SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC Thursday Night Reaching New Lows; Writers of Classic American Series Looking to China

Saturday, November 30, 2013

SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC Thursday Night Reaching New Lows; Writers of Classic American Series Looking to China

Happy Thanksgiving weekend, and welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's a slow week for us this week due to the holiday, but we've got all of your regular features as usual. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

NBC is facing a serious dilemma with their Thursday night lineup, as the historically top-rated lineup came in at a historically low sixth place in the ratings race last week, falling behind even The CW in key demographics last week. Could it be time for a major shakeup in this lineup? (LA Times)
Many TV writers of the 70's, 80's, and 90's still interested in working just aren't finding work on today's networks in line with their style, but as it turns out, China may be the perfect place to develop new series like the ones they wrote for in the past. Sitcom writers such as Marilyn Anderson (Murphy Brown and The Jeffersons) and Michael Elias (Head of the Class and The Bill Cosby Show) are just a few among thousands of other writers of past American hit series working with a Chinese production company to bring high quality productions to a nation that is claimed to be lacking in great stories for television. (The Hollywood Reporter)
On Sunday's episode of Family Guy, fans were given one of the most shocking deaths to ever occur in an animated series as one of the major characters was killed off. This has caused quite an outrage from fans on the internet, even inspiring one of the largest online petitions ever revolving around the plot of a TV series. But is it all real, or a complicated publicity stunt to spike ratings? (LA Times)
Actor Jay Leggett, who appeared as a cast member on the final season of In Living Color, died this week at the age of 50. (TV Guide)
MeTV is adding a pair of classic Sid & Marty Krofft series to their Saturday morning lineup beginning December 29, with the addition of H.R. Pufnstuf and Land of the Lost. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Just before the April premiere of the sixth season of the Showtime series, Lionsgate is set to release Nurse Jackie - Season Five on DVD and Blu-ray on February 18. As usual, the set will contain plenty of special features.
eOne Entertainment is prepared to bring a somewhat forgotten '80s syndicated gem to DVD with their release of Monsters - The Complete Series. For those unfamiliar with the series, it was a horror anthology series from the same producer who previously brought fans the syndicated series Tales from the Darkside.

RECENT HOME MEDIA REVIEWS ON SITCOMSONLINE

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00E0FW054/ref=nosim/happydaysonline4-20

Family Guy - Volume Eleven: The three-disc set brings all 23 episodes of the 2011-2012 season of the animated Fox series to DVD, along with a few nice special features.
MADtv - The Complete Fourth Season: Shout! Factory's latest release of the late night Fox series that ran for 15 seasons brings fans one of the greatest seasons of the series.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Kunal Nayyar (Twitter), "I play Raj on the Big Bang Theory. I love playing Ping Pong, and long walks on the beach. Thats about all I like doing, especially on the sand."

Claim to Fame: Nayyar was born in London and raised in New Delhi, but came to the United States in 1999 to pursue a degree in finance. While in college, he appeared in a few stage performances and found that was what he really loved, and by 2007, the relatively unknown actor found huge success when he was cast as Raj Koothrappali in the CBS series The Big Bang Theory.

Pick of the Tweets: "FAQ- I can talk to women without alcohol now. On the show as well." (September 26, 2013)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Monday, October 22

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to the Housewarming" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Dave and Gemma decide to invite the Butlers to their housewarming party. However, when everyone but Calvin accepts, Dave decides he’s finally had enough of Calvin’s refusal to welcome him to town.

Happy Together - "About Your Parents" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Claire gets sick, Jake is determined to prove that he can take care of her without relying on her parents, Bonnie and Gerald.

Andi Mack - "It's a Dilemma" (Disney Channel, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Andi's plans for a group outing with Buffy, Cyrus and Jonah are interrupted by Walker; Bowie's new guitar student proves to be a challenge; Cyrus seeks an alternative to P.E. and ends up in a dance class.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 22)

Monday, October 22

Juliette Lewis (Camping/A Family for Joe/I Married Dora) - Watch Juliette on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
Sarah Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Program) - Sarah appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. She will also be on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Scott Bakula (Murphy Brown/Eisenhower and Lutz/Gung Ho) - Scott drops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. He will also be on CBS This Morning sometime between 7-9am.
Ike Barinholtz (The Mindy Project) - Ike is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Dakota Johnson (Ben and Kate) - Dakota visits The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Craig Robinson (Ghosted/Mr. Robinson/The Office) - Craig stops by Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) - Aubrey appears on Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
Mary McCormack (The Kids Are Alright/Welcome to the Family) - Mary drops by Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo. She will also be on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Wendi McLendon-Covey (The Goldbergs/Rules of Engagement/Reno 911!) - Wendi chats on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Jada Pinkett Smith (A Different World) - Jada talks about the Facebook Watch series Red Table Talk on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
Finesse Mitchell (A.N.T. Farm) - Finesse visits The Real, so check your local listings.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner (The Cosby Show/Here and Now/Malcolm and Eddie/Listen Up!/Reed Between the Lines) - Malcolm-Jamal appears on ABC's GMA Day at 1pm.
Cedric Yarbrough (Speechless/Reno 911!) - Cedric is a guest on People Now at 12pm.
Nico Tortorella (Younger) - Nico is a guest on the BUILD Series at 12pm.