TCA Update, Day 9: "Brothers & Sisters", "Scrubs", and more!

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Frederick M. Brown)

Today it was the Greg Berlanti Network, er, ABC's turn to trot out their shows for us journalists who, truth be told, are starting to flag a wee bit. Okay, a lot. We're just over half-way through the Summer 2008 TCA and being adrift in this over air-conditioned hotel is a bit like being trapped in your own world. Frankly, I keep expecting to see survivors from Oceanic Flight 815 wander past looking for a way home. (Of course, things would be vastly improved were Matthew Fox to end up trapped here!)

Even though ABC is not doing a panel for Brothers & Sisters this year (we did a set visit last year), after the Eli Stone panel, I, of course, seized the opportunity to grab Eli executive producer Greg Berlanti (pictured above) for some dish on Kevin (Matthew Rhys) and Scotty (Luke Macfarlane) for you B&S fans.

Greg was pretty tight-lipped, but was willing to tell me a few things. In regards to the issue of Kevin and Scotty having had a committment ceremony only to have California turn around and legalize gay marriage, Berlanti said, "It's interesting. This is the first time I've talked about it, but a lotof people have asked because of the law that changed after the fact, are we're going to deal with the change in the [California marriage law] and we do address that."

In regards as to what is in store for Kevin, Berlanti offered, "Kevin changes careers. Which no one knows. That will be a big thing that I'll hint at in the next twenty-fourhours. He changes career paths. Something big happened to him at work."

As for Kevin and Scotty's relationship still being featured prominently, "Oh, yeah. Always. That's a big part of the show. Their romance is really firm so it's more about them their buildingtheir lives. For a lot of characters in the show last year, who experienced romantic stuff last year, this year is about building their loves outside of that."

As for Uncle Saul it looks like he'll be taking the backseat for at least a while. When asked about a potential romance, Berlanti said, "Not in the first six or seven episodes, but we would love to touch on that by the end of the year."

Tomorrow night is the ABC party and hopefully at least a few of the cast will present and I'll see what else I can get!

One more Berlanti note, he said that so far there isn't anything gay in the first four so so episodes of Eli Stone, but during the panel he said discussions are underway about having George Michael reprise his role, possibly for a Christmas special. 

As if ABC weren't already the gayes network around, they had to go and steal Scrubs away from NBC. Okay, there aren't regular gay characters on Scrubs but the show not only features the bromance between J.D. and Turk (based on creator Bill Lawrence's own relationship with Randall Winston), but has featured gay storylines and gay humor that isn't homophobic.

More on Scrubs news and Ashton Kutcher after the break!

Donald Faison, Bill Lawrence, Zach Braff

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Frederick M. Brown)

Lawrence said this is definitely Braff's final season as a regular and that the show is bringing in some fresh blood. He also said the door is still open for another season. Normally, I'd say trying to keep the show going without Braff (from whose point of view the series is told), but if anyone can pull it off, I'd say Lawrence could do it. He got more laughs during the forty minute panel than an entire season of Two and a Half Men could hope for.

I'll have more with Lawrence including some info about The Todd and some other Scrubs gay storylines.

Finally, for those of you love you some Ashton Kutcher, he was here promoting some inane game show called Opportunity Knocks that made me start licking the closest power outlet in order to escape the saccharine crappiness that is this show. (Well, at least judging from the clips they showed us.)

Anyway, here is Ashton reacting to a journalist asking him to come up with one redeeming explanation for his new show.

Ashton Kutcher

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Frederick M. Brown)

Yeah, that about sums it up. See you tomorrow!