William Shatner has a request for CBS regarding the title of his new sitcom, which CBS calls "$#*! My Dad Says" in writing and "(Bleep) My Dad Says" when spoken.

"You know what I wish: I wish they'd call it [expletive]." We can't use the word in this family newspaper blog, but you can probably guess what it is. And if you can't, then go to co-executive producer Justin Halpern's Twitter feed, which is the basis for this new Thursday night comedy.

"You know, I've got grandchildren," continued Shatner, who plays the dad in question.  "I brought up three girls, and they've all got kids. And you say to them, 'Come on, make poo-poo in the toilet.' Eventually, poo-poo becomes [expletive.] The word [expletive] is around us. It's not a terrible term. It' a natural function. Why are we pussyfooting?"

We'd say we agree, but The Times falls more in line with CBS on these matters. 

Shatner, who says he hired a college graduate to do his Twitter typing for him, does like Twitter, it seems. His young employee handles the "mechanics," but Shatner says he is behind the words. He uses it for publicity, to "have conversations and to instigate competition. It's been an exploration. I've had a growing and glowing experience with Twitter."

This has made him excited to do a TV series again, even though he really wasn't looking for a TV job.

"This show was born in a Twitter," he said. "We're all a-twitter. The show's a viral show. In my limited imagination, it's an electronic miracle. It's a show that stems from the culture of now. Not yesterday but now. This is a show that is in front of the curve."

The critics, however, don't seem to be as atwitter.  At least, not by the first version of the pilot CBS has distributed. Jonathan Sadowski has been hired to replace Ryan Devlin as the newly single son who moves in with his dad.

"It really came down to a question of — we feel we have a great concept and a great brand ... and we just wanted it to be perfect," said Executive Producer David Kohan ("Will & Grace"). We wanted the best fit possible. Ryan's great ... but it didn't feel like the right fit to us. That's what we had to make the best impression."

— Maria Elena Fernandez
twitter.com/writerchica

Photo: Will Sasso, William Shatner and Nicole Sullivan on "$#*! My Dad Says." Credit: Ron P. Jaffe / CBS

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