Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Biography Channel Sees New Biography Episodes; SitcomsOnline Goes Twitter and Facebook!

It was just yesterday we told you that The Biography Channel is working on a 'Three's Company' Biography episode for air soon...now The Biography Channel has announced two new Biography airings for April that are sitcom/TV related! First, on Wednesday (April 1), they will air Biography: 'Diff'rent Strokes' at 10pm ET/PT (with an encore at 2am ET/PT, if you miss it). What do a softcore porn star-turned-armed robber, a rehabilitated coke addict, and a bankrupt 4'8" 40-year-old have in common? They were the child stars of Diff'rent Strokes, the popular NBC/ABC sitcom that aired from the late '70s to the mid '80s. From what happened behind the scenes to what went wrong after the cameras stopped rolling, we'll find out what the gang was really talkin' about when Gary Coleman would ask, "Wha'choo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" Yes, you may think another special on this series? Biography has never done a special on the show itself, so it is all-new, but I wonder if we will learn anything different from the other specials like E! True Hollywood Story? Tune in to find out!
The other all-new Biography episode announced is called Biography: "Teen Heartthrobs" airing Wednesday, April 8 at 10pm ET/PT (encoring 2am ET/PT). For every generation, there are teen heartthrobs: those whose posters line the inside of our lockers and whose faces grace the cover of Tiger Beat. Part of their charm is the promise of a bright future ahead; but for many, that promise is never fulfilled. The teen actors grow old, and we grow up--and grow disinterested. This profile remembers the teen heartthrobs who drove us wild, while also showcasing the lives of those former teen hotties who remain heartthrobs as adults: they may no longer be teenagers, but they're still successful, celebrated, and just plain hot. Featured heartthrobs include: Christina Applegate (Married with Children), Leonardo DiCaprio (Titanic), Jessica Biel (7th Heaven), Alyssa Milano (Who's the Boss?, Charmed), Mario Lopez (Saved by the Bell), and Jessica Alba (Dark Angel).
We will have more on future new Biography episodes related to TV/sitcoms in the future for sure! As for repeats, there are plenty of them airing! Today (March 31), they are encoring stars and shows of the '70s with Biography episodes of Marlo Thomas, Farrah Fawcett, Suzanne Somers, Florence Henderson, The Brady Bunch, and The Wonder Years. Tomorrow (April 1), as Biography gets ready for the all-new 'Diff'rent Strokes' Bio, they will encore '80s related airings and child star problem airings of Dana Plato, Kim Fields, Bill Cosby, Danny Bonaduce, and The Facts of Life.
Other new Biography episodes for April are Rowan Atkinson (April 14, 10pm) and Bruce Springsteen (April 15, 10pm).
View the full schedule of encores and new episodes of TV/sitcom related Biography episodes for April on The Biography Channel.

It's time for another installment of SitcomsOnline.com Interactive! This time we are asking you all to join our Twitter and Facebook Pages! We have created pages for both and want all fans of the website (that includes the blog, DVD reviews, and the message board!) to join in and discuss sitcoms and other topics with other fans and members! On Twitter, you can view our blog and DVD review links and follow us more better. And you can view other Twitter blogs we follow, such as ET, Access Hollywood, Retroality.TV, and TVShowsonDVD.com to easier get your news updates from various sources! Fans who follow us, can create their own blog as well, if they wish! It is a win-win situation! So join us on Twitter!
On Facebook we have a page set up for fans where you can be a fan of SitcomsOnline, and view news stories, post pictures, talk to other members, and so much more. Yes, a Facebook Page for the website SitcomsOnline.com! Now you can talk with friends of SitcomsOnline.com when you're not even on SitcomsOnline! For all fans of the website, members of the message board and staff members! It's all sitcoms, all the time! I know many of you have Facebook and practically live there, so please join us there!
We will now be even easier to find...and spread the word to everyone out there to follow & join our Twitter and Facebook pages! The internet is getting very interactive, isn't it? Let us know what you think of all this on our Twitter and Facebook pages!

Monday, March 30, 2009

Nick at Nite April 2009: Whole Lotta Lopez Week; New Three's Company Features on Retroality.TV Includes News on a Biography Episode

This April on Nick at Nite, there won't be any changes to the regular line-up...but they do have have "a whole lotta George Lopez." Yes, the week of April 6, is "Whole Lotta Lopez" week! From Mon-Thurs that week from 9:00pm-6:00am ET/PT and Friday of that week from 10:00pm-6:00am ET/PT it's non-stop George Lopez, all-night long!
Nick at Nite is bringing you George Lopez for five full nights! Join Nick at Nite for the kind of laughter and excitement as only George can provide. Watch out!
Catch the first 103 episodes of this hilarious show (but not counting holiday episodes, which means Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Super Bowl, and Valentine's Day.) So the following episodes are skipped: 8, 13, 15, 17, 18, 35, 38, 40, 52, 61, 63, 64, 66, 85, 91 (#52 is actually not a holiday episode but the 3D Disneyland episode).
So if you have never seen the show, now is your chance to get in on the action from the beginning! It is quite funny, too. I got this, as George would say. Sabes que, just watch and see yourself!
And coming this May to Nick at Nite will be The Nanny joining the regular schedule. So stay tuned for news on that very soon! But for now view the Nick at Nite April 2009 schedule and highlights.

About ten days ago Chris Mann posted his interview with Three's Company's Joyce DeWitt and also an interview with me...and now Chris has more Three's Company updates! March 2009 is all about Three's Company at Chris' Retroality.TV as Three's Company celebrated 32 years on the air. Chris is labeling all this as the Three's Company 32nd Anniversary Retrospecial!
First up, on his very creative Quit Yer Kitschin' blog section, Chris sums up all of the "Retrospecial" coverage while offering some "extras" about me, Andy Hermann and a person named Ryan Mooney, who wrote a new Internet sitcom pilot called Something About Ryan that's a bit of a contemporary take on Three's Company's comedy of misunderstandings and sexual innuendo, Chris says.
Chris also use this blog entry to break news about a new, in-the-works Biography episode on Three's Company. Believe it or not, Biography has never done a full special on the show, but they have done Biography episodes on John Ritter and Suzanne Somers. We will keep you up to date on this breaking news. It'll likely air on the Biography Channel instead of A&E, as most of the Biography episodes do now.
Chris also pays tribute to John on this blog entry and shares his journey with him where his book Come and Knock on Our Door is concerned (including all the publicity he did and the documentaries that resulted). It is a great story! I urge you to read this creative, informative and interesting blog story!
And that is not all! Remember our good friends Nick Digilo and Andy Hermann of WGN Radio? Chris also interviews them for the Three's Company Retrospecial! If you don't know, Nick is a host of a popular radio show on WGN Radio on weekends and is a big pop-culture fan. Andy is the producer of that show and is a big Three's Company buff. He even does a semi-regular Three's Company Trivia Throwdowns on-air! He is good! I even sent him questions many times, and he has done good. They have interviewed Priscilla Barnes (Terri from Three's Company) and Richard Kline (Larry from Three's Company) on-air on separate occasions, so they were fun to hear! They also did interviews with Chris Mann on-air a few times. Good stuff! You can hear all that on their website, if you missed it. But first be sure to check out the interview Chris does with both Nick and Andy in the Retroality Radio Q&A!
Wow, that's "a whole lotta Company!" We started the blog today with "a whole lotta Lopez" and end with "a whole lotta Company!"

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Week 27 Ratings and Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did

Week 27 numbers (first four nights final averages, Mon-Thurs):

Households: Fox 8.9/13.6; CBS 7.6/12.1; ABC 7.4/11.7; NBC 4.5/7.0; TheCW 1.6/2.4; MNT 0.9/1.4.
Total Viewers: Fox 15.4 million; CBS 12.04 million; ABC 11.56 million; NBC 6.99 million; The CW 2.36 million; MNT 1.37 million.
Adults 18-49: Fox 5.5/14.1; ABC 3.5/9.1; CBS 3.4/9.1; NBC 2.7/7.0; The CW 1.0/2.7; MNT 0.5/1.2.

Analysis: Week 27 again sees a three-way race and could be anyone's game in HH/viewers for the week, with CBS or Fox the likely winner. Through the first four days, Fox is on top in all categories, with CBS in second everywhere, but ABC is 2nd in 18-49, while ABC is a close third in everything else. And NBC is a distant fourth everywhere else.
Last week, CBS won in week 26 in HH/viewers, but Fox once again took 18-49 but by a closer margin, over NCAA-fueled second place CBS. ABC was third in all categories, while NBC was back in a distant fourth of course.
Monday it was all ABC as Dancing with the Stars continues to dominate. ABC aired a two-hour episode of Dancing with the Stars at an impressive 20.34 million, down from the previous week, but dominant. After that, ABC aired a new episode of crime-romance drama Castle doing 9.14 million...down nearly two million from previous week. Not to worry since it all depends o the plot. Tomorrow it should be better with a great story. CBS did decent but the comedies suffered again thanks to Dance. What was even worse was that The Big Bang Theory was preempted for a full-hour of How I Met Your Mother ... an all-new episode at 8pm did only 7.35 million, not good. A repeat followed with 7.01 million. I think this proves, it is not strong enough to anchor an hour. #1 sitcom Two and a Half Men was a repeat this week and did 11.15 million, seems below repeat levels though. A new Rules of Engagement followed and did 9.37 million, down two million week-to-week...not bad since its lead-in was a repeat. At 10pm a new CSI: Miami did 13.67 million, which was up a tad from previous week. Fox started with a repeat of House and did 7.78 million...not bad, next Fox had an all-new 24 doing 10.37 million, down a million from previous week. NBC was next with its sluggish Monday. A new Chuck did 6.16 million. The downfall of Heroes continues as this show did just 6.47 million, it is actually on the bubble for next season now. Medium followed with 6.64 million for a new episode, which is not that great either. The CW was next with a new episode of Gossip Girl doing 2.25 million, down a tad from previous week as ABC Family's season finale of Secret Life nearly doubled it. A new episode of One Tree Hill did 2.40 million... on par really from previous week.
Tuesday all the networks scrambled their line-ups as President Obama had a news conference at 8pm ET. We don't have numbers for the Obama news conference, as they didn't count in the ratings. Fox had to preempt American Idol and went with a House repeat at 9pm instead doing just 4.02 million. CBS moved NCIS to 9pm and did 17.83 million, up two million from previous week at its regular 8pm slot. A new episode of The Mentalist was also moved and aired at 10pm and did a solid 17.62 million, also up over two million from previous week when it aired at its regular 9pm slot. Without a Trace was preempted thanks to Obama. ABC was next and started with Dancing with the Stars: The Results at 9pm doing 16.12 million, as it went up nearly four million from previous week! ABC ended with the season finale of the addicting Primetime: What Would You Do? doing a season high of 7.96 million. NBC was next and had to move the two-hour The Biggest Loser to 9-11pm and it did 9.83 million, up nearly two million from previous week. NBC had to preempt Law & Order: SVU at 10pm. You see, no Idol, and everyone goes up. The CW aired a new episode of Reaper and did a solid 2.7 million, that was a solid improvement from its first airings of the season as there was no Idol... and an encore of 90210 only did 1.0 million, but believe it or not, that was up from previous week. Stop encoring 90210 so much CW!
Wednesday saw you know who dominate. Fox had to air the performance show of American Idol on a special night doing 26.03 million for two-hours. New Fox drama Lie to Me was preempted. CBS started with a special recap episode of Survivor: Tocantins at just 8.07 million, as that was very low...sitcoms Old Christine and Gary Unmarried were preempted. A new episode of Criminal Minds followed and did 14.35 million, up week-to-week. CSI: NY followed with a new showing doing 12.64 million, down a bit from previous week. ABC was next with a new Scrubs and the second episode of Better Off Ted doing 5.27 and 4.6 million...both down from previous week, as they faced Idol this week. A new episode of Lost followed at 9pm doing a below normal 9.04 million as it went up with Idol. A new Life on Mars at 10pm did 5.52 million, which was good enough to improve from previous week once again. The action-packed series finale is this week! Tune in to see a real ending to a series! NBC opened the night with the about to be chopped Chopping Block doing a terrible 2.58 million...down nearly a million from previous week, a new showing of dud Life followed and did just 4.41 million, up actually up a bit from previous week. Law & Order followed at 10pm with a new episode and did 7.33 million, up some week-to-week. The CW was on the map with America's Next Top Model doing a nice 2.87 million, but down a million from previous week as Idol meddled...The CW followed with an encore of...what else...90210 at 750,000 viewers, down a bit from previous week. I wonder if some episodes have been seen 5 times already? This better make this week's episode well over 3 million, as the show finally returns Tuesday with new episodes.
Thursday saw Fox with the win as the results of American Idol aired on a special night. But first...ABC started with the series premiere of In the Motherhood doing 6.7 million, while that sounds not that great, not bad vs. Idol. No Idol this week, so hopefully it can go up. An all-new Samantha Who? on a new night and time did a decent 6.57 million. A new episode of Grey's Anatomy was next and did 16.1 million and a night best 5.6 18-49 rating...what an excellent episode that was! Too bad we have to wait until April 23 for the final batch of episodes of the season. A new episode of Private Practice followed and did 10.12 million at 10pm, up from previous week. CBS preempted the regular Survivor: Tocantis, CSI and Eleventh Hour again with coverage of the NCAA Basketball tournament doing 10.26 million in primetime (8-11pm only), up some from previous week. NBC started with a new episode of My Name is Earl doing just 5.89 million, down from previous week, a repeat of The Office did 4.75 million up a tad from the previous week. A new episode of The Office did 8.65 million, up from previous week and its best in a while. A new showing of 30 Rock followed with 7.17 million, on par really from previous week. A new ER was next and did 10.35 million, up a million week-to-week. Series finale is this week. How will it do? As I said earlier, Fox won this atypical Thursday with Idol results doing a solid 23.1 million, as Fox's Bones had to be preempted yet again. Is this the ugly step-sister for Fox? An all-new Hell's Kitchen followed at 9pm did 10.13 million, obviously up week-to-week with that huge lead-in. Smallville was all-new on The CW and did a solid 3.8 million, up some from previous week, followed by a new Supernatural at 3.13 million, down some from previous week.
Now, as usual final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but CBS won Friday with NCAA Basketball Tournament instead of new episodes of Ghost Whisperer, Flashpoint, NUMBERS. ABC finished second for the night helped by Superanny and 20/20. Sarah Connor Chronicles and the new Dollhouse did terrible for Fox, and NBC was not much better with Friday Night Light. Why is that on the air?
Saturday numbers were above normal again as CBS won with some NCAA March Madness until about 9pm then NCIS repeat and 48 Hours did solid.
Tonight CBS also should win. CBS has a new 60 Minutes and The Amazing Race, followed by Cold Case and The Unit. ABC will have new showings of AFV, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, but not of Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters, but they could still win in 18-49 as EM: HE is two-hours. NBC has Dateline at 7pm, followed by big-time dud Kings, and a two-hour Celebrity Apprentice. Fox has an all-new lineup finally of its animated comedies again...except King of the Hill is preempted. Is that show now done?
As for the week, CBS should win the week in HH/viewers. Fox for sure in 18-49 but CBS will be improved thanks to NCAA. ABC could be second in HH/viewers if Fox falters, but 3rd likely in 18-49 and NBC fourth everywhere. As for the coming week...ABC premieres new comedy-drama Cupid on Tuesday at 10:00pm and the first of the final 12 According to Jim episodes airs in the 8pm hour. Fox airs the variety special Osbournes: Reloaded from 9:20-10pm on Tuesday also. And that's not all for Tuesday, 90210 returns at 9pm with new episodes...and yes it will encore the next night at 9pm...that's the CW for ya! Wednesday will see CBS play April Fool's jokes on I Get That A Lot at 8pm and the series finale of Life on Mars on ABC at 10pm...no foolin'! Probably the pick of the week is the ER series finale on Thursday from 9-11pm, but CBS is not playing around and airing the 200th episode of CSI against it at 9pm & the season (or series?) finale of Eleventh Hour. On Saturday we will find out who the final two teams will be for the NCAA Tournament. And next Sunday its the 44th Annual CMA Awards on CBS.



Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of March 16-22, Week 26)

  • The Simpsons (Fox) - 6.19 million for an all-new episode...seems way below normal again, but as with the previous, up a tad from the previous week.
  • King of the Hill (Fox) 2 episodes - A new episode did 5.5 million...up a smidge from previous week...ad earlier in the night a repeat at 7:30 only did 2.39 million.
  • Family Guy (Fox) - A new episode did 7.34 million, but should be better though...even though it followed the previous two shows by going up a bit week-to-week.
  • American Dad! (Fox) 2 episodes - 5.84 million...down a tad from previous week...so the only one to go down. Earlier in the night a repeat at 7 did just 1.92 million.

Week 27:
Monday Sitcoms

  • The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - preempted...
  • How I Met Your Mother (CBS) 2 episodes - 7.35 million for a new showing at a special time of 8pm was down two million from previous week. This sitcom is no self-starter. A repeat followed in its normal time with 7.01 million.
  • Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 11.15 million for a repeat...below normal.
  • Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 9.37 million for a new episode...down from previous week obviously since its lead-in was a repeat.

Tuesday Sitcoms

  • None.
Wednesday Sitcoms

  • Old Christine (CBS) - preempted.
  • Gary Unmarried (CBS) - preempted.
  • Scrubs (ABC) - New showing did 5.27 million, down some from previous week...thanks to Idol. But blame Obama I guess.
  • Better Off Ted (ABC) - 4.6 million for a new episode...down nearly a million from the premiere. Not good, but hopefully it can rebound this Wednesday with no Idol. Also, the first two repeat this Tuesday from 8-9PM if anyone missed it or if you want to start watching! It's not too late!

Thursday Sitcoms

  • My Name is Earl (NBC) - 5.89 million for a new episode is certainly not good as the wrath of Idol hit.
  • In the Motherhood (ABC) - Series premiere did 6.7 million, which is decent but could have been better if there was no special Idol. Obama, mothers are upset at you!
  • Samantha Who? (ABC) - 6.57 million for the return is decent. Loyal audience.
  • The Office (NBC) 2 episodes - A repeat did 8:30 did an OK 4.75 million and a new episode did 8.65 million ...both up week-to-week.
  • 30 Rock (NBC) - 7.17 million for a new episode...up a bit from previous week.

Friday Sitcoms

  • Everybody Hates Chris (The CW) - A new episode did a prelim 1.81 million...up from previous week's prelim numbers.
  • The Game (The CW) - A new episode did a prelim 2.01 million. Not too bad, up from previous week's prelim numbers.

Saturday Sitcoms

  • None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) are all-new Fox animated comedies from 8-10pm!

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, The Office were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as In the Motherhood, How I Met Your Mother) or just plain old terrible (such as The Office repeat, Better Off Ted).

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Blog DVD Review: The Smurfs - True Blue Friends

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for weekly Blog DVD Reviews! Today we take a look at Warner Home Video's The Smurfs: True Blue Friends. The Smurfs of course is the classic Saturday morning animated series about those little blue people. It is Smurftastic! See my Blog DVD Review of The Smurfs: True Blue Friends:

The Smurfs: True Blue Friends (Warner, $14.98) brings us five episodes from the second season of the classic Saturday morning animated series that lasted nearly a decade on DVD. Handy, Hefty, Grouchy, Brainy, Jokey, Clumsy, Lazy, Dreamy, Smurfette, Papa Smurf and more of your favorite little blue people bring you the greatest show on Smurf are all back in more fun adventures. For some reason they are going away from the season sets that of The Smurfs, to a single disc set of five episodes. The Smurfs, home of the powder-blue pixies who have a way with words and have way-out adventures as they come face to face with Gargamel, a marsh monster, and an evil potion maker!
The previous two sets was a season set of the first season, split into two volumes. But for some reason now they are going with just a one-disc set with five episodes from season two. It doesn't make sense to me, since the second season has even more episodes than the first season! Anyway, the episodes we get on this set are "S-Shivering S-Smurfs," "Turncoat Smurf," "The Smurf Who Couldn't Say No," "The Haunted Castle," and "The Black Hellebore." They are not even in any order it seems...just five randomly picked episodes from season two. Come on Warner!
Let's now move on to the packaging. We have a very thin keep case. The front cover sees a big mushroom with Papa Smurf and some of the other Smurfs around it. The title of the show is on the top, with a mention below that that this "True Blue Friends." To the back of the case we go, we get a nice synopsis of the series, along with details on the "5 Cartoons" and "Enchanting Extra." We see three Smurfs, including Smurfette in the green grass as the evil Gargamel is watching. When we open the case, on the right side we see the disc. The disc is in a red background with four Smurf characters. Compared to the first season sets, this is very cheap.
The menu screens are very nice. We see the land of Smurf in the background with Azrael the cat watching. It is very colorful. The catchy theme is playing in the background. Auto trailer for not pirating DVDs starts off the disc before the main menu comes, along with trailers for Snoopy's Reunion and Scooby Doo. Options for the main menu are: Play, Episodes, Special Features, and Languages. A flower is out selector. Languages has an option to turn on English or French subtitles. Episodes have a list of episodes obviously. And Special Features list the one featurette and Trailers for other Warner Home Video sets like the Charlie Brown Holiday Collection.
The video and audio is OK...it is not as good as the first season sets to me. They have cheapened this set. The packaging doesn't state that the episodes are remastered like they were with the first season sets. I am very disappointed, since the first season sets were remastered. One good thing they have added on this set are chapter stops. At least they added that. The first two episodes on this set are mini episodes (as some Smurfs half-hours had two stories per episode) that run 13:48 with 3 chapter stops. The last three on this set are full episodes that run 24:04, 25:39, and 25:33 with 5 chapter stops. You know on the first season, volume two review, I said season two should be on one set...but they have made it worse now. They should go back to the splitting of the season into two volumes. That is certainly better than this!
As for special features, we get the "Meet the Smurfs!" Basically this is a character profile of a Smurf. We get three of them. Papa Smurf (1:27), Grouchy (1:00) and Tracker (1:17). You select each character to view their profile. Next to Papa Smurf, there is a green bag. Looks like that is an Easter egg, because if you select that, you get "Smurfy Storyboards: Gormandizing Greedy." It runs 2:19. And of course we get Trailers for other Warner Home Video DVDs.
I am not sure if I do recommend this set for any Smurfs fan. The set is not Smurftastic, as the first season sets. I hope they are just marketing this for non-fans or casual fans and continue with the season sets soon. Because this is not good to give a popular show that has many episodes and ran 9 long seasons a one-disc set. The special features are not as good either. I wasn't too pleased with the episode situation being split in two volumes, but now I will take that back in a heartbeat. The episodes on this set are of course great but don't look great, especially "The Smurf Who Couldn't Say No," that looks terrible in video. I hope the full season two is out very soon and we get it all in one shot rather than two volumes...but I'll take two volumes anyway over this one-disc crap. They better Smurf to it and get the job done. Anyway, any die-hard would click below to order this DVD, if you haven't already. So Smurf to it!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(3/5 stars)

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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
The Smurfs TV.com Page
The Smurfs Official Page

Friday, March 27, 2009

WGN America Adds Marathons, More Spring Changes; Fox Summer 2009 Schedule; NBC Chops Chopping Block from Schedule

Two weeks ago we gave you the WGN America's spring 2009 line-up, but now there are some changes and additions! First, I want to give you the marathons they have added. The first marathon is an afternoon marathon of Matlock on Sunday, April 5 from 1pm-5pm ET, yes four episodes of Ben Matlock representing clients. Then the following Sunday on Sunday, April 12 from 1pm-5pm will be In the Heat of the Night. For this event, we get two episodes followed by a 1995 TV-movie called In the Heat of the Night: Grow Old Along with Me (1995). The next marathon is a primetime launch of the classic animated series The Bullwinkle Show! The marathon will be Friday, April 17 from 8-10pm ET (5-7pm PT). As we mentioned last time, the series will regularly air Saturdays at 12am ET (9pm PT) starting April 18. Great to see this series back on national TV! The four episode marathon will be the first four parts of the story arc "Wossamotta U" from the fifth season. The regular airings will start with the second season episode "Rue Britannia, Part 1." The final marathon they have scheduled so far is probably the best one because it is for a show that doesn't air on the regular schedule! On Sunday, April 19 during the classic block "Outta Sight Retro Night" hours we will get The Munsters! Yes, from 5pm-10pm and 11pm-2am ET. WGN America will preempt Cosby Show, ALF, WKRP, Newhart, Honeymooners, Bewitched, Jeannie, and Hillbillies for one night for Herman Munster and gang! The last time the series aired on WGN America was for a Halloween marathon. Check out the episode schedule for this marathon!
As for the regular changes starting week of April 13, what we gave you before it pretty much right...but there are a few changes now. The weeknights at 1am ET hour will no longer be a rotating wheel. We will now get Star Trek: The Next Generation (except Thursday nights is still the delayed Scrubs airings). Four nights a week of Star Trek: TNG, so the Tuesday primetime airings will be replaced by movies or baseball games now. The only other changes are to late nights. Tuesday late nights from 4am-5:30am ET will now be Moesha instead of a second night of Corner Gas. But as of now, when Moesha leaves at the end of June (looks like it is expiring), the second night of Corner Gas will return in July. Replacing the Thursday airing of Moesha at 5am ET starting the week of April 13 will be Reno 911. Since Reno 911 will be replaced at 1am hour, the airings will be moved to Friday late nights from 4am-5:30am ET replacing Funniest Pets & People. And the fifth airing of Reno 911 is still Sundays at 5am ET. As I said, July will see more late night changes. Sister, Sister will also be removed after June as well it seems. Because its Wednesday 4am-5:30am ET block will be replaced by Funniest Pets & People starting in July. Thursdays and Fridays in July will see a bit of a change, too...4-5am ET will be Reno 911 and 5am ET will be Funniest Pets & People. Why the change? Because new reality series Around the World for Free concludes at the end of June, so the Bob & Tom Show encore won't air at 4am ET on Thursdays anymore. I know...confusing. That's all we have for now. Stay tuned for more WGN America news, since we were told to expect more sitcom marathons in the summer and possibly new shows on Sunday nights in the fall!

Fox's summer 2009 season begins this May with season five of So You Think You Can Dance and the premiere of new medical drama Mental. Fan-favorites heat up the summer with the next installment of culinary competition Hell's Kitchen and all-new episodes of Don't Forget the Lyrics!, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?, Cops and America's Most Wanted.
So You Think You Can Dance kicks off with a two-night, four-hour premiere Thursday, May 21 and Wednesday, May 27 both from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT. Once the auditions conclude, weekly performance shows will air Wednesdays from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT, and weekly results shows will air Thursdays from 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT.
Mental will debut Friday, May 22 at 9:00PM ET/PT. The series follows Dr. Jack Gallagher (Chris Vance), a dynamic, young psychiatrist who serves as Director of Mental Health Services at a Los Angeles hospital. Leading into Mental, will be the return of Don't Forget the Lyrics! as it returns to lock-in the lyrics with all-new episodes starting Friday, May 22 at 8:00 PM ET/PT.
Then six weeks later, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? heads back to the classroom for summer session and all-new episodes starting Friday, July 3 at 8:00PM ET/PT.
The summer gets even hotter when the next installment of Hell's Kitchen kicks off with a special two-hour premiere Tuesday, July 21 from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT. The intensity continues Tuesdays beginning July 28 in its regular hour of 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT as Chef Gordon Ramsay narrows down the field of competing chefs until only one remains standing in the kitchen.
Finally, Cops and AMW will be new all summer long on Saturdays. And as previously announced, Teen Choice 2009, the annual special that celebrates the year's hottest teen icons in film, television, music, sports and fashion, will air Monday, August 10 from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT.

NBC has chopped its last meal for Chopping Block. NBC has pulled the Wednesday at 8pm cooking-reality competition series from the schedule after just three airings. The series has gone down in the ratings in each episode and was pulled after just a 1.8 HH rating and just 2.58 million viewers. Those are Saturday numbers! The show will be replaced by repeats of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, which was scheduled to air repeats starting April 29, so it is coming 5 weeks earlier than planned. No, these will not be the new season of Criminal Intent, that starts on NBC in June on Mondays. But USA Network will air the new season first starting April 19.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

According to Jim Return Delayed To April 14; ION Television Upfront 2009

Earlier this month we told you that According to Jim returns to ABC with its final 12 episodes starting March 24, but then President Obama scheduled a news conference during that time, thus delaying Jim's return. So it was assumed According to Jim would return the following week (March 31), but as we first broke the news a few days ago on our message board, that is not the case. According to Jim will now return Tuesday, April 14 with back-to-back episodes for six straight weeks, giving it its final 12 episodes. So if that all goes well, the series finale is now May 19 instead of the originally planned May 5. As we have seen, things change, so keep checking back with us. You ever know, ABC might schedule two episodes on another night (Friday?) to finish earlier, say May 12.
So why didn't ABC return Jim next week (March 31)? It wouldn't have made sense to launch it that week and then have to preempt it the following week, as ABC had already scheduled It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown for April 7. So instead, on March 31, we get encores of the first two episodes of the hilarious new sitcom Better Off Ted! So if you have missed those two episodes, you need to watch on that night!

Underscoring its commitment to build its primetime programming schedule, ION Television announced plans to develop and produce 12 original films a year, with the first film set to premiere in fourth quarter 2009. It was announced yesterday at ION Television's Upfront presentation.
ION Television plans to commission originally produced films and offer integrated marketing opportunities to advertisers who seek an alternative and expanded way to reach the consumer. Genres being explored include drama, romance, thriller, action and holiday -- all of which will be created to appeal to the broad based general entertainment audience that ION Television continues to attract. These films will complement the ION Television's growing library of blockbuster and critically acclaimed films from the major movie studios.
The announcement reinforces ION Television's strategy of expanding its programming mix through a strong combination of quality major network TV series, as well as signature originals produced specifically for ION Television. These films will join a line-up that includes the previously announced off network series Ghost Whisperer and Criminal Minds and the new original acquired series Durham County, The Guard and The Border. New programming will begin roll out on ION Television starting this fall. Ghost Whisperer, Criminal Minds, and Durham County are expected to launch first and air back-to-back-to-back.
ION Television has garnered major increases in primetime viewership among adults 25-54 since the launch of its re-branding campaign last fall. The dramatic growth in ratings includes a 30% increase among adults 25-54 in primetime (2008-09 season to date vs. 2007-08 season to date). Primetime household viewership for the same period was up 16%.
ION Television will also remove up to two more hours a day of paid programming on weekdays. We will have more on that and ION's Fall 2009 schedule soon. Keep checking back. Wonder if ION will start at 2pm now on weekdays or end two hours later after 12am since two hours of Paid will be removed? Currently on weekdays, the network programs from 4pm-11pm. 2pm-11pm or 4pm-1am sounds good!


As for tonight, tune in for the series premiere of comedy In the Motherhood and the return of Samantha Who? all starting tonight at 8/7 central on ABC!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

ABC Mid-Season Pilot Review: In the Motherhood - Premieres March 26; Short-Lived Dramas Comes to DIRECTV; Fox Note

In the Motherhood

In the Motherhood - Thursdays 8:00PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres Thursday, March 26, 2009 at 8:00PM ET/PT

Megan Mullally (Will & Grace) and Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm) come to ABC in the new comedy In the Motherhood, which takes a look at the importance of family and friends while trying to juggle motherhood, work and love lives in an overly complicated modern world.
The story focuses on Rosemary (Mullally), Jane (Hines) and Emily (Jessica St. Clair), who represent mothers we all know. Rosemary is a free-wheeling mom who plays it fast and loose when it comes to parenting her teenaged son, Syd. Married numerous times, but currently single, Rosemary lives by her own rules. Much to the amazement of the other moms, her nontraditional parenting style has yielded a son much more responsible than she. Rosemary's best friend, Jane, is a recently divorced working mother of a pre-teen, Annie, and a baby girl, Sophie, who is just trying to keep her career and home afloat. Having just returned to work after giving birth eight months ago, Jane struggles to find a happy balance - lucky for her she has her "manny," Horatio (Horatio Sanz, Saturday Night Live), to help out. Jane's younger sister, Emily, sees herself as the model stay-at-home-super-mom for her two young children, Esther and Bill. Emily's home is a work of art, and her kids are polite and sweet-everything has its place in her world. Married to Jason (RonReaco Lee), Emily takes parenting as seriously as any mother could.
As for the men in their lives, Horatio, Jane's "manny," communicates with Jane's infant daughter through sign language and believes the baby is the only person who really "gets" him. He's a good-hearted lug who is also much more than a babysitter to the three ladies. Then there's Jason, Emily's husband, who is the uptight breadwinner, ready at any given moment to open a vein for his family. He likes his food to be organic and his wife, home and children at the top of their class. Basically he's an ulcer waiting to happen.


Cast Details:

* Cheryl Hines as Jane
* Jessica St. Clair as Emily
* Horatio Sanz as Horatio
* RonReaco Lee as Jason
* Megan Mullally as Rosemary

Cheryl Hines (Jane) is a two-time Emmy nominee for her role as Cheryl David on HBO's Golden Globe Award-winning series, Curb Your Enthusiasm. She is also establishing herself as one of Hollywood's most sought after film actresses with starring roles in a number of critically acclaimed feature films and box office hits. This past summer she was the female lead in the animated comedy Space Chimps, with Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg, and she co-starred in the Sundance hit, Henry Poole Was Here, opposite Luke Wilson, Adriana Barraza and Radha Mitchell. Hines has a number of feature films scheduled for release in 2009, including the the romantic comedy Labor Pains, directed by Lara Shapiro and co-starring Lindsay Lohan, Chris Parnell, Luke Kirby and Connie Britton and The Ugly Truth, directed by Robert Luketic and co-starring opposite Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. She recently completed production on her feature film directorial debut with the indie, Serious Moonlight, with Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton, from a screenplay written by the late Adrienne Shelly.

Jessica St. Clair (Emily) got her start as a comedian and writer at New York's Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, where she performed in several critically acclaimed stage shows co-written with Jason Mantzoukas. Called "the next Nichols and May" by Daily Variety in their "Ten to Watch" list in 2003, their shows were a hit at HBO's Aspen Comedy Festival and were later developed into pilots for both HBO and Comedy Central. St. Clair is currently developing a pilot for HBO with fellow UCB alum Lennon Parham. St. Clair had a recurring role on the comedy Worst Week and can be seen later this spring in the new Showtime series The United States of Tara. She will also be featured in the upcoming feature film She's Out of My League. Other credits include Christopher Guest's For Your Consideration, guest starring roles on ABC's Samantha Who? and Notes from the Underbelly, and Comedy Central's The Showbiz Show with David Spade. She is also a regular panelist on VH1's Best Week Ever.

Horatio Sanz (Horatio the "Manny") was born in Santiago, Chile, and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he honed his craft in his hometown both as a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade and company member of Chicago's legendary Second City. When he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live at the beginning of the 24th season, Sanz became the long-running sketch comedy show's first Latino cast member. After only one season, he was promoted from featured player to full cast member. On the show, he made his mark with original characters ranging from pothead Gobi in "Jarret's Room" to A/V teacher Mr. Banglian on "Wake Up, Wakefield" and "Uncle Rick" to Amy Poehler's "Kaitlin." Popular celebrity impersonations ranged from Aaron Neville and Ozzy Osbourne to the Axis of Evil's Saddam Hussein and Kim Jong Il.

RonReaco Lee (Jason, Emily's husband) is best-known for his role as mechanic Tyreke "Ty" Scott on the popular television series, Sister, Sister. He has also had recurring roles followed on The Shield, ER, Girlfriends, Committed and All About the Andersons. Guest starring roles include Monk, Boston Public, Moesha and Home Improvement. He most recently had a recurring role on the comedy Worst Week.

Megan Mullally (Rosemary) is best known for her two-time Emmy and four-time SAG Award-winning role as Karen Walker on Will & Grace. Making her television series debut in 1986 with Elaine Stritch and Ellen Burstyn on The Ellen Burstyn Show, she has since appeared as Stanley Tucci's wife in Paul Mazursky's award-winning HBO bio-pic, Winchell, starred opposite Juliet Stevenson in Lifetime's The Pact, and recently guest starred on the 2008-09 season premiere of 30 Rock, episodes of The New Adventures of Old Christine and Boston Legal. She has also hosted her own syndicated daytime talk show, The Megan Mullally Show. On the big screen, Mullally appeared in Anywhere But Here, with Susan Sarandon, and starred in Marc Forster's Everything Put Together -- an entry in the 2000 Sundance Film Festival's main competition. She recently completed production on a remake of the 1980 film, Fame. Other feature film credits include Stealing Harvard, Speaking of Sex and Rebound.


Pilot Plot:

I received the first two episodes airing for review. So, I will base my thoughts on the show on these two.

#1 (Prod #101) "It Takes a Village Idiot" (Airs March 26)
Jane is finally back in the dating pool after a long, dry spell but afraid that she won't remember all of the romantic basics of courtship. Meanwhile, Rosemary discovers the special attention and perks that pregnant ladies are afforded and passes herself off as one -- with Horatio in on the ruse -- and Emily finds that honesty is not always the best policy when she decides to share the truth about certain childhood myths with her preschooler son.
Guest starring are Charlotte Foley as Annie, Sayeed Shahidi as Bill, Yara Shahidi as Esther, Tiffany Haddish as Teddy, Ken Marino as Shep, Tig Notaro as Rhoda, Rachel Harris as Blair, Annie Mumolo as person no. 1 in coffee place, Bob Rumnock as man from another table, June Diane Raphael as Liz, Keri Shahidi as Alexis, Meredith Roberts as Hadley, Sacheen Padilla as BJ, Jeff Snyder as person no. 2 in coffee line and Steve Little as guard one.
"It Takes a Village Idiot" was written by Jennifer Konner & Alexandra Rushfield and directed by Richard Shepard.

#2 (Prod #103) "Vacation" (Airs April 2)
Jane's vacation week alone with baby Sophie turns out to be anything but relaxing, Rosemary tries to unionize Horatio's fellow nannies to help them get the perks they deserve, and Emily and Jason's "stay-cation" at home gets a thumbs-down from their kids.
Guest starring are Charlotte Foley as Annie, Sayeed Shahidi as Bill, Yari Shahidi as Esther, Rachael Harris as Blair, Leslie Grossman as Maggie, Soledad St. Hilaire as Eugenia, Sarah Baker as Doris and Abby Miller as Abby.
"Vacation" was written by Paul Corrigan & Brad Walsh and directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller.


Analysis:

Decent start for the show. It is clearly more mainstream than quirky & niche, so that should help this show. It certainly is not funnier than Better Off Ted in its lines, but the show is still funny in a more traditional way, even though this is single camera. ABC originally had the episode "Vacation" set-up to air first, but after Obama announced he was having a news conference on Tuesday, that forced Fox to move American Idol from Tues-Wed of this week to Wed-Thurs this week, now going head-to-head with In the Motherhood's premiere. So then ABC switched episodes. This series doesn't rely on previous storlylines from previous episodes, so it works and any episode can air first really. Both episodes I saw set up the characters well and you'll know who is who. The second one airing is clearly the better episode, I think. Maybe that is why ABC moved it to the second week, so it doesn't have to face Idol? Hopefully the premiere tomorrow gets a good sampling and does even better the following week because viewers need to give it more than just one episode.

As for the show itself, it isn't quite there yet for me...but it has great potential. It really fits Samantha Who's style, so they should work well with each other. As I said, the second episode airing is the better episode...so please stick around. Quick recap, we have three main stars. Jane is the main character. She has a sister named Emily. And a best friend named Rosemary. They are all mothers. Jane is divorced and has a preteen daughter and a baby. Emily is happily married (to a black man) and has two young children. And Rosemary has been divorced many times and has a teenaged son...who I have not seen yet in these episodes. To help Jane with the baby, she has a "manny" named Horatio. He seems to be friends (or a lover?) to Rosemary. That isn't really explained yet. All the characters are likeable and in the first two episodes they all have their own subplots but appear with each other as well. Rosemary has the craziest plots. In the first one airing, she fakes being pregnant to get free stuff. And in the second episode she brings all nannies together to go on strike. She certainly is the funniest, but she isn't being a "mother" per say here. Maybe in future episodes we will see that, as we haven't seen her teenaged son yet. Emily has the most traditional family, even though she has an interracial marriage. She certainly is the youngest of the three mothers, and the hottest, but she starts off very slow in her delivery...but gets better by episode two.

Jane and the "manny" have good chemistry, but perhaps not better than Rosemary and the "manny." There was a great Who's the Boss? joke with Jane and the "manny." It's been playing in clips on promos, so it has been seen. The supporting players are all good. The "manny," Emily's husband, the kids, and Jane's boss played by the great Rachel Harris. She is always hilarious in anything. She probably was the best thing about the sitcom Notes from the Underbelly.


Conclusion:

This series is based on the internet series of the same name (and that starred Leah Remini, Jenny McCarthy and Chelsea Handler). I've never watched those, but they have been higly touted. So I think this will work. I'm sure all mothers or parents can relate to this and will tune in. I'm neither and even I liked it. There is just something missing for me, but I do see great future potential here. It is said that real-life stories are put into this. So that is very good to hear and parents may want to watch. There is something here for all kinds of moms/parents: a divorced mom looking for love, interracial marriage, raising children, raising a teenager, raising a baby, and an entire family. I'm sure I'm missing something, too. In future episodes, you'll see Stacy Keibler on a TV show the moms watch. Cannot wait for that!

So if you're a parent/mom, check this show out. Don't just watch the premiere and that's it...give it a chance. I didn't think the first one airing was that good, but the second one is better and future plotlines sound even better. Fans need to be more patient with TV shows these days, especially sitcoms. So stick around for a few episodes, you might like it. As of now, only 6 of the 13 produced are airing...so give it a fair chance. If you've watched the internet series, then for sure tune in here to compare. So have you ever locked yourself outside the house with the baby inside? Or have gone on a vacation at home and called it a "staycation?" Then you'll want to tune in here! They're glamourous...but their moms!


Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 4/5
Funniness: 4/5
Overall: 3.5/5

-- Reviewed by pavanbadal on 03/25/09

Discuss the show after you watch it on Thursday, March 26 on our message board.

Related Links:

  • ABC.com Official Site
  • TV.com
  • epguides.com
  • Internet Movie Database
  • Wikipedia
  • In the Motherhood Photo Gallery


    DIRECTV champions quality television programming once again and inks a rare deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution to bring three critically acclaimed drama series back to television via DIRECTV's 101 Network Wednesday lineup.
    Smith, The Nine and Eyes will return to primetime with never-before-seen episodes, commercial-free and in HD, only on DIRECTV's 101 Network and DIRECTV on DEMAND.
    Beginning Wednesday, April 8 (10 p.m. ET/PT), Smith the action-adventure crime drama starring Emmy winner Ray Liotta, Academy Award nominee Virginia Madsen, Golden Globe nominee Simon Baker, Jonny Lee Miller, Amy Smart, Franky G., Chris Bauer and Academy Award nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo will return with seven episodes, including four never-before-seen episodes.
    The Nine will premiere on Wednesday, May 27 (10 p.m. ET/PT), a week after the season finale of Smith. The Nine is the compelling drama series that delves into the lives of nine people who forge a common bond when they live through a 52-hour hostage standoff during a bank robbery. The series will return with 13 episodes, including four that were never broadcast. The Nine stars Lourdes Benedicto, John Billingsley, Jessica Collins, Emmy nominee Tim Daly, Dana Davis, Camille Guaty, Chi McBride, Kim Raver, Scott Wolf and Owain Yeoman.
    Eyes will join The 101's Wednesday summer lineup as the lead-in to The Nine, beginning in July (9 p.m. ET/PT). The one-hour detective drama stars Tim Daly as Harlan Judd, owner of Judd Risk Management, a 21st century private investigation firm that makes clients' problems go away quickly and quietly while operating at the absolute fringe of the law. So that means two Tim Daly shows will air back-to-back! Created and executive produced by John McNamara, the series will return with 12 episodes, including seven that have never been seen before. Eyes also stars Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, A.J. Langer, Laura Leighton, Ugly Betty's Eric Mabius, Rick Worthy and Natalie Zea. Smith and The Nine originally aired in fall 2006 on CBS and ABC, respectively. Eyes originally aired on ABC in spring 2005. DIRECTV's 101 Network is the only place viewers will be able to catch these shows in their entiretycommercial-free and in HD.

    Fox adds a second season of Kitchen Nightmares to its menu of unscripted series starring famed chef Gordon Ramsay. In Kitchen Nightmares, Ramsay steps out of his own five-star establishments and into some of the country's most unsuccessful restaurants to help turn them around or close their doors forever. It aired until this January on Thursdays on Fox, and is expected to return sometime this summer for more episodes.
  • Tuesday, March 24, 2009

    TV Land May 2009 Highlights, TV Land Awards Honorees; George Lopez Talk Show Coming to TBS in November

    For May 2009 on TV Land we really don't get any schedule changes, but the schedule seems more consistent, especially from 10pm-6am now. Airing from 10pm-12am will be The Andy Griffith Show (Mon); The Cosby Show (Tues); The Cougar (Wed); The Jeffersons (Thurs) and TV Land PRIME Movie (Fri). Usually from 12-6am we will get back-to-back episodes of sitcoms 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Cosby Show, Sanford & Son, The Jeffersons, Good Times, and M*A*S*H. Nothing else really is different.
    As for stunts, viewers get to spend some time with Mom and "The Cos" just in time for Mother's Day when TV Land PRIME gives moms everywhere the nite off on Thursday, May 7 from 9pm-1am! PRIME presents a special Cosby Show marathon salute to Mom with episodes that feature Cliff struggling to entertain the kids and keep the household in order as he indulges his wife Clair with some well deserved time away from Huxtable family mayhem.
    The eight-episode original series The Cougar starring Stacey Anderson, a stunning 40-year-old successful realtor from Scottsdale, Arizona, continues Wednesdays at 10pm on TV Land PRIME.
    On Memorial Day (Monday, May 25), it's been six weeks since single sophisticated cougar Stacey embarked on her prowl to find her perfect cub. Prior to the season finale and Stacey's final pick on Wednesday, June 3, come relive all of the romance, laughs, tears and heartbreaks with a marathon of the first six episodes of The Cougar. Tune in to see additional footage and dramatic deleted scenes as well as get an inside scoop on what everyone from Stacey to Vivica to the guys were really thinking.
    TV Land PRIME movies for the month are Witches of Eastwick, Patriot Games, The Fugitive, and The Twilight Zone. Risky Business gets some weekend place and on Memorial Day.
    View the full TV Land May 2009 schedule (with a generic schedule and also adjustments).
    As for the honorees for this year's TV Land Awards, TV Land announced today that it will pay tribute to M*A*S*H, Married with Children, Home Improvement, Magnum P.I., Knots Landing and Two and a Half Men at the 7th Annual TV Land Awards. Hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, the two-hour show will tape on Sunday, April 19, at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City and will air on TV Land during a special presentation of TV Land PRIME on Sunday, April 26th at 8PM ET/PT.
    All of this year's honorees are cultural icons representing a cross-section of classic and modern television that viewers love. The Legacy of Laughter Award will be presented to television actress and Seinfeld alum Julia Louis-Dreyfus. M*A*S*H will be honored with the Impact Award. The Innovator Award will be given to the unconventional Fox sitcom Married with Children, as we mentioned yesterday TV Land will showcase six classic episodes in honor of this on Thursday, April 23 from 9pm-12am. The classic CBS primetime soap opera Knots Landing celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and will be recognized for its place in television history. The Fan Favorite Award will be presented to Home Improvement, and the action drama Magnum P.I., which launched the career of Tom Selleck as a leading actor, will be bestowed with the Hero Award. Finally, the hit sitcom Two and a Half Men will be awarded the Future Classic Award.
    View more details on this year's honorees!

    The late-night landscape is about to shift when comedian and actor George Lopez headlines a new talk show for TBS. The program, from 2.2 Productions, paraMedia Inc. and Telepictures Productions, in association with Warner Horizon Television, will bring the excitement back to late night with an outdoor street-party atmosphere and a high-energy crowd. The fun will include visits from celebrity guests, live music and comedy acts and the benefit of George's own flair and personality. Lopez and Jim Paratore (Warner's The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Bonnie Hunt Show) serve as the executive producers for the not-yet-titled series, which will air on TBS Mondays-Thursdays at 11 p.m. (ET/PT), beginning in November 2009.
    While high-energy, Lopez's new series will feature a casual environment that invites guests to engage fully with the crowd, giving audience members the chance to interact with the guests, ask questions and walk away feeling as though they've experienced something new. The new talk show represents Lopez's return to series television after co-creating, writing, producing and starring in Warner Bros. Television's groundbreaking hit sitcom George Lopez, which ran for six seasons on ABC. George Lopez remains a hit with viewers in syndication on both broadcast stations and cable's Nick at Nite, ranking as one of the top-rated shows on the network and among the top five comedies and top 20 weekly programs in syndication. George Lopez is one of only four off-net comedies to post weekly ratings gains among households from the 2007–08 to 2008–09 season.
    Lopez continues to work steadily and his most recent film credits include the box-office hit Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Swing Vote, Henry Poole Is Here and Balls of Fury. He will next be seen starring opposite Jackie Chan in The Spy Next Door and Mr. Troop Mom, with Jane Lynch. In August, Lopez will film his second HBO Comedy Special, Tall, Dark and Chicano.

    Monday, March 23, 2009

    TV One Adds South Central, Removes 'Mama' Marathon; TV Land Adds Married with Children Marathon for April

    We gave you TV One April 2009 highlights already, which included the That's My Mama! Easter marathon, but now some changes will occur. And the Mama! Easter marathon has been pulled. Instead TV One will air the six-hour miniseries Alexs Haley's Queen starring Halle Berry. No word if the That's My Mama marathon will be rescheduled, but something tells me maybe for Mother's Day? We should have TV One May 2009 soon, so we will let you now if that is the case.
    As for regular schedule changes, beginning on Saturday, April 4, the TV One Saturday night lineup has changed in the 10pm and 10:30pm timeslots and will now air the critically acclaimed short-lived comedy-drama series South Central, a serio-comic show about the struggles of a family residing in South Central Los Angeles, to the Saturday nights. Joan Mosely, an independent-minded single mother, must find a way to make ends meet while still keeping a close eye on her teenage children, Andre and Tasha. The series stars Tina Lifford, Larenze Tate, and Jennifer Lopez. The series aired last month in a marathon block and it looks like it di well for TV One!
    Then beginning on Saturday, April 11, the serio-comic series South Central has also been added to the TV One Saturday morning comedy block in the 10am and 10:30am timeslots. The Saturday morning lineup will now air as follows: back-to-back episodes each of All About the Andersons, The PJs, All of Us, Good Times, South Central and Sanford & Son all from 6am-12pm. So this means short-lived comedy Where I Live has been removed from the TV One schedule. Its last airings are April 4 from 7-8am.
    Originally on Sunday, April 19 at 5pm was supposed to be an encore of TV One's original special Living Single: The Reunion Show, which reunites the cast of the long running sitcom Living Single for a trip down memory lane including backstage gossip, set secrets, guest star tales, and bloopers for a night of fun and fond memories, but now has been rescheduled for 10pm and 2am that night. The show also has an additional encore airing on Friday, May 1 at 12am.
    Finally, on Saturday April, 25 from 8pm to 10pm to conclude the "Good Times Favorite Episodes" 24-hour mega-thon, TV One airs viewers choice episodes of the sitcom Good Times which are episodes viewers picked as their favorite on the TV One website. So now the marathon is two more extra hours...26 to be exact!

    TV Land has also done some editing to their April line-up! The biggest change to the schedule is an addition of a Married...with Children marathon! Yes, Al Bundy on TV Land for one-night only on Thursday, April 23 from 9pm-12am on TV Land PRIME! This is all in anticipation of the cast reunion during the 2009 TV Land Awards on Sunday, April 26, TV Land is offering viewers 6 of the most popular episodes from this outrageous series. If you're wondering how TV Land is airing this series, well because sister station Spike TV airs the show, so TV Land is borrowing it for one night. It looks to be a good love and marriage for TV Land!
    Speaking of the 2009 TV Land Awards, the show will now start at 8pm ET/PT instead of 9pm.
    As for other changes, TV Land will not have CSI: NY in April on Thursday nights. It was only for March. Instead we will have The Jeffersons from 10pm-12am, 3rd Rock from 12-1am, Cosby Show 1-2am, and Sanford & Son 2-3am.
    Finally, a M*A*S*H weekend marathon has been added for the weekend of April 18-20. On late Friday, April 17 from 2am-5am we get the M*A*S*H series finale followed by the regular 5-6am airing. Then the fun really begins on Saturday and Sunday from 8pm-6am, and concludes Monday (April 20) from 8pm-12am!
    View more on the updated TV Land April 2009 schedule. Stay tuned for TV Land May 2009 highlights and schedule tomorrow.

    Sunday, March 22, 2009

    Week 26 Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did

    Week 26 numbers (first four nights final averages, Mon-Thurs):

    Households: Fox 8.7/13.7; CBS 7.4/12.0; ABC 7.2/11.7; NBC 4.1/6.6; TheCW 1.6/2.5; MNT 1.0/1.5.
    Total Viewers: Fox 15.07 million; CBS 11.82 million; ABC 11.17 million; NBC 6.29 million; The CW 2.36 million; MNT 1.61 million.
    Adults 18-49: Fox 5.4/14.5; CBS 3.4/9.3; ABC 3.3/8.9; NBC 2.3/6.2; The CW 1.1/2.9; MNT 0.5/1.4.

    Analysis: Week 26 sees a three-way race and could be anyone's game in HH/viewers for the week. Through the first four days, Fox is on top in all categories, with CBS is second everywhere, while ABC is third in everything but very closely behind. And NBC is a distant fourth everywhere else.
    Last week, CBS won in week 25 in HH/viewers, but Fox once again took 18-49 by a wide margin, over second place CBS. ABC was third in all categories, while NBC was back in fourth of course.
    Monday it was all ABC as Dancing with the Stars continues to dominate. ABC aired a two-hour season Dancing with the Stars at an impressive 21.22 million, down from the previous week's season premiere, but expected. After that, ABC aired a new episode of crime-romance drama Castle doing a solid 10.97 million...up from previous week, as I said last week...it has a chance to grow since it is not serialized. CBS did decent but the comedies suffered again thanks to Dance. A new episode of The Big Bang Theory did 9.69 million, up some week-to-week, while a new How I Met Your Mother did 9.29 million, up from previous week. #1 sitcom Two and a Half Men did 14.12 million, that also was up from previous week. A new Rules of Engagement followed and did 11.42 million, up week-to-week...decent showing. At 10pm a new CSI: Miami did 13.61 million, which was down from previous week, yet all the comedies went up...go figure. Fox started with House and did 13.13 million, up from previous week, next Fox had 24 at 11.36 million, on par really from previous week. NBC was next with a repeat line-up. A repeat of Chuck did just 3.95 million. And if that wasn't bad, a repeat of Heroes did only 3.01 million, ouch. Medium followed with 4.38 million also a repeat. The CW was next with a finally new episode of Gossip Girl doing 2.33 million and a new episode of One Tree Hill did 2.41 million... both did decent but could have been better.
    Tuesday Fox had a two-hour American Idol and of course it dominated. Fox had that two-hour Idol doing 21.89 million, but down nearly four million from previous week...you'll see why in a moment. CBS started with a new episode of NCIS at a below normal 15.84 million. A new episode of The Mentalist did 15.49 million, also below normal. Without a Trace was also new and did 11.87 million. ABC was next and started with a recap of the first two weeks of Dancing with the Stars at 7.99 million, bettering the time period average even though it was a recap. ABC then aired the first Dancing with the Stars: The Results at 12.74 million, which is below normal but it seems Idol, Dancing, Loser, Mentalist all were hurt big by each other. Finally, ABC ended with the addicting Primetime: What Would You Do? doing an improved 7.26 million. NBC was next with a two-hour The Biggest Loser at 7.99 million, down a lot from previous week. NBC followed with a new episode of Law & Order: SVU doing 10.74 million, down some from previous week. The CW aired a new episode of Reaper and did just 1.96 million, going down again and an encore of 90210 only did 640,000 viewers. Stop encoring it CW!
    Wednesday saw you know who dominate. Fox's American Idol results to 9pm did 23.7 million, down two million from the previous week. New Fox drama Lie to Me started the night off with 10.26 million, which was down a million from previous week. CBS started with a new episode of sitcom Old Christine at 7.21 million and a new Gary Unmarried did 7.37 million, both down from previous week. A new episode of Criminal Minds followed and did 13.74 million, down week-to-week. CSI: NY followed with a new showing doing 12.79 million, also down from previous week. ABC was next with the time slot premiere of Scrubs and the series premiere of Better Off Ted doing 5.62 and 5.5 million...the news was better in 18-49 though. A new episode of Lost followed at 9pm doing a below normal 9.4 million as it went up with Idol. A new Life on Mars at 10pm did 4.97 million, which was good enough to improve from previous week. NBC opened the night with the about to be chopped Chopping Block doing a terrible 3.4 million...down from the premiere, a new showing of dud Life followed and did just 4.31 million, also down from previous week. Law & Order followed at 10pm with a new episode and did 7.14 million, down some week-to-week. The CW was on the map with America's Next Top Model doing a nice 3.79 million, but down from previous week...The CW followed with an encore of...what else...90210 at 880,000 viewers, down a bit from previous week.
    Thursday saw ABC with the win, as CBS aired night one of March Madness. ABC started with a new Ugly Betty doing 7.42 million, up from previous week, a new episode of Grey's Anatomy was next and did 14.61 million and a night best 5.0 18-49 rating. A new episode of Private Practice followed and did 9.74 million at 10pm beating one of the last episodes of ER in HH, viewers and 18-49. CBS preempted the regular Survivor: Tocantis, CSI and Eleventh Hour with coverage of the NCAA Basketball tournament doing 9.64 million in primetime (8-11pm only). NBC started with a new episode of My Name is Earl doing just 6.43 million, a repeat of The Office did 4.58 million better than the Kath & Kim finale of 3.89 million the previous week. A new episode of The Office did 8.07 million, up a bit from previous week. A new showing of 30 Rock followed with 7.13 million, up from previous week. A new ER was next and did 9.47 million, down nearly 1.5 million week-to-week. Fox aired a new Bones and did a solid 10.52 million, up from previous week (maybe regular CBS audience migrated there?) and an all-new Hell's Kitchen at 9pm did 7.54 million, but down week-to-week. Smallville was all-new on The CW and did a solid 3.49 million, down a bit from previous week, followed by a new Supernatural at 3.37 million, up a good deal from previous week.
    Now, as usual final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but CBS won Friday with NCAA Basketball Tournament night two instead of new episodes of Ghost Whisperer, Flashpoint, NUMBERS. ABC finished second for the night helped by Superanny and 20/20. Sarah Connor Chronicles and the new Dollhouse did a bit better but still not good for Fox.
    Saturday numbers were above normal as CBS won with more NCAA March Madness.
    Tonight will be a battle between CBS and ABC again. CBS has a new 60 Minutes and The Amazing Race, followed by Cold Case and The Unit. ABC will have new showings of AFV, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters should be more than enough to win the night in 18-49. NBC has a Dateline special at 7pm, followed by dud Kings, and a two-hour Celebrity Apprentice. Fox has an all-new lineup finally of its animated comedies again...even Family Guy.
    As for the week, CBS should win the week in HH/viewers. Fox for sure in 18-49 but CBS will be improved thanks to NCAA. ABC could be second in HH/viewers, but 3rd likely in 18-49 and NBC fourth everywhere. As for the coming week...ABC premieres new sitcom In the Motherhood on Thursday at 8:00pm, and March Madness continues on CBS this Thursday, Friday and Saturday in primetime. But before all that, Obama speaks in primetime on Tuesday messing up the schedules for the networks.



    Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of March 9-15, Week 25)

    • The Simpsons (Fox) - 6.03 million for an all-new episode...seems way below normal, but up a tad from previous week.
    • King of the Hill (Fox) - A new episode did 5.48 million...up some from previous week.
    • Family Guy (Fox) - A new episode did 7.29 million, but should be better though...
    • American Dad! (Fox) - 5.88 million...at least it went up from previous week.

    Week 26:
    Monday Sitcoms

    • The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 9.69 million for a new episode. Up from previous week but below normal...and now tomorrow it is preempted...
    • How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 9.29 million for a new showing...it rebounded a bit from previous week.
    • Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 14.12 million for a new episode...up from previous week.
    • Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 11.42 million for a new episode...that's better.

    Tuesday Sitcoms

    • None.
    Wednesday Sitcoms

    • Old Christine (CBS) - 7.21 million for a new episode...down a bit from previous week.
    • Gary Unmarried (CBS) - 7.37 million for a new episode...built on the lead-in, but also down week-to-week.
    • Scrubs (ABC) - The show finally returned, and did 5.62 million on its new night and time. Not bad, but could be better. 2nd in its half-hour in 18-49.
    • Better Off Ted (ABC) - 5.5 million for the premiere...not good, but not that bad either as it skewed young and helped ABC do better in this slot. It needs to continue to do these numbers or better to stick.

    Thursday Sitcoms

    • My Name is Earl (NBC) - 6.43 million for a new episode, could be better.
    • The Office (NBC) 2 episodes - A repeat did 8:30 did an OK 4.58 million and a new episode did 8.07 million ...up a bit.
    • 30 Rock (NBC) - 7.13 million for a new episode...up and down pattern continues....up from previous week.

    Friday Sitcoms

    • Everybody Hates Chris (The CW) - A new episode did a prelim 1.59 million.
    • The Game (The CW) - A new episode did a prelim 1.66 million.

    Saturday Sitcoms

    • None.

    Airing tonight (Sunday) are all-new Fox animated comedies from 8-10pm!

    Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Rules of Engagement, The Office were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as Better Off Ted, Scrubs) or just plain old terrible (such as Everybody Hates Chris, The Game).

    Saturday, March 21, 2009

    Blog DVD Review: Woody Woodpecker Favorites

    It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for the weekly blog DVD review. This week we take a look at Universal Home Video's Woody Woodpecker Favorites. Woody Woodpecker is of course the classic TV woodpecker that made his mark in the 40s-70s in feature films! Not only do we get Woody cartoons, we also get classic theatrical cartoons of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, some Cartune Classics, and some Music Favorites. See my Blog DVD review of Woody Woodpecker Favorites:

    Woody Woodpecker Favorites (Universal, $14.98) brings 15 classic unedited Woody Woodpecker cartoons and 5 other unedited classic cartoons from the legendary Walter Lantz to DVD on a sample one-disc set! If you have bought the first two volumes, then this is just a sample of that. We get select episodes here from those two volumes, along with some extras from those.
    On this set we not only get 15 Woody Woodpecker cartoon favorites, but also 5 classic favorites featuring friends such as Andy Panda and Chilly Willy. The Woody Woodpecker cartoons generally are between 6-7 minutes. The other classic favorites on this set are also in that range. There are no chapter stops, which is acceptable here because the episodes are very short. There are 20 total shorts.
    The video is digitally remastered and uncut and it looks great! If you have the two volumes, then you'll know. You see some dust and debris here and there. The audio is decent, nothing too bad about it. It is in mono, but very good for its age.
    Packaging is a simple keep case, that is move style. It has a blue color scheme, and we get a nice artwork of Woody greeting us on the front. The back cover has information on the set and has some screenshots of the shorts along with a big photo of Woody. A box titled Bonus Features is also listed on the back of the box. Inside the case is of course the disc. The disc is totally in red with no artwork. Simple.
    The menu screen has Play All, Cartoon Selection, Bonus, and Languages...exactly the same as the volumes. The main menu has Woody pecking to start and then we hear Woody's famous laugh....again the same as the volumes, but that is good! Languages section has us in English only, but subtitles can be added for English, Espanol, and Francais, as we had on the volumes. Bonus Features list the two full Woody Woodpecker Show episodes we have. Cartoon Selection is where we can choose the classic shorts...we get a list of titles in a tree hole.
    Moving on to the extras. We have two full episodes of The Woody Woodpecker Show. Both of these are different from the full episodes we got each on the two volumes. So that is a plus and pure fans would want to get this, just for that! We get episode 53 and episode 56 and they run 27:01 and 26:58 with 6 chapter stops each. Nice!
    I highly do recommend any fan of classic cartoons and Woody Woodpecker to pick-up this set...but really this is for fans who haven't gotten those yet or people who want to try this series. We certainly will need about 4-5 volumes to finish up the entire run, so let's hope Universal continues to do that. This favorites set is fine, but we need more volumes as well to keep fans happy and the series gets complete Let's hope we do and we get all of the Woody shorts released and the other Lantz shorts. So, this set is not all repeat, since we get two different Woody Woodpecker Show full episodes! Peck your way to buying this set, fan or tester...try it!
    -- Reviewed by Pavan
    (4/5 stars)

    To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
    Amazon.com

    Related links:
    SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
    The Woody Woodpecker Show TV.com Page

    Stay tuned next week for a Blog DVD review of Smurfs Volume 1! See if there is anything new there!

    Friday, March 20, 2009

    Retroality.TV Interviews Joyce DeWitt and...Me; CBS/Warner Bros. Officially Renew Big Bang, Men for Multiple Seasons; Sci Fi Renames to Syfy

    Our buddy Chris Mann of Retroality.TV has put up his March 2009 cover story and it is a great one, like usual. This time he goes one-on-one with Joyce DeWitt...yes, Janet Wood from Three's Company! Chris talks to Joyce about a lot of different things and they are all interesting. See what Joyce has to say about John Ritter, when she last saw him, her feud with Suzanne Somers, friendship with Priscilla Barnes & the late Don Knotts, her stage roots with Richard Kline, the NBC Three's Company tell-all movie, her spiritual journey, and her upcoming projects (which includes stage work and two upcoming movies). And she talks in detail about those topics and much more topics. It's a nice three-part interview and you will find yourself reading every word and the time will just breeze by. It is a great read, and I urge you all you to read it. It starts off on the cover page on Retroality.TV, and continues on part two and part three.
    That is not all for March! Chris has a few other new features and interviews, including an interview with ME! He interviewed me for my Jack's Bistro Three's Company website. How odd does it feel going from Joyce to me? But I am honored to be in great company! I talk to Chris about how I started the website, what my inspiration was, my favorite Three's Company episodes, John Ritter, the Suzanne-Joyce feud, and more! Check out me being interviewed by the great Chris Mann! And if you missed it back in October, both Todd and I were interviewed by Chris for SitcomsOnlline, so check that out, too, if you missed it.
    All this is just in time for Three's Company's 32nd anniversary, which was on Sunday (March 15). Has it really been 32 years? I remember the 25th anniversary in 2002 and that didn't feel like too long ago. Chris says "more coming soon" so we cannot wait for that! We'll let you know what that is when he posts it! So 'Come and Knock on Retroality.TV's Door' today!

    CBS Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television have reached a multi-year broadcast agreement for the hit comedy series Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory. The agreement renews television's Number One comedy, Two and a Half Men, through the 2011-2012 season, and one of television's fastest-growing series, The Big Bang Theory, through the 2010-2011 season.
    The ratings success of Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory has helped establish CBS's Monday night as the Number One comedy block on television. This season, CBS's Monday night comedy lineup is up 13% in viewers, 11% in 18-49 and 9% in adults 25-54, so far.
    Two and a Half Men, currently in its sixth season, is the Number One comedy in both viewers and adults 18-49, averaging 15.09 million viewers (up 14%), 5.1/11 in adults 18-49 (up 13%) and 6.3/13 in adults 25-54 (up 11%), so far.
    The Big Bang Theory, in its sophomore season, is averaging 10.05 million viewers (up 20%), 3.7/10 in adults 18-49 (up 12%) and 4.4/10 in adults 24-54 (up 10%), so far.

    Building upon sixteen years of water cooler programming and soaring ratings growth following its most-watched year ever, SCI FI Channel is evolving into Syfy on air and online beginning Tuesday, July 7.
    By changing the name to Syfy, which remains phonetically identical, the new brand broadens perceptions and embraces a wider and more diverse range of imagination-based entertainment including fantasy, paranormal, reality, mystery, action and adventure, as well as science fiction. It also positions the brand for future growth by creating an ownable trademark that can travel easily with consumers across new media and non-linear digital platforms, new international channels and extend into new business ventures.
    "Imagine Greater" will become the new brand message and tagline, inviting both consumers and advertisers into a new era of unlimited imagination, exceptional experiences and greater entertainment. Syfy more clearly captures the mainstream appeal of the world's biggest entertainment category, and reflects the network's ongoing strategy to create programming that's more accessible and relatable to new audiences. Syfy will continue to celebrate the traditional roots of the genre, while opening the brand aperture to accommodate a broader range of imagination-based entertainment.
    The premiere of the new scripted drama, Warehouse 13, and the return of breakout summer series Eureka, will be launched in tandem to this new evolution. An aggressive trade marketing campaign will kick off this spring. Scifi.com will assume the URL Syfy.com at that time. As long as we see some more Mork & Mindy, who cares, right?

    Thursday, March 19, 2009

    Detroit's WADL New Classic TV Block; Obama Preempts Programming on March 24

    WADL TV-38, Detroit's Urban TV station will be adding some exceptional new programming that will include legendary favorites to the station's spring line-up. The new additions to the classic TV programs will include: I Love Lucy, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Brady Bunch, The Honeymooners, The Beverly Hillbillies and The Andy Griffith Show.
    WADL TV 38 features Detroit's only local dance show Dance Party, and nationally known programming such as Cribs, American Chopper, RENO 911, Dave Chappell's Show, and Cheaters. In addition, the station already specializes in classic programming such as Good Times, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Fat Albert, The A-Team, In The Heat of the Night and up and coming to the lineup, Steve Harvey, Brian McKnight, The Brady Bunch and many others.
    Currently the classic TV line-up on weekdays starting at 4PM is The Jeffersons, Sanford & Son, The A-Team, The Rockford Files, Fat Albert, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, A Different World, In the Heat of the Night, Good Times, M*A*S*H, The Odd Couple, Magnum P.I., Hawaii Five-0, and What's Happening Now!!
    So, the new programming will start Monday, March 30. Weekdays starting 4PM: Fat Albert, The Brady Bunch, Beverly Hillbillies, I Love Lucy, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Sanford & Son, Fresh Prince, A Different World, The Honeymooners, In The Heat of the Night, The Jeffersons, Good Times, M*A*S*H, The Odd Couple, Magnum P.I., Hawaii Five-0, and What's Happening Now!!

    President Obama is as it again...with preempting primetime programming. This time it will be on Tuesday, March 24 at 8PM ET. I'm all for Obama, but come on this is crazy. Eastern/Central time zones will be mostly affected by this. I'll detail it by network.
    First up ABC will air the Presidential News Conference with Obama live at 8pm ET/5pm PT. So in the eastern/central time zones, the return of According to Jim will be totally preempted. Dancing with the Stars: The Results and Primetime: What Would You Do? will air as scheduled following the news conference. Out in the mountain and pacific time zones, everything will air as normally scheduled, including According to Jim...but they will be repeats instead ("The Blankie" and "Cabin Boys"). So if you're in the east/central time zones and love According to Jim, you'll have to watch the repeats on abc.com the next day, or if you get ABC onDemand on your cable system. Not sure how this will affect ABC's finale date of May 5 for According to Jim. Will it be pushed back a week or will they air two episodes on a special night to catch up? I was looking forward to the return, because Constance Marie (George Lopez) was going to guest star and the second episode was directed by Penny Marshall.
    CBS will air the Presidential News Conference with Obama live at 8pm ET/5pm PT. Following the address, they will air all-new episodes of NCIS and The Mentalist at special times of 9pm and 10pm ET/PT. Without a Trace will totally be preempted. Not sure yet what will air at 8pm PT/7pm MT, but that could go back to local affiliates or CBS could air a NCIS repeat there leading into a new NCIS.
    NBC will air the Presidential News Conference with Obama live at 8pm ET/5pm PT, pushing The Biggest Loser an hour back from 8-10pm to 9-11pm ET/PT. So, Law & Order: SVU is totally preempted. For mountain/pacific time zones at 8pm PT/7pm MT you will see a special Dateline episode leading into The Biggest Loser at a special time.
    Finally, most affected by Obama is Fox. Fox will have to totally scrap a two-hour American Idol Tuesday. They will air the Presidential News Conference with Obama live at 8pm ET/5pm PT. A House repeat will follow at 9pm ET/8pm CT. House will also air at 9pm PT/8pm MT. King of the Hill repeats will fill the hour at 8pm PT/7pm MT. The regular Tuesday installment of Idol will be moved to Wednesday 8-10pm ET/PT, so that means an episode of Lie to Me will have to be preempted that week. And the regular results of Idol Wednesday will have to be moved to Thursday, March 26 from 8-9pm ET/PT preempting Bones. Instead of this mess, couldn't Fox just have aired Idol 9-11pm ET on Tuesday and air it in its normal time in the mountain/pacific time zones instead of causing mass confusion? I know Fox doesn't schedule at 10pm, but the local affiliates wouldn't mind, I'm sure.

    I'm on my way to a quick trip to Houston in literally minutes, so I'll see you back live on Sunday when I return...but please do come on by tomorrow (great story!) and Saturday (blog DVD review) as I have already done those stories for those days set to post on their own. Ain't technology grand?

    Wednesday, March 18, 2009

    CBS Comedy Change for Next Monday; Fox Notes; Remembering Ron Silver

    Next Monday (Monday, March 23), CBS will preempt The Big Bang Theory for an all-new episode of How I Met Your Mother at a special time of 8:00PM ET/PT. Big Bang was scheduled to be a repeat anyway. Mother will also still air in its normal 8:30PM ET/PT on this night, but that will be a repeat broadcast. It will be interesting if CBS is seeing how strong Mother is at 8PM in comparison to Big Bang. Both comedies have been down the last two weeks thanks to the return of Dancing with the Stars. Two and a Half Men will also be a repeat at 9PM, but Rules of Engagement is all-new at 9:30PM.

    Fox has removed Hole in the Wall from the schedule yet again. Effective this Sunday, Fox will now air repeats of American Dad! and King of the Hill at 7PM & 7:30PM in place of the half-hour showings of Hole in the Wall which certainly was a hole in the Sunday night schedule, perhaps effecting the animated comedies to lower numbers from 8-10PM.
    In other Fox programming news, the variety series of specials, The Osbournes: Reloaded, will now launch as a 40-minute airing instead of an hour on Tuesday, March 31 from 9:20-10PM, so yes American Idol will be from 8PM-9:20PM on that night, just what we needed, more Idol. Fox has ordered six Osbournes variety specials, so each are 30-minutes, so four will remain after these two half-hours air. Not sure if Fox is cutting anything from these or if they will run with limited commercials.

    Award-winning actor and activist Ron Silver, who was Emmy-nominated for his recurring role on the hit television drama The West Wing, died on Sunday after a two-year ordeal of esophageal cancer. His portrayal of White House strategist Bruno Gianelli on The West Wing was perhaps his best known part in recent years, but he earned another Emmy nomination for the murder thriller Billionaire Boys Club, a TV miniseries from 1987.
    He had a recurring role on the TV hospital drama Chicago Hope and a regular role on the sitcom Veronica's Closet, and he won acclaim for playing lawyer Alan Dershowitz in the film Reversal of Fortune. Among his other TV credits include guest-starring on sitcoms such as Rhoda, Big Eddie, Trying Times, and regular roles on short-lived sitcoms The Stockard Channing Show and Baker's Dozen. He guest starred on many TV dramas as well such as The Practice, Crossing Jordan, Law & Order, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Wiseguy, Hill Street Blues, The Rockford Files, McMillan & Wife and a regular role on the short-lived Skin on Fox.
    He was also known for his work on Broadway. Broadway theatre bosses will dim the lights of New York's theatreland on Wednesday as a mark of respect. He won a 1988 Tony Award for his performance in David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow. Theatre marquees will be dimmed for one minute at 8pm on Wednesday, which is the traditional starting time for evening performances of Broadway shows. Ron will certainly be missed. He was only 62.


    Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

    Tuesday, March 19

    Night Court - "The Duke's a Hazard" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
    When Gurgs' royal boyfriend pays a surprise visit, she questions their compatibility; Dan defends his family's honor after he discovers a feud that dates back centuries.

    Extended Family - "The Consequences of Being Irish" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
    When Jim learns of Trey's St. Patrick's Day fundraiser plans, he offers his expertise in an effort to save Trey and the Celtics from embarrassment.

    Complete TV Listings


    Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 18)

    Tuesday, March 19

    • Tracy Morgan (The Last O.G./30 Rock/The Tracy Morgan Show) - Catch Tracy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
    • Leslie Bibb (Palm Royale/God's Favorite Idiot/American Housewife/The Odd Couple/About a Boy) - Leslie appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
    • Brendan Hunt (Ted Lasso), Marc Maron (GLOW/Maron) and Zainab Johnson (Upload) - Brendan, Marc and Zainab are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
    • Hilary Swank (Camp Wilder) - NBC's Today catches up with Hilary in the 10am hour.
    • The cast of Girls5eva) - Busy Philipps, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Paula Pell and Sara Bareilles are guests on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
    • Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family/The Class) - Jesse talks about his podcast Dinner's On Me on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
    • Annie Potts (Young Sheldon/Over the Top/Love & War/Designing Women/Goodtime Girls) - Annie talks about her legendary career and new film, Ghostbuster: Frozen Empire, on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
    • Joe Manganiello (How I Met Your Mother) - Joe stops by Tamron hall to chat about hosting the new Deal or No Deal Island, so check your local listings.


    New on DVD/Blu-ray (November-March)

    Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Father Knows Best - The Complete Series The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

    11/07 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
    11/14 - Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
    12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
    12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
    12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
    12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
    12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
    12/15 - Letterkenny - Season 11
    12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series
    12/22 - Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection (includes The Ropers and Three's a Crowd)
    01/09 - South Park - Seasons 11-15 (Blu-ray)
    01/16 - Ghosts (UK) - Season Five
    02/13 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
    02/27 - The Really Loud House - Season One
    03/12 - Ghosts (UK) - The Complete Series
    03/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
    03/12 - Rick and Morty - Season 7 (Blu-ray Steelbook) (Blu-ray) (DVD)

    That Girl - The Complete Series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series

    More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


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    02/27 - Little House on the Prairie Big 5-0 Stunt on COZI TV; Netflix Orders Tires Starring Shane Gillis
    02/26 - Hulu Orders Chad Powers Starring Glen Powell; Netflix's Mindy Kaling Produced Comedy Rounds Out Cast
    02/25 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 26, 2024)
    02/24 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Frasier Reboot Gets Second Season; Jimmy Kimmel Hints at End of Talk Show
    02/23 - Paramount+ Renews Frasier for Season 2; Netflix Orders Series from Maid Showrunner
    02/22 - 30th SAG Awards Presenters Announced; Jay Pharoah Heads to Fox
    02/21 - SNL Loads Up for Next 3 Weeks; Tig Notaro Prime Video Special
    02/20 - Brittany Snow to Star Opposite Malin Akerman in Starz Series; Dennis Quaid Joining Paramount+
    02/19 - Rewind TV's 227 on 2/27 Marathon; Dolly Parton's Pet Gala with Special Guests
    02/18 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 19, 2024)