TBS has just picked up a third season of My Boys, its very funny comedy created by a woman (Betsy Thomas) about a female sportswriter (Jordana Spiro) whose friends are all men, except her BFF Stephanie (Kellee Stewart).

In announcing the pickup, TBS cited the show's growth from Season 1 to Season 2 by 14%. It's great to see a show helmed by a woman succeed, and now (well, next summer) we'll get answers to the big questions from last season: Will Stephanie and Kenny's mutual loathing or attraction win out? Will Andy leave his good-paying corporate job for a career in improv? And who will PJ choose, Bobby or his brother?

Eh, whatever. Just so we get more PJ!

But they did seem to glam her up more in the second season. Some of that was because of the whole wedding and fancy dates theme that spanned several episodes, but it begs the question: which do you like more — Glammed-Up PJ or Sporty PJ?

Before being a lesbian was “hot,” I had a collection of straight guy friends — most were guys I worked with. For a while there, I had the best of both worlds: The “girls” invited me to their nights out and the “boys” invited me to theirs. It was seriously fun.

But as the straight world started learning more about lesbians (sort of), both genders got a little nervous around me. The men realized that I was actually a woman. I’m not sure what the women realized, but they obviously were uncomfortable. Maybe they thought I’d attack them in the restroom or something.

I think that’s why I don’t love My Boys — I’m jealous. I want to be P.J. (Jordana Spiro), hanging out at the bar, going to the comic store and drinking beer at ball games with the guys. … continue reading

In the middle of a loud New York thunderstorm, Dee (one half of Come With Me if You Want to Live) joins Lori and me in reviewing the debuts of Gimme Sugar (Logo) and In Plain Sight (USA), and the new seasons of Army Wives (Lifetime) and My Boys (TBS).

When we're not trying to find something nice to say about Gimme Sugar, we applaud the use of Native American actors on In Plain Sight, the last-minute twist on the second-season opener of Army Wives, and the fact that My Boys' PJ is not a lesbian.

Along the way, we raise questions like, is America over reality TV? Do I know way too much random trivia about Mary McCormack? Will Dee ever get a word in edgewise?

We also discuss what we've been doing so far on our summer vacation; what a reality series of our lives would look like; and which dogs are the most dangerous (hint: it's not the ones you think!).

Let us know what you think of these shows, and what a reality show about your life would look like, in the comments!

Watch previous episodes of She Made Me Watch This!, and check back next Monday for a new episode.

I watch a lot of television — like, way more television than anyone should watch in their lifetime. If you couldn’t already tell, I’m a fanatic of both American Idol and Grey’s Anatomy, but there are many, many other shows I have an unhealthy addiction to. However, even with the variety of reality shows, prime time dramas and cable sitcoms I watch, very few accurately reflect my own life. This could be attributed to either the lack of lesbians on TV or the fact that I am not a world class surgeon (you decide), but either way, I enjoy the rare occasion when I can actually relate to a character. This is why I love Jordana Spiro’s portrayal of PJ Franklin on My Boys so much.

The TBS comedy series surrounds the life of PJ, a Chicago Cubs journalist (be still, me beating heart!), and her group of mainly male friends: brother, Andy (Jim Gaffigan), best friend from journalism school, Stephanie (Kellee Stewart), radio DJ Brendan (Reid Scott), fellow Cubs’ journalist, Bobby (Kyle Howard), sports memorabilia collector, Kenny (Michael Bunin), and failed self-proclaimed playboy Mike (Jamie Kaler).

From Left: Howard, Gaffigan, Kaler, Spiro, Bunin, Scott and Stewart

With a motto like, “You can’t pick your family, but you can pick your friends,” I’m sure all of you can recognize at least some part of yourselves in the show, but PJ and I, however, have a lot in common. We’re both avid Cubs fans and we’re both writers (if I may be so bold as to claim that title.) We both have female friends (dating a guy named Lance, no less) that all too often try to make us “girl-y” as opposed to “guy-y,” and we would rather spend an evening playing poker and drinking beer with a group of our closest guys than go dancing with our closest girls.

But PJ and I do have our differences; the main one being, of course, that PJ constantly has to finagle the fine line between having boy friends and having boyfriends. Oh, the joy of being a lesbian.

If you differ from me, though, and you can’t identify with PJ personally, perhaps you need more motivation to tune into this show. Well, My Boys, which is one of cable television’s highest rated original sitcoms, was created, co-executive produced and largely written by a woman, Betsy Thomas. Now, that’s something.

Well, at the end of the first season, PJ and Stephanie were on their way to Italy on a romantic double-date getaway, only, the viewers were left hanging as to which of PJ’s many potential dates actually ended up on the flight. (Watch the season finale, “Rome, If You Want To,” as well as the rest of the first season of My Boys on TBS.com.) … continue reading

In this week's video blog, Lori and I disagree on who should win Hell's Kitchen, I defend My Boys, and Lori rants about Paige in the Degrassi season six finale.

Then as part of our ongoing previews of the new fall pilots, we extol the quirky virtues of Pushing Daisies (ABC), wonder how it's possible to have screwed up a remake of The Bionic Woman (although Katee Sackhoff is brilliant as Michelle Ryan's arch-nemesis) and debate Sarah Shahi's new buttoned-up look in Life.

Before you watch our vlog, check out the trailers for these new fall shows: … continue reading

Good news, sports fans: After a 7-month hiatus, Jordana Spiro returns as fun, feisty sportswriter P.J. on TBS's hit half-hour comedy My Boys, which begins airing new episodes again tonight at 10 p.m.

I love this show because, her silly name "P.J." notwithstanding, this character is one of the best straight women on TV, as I've blogged about previously (her best female friend, played by Kellee Stewart — picture above, right — is a little too girly for my taste, but not a bad character, either). Created by a woman (Betsy Thomas), the show is also genuinely funny and well-written, and a big hit for TBS.

In a new interview with TV Guide, Jordana teases the new season (warning: mild spoilers). "Mike and Kenny start working together at Kenny's sports-memorabilia shop, and Kenny gets a girlfriend who's nine-months pregnant ... We find out Stephanie is in massive debt and needs to go to a debt counselor ... Bobby has a fun turn, but I'm not allowed to talk about that, so I'll leave that as a surprise. And I don't know if I'm allowed to say this, but I'll say it anyway: Brendan's character becomes a huge d--chebag." … continue reading

TBS just ordered a full 22 episodes of their original series My Boys, which has rocketed to the top of the ratings chart since it debuted last month (the first six episodes drew an average of over 1 million adults in the coveted 18-49 age range). The first half of the season will conclude in a mini-marathon on Tuesday, Dec. 26, and Wednesday, Dec. 27, and the finale on Thursday, Dec. 28. The second half of the season (an additional 9 episodes) will debut this summer.

I like this show more every week. It's a comedy that's actually funny, with likeable supporting characters, and a straight female lead who would rather stay home with her guy friends and play board games than go out to a fancy dinner with her handsome new boyfriend. That's definitely my kind of woman! Well, except for the straight part...

I tuned into the premiere of the new TBS series My Boys last night after reading a lot of positive reviews, and I have to say, I liked it! The show is about a female Chicago sports columnist named PJ (Jordana Spiro, pictured above) whose best friends are all men - including her brother, her ex-boyfriend, her best friend, and a sportswriter for a rival publication (she also has a girly female friend named Stephanie from journalism school).

"My Boys" and "PJ" are both cheesy names, and the writers are trying a little too hard to make the point that PJ is just one of the guys, but the writing's not bad overall, and PJ and Jordana Spiro are appealing enough to make me keep tuning in.

She wears her hair in a ponytail most of the time, and eats food besides salad. She reserves make-up and sexy t-shirts for only very special occasions, and prefers jeans or sweats and tank-tops with casual tennis-shoes. She has trouble with communication and relationships, but isn't an emotional wreck. She's a woman who knows how to play poker, and draws the line at intentionally losing just to seduce a guy she likes. Instead of voice-overs about shoe sales, she uses sports metaphors. She actually plays sports. She sits in relaxed poses that take up space. And she doesn't cook.

Finally, a straight woman on TV I can really relate to! If only she were gay, she'd be the perfect woman. … continue reading