Funny or Die

Who knew Diddy was such a big fan of "Downton Abbey"? On Wednesday, the 43-year-old rapper's fans were taken aback when he announced he would be joining the cast of the hit British period drama.

"So happy to announce that Im a series regular on DOWNTON ABBEY-my favorite show," Diddy tweeted on Wednesday afternoon. He even changed his Twitter background and profile photo to the show's logo.

Despite the resounding surprise online, it wasn't completely implausible that the "Coming Home" singer would be joining the show. Back in February, ITV reported that they were looking to cast a character named Jack Ross, "male, 25-30. A musician (singer) at an exclusive club in the 20s. He’s black and very handsome. A real man (not a boy) with charm and charisma."

A British actor named Gary Carr was eventually cast in the role, but Diddy has been building a bit of an acting career for himself. In 2011, he appeared in "Hawaii Five-O" as an undercover cop, and last year he turned up in an episode of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" as a healer named Dr. Jinx.

But Diddy himself put the speculation to rest yesterday when he posted a "sneak peek" of his "Downton Abbey," -- which turned out to be a Funny or Die spoof of the popular series titled, "Downton Diddy." In it, the musician is digitally added to various scenes of the show in the role of Lord Willcocks, the new owner of "Downtown Abbey."

"Last week it was reported they cast the first black cast member on 'Downtown Abbey,'" Diddy says in the introduction to the scenes. "The only problem with this is [that] I already broke down that barrier."

Digitally shoehorned into the various scenes, Diddy calls Lady Grantham "bitchy," tells Thomas

Read More »from ‘Downton Diddy’: Rapper stars in Funny or Die spoof of ‘Downton Abbey’

NBC

On May 16, we’ll say a last goodbye to the workers of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company when “The Office” airs its series finale. After nine seasons, it’s going to be a rough night for fans of the mockumentary-style show, but especially for the cast and crew who will now begin new projects. For instance, John Krasinski will be promoting “Monsters University” and Jenna Fischer will make her Broadway debut in “Reasons To Be Happy.”

But to properly say goodbye to the fans, some of the cast and crew made a video to thank them for all their support. Fisher (Pam), Krasinski (Jim), Rainn Wilson (Dwight), David Denman (Roy) and executive producer and writer Michael Shur all sat down and divulged a few behind-the-scenes stories from the last nine seasons of "The Office."

In the video, the cast and crew reveal their favourite episodes and moments over the show, including when Steve Carell won a Golden Globe for playing Michael

Read More »from ‘The Office’ cast says goodbye to their fans after nine seasons

Yahoo! TV/Adam Taylor/ABC

SPOILER ALERT: This recap reveals the elimination results of Week 9 of "Dancing With the Stars."

Read More »from ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Week 9 Results: Who’s Going to the Finals?

Eric Liebowitz/NBC - "The Michael J. Fox Show"

It's safe to say we're speaking for all TV fans when we say we're thrilled to see Michael J. Fox return to NBC this fall with a new sitcom. As thrilled as Alex P. Keaton learning Reagan just got re-elected. (Well, maybe not that thrilled. But close.)

But we do have one lingering concern: How will Fox's on-camera persona be affected by his well-publicized bout with Parkinson's disease -- which forced him to leave his last full-time TV gig, ABC's "Spin City," in 2000?

Well, the first trailer for Fox's new series, "The Michael J. Fox Show," just came out (you can watch it below), and rather than hide from his disease, Fox tackles it head-on with a surprising amount of biting humor. After all, laughter is the best medicine, right?

Fox plays Mike Henry, a TV news reporter who left his job to focus on his health after being diagnosed with Parkinson's. Now he has his family's blessing to jump back into the TV game. But this isn't a gooey, heartwarming schmaltz-fest. In fact, it's clear that Mike's family is more than ready to get him out of the house.

As Mike's wife Annie ("Breaking Bad's" Betsy Brandt) tells the camera, "For twenty years, he's poured everything he had into work. Now he pours it all into us. Yay!" (That "Yay!" is sarcastic, by the way.) When Mike announces he's going back to work, his wife and kids all let out a collective sigh of relief.

Read More »from First Look: Michael J. Fox Makes Parkinson’s a Laughing Matter on His New NBC Sitcom

Cristin Millioti was briefly introduced as the Mother on the season finale of "How I Met Your Mother." (CBS)

What a week for television (and it's only Tuesday)! Atop the "Arrested Development" trailer from yesterday, "How I Met Your Mother" fans have been rewarded with the ultimate prize: The Mother has finally been revealed. After eight seasons, viewers were introduced to "The Girl With the Yellow Umbrella" briefly on Monday's season finale.

Millioti at the 2013 Tony Awards. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

As for who's behind the most-talked about character on the show (literally), put your hands together for 27-year-old Cristin Milioti, who you've probably not really heard of yet.

We say "probably" for a reason: Milioti has a stacked resume, but unless you saw the Broadway musical "Once" (in which she played "Girl," and earned a Tony nomination for), or saw the indie film, "Sleepwalk With Me," you've likely only seen her playing smaller roles in shows like "The Sopranos," "The Good Wife," "Nurse Jackie," and "30

Read More »from ‘How I Met Your Mother’ season finale: The Mother is finally revealed!

We got our first real look at ABC's new series "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

What is it?

The drama is Marvel's first foray into television since signing Joss Whedon to an exclusive deal. The three-year contract has him not only writing and directing "Avengers 2," but also acting as a consultant to the rapidly expanding Marvel onscreen universe. Whedon calls this "a superhero show that isn't about superheroes." Think "Item 47," the 11-minute short from the "Avengers" DVD featuring two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents tracking down a discarded piece of Chitauri technology post-battle.

Watch a clip from "Item 47": 

The name of the hourlong drama, originally known as "S.H.I.E.L.D.," was changed, possibly to avoid confusion with "The Shield" (featuring another Marvel alum, Michael Chiklis) and possibly because "Marvel Comics Presents Joss Whedon's Non-Super-Powered Men and Women of Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate, Featuring Agent Coulson" doesn't fit in a TiVo listing.

Read More »from Watch ABC's Teaser Promo for 'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'

Richard Termine/CTW - The cast of "Sesame Street."Can you tell me how to get, how to get to "Fun Street"?

No, but most children and adults can tell you how to get to"Sesame Street." Now, the people who created the iconic PBS program are sharing the origin story of the street's name.

[Related: 2013 Daytime Emmys: Which Network Scored 50 Nominations?] 

"We went with it because it was the least bad title," says producer Joan Ganz Cooney in the Sesame Street Workshop blog. She says they were under the gun because the press and publicity people "were going nuts. How were they going to promote a show that had no name?"

[Related: Count von Count Celebrates 1 Billion 'Sesame Street' YouTube Views With Musical Number]

Alternate show titles included "The Video Classroom," "1-2-3 Avenue B," and, simply, "Fun Street." Yucky, yuckier, and yuckiest are more like it. "1-2-3" was the strongest contender, according to the blog, but producers worried that it was too New York-centric for mass consumption. Right on, producers.

[Related: 'Sesame Street' takes

Read More »from Who Named 'Sesame Street'?

Associated Press/Chris Pizzello

Every night will be Saturday night.

The "Saturday Night Live" takeover of NBC's late night lineup continues. With Jimmy Fallon leaving "Late Night" to host "The Tonight Show" next year, the network has tapped his former "SNL" castmate Seth Meyers to sit in his chair.

Meyers leaves "SNL" after 12 seasons, eight of which he served as head writer and seven of which he hosted "Weekend Update." He won't have to change bosses, however; Lorne Michaels will be the executive producer of Meyers's "Late Night."

Read More »from Seth Meyers Taking Over ‘Late Night’ From Jimmy Fallon