Success on the Broadway stage doesn't automatically mean success on the small screen, as a number actors can attest. In fact, those actors took the stage with Neil Patrick Harris at last night's 67th Annual Tony Awards to lament their failed series. Of course, that meant singing alongside Neil Patrick Harris, which may have been a bit of musically charged lemon in some fresh wounds. After all, he's funny, charming, talented and the host of the awards show, but he's also the star of a TV series that did actually last beyond a season or two, which is more than can be said for Smash, Go On, The New Normal and The Playboy Club. Of course, it was all in the spirit of humor and music for these actors.

Host Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) was joined on stage by Andrew Rannells (The New Normal), Megan Hilty (Smash) and Laura Benanti (Go On and The Playboy Club), three stage actors who managed to score starring roles in TV shows that were all, unfortunately, short-lived. On the bright side, all of their shows were just successful enough that many of us likely recognize them. And let's face it, failed series or not, they're all incredibly talented, which is what makes the bit work so well. There was a brief pause in the bit to tell Smash's Will Chase to suck it for being nominated at the awards show. ("No, Will! Don't suck anything!")

It ends in good spirits as they sing about returning home to the theater and what they did for money, a loft and the chance to be embraced and adored by the public. Someone please find something on television for Hilty, Rannells and Benanti to star now that their series are one. There has to be a way to make something successful out of all that talent.

View the winners and see some of the other performances from last night's Tony Awards here.

Since its return for the start of its second season, Smash has been struggling in the ratings. The return of The Voice might have helped it there, but it looks like NBC has opted to move the Broadway focused drama away from Tuesday nights, placing their new dating reality show Ready For Love in the post-Voice spot. That's good news for Ready For Love, but most certainly bad news for Smash, which is being moved to Saturdays, starting next month. If there's a bright side to Smash's move, it's that NBC says the show will finish out its second season of 17 episodes on Saturdays, which is better than being pulled from the schedule entirely… right?

Smash and Ready for Love aren't the only series being moved around. Deadline posted a number of changes, which you can view below. The site notes that NBC's setting up Go On for a switch to Thursday, starting next month. The series will follow The Office on April 4 and April 11. There's no word on how this will affect 1600 Penn, the freshman comedy that currently, occasionally resides in the 9:30 p.m. Thursday night time slot. Given 1600 Penn's less than stellar ratings, the fact that it's not even mentioned among this news is probably a bad sign.

Celebrity Apprentice will air two-hour episodes from April 14 through the end of May, which should be good news, for those of us who love the show. But it's not especially great news for those of us who have packed DVRs on Sunday night. There's also mentions about the season finales for The New Normal and Whitney in the list below.

NBC’s freshman comedy, The New Normal, is currently on break, but when the show returns from the holiday hiatus, it has big plans to add two more handsome men to its already overly handsome roster. All My Children’s Mark Consuelos (who also happens to be Kelly Ripa’s hubby) and ER’s John Stamos (who happens to have some fine hair) will be joining The New Normal in guest starring roles.

To make the eye candy that much sweeter, the two gentlemen will be appearing in the same episode, but in very different roles. Called “Gaydar,” the episode will focus on John Stamos as Grandma Jane’s co-worker, whom she believes is a gay man. According to Entertainment Weekly, meanwhile, Bryan is busy with Sing--his show that happens to pretty much be a carbon copy of Glee, hello cute little sideplots from Ryan Murphy. Anyway, I digress, and to get to the point, Consuelos will pop up in the series as an employee on the Sing set and Rocky will find herself having the hots for the man.

Both Consuelos and Stamos join a growing list of guest stars in Season 1 of The New Normal. Socialite Nicole Richie and recent Celebrity Apprentice contestant George Takei signed on earlier this season, and White Collar’s Matt Bomer—yet another handsome lad—is set to guest star in an episode in 2013. Generally Ryan Murphy likes to reuse guest stars in different roles across his multiple TV shows, and like Bomer, Consuelos and Stamos have popped up in Murphy’s projects in the past, with Stamos appearing on Glee and Consuelos popping up in American Horror Story.

NBC’s The New Normal returns to the schedule on January 8 at 9:30 p.m. ET.

The New Normal showrunner Ryan Murphy revealed some casting news for the NBC comedy’s upcoming episodes via Twitter yesterday. A couple of well-known people will be showing up on the series, one a former socialite and daughter of a famous musician, and the other a bona fide legend.

Ryan Murphy tweeted the news Friday afternoon that Nicole Riche and George Takei have both signed on for guest appearances. THR says that they two will be playing themselves in their appearances. So far there’s no word on when they will appear or whether their guest spots will coincide.

The New Normal premiered on September 10th amid controversy over the lifestyle portrayed in the show. It focuses on a gay couple who use a surrogate to have a baby. 6.9 million viewers tuned in to the first episode, which seems to either point to the controversy giving the show a boost – or the fact that people are going to tune in for a series with a great cast and good writing no matter what the watchdog organizations have to say.

Star Trek star George Takei and Nicole Richie, daughter of singer Lionel Richie turned reality TV star and fashion designer will join the regular cast that includes Justin Bartha, Andrew Rannells, Georgia King and Ellen Barkin. Oscar Winner Barkin plays the mother of the surrogate who happens to be a conservative who is both racist and homophobic, adding a dimension of discord to the family comedy. The series airs Tuesday nights on NBC.

NBC's serving up a double-dose of comedy this Tuesday night, following The Voice. First up is the new half-hour comedy Go On, which has Matthew Perry starring as a widower who isn't ready to grieve. Sharing the hour is The New Normal, the Ryan Murphy/Ali Adler created comedy about a same-sex couple who hire a woman to be the surrogate mother to their child. Paired together, both comedies offer a heaping helping of snarky humor, under which are actual heartfelt stories.

Go On - Tuesday, September 11 at 9:00 p.m. ET on NBC

(Sneak preview airing tonight at 10:30 p.m.)

Created by: Scott Silveri

Starring: Matthew Perry, Laura Benanti, Julie White, John Cho

Go On stars Perry as Ryan King, a man who has recently lost his wife and isn't ready to deal with his grief. After his boss (John Cho) forces him to do group therapy, he reluctantly settles on a group of people looking to make life changes. The broad description allows for a myriad of personal issues within the group, in addition to Ryan's grief. As a talk radio host, Ryan's not afraid to share his opinions, and his blunt (insensitive) comments rattle the group from the start. This begins with Ryan deciding to set up a tournament-style debate to see whose problem is the worst. It makes light of some serious issues, but that seems to be where Go On lives, and as a fan of laughter in times of sadness and struggle, I can get behind that.

The series takes a humorous approach to misery, and it actually manages to succeed there, finding a balance between poking fun at the struggles people face - some of which are actually pretty severe - and using them as a way for us to engage with the characters. Whether it's the loss of a cat, a cheating spouse, a deceased wife, or something else, the these people have been brought together by their misfortunate, and maybe somehow they'll manage to improve their lives with each others' help.

Perry plays up the sarcasm as the lead character, and that should be familiar enough to anyone who's seen him in Friends (or the less successful comedies that followed) It's evident that his character isn't ready to deal with his grief, but we see moments throughout the pilot that show us his human side. He's a man who's lost his wife. That's not something he's going to get over anytime soon, and despite his sarcastic comments, we do get some indication that he's hurting inside. While this is a comedy with numerous laugh-worth moments, Go On doesn't appear to be blind to the serious side of the situation. Just as I was left feeling hopeful for Perry's character, I actually feel hopeful that Go On will live up to the idea that it presents in its pilot, which is that it's ok to laugh, even when times are toughest. And that sometimes there really is strength in numbers.

The New Normal - Tuesday, September 11 at 9:30 p.m. ET on NBC

(Sneak preview airing tonight at 10:00 p.m. after The Voice).

Created by: Ryan Murphy, Ali Adler

Starring: Justin Bartha, Andrew Rannells, Georgia King, BebeWood, NeNe Leakes, Ellen Barkin

The New Normal has Justin Bartha and Andrew Rannells as a gay couple who decide they're ready to become parents. Georgia King is Goldie, a single mother who's recently cheated-on and looking for a fresh start. The pilot episode brings this trio together, as Goldie agrees to be the surrogate mother to David and Bryan's baby. Ellen Barkin plays Goldie's Nana, Bebe Wood plays Goldie's daughter Shania, and NeNe Leakes plays Bryan (Rannells) assistant.

Those familiar with Ryan Murphy's work (Glee, American Horror Story) know that his dialogue is sharp and full of biting one-liners. The New Normal has no shortage of those. Everyone gets in on the jabs, though NeNe Leakes and Ellen Barkin may win the prize for some of the biggest laughs later in the episode. Leakes held her own as a guest star on Glee, so I'm glad to see her in a bigger role in this new series. If we were drawing a Glee comparison here, Barkin might be the Sue Sylvester of this series. I wouldn't say she's channelling Jane Lynch in her performance - Jane is definitely her own character - particularly in her bigoted attitude, but Nana's willingness to say exactly what she's thinking reminds me of Sue.

Modern Family has already demonstrated how to be a great comedy about a family that doesn't follow all of the "traditional" structural rules. But that doesn't mean another series can't do it as well, and in that sense, The New Normal gets off to a decent start. The pilot isn't perfect, but it's funny, clever, and it gives us a fair introduction into a show that appears to embrace the idea that family is what you make of it. Or, to quote the show, "family is family, and love is love."

Go On and The New Normal may focus on different subject matter, but they're both single camera comedies with witty approaches and snappy dialogue. They seem well paired, and I'm eager to see how both comedies do as they settle in this fall.

The very title of the upcoming NBC show The New Normal says it all. Yes, this is a show about two men (played by Andrew Rannels and Justin Bartha) who are raising a baby together, but in this day and age, that's not anything to get worked up about. Well, unless you're Salt Lake City-based NBC affiliate KSL, which has announced they won't air The New Normal when it debuts this fall.

Jeff Simpson, CEO of the network's parent company Bonneville International, explained the decision pretty succinctly to The Salt Lake Tribune: ""For our brand, this program feels inappropriate on several dimensions, especially during family viewing time." And this isn't the first time they've made an essentially identical complaint; last fall KSL also refused to air The Playboy Club, which didn't wind up being a big problem since nobody watched the show and it was cancelled after a handful of episodes anyway. But with Glee's Ryan Murphy behind The New Normal, it stands a chance of being a much bigger hit, and KSL may be losing a lot of potential advertising by shielding the show from viewers they assume will be offended by it.

Then again, Utah can be a very conservative place, surprising especially to many of us living on the coast. Though I'd wager that by announcing these boycotts, KSL is less trying to protect their viewers than get some national headlines for themselves-- and maybe spare themselves some angry phone calls in the process. And if Utah viewers really want to catch the show, there's always Hulu.

In recent years, cable and network TV have taken more active approaches in generating buzz for their new programming in the weeks leading up to their official premieres. In many cases, that involves releasing the premiere episodes online ahead of their on-air premieres. Yesterday we learned that Fox was planning to offer a couple of their new shows online, and today comes word from NBC that they'll be offering up early looks at their new comedies and dramas as well.

In addition making the pilot episodes of their new series available via a two-week "digital sampling period" online, but as we previously reported when we posted the NBC 2012 Fall TV premiere schedule, new comedies Go On and Animal Practice will both be previewed on NBC next month. As for the digital sampling, the new series will be made available on demand and online through cable, satellite and telco providers. NBC.com, Hulu, Amazon, iTunes and Xbox are among the mentioned platforms, so it sounds like NBC's got a lot of bases covered as far as reach is concerned.

Below are the new series headed to NBC and the information on when they'll be available to preview online and when they make their official debuts at NBC this fall.

The New Normal (comedy) - Sampling begins: August 29, Official premiere: September 11

Go On (comedy) - On Air preview: August 8, Sampling begins: August 9, Official premiere: September 11

Guys with Kids (comedy) - Sampling begins: September 13, Official Premiere: September 26

Revolution (drama) - Sampling begins: September 13, Official premiere: September 26

Animal Practice (comedy) - On Air preview: August 12, Sampling begins: August 13, Official premiere: September 26

Chicago Fire (drama) - Sampling begins: September 27, Official premiere: October 10

Ryan Murphy's Glee drifts into comedic territory on a weekly basis, but we'll see what he can do with a half-hour series when The New Normal arrives at NBC this fall. These clips from the pilot give us a look at the humor and the set-up for the story, which has a gay couple looking to have a child through a surrogate.

Created by Murphy along with Ali Adler, The New Normal is set up to air between another new NBC comedy (Go On) and Parenthood on Tuesday nights, which is fitting, given that The New Normal combines humor with family, so it should make for a nice transition from comedy to drama on Tuesdays.

As mentioned in NBC's official synopsis below, the show pairs Andrew Rannells (star of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The Book of Mormon) and The Hangover's Justin Bartha, playing two well-off men in a relationship who are looking to hire a surrogate. Enter Georgia King's Goldie, the likely candidate to carry their child.

As I mentioned earlier, Glee has a tendency to get funny, and there never seems to be any shortage of snark on the musical dramedy series. The overflow may end up in this comedy, which could be a good thing. The clips below give us a fair introduction to Bryan, David and Goldie and the kind of humor we might be able to expect from the series.

Maybe it's because I have Glee on the brain, but something about Golide reminds me of Rachel Berry, Quinn and Kristin Chenoweth's character all rolled into one. This looks cute. We'll have to see how the pilot looks and where things go with the story once the show settles in at NBC next fall.

This poll is no longer available.

Just a little while ago, we learned that NBC had given an early series order to the Anne Heche starring comedy series Save Me. And at that time, I wondered if we'd hear anything about The New Normal soon, as that was another pilot rumored to be a possible contender for an August premiere at the network following NBC's Olympic coverage this summer. Sure enough, the word is in and there's a bonus. Not only has NBC given a series order to the Ryan Murphy co-written The New Normal, but they've also decided to move forward with the very promising sounding thriller by J.J. Abrams and Eric Kripke called Revolution.

TVLine reported the good news today, stating that The New Normal and Revolution join previously green lit pilots Save Me and Go On as the projects to receive early series orders by NBC.

Revolution stars David Lyons (The Cape), Billy Burke (Twilgiht) and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, Once Upon a Time), and follows a group of people who are attempting to survive and find their loved ones "in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist." It sounds like it could be another Jericho/The Walking Dead post-apocalyptic survival story. The cast already sounds promising and factor in Lost's Abrams and Supernatural's Kripke and we could be in for something really great with this one.

The New Normal also has a lot going for it. Written by Ryan Murphy (Glee, American Horror Story) and Ali Adler, the comedy stars a gay couple that is looking to have a baby through a surrogate. Andrew Rannells (Book of Mormon, and a guest appearance on last week's Girls) and Justin Bartha (The Hangover) play the leads, with Georgia King set to play the surrogate.

While we still have to wait until next week to see NBC's full line-up, with these two series set to move forward, things are already looking good for NBC's 2012-2013 programming.

Fall may be coming early this year for NBC. Or the TV season might, anyway. With the Peacock set to present the London Olympics this summer, they'll likely want to use the event to garner attention to some of their new and returning programming, and fill the gap between the Games and the start of the fall season by giving some shows a head start. It's a logical strategy, and one that could benefit some shows, including Grimm.

Deadline reported that NBC's considering bringing Grimm back for Season 2 in August to air following the network's Olympics coverage. The supernatural procedural series was renewed for Season 2 back in March, so news that it's returning isn't especially new, but fans would likely appreciate it if the series returned sooner rather than later, and some advertising for the show's return certainly couldn't hurt Grimm's ratings.

Also being eyed for an early premiere is the new comedy series Go On, which received an early pick-up to series. The single-camera comedy is set to star Matthew Perry as "an irreverent yet charming sportscaster" who suffers a loss and seeks comfort from people in a mandatory support group.

More recently, Deadline has reported that NBC's also considering early starts for Save Me and The New Normal. Save Me stars Anne Heche as a woman who suffers some kind of accident, after which she believes she's channelling God. Meanwhile, The New Normal is a comedy co-written by Ryan Murphy and Ali Adler and stars a gay couple (played by Andrew Rannells and Justin Bartha), and a "cash-strapped waitress" (played by Georgia King) who agrees to be their surrogate.

I have high hopes for The New Normal, due in part to my interest in Murphy's projects, and my appreciation for Andrew Rannells, who's not only among the original cast of the Tony award winning Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, but also delivered a great, but too-brief performance in last Sunday night's episode of Girls, playing Hannah's recently-out ex-boyfriend Elijah. As neither of these two projects have been greenlighted to series, this is certainly interesting news, as it suggests that things are looking good for both of them. In fact, Deadline's sources say New Normal has been given the go-ahead to start staffing. That seems like a very good sign.

NeNe Leakes is no stranger to television, but she is a relative newcomer to scripted endeavors. After rocking out in a guest stint on Glee in a role that featured Leakes as the mouthy and exquisite rival of Sue’s. During her tenure, it seems The Real Housewives of Atlanta star managed to earn the favor of Ryan Murphy, who has now launched her career from scripted TV guest star to legitimate character actor. Well, that is, if the NBC pilot goes to series.

Leakes is set to join the cast of Murphy’s The New Normal, a comedy about a gay couple hoping to accomplish their dream of parenthood through a surrogate. Book of Mormon’s Andrew Rannells is set to star alongside Justin Bartha as the lead couple working toward fatherhood.

So, where does Leakes fit into The New Normal? According to TV Line, Leakes will play a frequently recurring character named Rocky. If Murphy’s pilot makes it to series, the opportunity will be a huge one for the 44-year-old, who has worked to make herself a more notable Hollywood presence via Housewives-related work and even a stint on Celebrity Apprentice. Leakes herself took to her Twitter to express her gratitude for the upcoming gig.

TV Blend wishes the blooming actress the best of luck.

Among the pilots in development at NBC is a single-camera comedy by Ryan Murphy called The New Normal, which already has Book of Mormon star Andrew Rannells attached to star. The pilot follows a gay couple who are looking to have a baby through a surrogate. With Rannells set to play one of the men, we were waiting for word on who would play his partner. It looks like they’ve gotten someone on board for the project and it’s a face comedy fans may already be familiar with.

Though he was the primary focus of the first Hangover movie, we didn’t actually see much of Justin Bartha in the comedy. As he played the role of Doug, the missing groom, he spent a lot of the movie being lost. That shouldn’t be an issue for him in The New Normal, should NBC decide to move forward with this project.

?According to TV Line, Bartha has been cast to play Rannells’ characters partner in Muprhy’s NBC comedy pilot. Georgia King has previously been cast to play the role of the surrogate who’s helping them have a baby. Meanwhile, Ellen Barkin will play her “glamorous grandma.”

As TV Line notes, this isn’t Bartha’s first go-round with television comedies, or NBC for that matter. The actor played a role in NBC’s Teachers, which only lasted a handful of episodes back in 2006. And in 2009, he had a role in a Fox pilot called The Station with John Goodman and Whitney Cummings, which didn’t go to series. Hopefully things will work out with this one.

It’s not exactly surprising news that NBC has given the greenlight to the pilot for New Normal - all signs pointed to yes for this project which has had plenty of buzz and has already tapped Book of Mormon star Andrew Rannells to appear in the pilot. The project was about as close to a “sure thing” as is ever seen in the competition for new pilot orders.

And the comedy pilot has in fact been given the go-ahead according to Deadline, which also speculated that this might be the final half hour order for NBC. The network has now given the greenlight to 13 comedy pilots including this one, which is a pretty strong indicator that they are close to done if not completely finished with this order. Since they had previously stated that they only planned to pick up 10-12 new half hour comedy pilots, the number 13 seems to have a lucky (or unlucky?) and rather final ring to it.

The New Normal follows the story of a gay couple who become involved with a surrogate in order to achieve the dream of parenthood. It was one of two possible pilots seeking the greenlight at NBC with a storyline that involves a gay couple as parents. The other pilot, which was expected to star Will & Grace’s Sean Hayes and was the brainchild of Peter Tolan of Rescue Me has apparently been dropped. Between the two, I have to say NBC made the right call – although Sean Hayes has been a icon for gay men on television, he’s a bit been-there-done-that and fresh blood is always a good thing.