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

Saturday, October 21

Henry Danger - "Sick & Wired" (Nickelodeon, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Thinking that Henry is not telling the truth about being sick, Ray plants cameras and microphones in Henry's house to catch him in a lie.

Game Shakers - "Spy Games" (Nickelodeon, 8:30PM ET/PT)
After Kenzie installs security cameras, Babe and Trip try to teach her a lesson about spying on people.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 16)

Friday, October 20

Woody Harrelson (Cheers) - Watch Woody on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Paul Shaffer (A Year at the Top) - Paul sits in with Cleto and The Cletones on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) - Miley appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
Mark Feuerstein (9JKL/Good Morning, Miami/Conrad Bloom/Fired Up) - Mark is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Sofia Vergara (Modern Family/The Knights of Prosperity/Hot Properties) - Sofia appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Craig Robinson (Ghosted/Mr. Robinson/The Office) - Craig is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Julie Klausner (Difficult People) - Julie appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Niecy Nash (The Soul Man/Getting On/Reno 911!) - Niecy is a guest on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Susan Kelechi Watson (Louie) - Susan chats on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Garcelle Beauvais (The Jamie Foxx Show) - Garcelle guest co-hosts The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Anne Heche (Save Me/The Michael J. Fox Show) - Anne talks about The Brave on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
James Burrows (Sitcom Director) - James is a guest on Harry, so check your local listings.
Jeremy Sisto (Suburgatory) - Jeremy appears on Steve, so check your local listings.
Michael McKean (Laverne & Shirley) - Michael will be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET.
Alfonso Ribeiro (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air/In the House/Silver Spoons) - Alfonso talks about America’s Funniest Home Videos on the AOL Build Show at 10am.
Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Life) - Nia will be on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.