Saturday, February 22, 2014

SitcomsOnline Digest: The Simpsons to Air Lego Episode; Special Features Update for CBS Classic TV Blu-rays


Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! Today, we've got news about The Simpsons 550th episode, updates on some Blu-ray releases of classic TV series from CBS Home Entertainment, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
  • The Simpsons is approaching yet another milestone in May, with the 550th episode of the series, and in honor of this amazing achievement, the 550th episode will be a special episode that will be created with Lego building blocks. (Reuters)
  • Barney Miller isn't celebrating a milestone anniversary just yet (although it will be 40 years old next year), but even so, International Business Times has a nice interview about the series with a communications professor at Fordham University who discusses the complicated dynamics of the series, which he considers to be "the most intelligent, literate US sitcom ever." (International Business Times)
  • It may not be a sitcom, but the CSI franchise has been big thing for CBS since 2000, eventually expanding into three series (but now back down to just the original). Now, it appears CBS wants to expand the franchise once again with a series that would focus on international cyber crime. (Entertainment Weekly)
  • What happens when you cross the sitcom Community with The Walking Dead? One truly devoted Community fan answers that question (as well as what it would look like if you cross it with The Wonder Years) by creating some rather creative (but well done) opening credits for Community. (Huffington Post)
  • Three's Company and Too Close for Comfort, two series that helped the Antenna TV lineup (but left over a year ago), will be returning to that lineup in April. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

    RECENT HOME MEDIA REVIEWS ON SITCOMSONLINE

    FEBRUARY 23 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00GT7GYVW/ref=nosim/happydaysonline5-20
    • Mama's Family - The Complete Third Season (DVD, $29.98): The classic Vicki Lawrence sitcom returns to DVD for another season, this one being the first season of the retooled version of the series that aired in first-run syndication.
    • The Middle - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD, $44.98): The ABC series that lagged behind a season on DVD releases finally gets caught up with this release.
    • L.A. Law - Season One (DVD, $29.93): The groundbreaking NBC legal drama that began in the '80s comes to DVD for the very first time (at least for the first time in the United States).

    FOLLOW ME

    Who to Follow: Danielle Brisebois (Twitter), "here and now"
    Claim to Fame: Danielle Brisebois is probably not a huge household name to every sitcom fan out there. However, as a child, she gained significant prominence in her regular role of Stephanie on the series All in the Family (as well as spinoff Archie Bunker's Place). After that series ended, her acting career turned to Knots Landing for a while, then went on single episode guest roles in series such as Mr. Belvedere, Hotel, Murder She Wrote, and other series. While her acting career essentially ended before 1990, her attention has turned to music where she has found major success, beginning as a member of the New Radicals (best known for their 1998 single, "You Get What You Give") and later going on to write songs for many prominent artists, such as Natasha Bedingfield (Brisebois was actually the writer for Bedingfield's "Pocketful of Sunshine" and "Unwritten"), Kelly Clarkson, Donna Summer, Clay Aiken, Kylie Minogue, and more. Despite all of this success, she still looks back very fondly at her acting career, particularly working with Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton.
    Pick of the Tweets: "Me and #jeanstapleton good memories pic.twitter.com/71QyTXEAVb" (June 1, 2013)
    Posted by Skees -- SitcomsOnline.com at 2:00 PM
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    New on DVD/Blu-ray (June/July/August)

    Father Knows Best - Season Six Diff'rent Strokes - The Complete Sixth Season Alice - The Complete Fifth Season Rhoda - Season Four Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season Four

    06/13 - The Andy Griffith Show - Return to Mayberry
    06/13 - That's My Mama - The Complete Series
    06/20 - Workaholics - The Final (Seventh) Season
    06/20 - Workaholics - The Complete Series
    06/27 - The Jamie Foxx Show - The Complete Third Season
    07/04 - Superstore - Season Two
    07/18 - Father Knows Best - Season Six
    07/25 - Diff'ernt Strokes - The Complete Sixth Season
    07/25 - Girls - The Final (Sixth) Season (Blu-ray)
    08/01 - Alice - The Complete Fifth Season (WBShop.com)
    08/01 - Crashing - The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)
    08/15 - Rhoda - Season Four
    08/22 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season Four
    08/29 - Will & Grace - Season One (Universal)
    More TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest

    Sitcoms Airing Tonight

    Wednesday, August 16

    Marlon - "Pilot" (NBC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
    Exes Marlon (Marlon Wayans) and Ashley (Essence Atkins) try a friendly divorce for their children's sake, but things get tricky when Ashley decides to date again. Marlon struggles to keep a sponsor for his online channel, The Marlon Way.

    Marlon - "Cleaning Out the Closet" (NBC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
    Ashley (Essence Atkins) is shocked to learn that Marlon (Marlon Wayans) has a storage unit crammed full of things from when they were married and challenges him to have a yard sale to part with it all.

    Swedish Dicks - (Pop, 8:00PM ET/PT)
    Ingmar's daughter, Sarah, helps the guys get a case at an advertising agency to find out who is stealing secret data; the undercover job takes a turn when Ingmar and Axel's client makes a fatal decision; Sun works on the firm's marketing strategy.

    Swedish Dicks - (Pop, 8:30PM ET/PT)
    Haunted by the ghost of his former stunt buddy, an unstable Ingmar makes an embarrassing mistake; Axel takes it upon himself to infiltrate a cult.

    Younger - "The Gelato and the Pube" (TV Land, 10:00PM ET/PT)
    Liza receives a great opportunity at work, but there’s a catch. Josh meets someone new. Maggie ruffles some feathers.

    Odd Mom Out - "Dadderall" (Bravo, 10:00PM ET/PT)
    Faced with an impossible work deadline on the night of his Dad's Committee Night Out, Andy takes stimulants; Jill and Vanessa learn the cruel definition of Med Spa as they visit their college friend, Ollie, at his new venture.

    Complete TV Listings

    Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 14)

    Wednesday, August 16

    • Zach Galifianakis (Baskets) - Watch Zach on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
    • Lake Bell (Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later/How to Make It in America/Childrens Hospital) - Lake appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
    • Marc Maron (GLOW/Maron) - Marc is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
    • Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/The Office) - Ellie visits The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
    • Andrew Dice Clay (Dice/Hitz/Bless This House) - Andrew stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. He will also be on the AOL Build Show at 1pm.
    • Carl Reiner (The Dick Van Dyke Show) - Carl is a guest on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
    • James Van Der Beek (What Would Diplo Do?/Friends with Better Lives/Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - James appears on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
    • Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family) - Eric chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
    • Kristin Chenoweth (Kristin) - Kristin performs Smile off her new album, The Art of Elegance, and faces her fear of crawfish on a repeat of Harry, so check your local listings.
    • Tasha Smith (Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse/The Tom Show/Boston Common) - Tasha will be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET. She will also be on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 8:45am.
    • Ben Falcone (Joey/A to Z) - Ben talks about his new book, Being a Dad Is Weird, on a repeat of ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
    • Brandy (Moesha/The Game/Thea) - Brandy talks about Chicago on Broadway on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
    • Peter Serafinowicz, Griffin Newman and Brendan Hines (The Tick) - Peter, Griffin and Brendan talk about Amazon's The Tick on the AOL Build Show at 3pm.