by Suzy Winchester

Created on: February 25, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

She loves sports, plays poker and drinks beer from a bottle.

PJ Franklin (Jordana Spiro) sounds like every guy's dream. But as PJ is learning in TBS' (Tuesdays, 10 p.m.) new comedy "My Boys" (more like My Life), many men can't handle a woman who is playing on the same field.

PJ is a sportswriter for the Chicago Sun Times and covers the Cubs for a living. She has a baseball card collection and memorabilia scattered throughout her apartment. Her idea of a good night is having her guy friends, which include Reid Scott, Kyle Howard, Michael Bunin, Jamie Kaler and Jim Gaffigan, over for a night of poker.

These guys have posed a problem in her life, though. PJ has it pointed out to that after a few dates most guys get too jealous of her guy friends and run away.

But she is not the typical female with the bashful eyes and the alluring lips. PJ is a plain, thin woman who typically ties her hair back. She comes with no frills. The closest she gets to girlie is putting on make up when her crush comes to play poker.

Her guy friends treat her as one of the boys and notice she is wearing make up to impress her crush because it's out of character. The great part about PJ is she doesn't need to throw on makeup or wear the cute top to get the guy.

She is funny, smart and enjoys simple pleasures in life. Spiro adds a great zest to the character and her spunkiness leads her to say silly things to her crush. PJ is great around guys when romance isn't involved. But she falls over herself, and anyone else in the way, when she likes someone.

Listening to PJ shows great insight into the world of a female sportswriter. She has worked hard to be a contemporary and not seen as the lone woman in the locker room.

When she gets a gift from an admirer in the press box, she awkwardly accepts it and makes her crush feel weird in the process. However, as she explains to him later, she has worked so hard to get her colleagues to forget she is a woman and a simple gesture can bring it all back.

"My Boys" is unlike other shows on television and PJ is unlike any other character. She is fun and exciting, but her insecurities aren't far from the surface. It's those insecurities, though, that make PJ a lovable person.

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