominic West – The Hour (BBC AMERIC)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Jessica Lange – American Horror Story (FX)
• Kelly MacDonald – Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
• Maggie Smith – Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)
• Sofia Vergara – Modern Family (ABC)
• Evan Rachel Wood – Mildred Pierce (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Peter Dinklage – Game of Thrones (HBO)
• Paul Giamatti – Too Big to Fail (HBO)
• Guy Pearce – Mildred Pierce (HBO)
• Tim Robbins – Cinema Verite (HBO)
• Eric Stonestreet – Modern Family (ABC)

The 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced early morning on July 14 and will air on Fox on Sunday, September 18 at 8:00 p.m.

Fox’s “Glee” received a nomination for best comedy series and supporting actors Jane Lynch and Chris Colfer have been nominated as well. Lynch will also host the Emmy Awards for the second consecutive year.

The cast of “Modern Family” received an impressive 17 nominations with each adult cast member nominated. The show falls just behind “Mad Men,” with 19 nominations, and “Boardwalk Empire,” with 18 nominations.

HBO was once again the network to receive the most nominations with 104 this year. But surprisingly, the hit series “True Blood” was not nominated in any major category.

 Nominees in top categories are listed below. For a complete list of Emmy nominations please visit emmys.com

Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
The Office
Parks and Recreation
30 Rock

Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
Mad Men

Lead Actress in a Comedy
Laura Linney, The Big C
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly
Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope
Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Lead Actor in a Comedy
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Steve Carell, The Office
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
Louis C.K., Louie
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Lead Actor in a Drama
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
Timothy Olyphant, Justified

Lead Actress in a Drama
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU
Mireille Enos, The Killing
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Kathy Bates, Harry’s Law

Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Chris Colfer, Glee
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Ed O’Neill, Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Ty Burrell, Modern Family

Supporting Actor in a Drama
John Slattery, Mad Men
Andre Braugher, Men of a Certain Age
Walton Goggins, Justified
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Josh Charles, The Good Wife
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife

Supporting Actress in a Comedy
Jane Lynch, Glee
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

Supporting Actress in a Drama
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
Michelle Forbes, The Killing
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
Margo Martindale, Justified

Mini-series or Made-for-Television Movie
Cinema Verite
Downton Abbey
The Kennedys
Mildred Pierce
The Pillars Of The Earth
Too Big To Fail

Variety, Music or Comedy Series
The Colbert Report
Conan
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
Real Time With Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live

Lead Actor in a Mini-Series or movie
Edgar Ramirez, Carlos
Greg Kinnear, The Kennedys
Barry Pepper, The Kennedys
Idris Elba, Luther
Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood
William Hurt, Too Big To Fail

Lead Actress in a Mini-Series or movie
Diane Lane, Cinema Verite
Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Taraji P. Henson, Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story
Jean Marsh, Upstairs Downstairs

Reality Program
Antiques Roadshow
Deadliest Catch
Hoarders
Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List
MythBusters
Undercover Boss

Reality Competition
The Amazing Race
American Idol
Dancing With The Stars
Project Runway
So You Think You Can Dance
Top Chef

Host of a Reality Program or Competition
Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race
Ryan Seacrest, American Idol
Tom Bergeron, Dancing With The Stars
Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can
Jeff Probst, Survivor

Sources: New York Times and MTV

“Modern Family” hit a season low for a new episode Wednesday, with a 3.8 in the demo. The show had been topping the 5.0 earlier in the season — are viewers abandoning the once-mighty hit?

“Happy Ending” aired after “Family,” with two episodes; they averaged a 2.5, hardly a stunner in debut though likely to see a second season with those numbers.

At 8 pm, “The Middle” was thankful it was already renewed; “Better with You” likely rode out its last legs.

“American Idol” was typically strong, averring a 7.1 in the demo over 90 minutes. “Breaking In” didn’t really do that afterwards; it drew just a 2.8 out of “AI’s” 8.0 in the half-hour proceeding, a 65% drop. Retention doesn’t really factor grealty into renewals, but that’s still a bad sign.

“Survivor” was low at 8 pm, averaging less than a 3.0 in the demo. “Criminal Minds” was better at 9 with a 3.5; it’s spinoff “Suspect Behavior” led the 10 pm hour with a 2.5.

8 pm

American Idol (90 minutes): 7.1 demo, 22.3 million viewers

Survivor: Redemption Island: 2.9 demo, 10.7 million viewers.

The Middle: 1.8 demo, 6.1 million viewers

Minute to Win It: 1.0 demo, 3.4 million viewers

America’s Next Top Model: 1.0 demo, 2.2 million viewers

8:30 pm

Better with You: 1.5 demo, 4.9 million viewers

9 pm

Modern Family: 3.8 demo, 9.5 million viewers

Criminal Minds: 3.5 demo, 13.2 million viewers

*Minute to Win it: 1.0 demo, 3.4 million viewers

Shedding for the Wedding: 0.6 demo, 1.4 million viewers

9:30 pm

Breaking In: 2.8 demo, 8.4 million viewers

Happy Endings: 2.7 demo, 7.2 million viewers

10 pm

Criminal Minds Suspect Behavior: 2.5 demo, 9.9 million viewers

Happy endings: 2.3 demo, 5.7 million viewers

*Law and Order SVU: 1.5 demo, 4.8 million viewers

By TwitterButtons.com

*The TV Renewal/Cancellation Scorecard has been updated to reflect these ratings — and two shows have moved to the bubble!

Network television is still in a repeat period, doing little to help the recently launched shows that were forced to air amidst reruns Wednesday night. “Mr. Sunshine” aired after a repeat of “Modern Family” and against a new “Ameircan Idol,” and drew a 1.8 in the demo. It’s like ABC wants to kill the show.

“Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior” was no better; it drew a 2.2 demo after a “Criminal Minds” repeat.

“American Idol” and fox had no troubles; it drew 24 million viewers and a 8.0 in the demo for the night. To put that in perspective, NBC drew a 1.1 last night. Wonder why Fox is far and away the network winner?

“Off the Map” also aired a new episode last night. No one noticed.

8 pm

American Idol: 7.6 demo, 23 million viewers

Survivor: Redemption Island: 3.2 demo, 11 million viewers

*The Middle: 1.4 demo, 5.4 million viewers

America’s Next Top Model: 1.1 demo, 2.3 million viewers

Minute to Win It: 1.0 demo, 3.5 million viewers

8:30

*The Middle: 1.4 demo, 4.8 million viewers

9 pm

American Idol: 8.4 demo, 25.4 million viewers

*Modern Family: 2.3 demo, 6.1 million viewers

*Criminal Minds: 1.8 demo, 8.2 million viewers

*Law and Order: SVU: .9 demo, 3.2 million viewers

Shedding for the Wedding: .5 demo, 1 million viewers

9:30 pm

Mr Sunshine: 1.8 demo, 4.8 million viewers

10 pm

Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior: 2.2 demo, 9 million viewers

*Law and Order: SVU: 1.4 demo, 5.3 million viewers

Off the Map: 1.4 demo, 4.3 million viewers

*Our TV Renewal/Cancellation Scorecard has been updated to reflect last night’s ratings!

Fox won Wednesday night on the heels of a 90 minute “American Idol,” which averaged a 7.7 in the demo. That’s up from the same period last year, where it earned a 7.5. Apparently rumors of “AI’s” demise have been greatly exaggerated. “Traffic Light” experienced a series high coming out of “Idol” with a 2.8 in the demo, though that’s unlikely to stave off cancellation.

“Modern Family” tied a season low with a 4.1 demo rating, though most shows would kill for that season low. “Mr. Sunshine” was up to a 2.4, good for renewal purposes.

After hitting a hiccup, “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior” rose to a 2.8 in the demo; that likely means it will return.

NBC was in repeats for most of the evening; it was outwatched by the hispanic cable network Univision.

*repeat

8 pm

American Idol (90 minutes): 7.7 demo, 22.5 million viewers

Survivor: Redemption Island: 3.3 demo, 11.5 million viewers

The Middle: 2.3 demo, 8.1 million viewers

*Minute To Win It: 1.0 demo, 3.3 million viewers

America’s Next Top Model: .9 demo, 2 million viewers

8:30 pm

Better with You: 1.8 demo, 5.9 million viewers

9 pm

Modern Family: 4.1 demo, 10.1 million viewers

Criminal Minds: 3.6 demo, 14.3 million viewers

Minute to Win It: 1.0 demo, 3.5 million viewers

Shedding for the Wedding: .4 demo, 1.1 million viewers

9:30 pm

Traffic Light: 2.8 demo, 7.3 million viewers

Mr. Sunshine: 2.4 demo, 7 million viewers

10 pm

Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior: 2.6 demo, 10.3 million viewers

Off the Map: 1.7 demo, 5.3 million viewers

*Law and Order: SVU: 1.6 demo, 5.3 million viewers

NEW UPDATES ARE IN BOLD

We here at Blast follow the television ratings pretty closely (you can check out the previous night’s ratings and analysis of what they mean each afternoon here at Blast), and there’s pretty much only one reason: so we can tell you what’s getting canceled, what’s getting renewed, and frankly, what we’re not sure about.

All that data has been taken–and put into this: Blast’s handy, dandy TV Renewal/Scoreboard. We’re breaking it down into FIVE categories: Definitely Coming Back, Maybe Coming Back, Could Go Either Way, Probably Getting Canceled, Definitely Getting Canceled.

Feel free to stew, disagree, yell and cry in the comments. And check back regularly–we’re going to be updating constantly as new show data comes out, until official renewals/cancellations are announced.

* Designates a show that has already been renewed.

DEFINITELY COMING BACK

* 30 Rock

The Amazing Race

*American Dad

American Idol

America’s Funniest Home Videos

The Bachelor

*The Big Bang Theory (Renewed for three additional seasons)

The Biggest Loser

Bones

* Castle

*The Cleveland Show

*Community

*Cougar Town

Criminal Minds

Danging with the Stars

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

*Family Guy

*Fringe

*Glee

*Grey’s Anatomy

Hell’s Kitchen

House

*How I Met Your Mother: Renewed for two season by CBS.

Law and Order: SVU

The Mentalist

*The Middle

Mike and Molly

*Modern Family

*NCIS

NCIS: LA

*The Office

*Parks and Recreation

*Private Practice

*Raising Hope

*The Simpsons

Supernatural: It’s the highest-rated show on the CW (besides Smallville, already ending) so its probably not going anywhere unless deals with the cast and crew can’t be worked out.

Survivor

*Two and a Half Men: Even though the show has been renewed for one additional season (and eight episodes slated for production that were canceled this season), further turmoil behind the scenes could ultimately end the show early, despite it being the number one show on CBS.

The Vampire Diaries

PROBABLY COMING BACK

90210

America’s Next Top Model

Body of Proof: It hasn’t been great after its initial outing, but its better than most of ABC’s pathetic freshman class.

CSI: The main show still draws in the high 2.0 on Thursdays, but it’s third in the hour. Look for CBS, the second most watched network on television, to try and reclaim Thursday, by possibly moving CSI and CSI: Miami to Fridays — basically putting them out to pasture.

CSI: Miami: It’s Sunday ratings have perked up; it’s a shoe-in to return, though it may anchor Friday.

Gossip Girl

Kitchen Nightmares: This show draws a pretty weak number on Fridays, but its also stronger than most shows on Friday, and is unscripted, and thus, cheap.

Parenthood: It’s coming in last in its timeslot and still bouncing a lot, but it outdraws anything else on NBC’s schedule.

COULD GO EITHER WAY

Blue Bloods: It bounced up to a 1.9 in the latest ratings, officially confusing the TV Scorecard.

Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior: It aired without a lead-in, but the ratings still sank most recently. That can’t be good, and CBS can’t be happy with this show hovering in the mid-2s, which they envisioned as the latest in a long line of TV franchise expansion. Gut feeling is it’s coming back, if only because its mid-2s are better than anything else CBS has.

CSI: NY: It hit a 2.0 this Friday; that’s a good sign.

Desperate Housewives: It just hit series lows while the cast is seeking raises. Bad sign for an eighth season?

The Good Wife: With its latest ratings, I’d be inclined to say its likely to be canceled. Most would disagree, but the aura of a well-liked and reviewed show can only block out the truth for so long.

Harry’s Law: It keeps falling in the demo, but its been following “Modern Family” repeats and airing against “American Idol.” More telling signs will come after new “Modern Family” airs.

Happy Endings: If it keeps those debut ratings, it comes back. If not?

Hellcats: The CW is consistent, if not stagnant. How to create hits? Cancel unpopular shows and give something new a try. Well what do you cancel if everything’s doing the same? Oh…

Lie to Me: The renewal of “Fringe” has to hurt its chances.

Mr. Sunshine: It limped through its first season, 80% of it without a decent lead-in. Gut says ABC will give it another go round.

Nikita: Same sitch as “Hellcats.”

One Tree Hill: Its ratings are enough to come back, so its pretty much up to the cast. If you had done EIGHT YEARS of that show, would you want another one? I mean, everyone except the guy from Laguna’s Beach.

LIKELY TO BE CANCELED

Brothers and Sisters: It’s latest ratings pretty much seal its fate.

Better with You: It’s just not doing very well, and its recent ratings are too bad for a renewal. It may see its slot replaced by “Mr. Sunshine.”

The Chicago Code: With its latest ratings, its a goner.

Chuck: It’s ratings are just too bad to justify a likelihood for renewal, or even a toss up. The woes that NBC suffers may spare it, but under normal circumstances, its likely to be canceled.

The Event: Sorry fans of this serial, but its certainly not returning with these ratings.

Human Target: Terrible retention out of American Idol, this ones gone.

Law and Order: LA: It’s just not working out.

Mad Love: It’s latest ratings, and the airing of originals surrounded by repeats is not a good sign.

Off the Map: If the ratings didn’t signal this, then its stars joining pilots did. If you’re holding out some hope for this…don’t be stupid.

Outsourced: I would say definitely getting canceled, but you just never know on NBC.

Perfect Couples: It’s main star has been cast in a fall pilot, signifying he’s been released from his contract. Not a good sign.

Rules of Engagement: It’s not holding its own on the schedule this season, and CBS has a history of high expectations for their comedies. It’s never been scheduled consistently and has been shepherded by the network to syndication length — something it should be at by now.

Traffic Light: Terrible ratings; no chance.

V: It ended the season on a low note.

DEFINITELY GETTING CANCELED

Bob’s Burgers: Flew pretty high at first, then became an incredibly fast burnout. Passionate fanbase, all three of them.

The Cape: I liked this one at first; I couldn’t even sit through the third episode. Apparently, no one else could either.

Chase: Already canceled.

The Defenders: The lowest rated show on CBS.

Detroit-1-8-7: That’s 0 for 2 now for Michael Imperioli on ABC.

The Good Guys

Life Unexpected

Live to Dance: This show was pathetically low-rated. Maybe Paula shouldn’t have left AI.

Lone Star

Medium

My Generation

No Ordinary Family: The star of the show is filming a pilot for the fall.

Running Wilde

**Smallville: Final season

The Whole Truth

Undercovers

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“American Idol” was the most dominant force in primetime again Wednesday, but that comes as no surprise; “Idol” averaged 22.5 million viewers and a 7.8 in the 18-49 demo over two hours.

CBS had reasons for happiness, but also a bump in the road. “Survivor: Redemption Island” drew a 3.3 in the demo, while leadout “Criminal Minds” pulled a 3.4, helping pace the eye net to second for the night. However, after a strong debut last week, the spinoff “Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior” dropped 25% of its audience to a 2.5 in the demo. That was still tops for the hour though, and if the new drama can retain that audience, it will likely see a second season come fall.

ABC didn’t have a bright evening, as “Modern Family,” its top-rated show, dropped to a season low 4.1 in the demo. That didn’t help “Mr. Sunshine,” which fell once more to a 2.4 demo. However, a 2.4 is about what “Cougar Town” has been drawing, and against “Idol” competition, is likely enough to be saved. However, “Off the Map’s” 1.7 in the demo leaves little doubt it will not be back next year.

NBC was mostly irrelevant, though “Law and Order: SVU” did tie for first in the final hour of the evening.

8 pm

American Idol (8-10): 7.8 demo, 22.5 million viewers

Survivor: Redemption Island: 3.3 demo, 11.1 million viewers

The Middle: 2.4 demo, 8 million viewers

Minute to Win It (8-10): 1.2 demo, 4.1 million viewers

8:30

Better With You: 1.8 demo, 5.8 million viewers

9 pm

Modern Family: 4.1 demo, 10.3 million viewers

Criminal Minds: 3.4 demo, 13.4 million viewers

9:30

Mr. Sunshine: 2.4 demo, 6.4 million viewers

10 pm

Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior: 2.5 demo, 10 million viewers

Law and Order: SVU: 2.5 demo, 8 million viewers

Off the Map: 1.7 demo, 4.8 million viewers

“American Idol” returned Wednesday to crush the competition. The show averaged 26.1 million viewers and a 9.2 demo rating. To put that in perspective–in the demo that is more than two-times the sure-to-be-renewed “Modern Family” and “Glee” demo ratings—and more than 5 times the ratings of fellow Fox shows like “Lie to Me,” whose cancellation is now more apparent than ever.

ABC’s shows held up pretty well against the Idol monster; “Cougar Town” dropped to a 2.5 demo rating, but ABC will likely take that. Combined with “Modern Family’s” 4.6 demo, ABC averaged a 3.5 in the demo for the hour, which I imagine they will live with. “Off the Map” didn’t lose much from last week–it drew a 2.1 demo. But that’s likely not enough to earn a second season. Still, it’s not a sure-to-be-cancelled situation, such as fellow ABC drama “V.” Also, “Better with You,” the one show not renewed on ABC’s Wednesday comedy block, held up pretty well and was second in its timeslot against Idol. That bodes well.

CBS was hurt most by Idol, averaging less than a 2.0 in the demo for the night. “Live to Dance” is a bust, and “Blue Bloods” test run on Tuesday was a failure, with a 2.0 demo rating. Idol also plowed through “Criminal Minds,” which drew under a 3.0 for the first time this season, and very possibly ever.

NBC was as irrelevant as ever; in its new timeslot, “Chase” drew a 1.0.

8 pm

American Idol (8-10 pm): 9.2 demo, 26.1 million viewers

The Middle: 2.7 demo, 8.7 million viewers

Minute to Win It: 1.6 demo, 5 million viewers

Live to Dance: 1.0 demo, 5.3 million viewers

8:30 pm

Better With You: 2.2 demo, 6.8 million viewers

9 pm

Modern Family: 4.6 demo, 11.1 million viewers

Criminal Minds: 2.9 demo, 12.1 million viewers

Chase: 1.0 demo, 4.3 million viewers

9:30

Cougar Town: 2.5 demo, 6 million viewers

10 pm

Law and Order: SVU: 2.2 demo, 6.8 million viewers

Off the Map: 2.1 demo, 5.8 million viewers

Blue Bloods: 2.0 demo, 12.2 million viewers

A recent study by California-based media research company Experian Simmons seems to prove what many already believe: Democrats and Republicans have different tastes. Their research reveals that Republicans are more likely to be enthusiastic about shows with big ratings while Democrats seem to gravitate towards shows that are less popular but more critically acclaimed.

“The big shows with mass appeal tend to have above-average scores from Democrats and Republicans but with higher concentrations of Republicans,” according to Experian Simmons senior marketing manager John Fetto, “Looking at the Democrats side, I don’t mean to make light of it, but they seem to like shows about damaged people. Those are the kind of shows Republicans just stay away from.”

The degree to which Republicans gravitate to more popular shows is striking: nine out of ten top shows on the Neilson list appear on the Republican list as well. None appear in the Democrats’ top 10. Democrats tend to adore “Mad Men” while “American Chopper” and “Pawn Stars” are more popular with Republicans.

While at first glance it might seem that there’s a “high brow versus low brow” conflict at the heart of these differences, the reality is more complicated. Republicans favor reality shows based around competition but certain particularly unabashedly trashy reality shows — “Jersey Shore,” “Kourtney & Khloe” — are more favored by Republicans. Animated comedies such as “Family Guy” score higher with Democrats, as do most shows on the CW.

Democrats also tend to love NBC’s Thursday night comedy block. “30 Rock”, “Community”, and “Parks and Recreation” appear in the Democrats’ top 15. Republicans tend to rate those shows lowly while, maybe surprisingly, giving “The Office” even slightly higher marks than their Democrat counterparts.

“Modern Family,” a show featuring a gay couple with adopted kids, seems like an unlikely choice for the Republicans’ number three spot, yet there it is. This and similar details of the study make it difficult to wax analytical about how viewing habits relate the supposed “culture war” between the Left and the Right in the United States. But for anyone hoping for less partisanship in American politics anytime soon, the bad news seems more concrete: Glenn Beck’s show tops the Republican list while Keith Olbermann’s program is tops with Democrats.

Here are each group’s favorites:

Fox won the night with the World Series, which averaged a 4.7 demo rating. However, that’s down more than 20% from last year’s Game 1 between the Yankees and the Phillies.

Undercovers ratings were downright terrible; but NBC has nothing else to put there, because all of its ratings are terrible. How far will the once proud network fall?

ABC saw across the board improvement for its comedy block, while Modern Family hit a season high, with a 5.1 demo rating, the highest rated program of the night. The Whole Truth, recently canceled, averaged a very weak 1.2 rating.

8 pm

World Series (8-11): 4.7 demo, 15 million viewers

Survivor: Nicaragua: 3.4 demo, 11.6 million viewers

The Middle: 2.8 demo, 9.4 million viewers

Undercovers: 1.3 demo, 5.4 million viewers

8:30 pm

Better with You: 2.5 demo, 7.8 million viewers

9 pm

Modern Family: 5.1 demo, 13 million viewers

Criminal Minds: 3.4 demo, 14 million viewers

Law and Order: SVU (Repeat): 1.3 demo, 4.8 million viewers

9:30 pm

Cougar Town: 3.3 demo, 8.3 million viewers

10 pm

The Defenders: 2.2 demo, 9.8 million viewers

Law and Order: LA (Repeat): 1.2 demo, 4.5 million viewers

The Whole Truth: 1.2 demo, 4.6 million viewers

We’re adding a chart at the bottom, so leave feedback on how it should be adjusted.

Fox was the second most watched station of the night with Game 4 of the NLCS. 8.3 million viewers watched the Giants take the lead in the series, and the game scored a 2.7 demo rating.

Modern Family was the night’s most watched show. It averaged 12 million viewers and a 4.7 demo rating. Cougar Towndropped a little from last week, to a 3.1 rating and 7.5 million viewers. The Middle was in the middle at 8, with a 2.6 rating and 8.5 million viewers. Better with You was also in the middle, with a low 2.1 rating and 7 million viewers. At 10, The Whole Truth was pretty bad–with a 1.4 rating and 4.5 million viewers.

Consistency is the name of the game, and CBS consistently won the Wednesday hours. At 8, Survivor: Nicaragua was tops with a 3.5 rating and 12 million viewers, while at 9 Criminal Minds was a strong second with a 3.6 rating and 14 million viewers. The Defenders was a competitive, but low, third, at 10 with a 2.2 rating and 10 million viewers.

NBC was still low. Undercovers was terrible at 8, with a 1.5 rating and 5.8 million viewers, though on NBC, that’s apparently enough to get more episodes. Law and Order: SVU was middling at 9, with a 2.6 rating and 8.5 million viewers, and Law and Order: LA was up sharply from last week, to 8 million viewers and a 2.4 rating, up from a 1.9 rating.

In order, hour by hour, by adults 18-49 ratings

8 PM

Survivor: Nicaragua: 12 million viewers, 3.5 rating

NLCS Game 4: 8.5 million viewers, 2.7 rating

The Middle: 8.5 million viewers

Undercovers: 5.8 million viewers, 1.5 rating

8:30 PM

Better with You: 7 million viewers, 2.1 rating

9 PM

Modern Family: 12 million viewers, 4.7 rating

Criminal Minds: 14 million viewers, 3.6 rating

Law and Order: SVU: 8.5 million viewers, 2.6 rating

NLCS Game 4: 8 million viewers, 2.6 rating

9:30 PM

Cougar Town: 7.5 million viewers, 3.1 rating

10 PM

NLCS Game 4: 8.5 million viewers, 2.8 rating

Law and Order: LA: 8 million viewers, 2.4 rating

The Defenders: 10 million viewers, 2.2 rating

The Whole Truth: 4.5 million viewers, 1.4 rating

Tonight Modern Family came out firing on all cylinders and I was reminded of all the reasons I continue to love the show.  This week’s episode, Unplugged, finds Jay’s family dealing with a neighbor’s noisy dog, Phil’s family competing in an electronics-free contest, and Cam and Mitchell struggling to find a preschool for Lily to attend.  In typical Modern Family fashion there are plenty of laughs in tonight’s episode, but at the same there’s definitely a message there too.

The episode’s name Unplugged comes from the Dunphy family’s competition in which each person must resist the urge to use technology for as long as they possibly can.   Whoever lasts the longest wins a prize – of their own choosing, thanks to Phil’s tendency to get carried away with things.  As usual, the funniest parts of this storyline come from Phil – his poor parenting skills, his competitiveness, and his hilarious comments are all as funny as they’ve ever been.  Luke has a few comical moments as well, which is a nice change from him always being the butt-end of other family member’s jokes.

In Jay’s house, the family tries to deal with the dog next door that never stops barking.  After the owner refuses to do anything about it, the dog mysteriously disappears.  Jay accuses Gloria of killing the dog but she refuses to admit she had anything to do with the missing dog.  There are the usual jokes about Gloria’s heritage, Jay’s age, and Manny’s unusual maturity, but somehow those familiar topics continue to be really funny.

Cam and Mitchell have decided that Lily, despite being less than two years old, is ready for preschool.  The pair decides to settle for a typical school until the receptionist there alerts them to the fact that their diversity as a family can get them an interview at any school.  As usual, Cam panics under pressure and ends up embarrassing both Mitchell and himself in front of an elite preschool principal.  This storyline isn’t one of Mitch and Cam’s funnier ones, but it’ll still get a laugh or two.

There are a number of reasons I’ve grown to love Modern Family.  First and foremost, I think that the show is genuinely funny – jokes are well written and the characters themselves are funny.  Secondly, the characters and the situations they find themselves in are relatable for a wide range of people.  Three very different types of families with a wide range of ages and personalities means that every audience member can find a character to love and/or connect with.  And finally, I really like that each episode carries some kind of message.  Sometimes they bring attention to it and other times it’s just implied, but either way I think it’s a nice touch.

Unplugged is another solid episode in Modern Family’s sophomore season.  Though many of the jokes come from familiar topics, they continue to be funny and show no signs of wear.  For now, I’m content to keep laughing at Manny having the maturity of a 35-year old and Phil struggling to seem cool to his kids and their generation.

NBC continued to have misfortunes on nights that don’t feature football Wednesday, as it’s highest rated show for the night–”Law and Order: SVU” achieved just a 2.2 rating and 8 million viewers. Things were much worse for “Undercovers,” which is all but cancelled–pulling just a 1.4 rating and 6 million viewers. New show “Law and Order: LA” wasn’t much better, sinking to a 1.9 rating and 7.1 million viewers.

“Modern Family” was the highest rated show of the night, drawing a 4.7 rating and 11.3 million viewers. The 4.7 rating ties the highest scripted show so far this week, and the show was in a 3-way tie for that title last week as well. “Cougar Town” was up at 9:30, posting a 3.2 rating and 7.3 million viewers. At 8, “The Middle” was in the middle of the pack, with a 2.4 rating and 8 million viewers, while “Better with You” was lower at 2.1 with 6.4 million viewers. At 10, ABC replaced the heavily struggling (read: soon-to-be-cancelled) “The Whole Truth” with “20/20,” which posted a 1.8 rating and 6 million viewers–an increase over “The Whole Truth’s” last outing. Stick a fork in it–it’s done.

CBS was strong for the night with “Survivor: Nicaragua” winning the 8 p.m. hour with a 3.7 rating and 12 million viewers. “Criminal Minds” posted 13.8 million viewers and a 3.5 rating at 9, and “The Defenders,” though mediocre, won the 10 p.m. hour with a 2.4 rating and 10 million viewers.

Fox ran “Hell’s Kitchen” from 8-10, which posted a strong 3.1 rating over the  period.

The big question for Wednesday ratings this fall is what will be cancelled first: “Undercovers” or “The Whole Truth?”

“Modern Family” was the highest rated show on Wednesday with 11.3 million viewers and a 4.5 rating, but ABC finished third for the night as 10 p.m. legal drama “The Whole Truth” continued to gasp for viewers; the show was last with 4.5 million viewers and a 1.4 rating, pulling the net’s average steeply down for the night.

“Cougar Town” trended up from last week, with a 3.1 rating and 7.2 million viewers. At 8 p.m. “The Middle” averaged a 2.4 rating and 8 million viewers; “Better with You” pulled a 2.3 and 6.8 million.

“Undercovers” is officially a bomb. After starting very slowly, it’s descended into the realm of sure-cancellation. The show averaged a 1.5 rating and 6.2 million viewers. “Law and Order: SVU” drew a 2.5 rating and 8.6 million viewers, and “Law and Order: LA” led at 10 p.m. with a 2.4 rating and 8.2 million viewers.

Fox didn’t win any hour of the night, but its consistency from “Hell’s Kitchen” earned it the lead fro the night; show earned a 3.1 rating and 6.5 million viewers from 8-10.

CBS was second for the night with “Survivor: Nicaragua” leading at 8 with a 3.6 and 11.8 million viewers, and “Criminal Minds” a close second at 9 with a 3.5 rating and 13.7 million. “The Defenders” was second at 10 with a 2.1 rating and 9.2 million viewers.

The big question now–which show is cancelled next: “The Whole Truth” or “Undercovers?”

The latest installment of the “Law and Order” series, “Law and Order: Los Angeles,” premiered strong at 10 p.m., leading the hour with a 3.2 rating and 10.5 million viewers. But at 8 p.m., the second outing of the J.J. Abrams spy-drama “Undercovers” dipped to a 1.6 rating and 7 million viewers. Don’t expect the show to get a back nine pickup. At 9 p.m., “Law and Order: SVU” averaged a 2.7 rating and 9.2 million viewers.

ABC had mixed results, as it’s entire lineup was down from last week. At 8 p.m., “The Middle” fell to a 2.4 rating and 8.3 million viewers. New comedy “Better with You” sank to a 2.1 rating and 7 million viewers, putting it in imminent cancellation watch. “Modern Family” dropped from its series highs to a 4.5 rating and 11 million viewers, while “Cougar Town” fell to a 2.9 rating and 7 million viewers. At 10 p.m, “The Whole Truth” was absolutely abysmal, turning in a 1.3 rating and 4.5 million viewers. Look for it to be cancelled very soon.

CBS led the evening in adults 18-49 and total viewers. At 8 p.m, “Survivor: Nicaragua” averaged a 3.5 rating and 12.2 million viewers. “Criminal Minds” drew more than 14 million viewers and a 3.5 rating. The weak link for the eye’s night was at 10, with new legal dramedy “The Defenders” averaging just a 2.5 rating and 10 million viewers.

On Fox, “Hell’s Kitchen” had a moderate night, averaging 6.2 million viewers and a 2.9 rating for the evening.

Fresh off it’s Emmy Best Comedy Win, “Modern Family’s” second season premiered with a bang, bringing in 12.6 million viewers and a 5.0 in the adults 18-49 demo, leading all shows on Wednesday night, well over its first season 3.9 average. Its strong showing bled into the second season premiere of “Cougar Town,” which delivered 8.5 million viewers and a 3.3 rating, also over its first season average. At 8 p.m., “The Middle” lured in 8.8 million viewers and a 2.6 in the demo, while freshman comedy “Better with You” brought in 8 million and a 2.5 rating.

But ABC’s good fortune for the evening didn’t translate to it’s 10 p.m. legal drama, “The Whole Truth.” It premiered to 4.91 million viewers and a 1.5 rating, less than half last fall’s “Eastwick” which premiered in the same timeslot to 8.5 million viewers and a 3.0 in the demo. “Eastwick” was ultimately cancelled after 13 episodes. “The Whole Truth” will likely be yanked much sooner than 13 episodes.

NBC was hoping for a little J.J. Abrams magic with his latest drama “Undercovers.” But the veteran producer of hits like “Lost” and “Alias” failed to deliver, as Undercovers delivered a solid 8.5 million viewers, but a very underwhelming 2.0 demo rating. The future appears bleak for the show. NBC had better luck with the two-hour season premiere of “Law and Order: SVU.” The show’s 12th season premiere averaged 10 million viewers and a 3.0 in the demo from 9-11 p.m.

CBS had reason to celebrate. “Survivor: Nicaragua” drew 12.5 million viewers and a 4.0 demo rating. At 9:00, “Criminal Minds” had a great showing with 14 million viewers and a 4.0, and new legal comedy “The Defenders” did reasonably well, bringing in 12 million viewers with a 2.9 in the demo.

Fox had a solid, if unspectacular night with a two-hour “Hell’s Kitchen” premiere. The show drew 6.5 million viewers and a 2.9 in the demo. The CW was at the back for the night with “America’s Next Top Model,” which brought in 2.8 million viewers and a 1.3 rating, while “Hellcats” was watched by 2.3 million with a 1.0.

LOS ANGELES — The art of comedy is fairly simple: you’re either funny or you’re not. It’s not the type of genre that’s easy to fake, and with many new series this fall it’s a race for the next big hit. Last year, ABC struck gold with it’s unconventional and witty comedy, “Modern Family.”

This year, ABC hopes to add upon its success with “Better With You” written by “Friends” writer Shana Goldberg-Meehan. The pilot of “Better With You” is also directed by television veteran James Burrows whose previous work includes “Cheers” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

“Better With You” is a story about the Putney family told in three parts, exploring the dynamic of relationships at different stages. Mia Putney (Joanna Garcia) is the youngest of the Putney clan whose free-spirit lifestyle reflects the impulse of young love. Then there’s Maddie Putney (Jennifer Finnigan,) the reliable older sister who is happy in her secure relationship marriage or not. Finally there are the parents: Vicky and Joel Putney who after several decades of marriage show the humorous yet sturdy foundation through the good and bad. The series’ enthusiasm is contagious and the casting pitch perfect; the natural chemistry onscreen is what makes this new series hilarious.

Looking more into this series, Blast spoke to the “Better With You” leading ladies Joanna Garcia and Jennifer Finnigan.

Jennifer Finnigan

Joanna Garcia

BLAST: The chemistry between the two of you on the series “Better With You” is really great, how has it been working together?

JOANNA GARCIA: It’s been heavenly. We’ve known each other for years, actually. Always rooting each other on, and adoring each other. So it’s really nice to get this chance for the two of us to [work] together, of course it’s not just the two of us, there’s a lot of wonderful people on the show. At the heart of it, it’s nice to know you can go to work with someone you really trust and know.

JENNIFER FINNIGAN: And that’s it. Trust. Trust is such a big issue. We totally trust each other and we make each other laugh. We confide in each other too. This isn’t new for us either. We both have been doing this for a very long time. We’re old pros, and we know it comes down to good work and getting along. There’s no drama.

JG: Yeah! There’s no that [drama.]

JF: There’s not that all all.

JG: Thank goodness! (laughs) And it’s nice, it’s always nice to be able to go to work and be happy.

BLAST: Your characters deal with some issues in their lives, and their love lives. What were your thoughts on the script? It’s relevance on your life or maybe your friends’ lives? How appealing was the comedy for you?

JG: When we read the script there was that initial notion we were doing something that was very relevant. I think for me, after being in this business for so long, you want to do something that you feel is relatable, that you can connect to and grow with … And in this medium it’s so fun to let yourself go and have fun. And to know that it’s no so far out there that only a small percentage of the country will get … we’re doing something that people can understand at all different stages of their romantic relationships. It’s [about] sisters and family, and all different dynamics. I think that’s why it works and fits well with this night [Wednesday]. ABC is doing a great job of throwing comedy that’s out there. And I’m really humbled to be [ and have the show] sandwiched in-between “The Middle” and “Modern Family”

JF: Me too! Those are some of my favorite shows! We’re kind of grounded in reality with this show. It’s not like a high concept, crazy [show.] And for me personally, I’ve been in a relationship for six years and married for three. So when I read the script I thought, “Gosh, I can kind of relate to parts of this script … ” like that young, hot, and new relationship; then that comfortable, loving, very nurturing relationship. The parents on the show, there’s this deep love but who have been together for years but they drive each other nuts. There’s times where I’ve been with my husband, and yeah we kind of drive each other nuts too but for the most part it’s very grounded and very loving too. When I read the script, I felt like I get this … I really get this.

BLAST: You mention the cast, are there going to be any special any guest stars or appearances coming up?

JF: I don’t know … do you know (to Joanna?)

JG: I think with this first season of the show they’re kind of focusing on just us [the main cast] but we do have some guest starring roles … for instance this week I think you get to meet Maddie’s assistant.

JF: Who maybe has an unhealthy attachment, or crush on me (Maddie.)

JG: Or obsession

JF: It’s really funny.

JG: So it’s really interesting to see how people come in and out. There’s a lot happening in our small nucleus [of a family.]

JF: But we should really get some funny guest stars.

JG: Yes, we can start a list.

JF: A wishlist!

“Better With You” airs Wednesdays this fall at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.

This week on Modern Family: guest stars, bad 80s songs, and Yoko Ono jokes. Cam and Mitchell feel like they haven’t spent enough time in the adult world lately as they’ve been too preoccupied taking care of baby Lily. To rectify this situation, they call their best friend Sal to hang out. Enter the lovely Elizabeth Banks as the sloppy, single white girl. The reunion of friends seems to be going well until Sal gets a couple drinks in her and starts making death threats on baby Lily’s life every time she’s mentioned. Sal is definitely a character that could make future appearances in the show, so perhaps we will see more of Banks in the future.

And since there’s no threaded storyline that continues each week, Modern Family is the type of show that you can just jump in to and not be too concerned with a convoluted plot. They keep it funny and simple.

The other guest star this week was Edward Norton as the bass player from Spandau Ballet. When Claire is in a tight spot trying to find an anniversary present for Phil, she has what she thinks is a brilliant idea. She invites Norton’s character to the house as a surprise for Phil, wrongly thinking Spandau Ballet is his favorite group. Phil has never heard anything by the band, which makes for some awkward moments between Norton and Phil when the washed up rocker realizes Phil is not a "fandau".

However, the star of the show to me is always Manny. That chubby little Colombian kid gives the best facial expressions. In a somewhat creepy plotline, Manny has developed a crush on Claire’s eldest daughter Hailey. Hailey is technically Manny’s niece by marriage, even though she is older than him. The whacky age difference, the fact that he is a chubby Latino kid and the glare he gives Hailey’s boyfriend over a tiny espresso cup, takes away from the creepiness factor.

Modern Family airs Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. on ABC.

If you haven’t yet checked out ABC’s new comedy "Modern Family" you are really missing out. The show centers around three families that are all inter-related. We have Claire and her husband Phil, the "normal" suburban family with three kids. There’s Claire’s gay brother Mitchell who lives with his partner Cam and their recently adopted infant Lily. And, stay with me now, Claire and Mitchell’s father Jay (Ed O’Neill) who lives with his much younger Colombian wife Gloria and her son Manny.

This week’s episode had each set of parents dealing with kid issues. Manny is starting the 5th grade and decides to leave the house in a poncho to represent his culture. Jay stares in disbelief and make some wisecracks that convince the young boy to leave it in the car. The relationship between Manny and Jay is hilarious to witness. The kid is very wise beyond his years and Jay is a very gruff, no-nonsense kind of guy.

When Gloria discovers what Jay has done, she makes him return the poncho to Manny at school. They then find out Manny planned to play a pan flute to the class while wearing the traditional garment. Afraid her son will die a virgin, Gloria and Jay hastily pretend to drop the flute and then step on it. Poor Manny’s disbelieving face makes the scene.

Mitchell and Cam’s parental woes this week were equally hilarious. Cam has decked out their daughter as, "Diana Ross from the RCA years" for a little photo shoot in the living room. Cue montage of baby Lily as various pop icons.

While dancing around with the baby, Mitchell accidentally bumps her head on the ceiling. Following this is a great scene in the doctor’s office in which they have to explain to the doctor the reason Lily’s head was protected was because she was wearing a "ghetto-fabulous wig."
As usual, the show leaves us with a message about the importance of family, but instead of cheesy music and a hug from Danny Tanner, we get a chubby Colombian kid playing a pan flute in a poncho. Genius.

"Modern Family" airs Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. on ABC.

We’ve got some TV news. Not a lot. But some.

Tonight’s lone finale is “Hell’s Kitchen” on FOX at 8.

There’s going to be a new premium channel soon. Epix will launch on October 30, with several movies including “Iron Man” and “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” There will also be a two-hour Madonna concert live from Buenos Aires.

ABC gave the full season order for the new drama “FlashForward” joining “Cougar Town,” “The Middle” and “Modern Family” with full seasons. No word on “Hank.”

SyFy’s debut of a new season of “Sanctuary” on Friday delivered 1.9 million viewers.

Finally, the Gilmore Girls’ Lauren Graham is joining the NBC drama “Parenthood” taking the place of Maura Tierney, who was dropped after the pilot.

Tonight is another big cable night. “DeGrassi: The Next Generation” wil fulfill all your melodrama fantasies on TeenNick at 8 p.m.

SyFy jumps in at 10 with the season premiere of “Sanctuary,” the Amanda Tapping post-Stargate project. DIY Network premieres “Kitchen Impossible” at 10, and we can’t forget “Dog Whisperer” at 9 p.m. on NatGeo.

The only big finale this weekend is MTV’s “Making His Band” at 9 p.m.

On Monday, you can expect premieres of “Little People, Big World,” on TLC at 8 p.m., “100 Mile Challenge” on Planet Green at 9 p.m., and “Gone Too Far” on MTV at 10.

Southland is D E D dead, even though it never was officially alive. NBC pulled the plug on the drama before its anticipated season debut on October 23. No reason has been given, and six episodes were already finished and ready to air.

Southland was going to be aired on Fridays at 9 p.m., which has been a dead zone for television lately, with Dollhouse dying there.

ABC has ordered the full seasons of “Modern Family,” “Cougar Town” and “The Middle.”

The three shows have done well in the ratings, but no news has been announced on the Kelsey Grammer comeback “Hank” or the new show “Eastwick.”

Showtime announced a new webisode about Dexter called “Dexter: Early Cuts.” The series will premiere on October 25 on sho.com.

CBS may be bringing back “Hawaii Five-O” with a plot commitment for a revival of the series, written by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and CSI: New York executive producer Peter Lenkov. The original ran from 1968-1990.

Finally, Ellen Page is working with HBO to both write and produce a new comedy series called “Stich N’ Bitch” about two cool girls who move from New York to Los Angeles to try and become artists — and kind of artists. Page is working with actresses Alia Shawkat and Sean Tillmann, both of whom stared with her in “Whip It.”

BURBANK, Calif. — At a gym somewhere in Los Angeles, several cast members of “Modern Family” were rounding up for what was sure to be another hilarious moment for the new series. Amidst a slew of extras both young and old, the atmosphere was charged as Ed O’Neil cheered, captivating all those around him who were not part of the show. Perhaps it was being outside of the studio itself, and being on location for the scene that made our visit with the cast different than the others we saw recently.

Or it could have been the large number of children grouped together cheering that made the excitement infectious.

Whatever the case, “Modern Family” has the basic ingredients for immediate success, with its sharp dialogue and awkward comedic setups. Most importantly the series has several comedy veterans, the standout amongst them being Ed O’Neil.

Blast chatted with Nolan Gould (Luke Dunphy), Ariel Winter (Alex Dunphy), Sarah Hyland (Haley Dunphy), Rico Rodriguez (Manny Delgado) and Ed O’Neil (Jay Pritchett).

When asked about working on the series with such a large group, the overall feeling is mutual.

“Everybody’s nice,” Gould said.

“Ty (Burrell) is nice. The food is good, like craft services and stuff,” he added with a smile. “It’s just different working on a full time TV show.”

Asked whether the cast is as fun off the show as they appear onscreen, Gould smiled widely. “They’re always joking around, Eric (Stonestreet) and Ty (Burell),” he said. “They’re just goofy and fun to hang around. We even have our own secret handshakes.”

Meanwhile, Hyland reminded us she’s very new to this genre of work. “It’s my very first comedy. I usually do dramas and melodramatic stuff,” she said. “It’s a whole real new experience with the comedic timing.”

Despite being fresh to comedy, Hyland revealed, “We do a little bit of ad-libbing,’” she said. And as far as the tone, “I’d say the show is (a combination of) ‘The Office’ with a feel like ‘Arrested Development’. It’s great to be part of a show that incorporates the things you love on television into your work.”

Television isn’t Hyland’s only field. The young actress has Broadway singing experience. Blast wanted to know if we could find her showing off a bit of her vocal chops anytime soon. “Hmmm… maybe, I don’t know. I’ll have to talk to Steve and Chris about that, the ‘boyfriend’ in the pilot,” she said. “He plays the guitar and sings a lot. So you never know.”

“It’s really exciting!” Winter jumped in. “It’s different. It doesn’t take that much time, everything is set, and everybody is like boom-boom-boom let’s get this done right now. It’s really different than dramatic stuff where it’s like “Ëœlet’s take it slow’.”

“I mean I have been on some comedy shows, but the first dramatic thing was on ‘NCIS.’ I thought it was cool because I get to play opposite myself,” Rodriguez said. “Then I got ‘Modern Family’ and I thought ‘hey, this is awesome!’ It’s not like anything else I’ve ever been on. And it’s opposite of my own character which is funny.”

And if you’re wondering how these two view their characters: “I’m the one to go off and follow the girls. I’m kinda serious,” said Rodriguez. “Sort of like a forty year old Antonio Banderas in an 11 year old body. If he decides something, that’s it.”

Winter sees her role slightly differently. “Well, she’s the more smart and cynical normal one. Everyone else is kind of crazy. On the show, my mom is about having everything done, my dad is a goofball. My sister is about boys and texting. Then my brother is just ‘slow,’” she said.

“Working with Ed O’Neil; it’s amazing. It’s like once we did the pilot we were like this family. I mean we’re only on our sixth episode, and I have secret handshakes with half of the cast already. And if you have problems with lines, he’ll go over it with you and Sofia (Vergara) too,” Rodriguez said.

“He’s really awesome, and since he’s already a comedy veteran he really understands what’s going on. He’s hysterical, and he’s so nice,” added Winter. “You don’t get that a lot with stars. You don’t get nice and really awesome.”

Finally, we capped off the visit to the set with a chat with O’Neil. What may surprise the public aside from his great skills in giving viewers a good laugh is his lack of ego. When talking about working with his TV family, particularly the kids, he had no problems expressing his admiration.

On the topic of being a mentor to his younger cast mates, O’Neil said “It’s really been great. First of all, the level of talent is awesome. I’m amazed by them. I keep going ËœOh my God, these kids are so good.’ As far as being a mentor, all I seem to do is try to keep up!”

If there’s any question to whether he prefers drama or comedies, the veteran actor commented, “It doesn’t matter. I have a theater background, and when you’re in theater you learn to take on anything.”

So what brought the veteran of “Married: With Children” back to primetime? “Timing,” O’Neil said. “I think I’m at a time in my life where I can relate, the things going on in his life.”

“Modern Family” is on ABC 9 p.m. Wednesdays.

Criminals and Al Bundy rule the tubes tonight.

CBS has the most premieres tonight with “The New Adventures of Old Christine” at 8, “Gary Unmarried” at 8:30, “Criminal Minds” at 9, and “CSI: New York” at 10. The drama continues on NBC with premieres of “Mercy” at 8 p.m. and “Law and Order: SVU” at 9.

ABC offers the series premiere of “Modern Family” tonight at 9 p.m., which is Ed O’Neil’s return to primetime. Blast will be running our interview with O’Neil later today, and we’ll continue to talk about our time on-set with ABC.

ABC also has premieres of “Cougar Town” at 9:30 and “Eastwick” at 10 tonight.

FX is starting a new comedy show about fantasy football. “The League” follows a bunch of guys in the suburbs and their shenanigans. That will start-up on October 29 at 10:30 p.m. following “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” FX has ordered six episodes of the new comedy show.

MTV continues the reality shows with “Disaster Date,” a hidden-camera show about people who set up their friends on a blind date with an actor who makes things disastrous for them. The fun times begin September 28 at 6 p.m.

Nielsen says that SyFy’s season finale of “Eureka” gained 2.3 total viewers last Friday at 9 p.m., which is impressive for the cable network.

Syfy’s season three finale of Eureka last Friday at 9p averaged 1.1 million A18-49, 1.2 million A25-54 and 2.3 million total viewers. HBO’s return of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” Sunday night gained 1.1 million viewers on Sunday night. A new show followed, “Bored to Death,” to the tune of about 1 million viewers.

Finally for you Melrose Place fans, Heather Locklear will join The CW‘s version of the show on November 17, reprising her role as Amanda Woodward.

HOLLYWOOD — September is the biggest month for TV fanatics as the new lineup makes its debut on the small screen.

Blast went on the sets of some of ABC’s hottest new shows. In a series called “On the Set,” Blast will showcase both a gallery of images and a set of candid interviews with stars like Kelsey Grammer, Sara Rue, Ed O’Neil and Joseph Fiennes.

The first piece comes later tonight with the premiere of “The Forgotten” by executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer, slated for Tuesdays at 10 p.m. This drama centers around a group of volunteer citizens who team together in solving John or Jane Doe cold cases outside the realm of law enforcement. The leader of the group is Alex Donovan played by Christian Slater.

Coming up later this week:

• Wednesday: Modern Family — The return of Ed O’Neil to primetime
• Thursday: Flash Forward — This season’s biggest show starts with a bang!