The 10's

Life Unexpected Mid-season 2010

DAD: Nate "Baze" Bazile (Kristoffer Polaha) / Single

DAD'S JOB: Bartender

KIDS: Lux (Britt Robertson) (15)

WHERE'S MOM?: Cate Cassidy (Shiri Appleby) Gave up Lux for adoption as a baby.

STAND-IN "MOM": N/A

Formerly called "Parental Discretion Advised" - more TV Single Dad rules limits-testing for the new decade: Mom is around but the daughter doesn't live with her. Mom has joint custody but the daughter lives with Dad.

Let's hear how The CW describes the show:

After spending all of her 15 years bouncing from one foster family to another in Portland, Oregon, Lux (Britt Robertson, "Swingtown") has decided it's time to take control of her life and become an emancipated minor. Her journey through the legal maze leads Lux to her biological father, 30-something Nate "Baze" Bazile (Kristoffer Polaha, "Mad Men"), who owns a bar, lives like an aging frat-boy with two slacker roommates, and is astonished to learn that he has a teenage daughter. Lux is equally astonished when Baze reveals that her mother is Cate Cassidy (Shiri Appleby, "E.R."), a star on the local "Morning Madness" radio show, along with her on-air partner and real-life boyfriend, Ryan Thomas (Kerr Smith, "Eli Stone"). Lux has been listening to Cate's voice on the radio as long as she can remember, so she feels an instant connection with the mom she's never met. Baze takes Lux to meet Cate, who is shocked and saddened to learn that Lux has grown up in foster care, but thrilled to finally meet her beautiful daughter. When a judge decides that Lux isn't ready for emancipation and unexpectedly grants temporary joint custody to Baze and Cate, they agree to try to get past the awkwardness and make a belated attempt to give Lux the family she deserves.

LIFE UNEXPECTED is produced by Mojo Films in association with CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television with executive producers Liz Tigelaar ("Brothers and Sisters," "What About Brian") and Gary Fleder ("October Road"). Gary Fleder directed the pilot.

Sons of Tucson 2010

DAD: Ron Snuffkin (Tyler Labine) / Single

DAD'S JOB: Sporting Goods Clerk

KIDS: Brandon (Troy Gentile) (13), Gary (Frank Dolce)(11), and Robby Gunderson (Davis Cleveland)(8)

WHERE'S MOM?: Mom's dead. Real Dad is in jail.

STAND-IN "MOM": Ron Snuffkin - hired by the boys to be the parent.

This is a return to the Fr. Murphy style of "Dad for Hire" plots of the 70's. Imagine a Malcolm in the Middle-type cast of boys without parents, who concoct a scheme to avoid foster care. They hire store clerk Ron Snuffkin, using their bio dad's ill-gotten assets to pay Ron to pose as their dad while their REAL dad is serving 25 years in prison.

If this were a movie, Ron would be played by Jack Black. On a television budget, though, we had to settle for the quite adequate talents of Mr. Tyler Labine.

Show was funny, but the ratings weren't there. I'd blame poor promotion and a bouncing schedule. Never really had a chance, so it was gone after six episodes.

Here was the Fox publicity machine's take on the show:

SONS OF TUCSON is a family comedy about three brothers who hire a charming, wayward schemer to stand in as their father when their real one goes to prison. What begins as a business relationship evolves into something more complex and compelling: a family unlike any we've ever seen. The three brothers find their dad-for-hire, RON SNUFFKIN (Tyler Labine, "Reaper"), at the local sporting good store. Ron will be forced to draw on a wide array of skills and a vast bag of tricks as he steps into the patriarch role to take care of the boys of the Gunderson family. ROBBY GUNDERSON (Davis Cleveland, "How I Met Your Mother"), 8, is a loose cannon who doesn't respond well to authority; GARY GUNDERSON (Frank Dolce, "Doubt"), 11, is a bright and street-savvy leader who is every bit the con man his father is; and BRANDON GUNDERSON (Troy Gentile, "Entourage"), 13, is a gentle free spirit who simply goes along for the ride. MAGGIE MORALES (Natalie Martinez, "Saints & Sinners"), Robby's second-grade teacher and the object of Ron's affection, might just be the only stable figure in the lives of this quirky quartet. While SONS OF TUCSON is grounded in the day-to-day challenges of a single-parent home, nothing in the Gunderson household is quite what it seems. An ongoing chess match between Ron and the boys will keep both parties on their toes, as neither side can afford to give up too much power or independence.

Louis 2010

DAD: Louis (Louis CK) / Divorced

DAD'S JOB: Stand-up comedian

KIDS: 2 kids (Unknown)

WHERE'S MOM?: Nearby

STAND-IN "MOM": N/A

Originally supposed to premiere in April of 2010, the FX Network decided to hold off until summer with an entire season's worth of shows.

Yet another "let's give a comedian a show" series. Hopefully it'll rise above the boilerplate.

With Mom nearby, this show may flunk the Mindy McConnell Occupancy Rule.

Blue Bloods 2010 -

DAD #1: Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) / Unknown

DAD'S JOB: Current NYC Chief of Police

KIDS: Danny (Donnie Wahlberg), Erin (Bridget Moynahan), Jamie (Will Estes)

WHERE'S MOM #1?: Unknown

DAD #2: Henry Reagan (Len Cariou) / Unknown

DAD #2'S JOB: Former NYC Chief of Police

KIDS: Frank (Tom Selleck)

WHERE'S MOM #2?: Unknown

STAND-IN "MOM": Erin (Bridget Moynahan), Only Daughter

Bring every New York City cop cliché you can think of to the next writers' meeting for this show - it's breaking no ground, and you can probably write the first four weeks of shows in your head.

Frank Reagan is the Chief of Police, and he's from a cop family, and so of course his sons are NYC cops too. And his put-upon but tough-as-nails daughter Erin (Erin - really? Is her middle name B'gorrah?) is an Assistant District Attorney. It's not enough that Frank is the Chief of Police - - his own dad, Henry, is the former Chief of Police. And of course there's going to be a lot of charges of corruption from Henry's days as Chief, and of course Erin is going to have to be part of the investigation.

Every year, CBS builds a showboat series, loads it up with the biggest cast names it can find, and launches it into the abyss of low ratings. This could be a one-season series, so watch fast!

$#*! My Dad Says 2010 -

DAD: Ed Goodson (William Shatner) / Widower, maybe

DAD'S JOB: Doctor

KIDS: Henry Bennett (Ryan Devlin), Vince Bennett (Will Sasso)

WHERE'S MOM?: Dead, maybe

STAND-IN "MOM": Kathleen Bennett (Nicole Sullivan), Daughter-in-Law

The CBS advertising department must be having late-night sessions trying to come up with a style guide for discussing this show. I've heard the title as everything from "Bleep My Dad Says" to "Stuff My Dad Says" to the thing you can't say on television My Dad Says.

Having seen the preview, Shatner's character is awfully reminiscent of Stacy Keach's Ken Titus character of a decade ago. The writing seems sturdy enough, but I don't know how far they can grow the series with only one strong character.

No explanation yet as to why sons Henry and Vince Bennett have a different last name than Dad Goodson.

Of course, this show is based on the Twitter feed by Justin Halpern of nearly the same name.

Raising Hope 2010

DAD: Jimmy Chance (Lucas Neff) / Single

DAD'S JOB: unknown

KIDS: Hope (infant)

WHERE'S MOM?: Unknown

STAND-IN "MOM": Maw-Maw (Cloris Leachman) Grandmother

Jimmy Chance is a complete screw-up, but he's trying to raise his infant daughter, Hope, with the help of his family. Should be a funny show, considering that the writer is Greg Garica - the creator of My Name is Earl.

Falling Skies TNT 2011 -

DAD: Tom Mason (Noah Wylie) / Widower

DAD'S JOB: Former Boston U. history professor, now co-leader of the 2nd Massachusetts Militia

KIDS: Ben (18)(missing), Hal (Drew Roy)(16), Matt (Maxim Knight)(7)

WHERE'S MOM?: Killed by aliens

STAND-IN "MOM": Anne Glass (Moon Bloodgood) The Last Pediatrician on Earth

TNT somehow managed to revamp Independence Day into a TV series, set the show outside of Boston, replace Wil Smith with Noah Wylie, and still were able to make it all fascinating.

Professor Tom Mason's knowledge of American Revolutionary War tactics helps to fend off the continuing onslaught of the giant cricket-shaped alien creatures scrabbling all over Middlesex County. Tom's eldest son, Ben, may be a prisoner of the aliens, and Tom spends most of his days searching for his lost child (when he's not busy ducking the space monster Death Beams).

The show has touches of V, Jericho, The Rifleman, and The Guns of Will Sonnett. Surprisingly good writing and an excellent cast make this series appear to have a chance at a multi-year run. Hopefully the 2nd Massachusetts will be able to retake Watertown Square someday.

A tip of the Sebastian Cabot Memorial Bowler to Friend of the Site Jordan Rich, who spotted this series early on. Many thanks, Jordan!