LeBlanc on Showtime

LeBlanc on Showtime

NEW YORK — Showtime network says “Friends” alum Matt LeBlanc is returning to TV in a new comedy. LeBlanc will star in “Episodes,” a single-camera series about a husband-and-wife producing team whose witty hit comedy on British TV is turned into a dumbed-down American sitcom starring LeBlanc, who plays himself.

“Episodes” is a send-up of the TV world and LeBlanc’s image as a sitcom veteran.

The show will be a co-production of Showtime and the BBC and will begin shooting a six-episode season in London and Hollywood this winter. It is scheduled to air next year on Showtime and BBC Two.

Hasselbeck to return

NEW YORK — ABC says Elisabeth Hasselbeck will be back on “The View” on Oct. 19. Hasselbeck has been off the daytime talk show since Aug. 7 — two days before she gave birth to her third child, Isaiah Timothy. She’s married to former NFL player Tim Hasselbeck.

Today’s birthdays

Actor Tom Bosley is 82. Actress-singer Julie Andrews is 74. Actor Randy Quaid is 59. Actor Esai Morales is 47. Actor Zach Galifianakis is 40.