CBS is ‘Armed’ for Wednesday

What would happen if you took a group of “Surreal Life”-level stars and gave them guns?

CBS aims to find out starting this January when the network premieres the new reality show “Armed & Famous” in the Wednesday, 8 p.m. time period.

In “Armed & Fabulous,” Erik Estrada, LaToya Jackson, Jack Osbourne, Jason “Wee-Man” Acuna and Trish Stratus become sworn police officers in Muncie, Indiana. Why? Who knows. The semi-celebrities will go through the necessary training with firearms and hand-to-hand combat. After the training, they get badges, guns and the right to call themselves reserve offices. Paired with veteran officers, they’ll patrol the gritty mean streets of Muncie.

Produced by Tom Forman (“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”), Jeffrey Kramer (“Ally McBeal”) and Michael Braverman (“Jesse Ventura’s America”), “Armed & Fabulous” will premiere Jan. 10 and will air a second original episode the following night at 8 p.m. ET. The show will settle into its regular Wednesday 8 p.m. slot the following week and will presumably stay there until “Jericho” returns from its mid-season hiatus in February.

Writers guild loves NBC, ‘Simpsons’

Want to see good writing on television, particularly among new shows? Turn on NBC.

That, at least, is the opinion of members of the Writers Guild of America, which handed the Peacock the most nominations of any network for its annual television awards. NBC picked up 13 nominations in the entertainment categories, including four of the five nods for best new series: “Friday Night Lights,” “Heroes,” “30 Rock” and “Studio 60” (ABC’s “Ugly Betty” is the fifth).

PBS also earned 13 nominations, thanks mostly to its complete dominance in the documentary categories.

Another NBC show, “The Office,” picked up three nominations, one for best comedy series and two for individual episodes. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” also earned two individual nods. “The Simpsons” earned four of the six spots in the animation category, the most of any entertainment show.

PBS’ investigative series “Frontline” garnered the most nominations of any show, grabbing all five slots in the documentary/current events category. “American Experience” picked up four nominations.

The WGA will hand out its awards on Feb. 11 at ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York.