We've had some interesting repackaging deals for TV comedies to go to basic cable lately, with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia reruns headed to Comedy Central, and 30 Rock reruns to Comedy Central and WGN America. Now comes the strangest of them all: HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm will start airing second-run episodes in February 2010 on the TV Guide Network.

Yes, the channel that tells you what's on the other channels has been slowly de-emphasizing its listings, and focusing more on actual programming, of which Curb will now be a part. I don't know if people realize that you can watch this channel for actual programming yet, or how shows will fare even with smaller versions of listings covering part of the screen. Regardless, this seems like a kind of lame home for the edgy Curb, which has already also been sold into broadcast syndication. The show will move to TV Land once the multi-year TV Guide deal ends, which seems like a slightly better home but is still not quite the right fit. I guess Comedy Central fell asleep on this one.

Photo courtesy of HBO

New receptionist Erin (played by Ellie Kemper) on The Office has become quite the partner in crime for Mindy Kaling's pop culture-obsessed Kelly, and now the two have put together a pop group called Subtle Sexuality, whose music video "Male Prima Donna," along with two short webisodes about its creation, can be watched on the NBC website. It has nothing to do with any particular Office episode, but it's amusing on its own, and features more of Kelly and Ryan's depressingly codependent relationship.

This past week's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia featured Mac and Dennis devising the brilliant novelty item known as the Dick Towel, and now those curious about this useless, crass bathroom accessory can go to its official website for a hilariously pathetic commercial (warning: kind of explicit) and, apparently, the chance to order your very own Dick Towel. If anyone buys one, please illuminate us in the comments.

Photo courtesy of NBC

Things are going pretty well for NBC's acclaimed sitcom 30 Rock (although honestly I've found the current fourth season a little disappointing): This week, 30 Rock star Alec Baldwin and onetime 30 Rock guest star Steve Martin were named as the hosts for this year's Academy Awards (airing March 7, 2010), which is a somewhat odd but intriguing pairing. Oscars producers have been trying to shake things up with their hosting choices, and pairing two actors together who aren't known as a team is certainly an unexpected way to go. Martin has hosted solo before, but will his deadpan style mesh with Baldwin's more over-the-top personality? Will they do comedy bits together, or alternate the spotlight? It'll certainly be interesting to watch (and probably give a big boost in visibility to 30 Rock).

The show could probably use the help in Germany, where it debuted as the flagship show on a new cable network with a 0.0 rating, meaning it pulled in fewer than 5,000 viewers. Granted, the show is already available on DVD and online in Germany, and aired on a fledgling channel still struggling to find an audience, but that still isn't good news for potential worldwide success for the show, which does have a lot of U.S.-specific cultural references and humor.

If Germans like James Franco, maybe they'll be pleased that the increasingly odd actor (who just signed on to a two-month stint on daytime soap General Hospital apparently as part of some performance-art project) will be guest-starring on 30 Rock, playing himself, getting into a publicity-generating manufactured romance with Jane Krakowski's Jenna Maroney. Sounds like just the sort of weird project Franco himself would pursue these days.

Photo courtesy of NBC

In continuing with its tradition of giving every popular stand-up comedian his or her own showcase series for at least one season, Comedy Central has announced that Nick Swardson, perhaps best known to Comedy Central viewers as rollerskating gay prostitute Terry on Reno 911! (he's also a frequent Adam Sandler sidekick), will have his own six-episode sketch series sometime next year. Swardson's stand-up special, Seriously, Who Farted?, premiered on Comedy Central last month, and you can get an idea of his comedy style from that title. The show doesn't really sound like it will have a new approach other than to let Swardson do his thing; whatever happened to building a sketch-comedy show around a group of people? I don't think Comedy Central has had a troupe-based show since the end of Upright Citizens Brigade, and I kind of doubt Swardson will be able to carry a whole series on his own.

Photo courtesy of Comedy Central