Reaper took a break this week, so I had to spend a Tuesday without my buddies Sam, Sock and Ben. I could just manage that, but having a Ray Wise-less Tuesday was nearly too much for me. Thank goodness I hadn’t had a chance to watch Heroes on Monday so I had something sufficiently evil to watch (wow, what an episode! but was anyone else ticked off that the show didn’t have the guts to keep HRG killed off?)

But it wouldn’t be Wednesday without some discussion of my current favorite show, so I’ve got some Reaper love for ya.

First off, The CW announced this week that One Tree Hill returns Jan. 8 for its fifth season (for those interested: they skip four years and are newly minted college graduates, even though last season they had just graduated high school). Why would we care? Well, the season premiere is from 8 to 10 p.m. and Jan. 8 is a Tuesday. So, no Reaper. Then, Jan. 15, OTH takes its new timeslot, 9 to 10 p.m. Reaper, The CW said, “will return to the schedule with original episodes later in the season.”

If the writer’s strike were but a distant memory, this would bug me. But, given that Reaper has just a handful of episodes left in the can, this is probably a good thing. It’ll give the folks in Hell a chance to catch up with some new scripts and develop a rhythm again.

Not to be a Pollyanna or anything, but as Monty Python once said, “Always look on the bright side of life.”

Meanwhile, Tyler Labine, the television version of Jack Black (and that’s totally a compliment), dished this week to TVGuide.com about what it’s like to play one of the best TV sidekicks. Ever. He also informs us Reaper will have completed filming 13 episodes before the strike shuts them down and we get to meet Sock’s mom later in the season! This has got to be some interesting woman. Or else she’s a milk-and-cookies Mrs. Cleaver type. Either way, it should be good for a few laughs.

A few excerpts follow:

On Labine’s similarities to Sock (or was it the other way around?):

Sock is the kind of guy who just says and does whatever he wants. There’s something really fun about getting to be that guy. We walk around censoring ourselves all the time, but this guy just doesn’t have that sort of filter in his system. So I’m that guy more often than I’m not because I’m at work all the time, so I’m just now starting to sort of become him.

On Ray Wise:

He is probably the coolest man alive. He’s just a dude, you know what I mean? He’s got this big Cheshire Cat grin and he stands around chewing his gum with his crazy white teeth and his L.A. tan. He’s just a really cool guy and quite possibly one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. No pretentions, no ego, just a nice, nice guy. And he’s so happy to be here. He’s like a cheerleader on set, he loves working here.

On his upcoming movie, Control Alt Delete, written and directed by his older brother:

My character is a normal guy on the surface, but then through a series of unfortunate events becomes this really sexually depraved guy who ends up having sex with computers. It’s like, we all have those secrets that we hope we can conceal or keep under control, and this guy just loses it and starts indulging in every way he ever imagined.

Next week’s episode promises everything we love about the show. Here’s the summary:

Sam (Bret Harrison) is annoyed after the devil (Ray Wise) dispatches him to do some plumbing work for a woman named Mimi (guest star Melinda Clarke). After talking to Mimi, Sam realizes she is dating the devil, although she thinks he is a playboy businessman named Jerry who refuses to settle down. She introduces Sam to her daughter Cady (guest star Jessica Stroup) and he is attracted to her, but is worried she might be the devil’s daughter. Meanwhile, Ben (Rick Gonzalez) refuses to introduce Sam and Sock (Tyler Labine) to his family. Missy Peregrym, Valarie Rae Miller, Donavan Stinson and Andrew Airlie also star. Victoria Hochberg directed the episode written by Thomas Schnauz

Well, that’s it. I’m tapped out on Reaper stuff. We’ll get together next Wednesday for more Reaper talk. Have a Helluva Good Thanksgiving!

Photos courtesy The CW.