SitcomsOnline Digest: MacGyver Reboot Officially Picked Up; New NBC Comedies from Tina Fey and Marlon Wayans

Saturday, May 14, 2016

SitcomsOnline Digest: MacGyver Reboot Officially Picked Up; New NBC Comedies from Tina Fey and Marlon Wayans

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This is that time of the year (specifically this week) where just about all of the news is about what has been cancelled, what has been renewed, and what new series we'll be seeing in the fall, so not surprisingly, most of our news this week relates to these issues. But we also have a few other things, including the passing of more sitcom stars and the retirement of a 60 Minutes correspondent. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

It seems like we've been hearing about it forever, but now it is official, CBS has picked up the reboot of MacGyver. (USA Today)
Even though they've cancelled much of their comedy slate aside from The Carmichael Show and Superstore (the first one hasn't been renewed yet but is expected to be, while the second has been renewed), NBC is making an attempt to make themselves a destination for great comedy once again, with pickups of new comedies from Tina Fey (Great News) and Marlon Wayans (Marlon). (Entertainment Weekly)
Since October 2000, one thing that you could count on is CBS having some version of CSI on the air, but don't count on that much longer, as the last piece of that legacy (and, if you ask many of the fans, one of the worst) has been cancelled. (Hollywood Reporter)
You could count on him being there Sunday nights on 60 Minutes for years, but Morley Safer is now preparing to retire. (The Daily Beast)
Tonita Castro isn't exactly a household name, but she essentially started her acting career in the past decade when she was in her 50s, and most recently landed roles on Go On and Dads. Unfortunately, she died this week at age 63. (Entertainment Weekly)
William Schallert of The Patty Duke Show died this week, and is also the third former SAG president to die in the past two months (after Ken Howard and Patty Duke). (New York Times)
There were more cancellations this week, including the somewhat surprising cancellation of the long-running Castle just days before the planned season finale and the cancellation of every new Fox comedy from the past season. (SitcomsOnline)

TUESDAY (MAY 17) HOME MEDIA RELEASES

The Facts of Life - The Final (Ninth) Season (DVD, $29.93): For those interested in having all of the "facts" on DVD, Shout! Factory wraps up the individual season releases with this release.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Greg Evigan (Twitter), "Actor, writer, producer, director, singer"

Claim to Fame: We've spent the past two weeks doing Mad About You stars as our Follow Me, and as we often do, we're using last week to pivot into this week with Paul Reiser's co-star from his earlier series My Two Dads: Greg Evigan. While Evigan may be known to (slightly) younger people from his role on that short-lived (but memorable) series, his bigger claim to fame came a decade earlier in another short-lived (but very memorable) series, BJ and the Bear. After My Two Dads, he had another role on yet another short-lived (but memorable) series, TekWar. He has never been on a series that has lasted more than three seasons, but despite that, the series that he has appeared on have been memorable ones. He still does some acting these days, most recently appearing in a Hallmark Channel film with his own daughter Briana Evigan, Once Upon a Holiday. He also has another acting daughter, Vanessa Evigan, with whom he is also appearing in movie roles.

Pick of the Tweets: "We're on our way to Hollywood Today Live! @OfficialHTL to talk about @onlygodcanmovie @VanessaEvigan and I (pic)" (April 22, 2016)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Sunday, February 17

The Simpsons - "Krusty the Clown" (Fox, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Homer finds his calling as a TV recapper, but his harsh grading causes a brawl with Krusty; after almost killing Homer, Krusty hides out at a real circus and finds happiness there.

Bob's Burgers - "Better Off Sled" (Fox, 7:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Teenagers take over the Belchers' sledding territory, inciting an epic turf war; Bob steps in to help Linda, who's in a time crunch to get three scarves knitted before Christmas.

The Simpsons - "The Clown Stays in the Picture" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Krusty reveals the untold story of his past in his movie "The Sands of Space"; while working as personal assistants on the movie, Bart and Lisa learn about the early years of their parents' relationship.

Bob's Burgers - "Every Which Way But Goose" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Tina, discouraged by not being asked to the prom by Jimmy Jr., forms an unhealthy attachment to a goose from the nearby park; Linda joins a dating app to help Gretchen find a match.

Family Guy - "Trans-Fat" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Peter is mistakenly identified as transgender, which leads to an unexpected event and him learning an important lesson.

Family Guy - "Dead Dog Walking" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Brian's marriage to Jess is not what he envisioned; at Peter's suggestion, Brian lets himself go, causing Jess to make a surprising decision.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 11)

Friday, February 15

Tracy Morgan (The Last O.G./30 Rock/The Tracy Morgan Show) - Watch Tracy on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Rosie O'Donnell (Gimme a Break!) - Rosie appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Ken Jeong (Dr. Ken/Community) - Ken is a guest on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS. He talks about Fox's The Masked Singer and Netflix's You Complete Me, Ho on Access Live, so check your local listings.
Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta) - Brian appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris talks about The Enemy Within on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
Jerry O'Connell (We Are Men/Cavemen/My Secret Identity) - Jerry guest hosts The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings. Jerry and his wife Rebecca Romijn talk about the 2019 American Rescue Dog Show on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
Henry Winkler (Barry/Out of Practice/Happy Days) - Henry stops by The Real, so check your local listings.
Lori Loughlin (Fuller House/Hudson Street/Full House) - Lori talks about When Calls the Heart on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET.
Dan Cortese (What I Like About You/Veronica's Closet) - Dan is part of the panel on Steve, so check your local listings.
Daniel Radcliffe (Miracle Workers) - Daniel is a guest on Couch Surfing at 8am.