TBS established itself as cable-channel-as-lifeboat when it offered Conan O’Brien safe harbor in their lineup after what I’ll call “The Jay Leno Incident.”  Its latest revived series is ABC’s discarded /Courteney-Cox‘s-Cleavage-helmed Cougar Town, much to the toast of Big Carl (and Big Joe) lovin’ fans everywhere.  The biggest question though surely is whether or not the show is similar to its old format, and that I can answer without hesitation: 100% yes.  Though the network has changed, there’s no sense of transition, just relief to see the familiar faces of the cul-de-sac.  

The other question of course is whether ABC was right to cancel it in the first place.  After three seasons, does the show still have life?  How long can we go on watching six alcoholics sit around and change the use of common phrases (“I’m going to use ‘junk in the trunk’ to mean emotional baggage.” “Approved!”) and play Penny Can?  The answer lies behind the jump, with my full preview of the upcoming season.

Before the 2012 Emmy Nominations are officially announced (July 19th), I wanted to jump in and highlight some of what I believe to be some of the best underrated performances on television this year.  Putting aside some of the perennial winners, the following discussion for each of the major categories is likely to mention plenty of names who won’t get Emmy mentions this year, but certainly should (and others who may get a nod, but likely won’t win).  Hit the jump for the (spoiler-free!) list that is not meant to be exhaustive (after all, I do watch an unhealthy amount of TV but I’m not caught up on everything), but hopefully brings at least a few of those dark horses to light with the recognition they deserve.

Though the term “sitcom” has become a dirty word nowadays with exceptional single-camera TV comedies dominating the airwaves, multi-cam comedies were the norm way, way back in the 1990s.  A number of 90s sitcoms were successful enough to be deemed “appointment television,” but two shows invaded the zeitgeist like no other: Seinfeld and Friends.  The latter is still one of the most successful television shows ever made, and its influence is ever-present as contemporary comedies are still trying to emulate its “formula.”

Friends is now—finally—coming to Blu-ray later this year with completely remastered versions of all 236 episodes in 1080p HD video, 16×9 widescreen format and 5.1 audio.  Moreover, the complete series set will include over 3 hours of new bonus features.  Hit the jump for more details.

Apparently ABC just couldn’t justify keeping Cougar Town around for another season, but fans need not worry about losing the Courteney Cox led comedy series. Today TBS sent out a press release announcing they had rescued the series and picked it up for a fourth season that will begin airing sometime in early 2013. All the stars will be back for at least one more round, and if the ratings deliver on the cable network, we may get even more than a fourth season. It’s refreshing to know that series have more options for survival at this point in TV history when primetime networks aren’t willing to keep a show around to please fans.

And yet they wonder why they have to cancel and scarp so many terrible shows after they cancel the good ones? If Community sticks around like we’re all hoping, maybe we’ll get some more crossover action too. Anyway, for the full press release with this good news, hit the jump!

Thank the Maker for YouTube. With the advent of the video-on-demand digital age, no longer is that TV movie role that Actor X did when he was 11-years-old lost forever, and now someone’s put together a compilation of 25 “before they were famous” first roles for our viewing pleasure. Did you know that Daniel Craig was in A Kid in King Arthur’s Court? How about Joseph Gordon-Levitt on Roseanne or Jake Gyllenhaal in City Slickers? No need to hit up Netflix, some choice scenes are now all in one place.

Hit the jump to watch the montage, which includes 25 sometimes painful scenes featuring Jim Carrey, Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, Ryan Gosling, Keanu Reeves, Nicole Kidman, Seth Rogen, Jake Gyllenhaal, Harrison Ford and more.

Fifteen years after Scream began with a terrifying phone call that kicked off one of the most successful horror film franchises, director Wes Craven, writer Kevin Williamson, and stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette have all reunited for to renew the Ghostface legacy in Scream 4.

At the film’s press day, co-stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette talked about playing these characters for 15 years now, the challenges of bringing the Scream franchise to a newer and more savvy audience, working with a horror icon like Wes Craven, working with the new cast that was brought in this time around, and whether they cover their own eyes during horror films. Check out what they had to say after the jump:

A new TV spot for Scream 4 has been released, this one giving Kristen Bell and Anna Paquin a little bit of screen time. Helmed by franchise staple Wes Craven, the film stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Alison Brie, and Adam Brody. Hit the jump to check out the spot. Scream 4 hits theaters April 15^th.

We’ve received three new clips from the latest installment in director Wes Craven’s Scream franchise. The whole gang is back, ten years after the most recent flick in the series. In Scream 4, Sydney Prescott returns to Woodsboro for a signing of her new book. Well, as you can imagine, Ghostface starts to terrorize the town once again. The old gang, alongside a number of new faces, take turns running around, spouting off pop-culture-infused wit, and getting killed. Sounds like a good time to be had by all.

Hit the jump to check out the clips. Scream 4 stars Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox Arquette, Emma Roberts, Rory Culkin, and Hayden Panettiere.  The film opens April 15th.

Hard to believe that fifteen years ago marked the first appearance of the Ghost Face killer slashing his way onto movie screens. Wes Craven’s Scream 4 will be the first installment of the franchise in ten years and we have bloody new TV spots and stills to share with you. While the trailer promises the return of some of Woodsboro’s most familiar faces, you can rest assured that Scream 4 will feature barely clothed hot girls doing stupid things and Ghost Face getting his stab on. We get older, they stay the same age. Hit the jump to check it out.

Dimension Films has just released a new trailer for Scream 4 and it’s actually quite good with tons of new action-packed footage not seen in the original teaser. Not that I was worried or anything, but after the disappointing Scream 3, my expectations for this third sequel haven’t exactly been through the roof. In all actuality, I’m just curious to see how many members of the original cast will get offed.

Scream 4 reunites Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette and director Wes Craven. The screenplay was written by Kevin Williamson who penned the scripts for Scream and Scream 2. The thriller is set to open April 15. Check out the trailer after the jump, but be warned, there is much spoiler-ish action on display – don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Today, via press release, ABC announced a bit of a Friends reunion with Jennifer Aniston making a guest star appearance on Courteney Cox’s comedy series Cougar Town. If this situation seems familiar, it’s because these two Friends stars also appeared together in Cox’s other short lived FX series Dirt.

Though the press release didn’t include details on Aniston’s stint on the show, EW has come through with some information from executive producer Bill Lawrence.  Lawrence says, “She’s going to play [Courteney Cox's character's] shrink named Bonnie. Kind of a get-too-involved-in-her-life-type of therapist. Those guys are so close in real life they kind of do that for each other anyway. Bonnie has the life Jules [Cox] wishes she has.” Apparently Cox wanted to make sure the show found its feet before asking Aniston to guest star on the show. The idea is for Aniston’s character to be a therapist that Cox’s character has been seeing for awhile, so there’s definitely an opportunity for more guest appearances down the road.

Emma Roberts has been cast in Dimension Films Scream 4 as Jill – who is one of the film’s primary heroines.  She’s joining Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Neve Campbell in director/producer Wes Craven’s film.

With shooting set to begin in a little over a month, the film is putting the finishing touches on casting.  Just a week ago we reported the studio was in talks with Ashley Greene (Twilight), Hayden Panettiere (Heroes), Lake Bell (It’s Complicated), and Rory Culkin (Mean Creek) to join the cast.  But with Emma Roberts landing the role of Jill – who was the role Greene was up for – it remains unclear if Greene is out of the running completely. More after the jump:

While filming on Scream 4 (or is it Scre4m) doesn’t begin until this June in Michigan, the first poster has just been released.  In addition, Wes Craven spoke to EW about what fans can expect in the next installment and how if the sequel is successful, he’s already signed for Scream 5 and Scream 6.  Hit the jump for more.  Scream 4 arrives April 15, 2011.