So, a few weeks ago, I wrote something up on Film.com about this oft-maligned new Thursday night show called Big Shots, which is sort of the male response to Sex and the City, and not at all as bad as a lot of critics make it out to be. In fact, I actually think it’s kind of amusing in a guilty-pleasure kind of way. To be fair, though, I only started tuning in because my friend, actor Ryan Devlin, is a regular guest star on the struggling series. His storyline has really heated up over the last two episodes; so let me fill me you in.

First, a little backstory. Duncan Collinsworth (Dylan McDermott) is a recovering lothario whose plans to get back together with his first wife and true love Lisbeth (Paige Turco) are derailed when a pre-op transsexual hooker’s black book, which lists him as a customer (because he was), falls into the media’s hands and costs him his job as the president of Reveal Cosmetics. While all of this is going down, Duncan discovers his daughter with Lisbeth, Cameron (Peyton List), is not his only child. It seems Mr. Devlin, or rather his character Zack, is the product of a one-night stand with a bartender from Atlantic City named Bullsy. Trust me, it’s a lot funnier than it sounds on paper.

Zack made his first appearance six weeks ago, as mysterious new assistant for Cameron at Reveal. Though it wasn’t until two weeks later, after rebuffing her sexual advances, that he was forced to reveal they shared a mutual father. This was three weeks ago in real-world time, actually, just before ABC pulled Big Shots from the schedule for the all-important November sweeps. It returned last night, but will again vanish from the schedule next week, preempted by a Barbara Walters special, before returning for a ninth and possibly final episode on December 13th. Ryan is unsure about Big Shots’ fate, too, considering how many people seem to think it’s been canceled. Though show star Christopher Titus has insisted it hasn’t been. To be honest, it really makes no sense canceling the show while there are completed episodes in the vaults and, let’s face it, the writers’ strike has left the networks with a dearth of new material.

Anyways, back on topic: Zack was forced by Cameron to reveal to Duncan his real identity, which went a long way to explain why he was kissing up to the boss so much. Duncan, of course, got a DNA test. Conclusive. To show his love for dear old new-dad, Zack went on to totally bang a make-up exec who Duncan, because of how he’s a changed man (Lisbeth’s influence), couldn’t sleep with to seal a deal. Zack, you see, knows that dads want more than a tie for Father’s Day. Last night’s episode threw a wrench in the works, though, as Cameron, noting discrepancies in Zack’s origin story, got a DNA test of her own done. The results were delivered in magical time, this time showing Zack is conclusively not Duncan’s son.

The episode wrapped with Zack, suspecting what Cameron has discovered, demanding his not-sister to open her car door with the insistence of a possibly violent man. I blame this on consulting producer Rob Thomas, who made Ryan a rapist in his last show, Veronica Mars. I don’t get it: Ryan’s a sweet guy. Why does Thomas seem so determined to make every girl he dates in the future think he’s creepily collecting their hair and nail clippings?