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

Wednesday, December 19

Modern Family - "I Love a Parade" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan are going to be setting off more than a few fireworks when they get together at the annual Fourth of July parade where Jay will be acting as the grand marshal. Meanwhile, Haley’s goodbye with Arvin before his trip to Switzerland doesn’t go as well as she pictured it and is distracted by the return of an old flame.

Single Parents - "Beyoncé Circa Lemonade" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After scolding Miggy for not being able to sleep-train baby Jack, Angie and Douglas engage in a competition to see who can sleep-train the baby in one night. While Angie and Douglas have the baby, Miggy takes over babysitting Graham, Rory, Sophie, Emma and Amy, which results in an impromptu kids’ party. Meanwhile, Poppy teaches Will how to take out his anger on the volleyball court.

The Goldbergs - "We Didn't Start the Fire" (ABC, 10:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Erica tells Beverly she is going to spend the first night of Hanukkah with Geoff and his family, Beverly worries and starts a competition for who hosts the best Hanukkah party. Meanwhile, Barry seeks advice from Pops on how to be cool and suggests entering into the school's talent show.

American Housewife - "Body Image" (ABC, 10:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After the previous “fattest housewife” in Westport gets plastic surgery to lose weight, Chloe Brown Mueller rubs it in Katie’s face that Katie has now assumed that title. In order to get revenge on Chloe, Katie goes through great lengths to dig up bad photos of Chloe from high school. In discussing body image with the kids, Katie and her mother, Kathryn, turn out to be bad influences on Anna-Kat and Taylor, unintentionally encouraging them to focus too much on the outward appearance. Over time, Katie realizes how judgmental she has become and that she is part of the problem.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 17)

Wednesday, December 19

Steve Carell (The Office) - Watch Steve on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. He also talks about Vice on the BUILD Series at 1pm.
Brian Posehn (The Sarah Silverman Program/The Big Bang Theory) - Brian stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He will also be on the BUILD Series at 4pm.
Leah Remini (Kevin Can Wait/The Exes/Family Tools/The King of Queens/Fired Up) - Leah visits The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Tyler Alvarez (Every Witch Way) - Tyler appears on a repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
Nicole Byer (Loosely Exactly Nicole) - Nicole is a guest on E!'s Busy Tonight at 10pm.
Corbin Bernsen (Cuts), Harry Hamlin (Movie Stars) and Alan Rachins (Dharma & Greg) - Corbin, Harry, Alan and the cast of L.A. Law are guests on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly/Samantha Who?) - Melissa appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Kristin Chenoweth (Trial & Error: Lady, Killer/Kristin) - Kristin is a guest on a repeat of ABC's GMA Day at 1pm.
Brooke Nevin (Call Me Fitz) and Michael Cassidy (People of Earth/Men at Work) - Brooke and Michael talk about the Hallmark Channel original Jingle Around the Clock on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.