SitcomsOnline Digest: John Stamos and Shaquille O'Neal Looking at Comedy Pilots; New Multicast Networks Devoted to Comedies and Game Shows in the Works

Saturday, January 24, 2015

SitcomsOnline Digest: John Stamos and Shaquille O'Neal Looking at Comedy Pilots; New Multicast Networks Devoted to Comedies and Game Shows in the Works

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We're now at the point of the year where everybody is working hard to get their pilots on the air, and we have news of those, news of some new over-the-air broadcast networks, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

It seems like only yesterday when John Stamos was in his 20s on Full House, and now, he may be playing a grandfather soon if a comedy pilot for Fox is picked up. (People)
TruTV has become a little less true and a little more scripted lately, and now they have ordered a workplace comedy pilot starring Shaquille O'Neal. (Entertainment Weekly)
The New England Patriots are currently in the news for many reasons, some good and others not so good. But since we're a sitcoms blog and not a sports blog, we think it is worth noting that a Growing Pats video, a "Throwback Thursday" about the team done in the exact same style as the Growing Pains opening credits, was posted on Twitter this week by wide receiver Julian Edelman. (Fox Sports)
In most cities these days, you'll find just as many (if not more) more broadcast TV networks as you would find on cable about two decades ago. Now, Buzzr TV, a digital network devoted to game shows, would like to join those ranks. (SitcomsOnline)
Meanwhile, comedy fans will be pleased to know that there is going to be another digital TV network coming in April devoted to all things comedy, LAFF. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

It has seemed for several years that there was no hope for any future seasons of King of the Hill on DVD, but that changed late last year. Now, Olive Films is moving ahead with more of the series on April 7, with King of the Hill - The Complete Ninth Season and King of the Hill - The Complete Tenth Season.
Mill Creek is moving ahead with their re-releases of Bewitched on DVD with their upcoming release of Bewitched - Seasons 5 and 6. It is set for a release date of March 17, and as always, fans will also be able to pick up the seasons individually with Bewitched - Season 5 and Bewitched - Season 6.

JANUARY 27 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00Q5998BM/ref=nosim/happydaysonline5-20

Mama's Family - Mama's Favorites: Season 4 (DVD, $12.98): StarVista brings more episodes of the classic Vicki Lawrence series to DVD in a value-priced "best of" collection for those who have no desire to own the entire series.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Geri Jewell (Twitter), "Actress/Comedian, Motivational Speaker, and Author of I'm Walking as Straight as I Can - Transcending Disability in Hollywood and Beyond."

Claim to Fame: We're still having Facts of Life fever (so to speak) this week, and this week, we're featuring one of the cast members who wasn't exactly a regular, but appeared in many episodes, Geri Jewell, best known for playing Blair's cousin Geri on the series. Jewell was born with cerebral palsy, and even though TV had been around for three decades by the time Facts of Life debuted, she was the first actress with cerebral palsy to be featured on a TV series. While she had some difficulty finding roles following the end of the series, she did appear in a few guest roles, as well as a role in the HBO series Deadwood. Much of her work these days is that of a motivational speaker these days, and she maintains a positive attitude about life by having a sense of humor about her challenges that she deals with.
Pick of the Tweets: "I'm walking as straight as I can...and driving better than I ever walked - and dancing....okay, I will never make DWTS - bummer~" (November 7, 2011)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Wednesday, August 15

The Goldbergs - "Dinner with the Goldbergs" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Erica warns Geoff about going to dinner with her family to celebrate her birthday, but he insists. Upon arrival, it’s apparent this will be no ordinary dinner out: The family changes tables multiple times, Beverly sends her food back, Murray insists Adam order off the children’s menu and Barry wants to change his order, but it’s too late. By evening’s end, Geoff hits his breaking point.

American Housewife - "Midlife Crisis" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Katie takes Oliver out of school for a day to help loosen him up after Oliver suffers from a meltdown about something minor. Meanwhile, Anna-Kat takes Greg to the park to help him make new friends.

Modern Family - "Wine Weekend" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The family goes on a wine tasting trip and stays in Haley’s new boss’ country house where the only rule is: Don’t touch the tiara! Meanwhile, Gloria and Mitch are invited to a party at Oprah’s house but can’t bring anyone else.

American Housewife - "All Coupled Up" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The Otto children are beginning to experience struggles in their love lives after jumping into the dating world: Oliver is forced to choose between his girlfriend and his friend Cooper who come from two different worlds; Greg must play the “bad cop parent” to halt the PDA between Taylor and Trip; and Anna-Kat tries to make her relationship with Franklin official, without his consent.

Alone Together - "Daypassers" (Freeform, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Benji and Esther snag a day pass to an upscale gym.

Alone Together - "Drama Story" (Freeform, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Benji realizes his former high school hasn't changed.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 13)

Wednesday, August 15

Tom Arnold (Roseanne/The Tom Show/Tom) - Watch Tom on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Jerrod Carmichael (the Carmichael Show) - Jerrod stops by Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Chris O'Dowd (Family Tree/The IT Crowd) - Chris visits Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He talks about Juliet, Naked on the BUILD Series at 3pm.
Regina Hall (Insecure/Grandfathered) - Regina appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Ariana Grande (Sam & Cat/Victorious) - Ariana is a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Jimmy O. Yang (Silicon Valley) - Jimmy drops by Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Trevor Noah at 11pm.
Sanaa Lathan (Family Guy/The Cleveland Show/LateLine) - Sanaa chats on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Jennifer Finnigan (Better with You/Committed/Student Bodies) - Jennifer appears on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Rob Lowe (The Grinder/Parks and Recreation) - Rob is a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Tony Rock (Living Biblically) - Tony appears on a repeat of The Real, so check your local listings.
Jason Ritter (The Class) - Jason is a guest on a repeat of Steve, so check your local listings.
Debby Ryan (Insatiable/Jessie/The Suite Life on Deck) - Debby talks about Insatiable's controversies on E!'s Daily Pop at 12pm.
Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat) and Ken Jeong (Dr. Ken/Community) - Constance and Ken talk about Crazy Rich Asians on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
Rev Run and Justine Simmons (All About the Washingtons) - Rev Run and Justine talk about All About the Washingtons on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Regina King (227) - Regina talks about Seven Seconds on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Melissa Carcache (Every Witch Way) - Melissa talks about her Hallmark Channel original movie Love at Sea on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
Zach Braff (Alex, Inc./Scrubs) - Zach is a guest on a repeat of Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.