SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Silver Spoons DVD Canned?; Plus Extras for Titus S3 DVD!

Today we have all TV DVD news to report. Good news and bad news, though. Let's start with the bad news, to get that out of the way. Judith A. Moose, who is the author of the book on the '80s series Silver Spoons and is friends with Erin Gray and Joel Higgins, has informed us of bad news regarding the DVD release of Silver Spoons. The show was penciled in for November many months ago, but of course that isn't happening.

Here it is in her own words:
"It is with great sadness that I have to report that Sony has pulled the plug on the upcoming release of Silver Spoons. I have been told that the show is being put on hold because of the poor sales numbers of the Punky Brewster and Diff'rent Strokes sets. Sony has opted that The Facts of Life will come out before Silver Spoons does and for the moment there are no immediate plans to release either series. The news came from the head of the legal department for copyrights at Sony. I'll keep trying folks but at the moment it appears to be a losing battle."

You can view that statement and post questions to Judith or comment on this here. While this is not good news at all, let's hope Sony reconsiders and we get this series very soon. I think we might see Diff'rent Strokes Season 2 soon, despite what has said to be "poor sales." Let's hope Sony listens to us and gives us DVD debuts for shows like Facts of Life, Silver Spoons and One Day at a Time.

Now for some actual good news. We are the first ones reporting this piece. It is what the special features are on season three of Titus. You can view it all here! It looks to be a good set for the final season of this series.

Complete Savages Reruns Coming to Universal HD; TV Land Box Sets Canceled!

The one year wonder Complete Savages is coming to Universal HD in October! Savages aired on ABC Friday nights last season but never drew a big audience despite having a lot of laughs and being produced by Mel Gibson and the people from The Simpsons. Savages starts October 12 and will air at different times a day, but usually it will air 6:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. For the full dates and times, plus which episodes, click here. Universal HD also airs shows like Karen Sisco, Medical Investigations, Century City, The District, Law & Order: SVU and even the pilot for Threshold.

TV Land has just announced that TV Land Confidential Box Sets airing Wednesdays from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. will be discontinued. The last Box Set was on September 28. TV Land will return to the regular schedule from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Hunter, All in the Family & Good Times) as a result. So if you were looking forward to seeing Bewitched, Happy Days and some others during late afternoon, you'll probably not be pleased of this news.

It is still early in the day, so please check back with us if we have anything more to share!

FX Acquires Spin City; A&E, The Bio Channel, and GSN Remember Don Adams

FX is adding yet another sitcom to its line-up. First That '70s Show debuted and then Dharma & Greg, now we have learned that Spin City is the next one to land on line-up. And you won't have to wait either! It will start this Sunday (October 2). Sundays 7 to 9 a.m., weekdays at 9-10 a.m. and 3-4 p.m. Spin City just recently left local syndication, so FX has exclusive rights.
In October FX will have a marathon each of the new FOX series Prison Break and a Halloween marathon from the reality series Fear Factor.
For the full FX line-up with all the details, please click here!

A&E and The Biography Channel will both remember the late Don Adams by airing his A&E Biography. Profile of the comic who won a place in TV history when he played the bumbling spy Maxwell Smart in the classic sitcom Get Smart. Adams was a high-school dropout whose service in WWII left him with terrifying memories. But his show-business career led to a fast-paced lifestyle, marriages to a Rockette dancer and a former "Playboy" model, and friendship with "Playboy" mogul Hugh Hefner. Features interviews with Adams, Hefner, and Get Smart co-star Barbara Feldon.
Airings: Thursday, September 28 at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on A&E and at 8 p.m (9 pm PT) on The Biography Channel.

And on GSN... Beginning Monday, Oct. 3 from 3:30-4:00 p.m. ET/PT, GSN will be airing a week-long Match Game tribute to legendary actor/comedian Don Adams, who passed away Sunday at the age of 82. GSN will feature some of Adams' funniest appearances as a panelist on the Gene Rayburn-hosted show each day of the week.

Official TV One Fall Line-Up; 3rd Rock Returns to ABC Family; Plus More!

When we last reported about TV One, we only knew about the marathon week for Amen. But now we have the official schedule for TV One starting next week. Fans will be happy that 227 is back and Good Times, ROC, and In The House are staying! Sherman Hemlsey vs. Marla Gibbs is the focus for the Amen/227 marathon this week. Both are co-hosting the marathon. View the details here for the fall lineup and the marathon.

3rd Rock From the Sun fans will be happy to hear that ABC Family is bringing back the show, well at least for three days this week. No idea yet if the show will continue to air beyond this week, but the first 8 episodes will air this week! Click here for showtimes.

TV Land and Nick@Nite have announced their ratings for 3rd quarter, and again they are both on the rise. Read the details here.

Another TV Legend Passes Away, This Time Don Adams

The legendary Don Adams passed away late Sunday of a lung infection. Mr. Adams was world famous for his role as Maxwell "Agent 86" Smart on the hits 1960's sitcom Get Smart. He won three Emmy awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for that role. The show itself won two Emmy's as well.

Later Don went on to star with Dick Van Patten in the short lived 1971 sitcom The Partners. Don revived Maxwell Smart in the 1980 big screen movie The Nude Bomb.
Don returned to stardom in the '80s with two series. One was an animated series that is probably just as popular as Get Smart. That is of course, Inspector Gadget. Personally, I grew up on that animated series, so that is what I will best know him as. After his voice stint as Gadget, he went on to star in the Canadian sitcom Check It Out for three years. But it was Get Smart that kept calling him back he came to that role two more times, once in a reunion movie in 1989 and once on a revival series for FOX in 1995, that only lasted seven episodes. Inspector Gadget also kept calling him back with various series and specials over the years, including a big screen movie.

He also guest starred on many series such as Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Flip Wilson Show and Empty Nest.

Read more about Mr. Adams and his brilliant career here. We will all miss Don but we can relive Get Smart on DVD in 2006 from HBO Entertainment. Don "missed it by that much" on the DVDs. "Would you believe..." that? TV Land will pay tribute to Don with on-air promos and an online tribute at tvland.com. Don was 82 years old.

New DVD Company to Release At Least 3 Rare Sitcoms

If you didn't visit TVShowsonDVD.com yesterday or you missed their news on this following piece, then sit back because this is going to be rare! A new DVD company called S'More Entertainment is going to be releasing three somewhat short lived sitcoms to DVD. The first one they are releasing is Mr. Peepers, a 1952-55 sitcom with Tony Randall, Jack Warden, and Wally Cox as Mr. Peepers, a timid science teacher at a high school. Expect this set October 18.
Another sitcom they are releasing is a 1973-74 series starring Dom DeLuise called Lotsa Luck. Dom's character, well, needs a lotta luck after what has happened to him, now living with his mom, sister and her husband. This is expected to be released in mid-November.

Finally, in mid-January we can expect the 1967-68 critically acclaimed sitcom Good Morning, World to be released. Before their was WKRP in Cincinnati, this was the most famous disc jockey show. The show stars Joby Baker, Ronnie Schell and Goldie Hawn. This sitcom came from the people who did The Dick Van Dyke Show, so of course it has to be good! The show actually aired on TNT in reruns back in 1997. MortysTV.com, another friend of ours, has details.

You can read the entire release that our good friends at TVShowsonDVD.com did on these three shows here.

Season premiere of Desperate Housewives tonight at 9/8 central on ABC! Don't be one of the few to miss it!

Three NYC Locals Schedule Change; Friday Series Premieres

As some of you might know, Inside Edition is moving from WPIX to WNYW in New York City. While you might say, "so what?" this is affecting THREE channels' schedules in some way or another. Inside Edition was airing weeknights at 4:30 a.m. on WPIX and will now move to 1:30 a.m. and a second run at 12:00 p.m. on WNYW. This has caused three channels to make some moves starting Monday (Sept. 26). I'll break the changes down:

WNYW
12:00PM Inside Edition (replaces A Current Affair)
12:30PM A Current Affair (replacing Judge Hatchett third run)
1:30AM Inside Edition (replaces Just Shoot Me)
NOTES: WNYW will air Inside Edition twice and will cut down Judge Hatchett from three airings to two airings. Just Shoot Me's weekday airings will go to sister station WWOR. Inside Edition comes from WPIX. Inside Edition is expected to move to 4 p.m. late next month when the new Geraldo show replaces A Current Affair.

WWOR
12:30AM Just Shoot Me (replaces Fear Factor second run)
1:00AM King of the Hill (replaces Fear Factor cont. second run)
NOTES: Just Shoot Me comes from sister net WNYW and a second King of the Hill has been added at 1 a.m., with it still airing at 1:30 a.m., too. Fear Factor will now only air at 10 a.m. on WWOR, with no second run.

WPIX
2:30AM The Jeffersons (replaces originally scheduled Blind Date)
3:00AM The Jeffersons (replaces originally scheduled Elimi-date)
3:30AM WB11 News at Ten encore (replaces originally scheduled Jeffersons)
4:00AM Blind Date (replaces originally scheduled WB11 News at Ten encore)
4:30AM Elimi-date (replaces Inside Edition)
NOTES: This is the best news. Now insead of just one airing of The Jeffersons, we get two! And not to mention, a bit earlier, too! This is the main reason I posted this schedule change.

Moving on to the Friday network series premieres last night. I'll just quickly mention that two of them did decent while two of them did bad. CBS's Ghost Whisperer and NBC's Three Wishes did decent and won their respectable hours, though Ghost didn't put near the numbers they were hoping for. Joan of Arcadia's series premiere two years ago was much higher rated. It was not so good news for NBC's Inconceivable and FOX's Killer Instinct. CBS's Threshold put up numbers like last week, so it just did average. As for The WB's comedy block, a sixth place finish, ouch. UPN's Friday move for Smackdown is clearly hurting the comedies for The WB.
The two new series that did decent will have to be watched to see if they do well next week, and I don't expect the two that did bad to stick around for long.

'Lopez' & 'Freddie' Premieres Delayed By 1 Week Each; 'Chris' Neck and Neck with 'Joey'

With the monster numbers for the Lost season premiere this past Wednesday, ABC decided to re-air the season premiere next Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. replacing the one-hour fifth season premiere of George Lopez. Lopez will have its one hour season premiere now the week after on October 5. So mark those calendars for this underrated sitcom. The series premiere of Freddie was all set for 8:30 p.m. on October 5, and now that will be on October 12 instead. Of note, technically the second episode of Freddie will be the premiere episode and the pilot episode is actually on October 19. I thought the pilot was a little weak (see our pilot reviews), so maybe ABC thought that too and will air a stronger episode for the show's debut.
Also of note on the third episode of the season for Lost (October 5), sitcom star Katey Sagal (8 Simple Rules, Married...With Children) is guest starring as Helen, a lady from Locke's past. I hope she appears in more than one episode. She is rumored to be appearing in more than one.

As today's topic is network television, we think we should mention the debut of UPN's most talked about series ever probably (sorry America's Next Top Model!). That is of course, Everybody Hates Chris. Chris beat NBC's Joey in adults 18-49 in its half hour (3.2 rating vs. 3.0) for second place (behind Survivor) and was virtually tied with Joey for third in total viewers for the half hour (behind Survivor and Dancing with the Stars: Dance-Off). You might say, 'so what Joey is not a ratings sensation,' but this is big step for UPN and if Joey continues to tumble, NBC might move the show (maybe Tuesdays?) or just cancel it. If My Name is Earl continues to do what it did in its premiere, then you might see that on Thursday nights. In the big apple, WWOR was #1 in its half hour for Chris in adults 18-49 by a wide margin over both Survivor and Joey. But after Chris' airing, Love, Inc. and the rest of the UPN comedies all came down to regular UPN levels.
Other impressive series premieres this week so far besides Earl and Chris include Invasion, Criminal Minds preview, Surface, How I Met Your Mother, and Out of Practice. NBC's E-Ring did OK, but will have a big drop against Lost and the regular time-slot debut of Criminal Minds, which will beat E-Ring for a distant second place behind Lost. Bad series premieres this week include Kitchen Confidential, Just Legal, Apprentice: Martha Stewart. FOX has already canceled Head Cases after just two airings, but two terribly rated airings.

So what do I think will do good based on the numbers for the first episode? I think Everybody Hates Chris, Invasion, How I Met Your Mother will be the ones to perform similar numbers or even higher. I'm not convinced yet about My Name is Earl. Out of Practice might have a good lead-in, but I'm still questioning if it can hold much of it in subsequent airings. Surface got a decent sampling with 11.18 million viewers, but I expect a big drop this week. NBC got lucky on Monday and Tuesday with decent nights, but the last two nights have been big disappoinments.

Season to date (first four nights):
Households: CBS: 9.0/13.9; ABC: 8.5/13.2; NBC: 7.4/11.4; FOX: 4.3/6.6; UPN: 2.8/4.2; The WB: 2.4/3.6
Total Viewers: CBS: 14.16 million; ABC: 12.88 million; NBC: 11.22 million; FOX: 6.78 million; UPN: 4.25 million; The WB: 3.49 million.
Adults 18-49: CBS: 4.9/12.5; ABC: 4.7/12.1; NBC: 4.2/10.7; FOX: 2.9/7.3; UPN: 1.9/4.9; The WB: 1.4/3.6

Analysis: With three nights to go and two nights being "weak" - Sunday will be the key and expect ABC to blow away the competition on that night. So, it looks like ABC will win the first week, is what I'm projecting. Lost's big jump has helped a lot and the premiere of Invasion was more than solid. Maybe those Housewives can draw 27-30 million viewers for its premiere this Sunday? I hope to try to do this once every week (either Friday or Saturday) so you can expect who will win each week.
I won't post final numbers as that is available usually everywhere on Tuesday afternoon.

TV Land Confidential Box Set Episodes Set; All-American Girl to DVD

I hope everyone saw episode two of that interesting series TV Land Confidential. The last two weeks TV Land has aired box sets featuring some of the shows featured in the Confidential episode. Now, TV Land has revealed all the shows airing for the rest of the series' run!

Some of the topics include the Happy Days gang talking about Chuck, poker, a rigged beauty contest and Mork; famous Good Times episodes involving James wanting to take a $100 a day job from a holy man and J.J.'s drug addict fiancee (Debbie Allen).
For the complete episodes airing in these box sets, click here. And don't forget to watch the TV Land Confidential episodes themselves, every Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET/PT on TV Land!

And in today's TV DVD news, short-lived but great sitcom All-American Girl is coming to DVD! The show was about a Korean family and it aired on ABC in the 1994-95 season, starring Margaret Cho. Culture-clash comedy about a hip, thoroughly assimilated Korean-American girl and her very traditional mother. Twenty-one-year-old Margaret and her mother, Katherine, fought constantly, mostly over dates; Mom wanted her to become the deferential wife of some nice Korean boy, while Margaret favored Caucasians in leather biker garb. Stuart was Margaret's Goody Two-shoes older brother, engaged and studying to become a cardiologist while deferentially spending most of his time at his parents'. Eric, the younger brother, looked up to his sister, much to Mom's chagrin. Dad (Benny) just ducked for cover as the women lobbed one-liners at each other. The scene alternated between the Kims' nice white town house, their family business ("Kim's Books"), and the department store where Margaret worked at a cosmetics counter, all presumably in San Francisco. Ruthie and Gloria were coworkers who egged Margaret on. Another unexpected ally was Grandma, a stereotype-buster in her younger days, who was now either senile or very wise.
Some of the other sitcoms that aired on ABC in 1994-95 include Thunder Alley, Grace Under Fire, Home Improvement and Roseanne. All-American Girl will come out on DVD January 31 via Shout! Factory, according to TVShowsonDVD.com. We are very happy that this sitcom will make it to DVD!
We are a bit early on today's news, so keep checking back if we have anything else to share.

BET Adds Jamie Foxx Show, Wayans Bros. and In Living Color

Besides The Parkers and Girlfriends, BET is not showing any sitcoms at all. In the past they have aired so many good series, such as 227, Amen, What's Happening!!, Thea and even Sanford. Looks like they are going to get back on the right track this fall. They have finally released their fall line-up, and it will include sitcoms The Wayans Bros.,The Jamie Foxx Show and the sketch comedy In Living Color. All three series have not aired recently, but all have started to come out on DVD. Foxx will air in the mornings and a full hour at midnight. Wayans Bros. will just air in the mornings while In Living Color gets the post-primetime slot in the 11 p.m. hour. To view their fall line-up, which starts October 3, click here.

While this is excellent news, we hope they add more and be more like TV One. Some black sitcoms that I can think of that need some airtime include Gimme a Break (Nell Carter) and Webster (Emmanuel Lewis).

BET Countdowns Top 25 Black TV Shows; Desperate Housewives E! Ttue Hollywood Story

Sorry for the late post. BET is counting down the top 25 black TV shows of all-time, voted by the fans.

Make sure to tune in to see who made it to the top. Will it be The Jeffersons, Bernie Mac, The Cosby Show, Diff'rent Strokes, What's Happening!!, Good Times or Martin?

The one-hour countdown, hosted by Tisha Campbell-Martin and Duane Martin, starts tonight at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), so grab a couch, some chips and enjoy. If you don't read this time, not to fear, the special will re-air Thursday at 10 p.m.

In related BET news, they will have a Parkers marathon this Saturday (Sept. 24) from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. then again 12:30 a.m. to 4:00a.m. ET/PT.

And to get you more hyped for the second season premiere of Desperate Housewives this Sunday, E! will have an E! True Hollywood Story on those ladies from Wisteria Lane. To read more info on that, click here.

Emmy Wrap-Up; TV Land and Nick@Nite November

Last night's Emmy Awards were filled with some surprises including wins for Felicity Huffman and Particia Arquette, and the comedy Everybody Loves Raymond. For a full round-up of winners, please visit ClassicTVHits.com. You will be able to obtain bios, pictures and information for all the winners & nominees! It sounds good to me!

Now let's head on over to TV Land and the long awaited TV Land November schedule! I was holding off on it until the information became official. What's Happening!! will join the line-up on Monday, November 7, and air every night at 11 p.m. ET/PT. What's Happening!! will get a 48 hour launch marathon the weekend before (Nov. 5-6), with 12 airings of follow-up series What's Happening Now!! included! WH!! will air 6 a.m. to 3 a.m. during the marathon days and WHN!! will air 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. This might be the last you could see WHN!! on TV Land (I hope not, though), so watch and record! WH!! will be only airing in the rotation, as far as I know.
Now TV Land adding What's Happening!! is good news, but there is some bad news to this. Ratings hit Three's Company had to be removed due to contract issues. The show is "resting" or as I like to say, "refueling." It WILL be back at a later date, for sure. But for now please understand why TV Land did this. They didn't do it to tease fans or because of low ratings, this was done because they were running out of airplays. The show is so popular on TV Land! I have a full explanation of this and the entire TV Land November schedule right HERE.
(Which includes not only the launch marathon of WH!!, but Flashback Fridays, Flashback Friday on Thanksgiving Day marathon, and a Chasing Farrah marathon.)

Nick@Nite is also airing a ton of specials in November! November includes more new episodes of Fatherhood, two movie-themed stunts with your favorite sitcoms, a Thanksgiving night marathon and a week-long Holiday marathon. Read all that and more here.

The fall TV season officially starts at 8 p.m. We hope everyone is ready and excited!

Fall 2005 Begins Tomorrow, SitcomsOnline.com Previews What We Think the Ratings Winners Will Be

After a long summer which saw a lot of repeats and few new shows such as Dancing with the Stars, the fall line-up officially starts tomorrow night with shows such as the sitcom Out of Practice. So as we have no idea what rookies will do well in the ratings yet, it should be fun determining which will do well. Personally, I think the ABC drama Invasion will be the highest rated new series, Everybody Hates Chris will probably break UPN records, and a few others could potentially do well. So, let's try to analyze the overall timeslot leader and the adults 18-49 slot leader for each hour.

SUNDAYS
7:00PM -
Overall: 60 Minutes (CBS)
18-49: America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC)
My Analysis: While NFL Overrun on FOX and/or CBS will probably dominate this slot until the end of December, look for these two winners if the NFL game doesn't go over the limit.
8:00PM -
Overall: Cold Case (CBS) and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)
18-49: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)
My Analysis: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will sometimes beat Cold Case in overall ratings, but look for the family reality series to score big in adults 18-49.
9:00PM -
Overall: Desperate Housewives (ABC)
18-49: Desperate Housewives (ABC)
My Analysis: Total domination from those Housewives. I think the ratings will be even bigger than last season--watch out CSI! Law & Order: CI and Family Guy will be a distant second place in total viewers and adults 18-49.
10:00PM -
Overall: Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
18-49: Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
My Analysis: Another dominating hour for ABC. Grey can hold much of DH's audience, expect 75% at least.
Easy and big win for ABC for the night. CBS and NBC will battle for second.

MONDAYS
8:00PM -
Overall: The King of Queens/How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
18-49: The King of Queens/How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
My Analysis: King of Queens is back on Monday joining newcomer How I Met Your Mother, who got a great review from us. Should be an easy win for CBS in the hour. Surface will die fast for NBC and no matter where FOX's Arrested Development will air, it won't be a hit ratings wise. 7th Heaven could even be second place in adults 18-49.
9:00PM -
Overall: Two and a Half Men (CBS)/Monday Night Football (ABC)
18-49: Monday Night Football (ABC)
My Analysis: It should be interesting how much of a drop, if any, will Two and a Half Men will have from last season's time slot occupant--Everybody Loves Raymond. I think it won't be too bad, but Out of Practice should drop a bit and below last season's average for Men for sure, so that is why I think MNF will either tie or even win the hour overall and for sure win in adults 18-49, especially tomorrow with the emotional game involving the New Orleans Saints.
10:00PM -
Overall: CSI: Miami (CBS)
18-49: CSI: Miami (CBS)
My Analysis: Miami will score well and will build on the sitcom hour, like it did last season. MNF will stay consistent or drop a bit from the 9 p.m. hour.
CBS and ABC will do very well on Mondays. NBC will do average with Las Vegas and Medium, Surface will probably score even below last year's fading Fear Factor.

TUESDAYS:
8:00PM -
Overall: Navy NCIS (CBS)
18-49: According to Jim (ABC)/Bones (FOX)
My Analysis: Easy win for Navy NCIS overall. It all depends on how Bones will do in its second airing, if it drops big, then I'd think According to Jim and Rodney could win the slot in viewers 18-49. Rodney has shown that it could hold most of Jim's audience.
9:00PM -
Overall: House, M.D. (FOX)
18-49: House, M.D. (FOX)
My Analysis: I'm still not going to totally confirm a sweep for House, until I see how it does this week against some tough competition in the season finale of Big Brother 6 and the much anticipated Dancing with the Stars: Dance-Off. The sleeper hit of the hour could be ABC's new series Commander in Chief which premieres a week from Tuesday. Watch out for that one House! NBC has seen great reviews for their ONLY new sitcom for the fall My Name is Earl, but it will be lost in the tough hour and will be dead on arrival, or somewhere close to that. Will NBC do what FOX has done with Arrested Development? I don't think so, NBC needs a hit FAST, especially in the comedy department.
10:00PM -
Overall: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC)
18-49: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC)
My Analysis: SVU will now be the highest rated L&O series this season. It should give NBC a big boost for their Tuesday average. What was CBS thinking canceling Judging Amy for new series Close to Home? Now just for that ABC's relocated Boston Legal should be second place in both measures.
CBS or FOX will probably win the night with ABC a wildcard since Chief could be a big hit. NBC will stay the same as last season or do even worse on Tuesdays.

WEDNESDAYS
8:00PM -
Overall: The Apprentice: Martha Stewart (NBC)
18-49: The Apprentice: Martha Stewart (NBC)
My Analysis: This should be a bunched up hour. Martha will not be a big hit and will not dominate but it will win the hour by a few points only in both measures. George Lopez/Freddie could have the Lost halo effect and win the hour in adults 18-49 even. ABC has scheduled a Lost special for this Wednesday, so let's see how Martha can handle it. CBS's Yes, Dear will probably build on Still Standing.
9:00PM -
Overall: Lost (ABC)
18-49: Lost (ABC)
My Analysis: Lost is the clear winner and now airing in a later time-slot, will even attract more viewers. The real question is, who will be second place? Will it be E-Ring or Criminal Minds? Both are rookies and will battle for second. UPN's Veronica Mars is also airing in this hour now.
10:00PM -
Overall: Invasion (ABC)
18-49: Invasion (ABC)
My Analysis: Last season we finally saw that the long running hit Law & Order could be dethroned. CSI: NY is no CSI or CSI: Miami and will probably tumble a bit this season due to ABC's newest series Invasion. All three series in the slot will battle, but I think Invasion, with the Lost lead-in, has the best chance of winning the hour. And the fact that the series is very entertaining. This is probably the best hour in terms of competition. Even more than 9 p.m.
Again ABC is the network to beat on Wednesdays. CBS and NBC will battle for second and it all depends on which rookies will do better in the 9 p.m. hour. Remember, I'm not even looking at mid-season when that little show called American Idol is in the picture.

THURSDAYS
8:00PM -
Overall: Survivor (CBS)
18-49: Survivor (CBS)
My Analysis: This is another bunched up hour. Survivor will win the hour but not as big as last season. Joey and Will & Grace are going to do worse than last season, if that is even possible. Look out for UPN's Everybody Hates Chris--can it beat NBC?? Alias & Smallville could steal a lot of The O.C.'s young audience, leaving a big dent to that show. This should be an interesting hour indeed.
9:00PM -
Overall: CSI (CBS)
18-49: CSI (CBS)
My Analysis: No stopping CSI. The only question is if CSI can beat ABC's Sunday sensation DH for overall lead for the fall? The Apprentice should be on par from last season and be second place. The Night Stalker and Reunion will battle for third.
10:00PM -
Overall: Without a Trace (CBS)
18-49: Without a Trace (CBS)
My Analysis: Trace wins the hour in both measures over NBC's aging ER.
CBS will win the night by big. NBC will do worse than last season. ABC will improve Thursdays and FOX will do better 9 p.m. Can UPN hold most of Chris' audience for the rest of the night?

FRIDAYS
8:00PM -
Overall: Dateline (NBC)
18-49: Supernanny (ABC)
My Analysis: Die Ghost Whisperer, die! That's for CBS since they canceled Joan of Arcadia! This boring hour goes to Dateline overall and Supernanny in adults 18-49. Twins on The WB will not be a ratings smash, but that's what I'll have on at 8:30.
9:00PM -
Overall: Big question mark.
18-49: Big question mark.
My Analysis: This is too close to call. CBS should be disappointed for Threshold's premiere numbers this past Friday. NBC's Three Wishes could actually win this hour, if that sounds crazy. Or it could even go to Hope & Faith and Hot Properties. Both should do well with women. What do I think will happen? Probably NBC overall and ABC in adults. CBS should have kept JAG or better yet move Joan of Arcadia to this slot.
10:00PM -
Overall: NUMB3RS (CBS)
18-49: 20/20 (ABC)
My Analysis: NUMB3RS and 20/20 will battle for this slot in both adults and total viewers. Inconceivable will die. NBC was better off with the fourth Law & Order.
NBC or CBS could take the night overall and ABC will or could take 18-49.

SATURDAYS
Read a book or watch DVDs.
ABC will start off with repeats of Lost, Invasion and Commander in Chief then will probably move on to movies and The Wonderful World of Disney.
NBC will air movies. FOX will air their usual Cops and America's Most Wanted. And CBS will go with crime drama repeats and 48 Hours. So it is anyone's night.
Whatever happened to actual first run programming on Saturdays? Remember The Golden Girls was so high rated on this night?

We hope you enjoyed this feature and will enjoy the fall line-up, too. Don't forget the Emmy Awards tonight at 8 p.m. on CBS.

The 57th Annual Emmy Awards Airs Tomorrow on CBS!

The 57th Annual Emmy Awards airs tomorrow night on CBS and SitcomsOnline.com is all ready and excited! We think Desperate Housewives and Lost could be big winners (despite some snubs!) and maybe finally sitcom veteran Jason Bateman can pick up his first Emmy win!

Here are the nominees for the main categories and my bets on who will win.


BEST COMEDY SERIES
Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Arrested Development (FOX)
Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS)
Scrubs (NBC)
Will & Grace (NBC)
MY BET: Desperate Housewives. Yet another newbie but a hilarious show mixed with great storylines, drama, and so much more. And how in the world is Will & Grace nominated?

BEST COMEDY ACTOR
Tony Shalhoub, Monk (USA Network)
Ray Romano, Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS)
Jason Bateman, Arrested Development (FOX)
Eric McCormack, Will & Grace (NBC)
Zach Braff, Scrubs (NBC)
MY BET: Jason Bateman. While Shalhoub and Romano are the favorites, I'm going with Bateman. I'm not a fan of Arrested Development, but I've liked his work over the years on some of his other shows and he should get it. If not, look for Romano to get his last Emmy for Raymond.

BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
Teri Hatcher, Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Marcia Cross, Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Patricia Heaton, Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS)
Felicity Huffman, Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle (FOX)
MY BET: Teri Hatcher. Hatcher's fine physical comedy is fun to watch. Marcia Cross has great lines and is equally hilarious, so one of them will win this award. Huffman's character is the best dramatic character I think, so she will not get it. Where is Eva Longoria? Her character is hilarious! It will be a big upset if a Housewife doesn't win.

BEST SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR
Jeffrey Tambor, Arrested Development (FOX)
Peter Boyle, Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS)
Brad Garrett, Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS)
Sean Hayes, Will & Grace (NBC)
Jeremy Piven, Entourage (HBO)
MY BET: Peter Boyle. It's the final season for Raymond, either Boyle or Garrett should win it. I love Jeffrey Tambor, but I doubt he will win.

BEST SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS
Jessica Walter, Arrested Development (FOX)
Doris Roberts, Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS)
Conchata Ferrell, Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Holland Taylor, Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Megan Mullally, Will & Grace (NBC)
MY BET: Doris Roberts. Again it's the final season for Raymond, and she will it home for one last time. Jessica Walter could also win. Ferrell is great but a long shot. No one else has a chance I think. Where is Nicollette Sheridan?

BEST DRAMA SERIES
Lost (ABC)
The West Wing (NBC)
Deadwood (HBO)
Six Feet Under (HBO)
24 (FOX)
MY BET: Lost. This is clearly the best written drama on television. It is well acted and the characters are all just wonderful.

BEST DRAMA ACTOR
Hugh Laurie, House (FOX)
James Spader, Boston Legal (ABC)
Ian McShane, Deadwood (HBO)
Kiefer Sutherland, 24 (FOX)
Hank Azaria, Huff (Showtime)
MY BET: James Spader. Spader won it last year for The Practice, and I think he is the one to beat. Laurie could also take it, but Spader deserves it. Matthew Fox got snubbed, he should be here and should have been the winner, too.

BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Glenn Close, The Shield (FX)
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC)
Patricia Arquette, Medium (NBC)
Frances Conroy, Six Feet Under (HBO)
Jennifer Garner, Alias (ABC)
MY BET: Glenn Close. I've not seen the show but Close is the heavy favorite. I'd love for Jennifer Garner to finally get that Emmy, but that would be out of no where. If this is the last season for Alias, hopefully Garner gets it next year. Arquette gets in but not Ellen Pompeo or Amber Tamblyn?

BEST SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR
Terry O'Quinn, Lost (ABC)
William Shatner, Boston Legal (ABC)
Alan Alda, The West Wing (NBC)
Naveen Andrews, Lost (ABC)
Oliver Platt, Huff (Showtime)
MY BET: Terry O'Quinn. O'Quinn as the mysterious Locke is such a great character and is for sure Emmy material. Only way he doesn't win is if Shatner wins. Alan Alda could be in the mix, too.

BEST SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTRESS
Stockard Channing, The West Wing (NBC)
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
CCH Pounder, The Shield (FX)
Tyne Daly, Judging Amy (CBS)
Blythe Danner, Huff (Showtime)
MY BET: CCH Pounder. Never saw The Shield, but wow that name CCH Pounder sounds interesting! This is clearly the weakest category. Where is Yunjin Kim???

Coming tomorrow, my bets on the winners for each timeslot for the fall season!

More on TV One Fall; Final Part for Week Long Paramount TV DVD Feature

TV One has released a press release stating that they have acquired sitcom Amen and drama New Uork Undercover from Universal. We knew about Amen, since we knew it was going to air 6:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.the week of Sept. 26, part of the comedy kick-off week marathon, paired with 227. Amen will then move and air weeknights at 6:30 p.m. ET starting October 3. New York Undercover will air at 9 p.m. and 12 a.m. If there are any other further changes to the TV One line-up starting Oct. 3, I will certainly let you know!

Now for the final part of our week long Paramount TV DVD feature. Today we head on to good 'ole days of rural television--in Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. We heard some things already about this next show from TVShowsonDVD.com that it is coming on DVD, but I think this show has a big enough following that I should reiterate it and give further information. It is now been confirmed that this is indeed coming from Paramount! Paramount has targeted an early first quarter release, possibly in late January. So golly that is not too far away! Of the four shows I have found out about, this one will probably be the first release of the four. So, some have asked, are these four shows the only new shows they will be releasing on DVD? Answer: I highly doubt that. So fans of other shows such as Webster, Family Ties, Moesha, Bosom Buddies, Dear John, Beverly Hills 90210, and The Odd Couple don't dispair, it doesn't mean your favorite shows are not in the works.

Stay tuned this weekend for features on The Emmy Awards and the Network Fall Line-Up!

Some TV Land Updates and more; Part 3 of Paramount TV DVD Feature

TV Land has added an encore of their Saturday morning original block to air on Tuesday nights (early Wednesday mornings) from 3 to 6 a.m. ET/PT. Don't worry, you can still catch your favorite Inside TV Land or TV Land Confidential encores on Saturday mornings still, too. I hope everyone caught the premiere of TV Land Confidential last night. I saw the encore airing today and I like what I saw. It was very informative and most of the stuff was pretty new, such as how Happy Days was taken out of Dallas when it first premiered. You can catch it every Wednesday at 10 p.m for another month and a half. 7 episodes have been ordered, so 6 more to go! TV Land is also airing a "box set" of some shows that are featured during this series, every Wednesday afternoon from 4 to 6 p.m. ET/PT.

In other noteworthy news, sitcom alum David Spade (Just Shoot Me, 8 Simple Rules) is getting his own show starting TONIGHT on Comedy Central. The Showbiz Show with David Spade premieres at 10:30 p.m. on Comedy Central.

Now for part three of our Paramount TV on DVD feature. Today we are heading towards the beach into beautiful West Hollywood district of Los Angeles. No, it's not a sitcom, but I'm sure many fans will be happy to hear this. Melrose Place is coming to DVD sometime in 2006! Some big current TV stars starred at one point or another in this series including Alyssa Milano (Charmed, Who's the Boss?), Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives), Doug Savant (Desperate Housewives), Heather Locklear (Dynasty, Spin City), and Courtney Thorne-Smith (According to Jim). The information is still not official, so just wait until TVShowsonDVD.com announces it to be even more happy.

SitcomsOnline Pilot Reviews; Even More Classic TV in NYC; Part 2 of Paramount TV DVD Feature

Our TV DVD review system has been so popular that we have now expanded to new television pilot reviews! We will be reviewing EVERY sitcom pilot for the fall, and some dramas, too! We hope to do this for every fall and mid-season, so you not only get in-depth DVD reviews but now also new series on TV pilot reviews! We have already put up many pilot reviews before the shows have even premiered, so you will know what shows are good and what shows are bad. The following are the pilots we have reviewed thus far:

• Hot Properties (ABC)
• Freddie (ABC)
• Twins (The WB)
• Invasion (ABC)
• The War at Home (FOX)
  

Coming soon are My Name is Earl, Everybody Hates Chris, Commander in Chief, Kitchen Confidential, Out of Practice and much much more. We will cover EVERY sitcom pilot as I stated earlier, and select drama pilots. Keep checking the main SitcomsOnline.com website for pilot reviews or you can check the message boards.

New York City is getting yet even more classic TV! The Odd Couple and Taxi will now join WNYW's line-up, airing weeknights at 4:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. starting late Monday, September 26. Both shows have been airing on WPIX, but have been in and out of the line-up a lot. New York City has gotten a lot of classic TV including The Jeffersons (WPIX), Charles in Charge, Coach, Who's the Boss?, Cosby Show, The Nanny, Mad About You (WWOR), and so much more. And not to mention occasional airings on WPIX of Welcome Back, Kotter; Bewitched, The Munsters, and many more.

Now for part two of our four-day Paramount Home Entertainment TV DVD feature! Yesterday we took 'flight' with Wings, today we will move on to the sea and set sail with the classic '70s series--The Love Boat! The classic one-hour, I guess sitcom (it did have a laugh track...), is coming to DVD in 2006! Everyone who was somebody in those days guest starred on that show. John Ritter, Suzanne Somers, Scott Baio, Meredith Baxter, Richard Mulligan, Robert Reed, Dick Sargent, Don Adams, and so many more guest starred. And that's just season one! As with Wings, the same rules apply to The Love Boat. I will not repeat them, so please go back and read yesterday's story. This is wonderful news as the very similar Fantasy Island is coming to DVD this November from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Now, The Love Boat fans can rejoice and be happy, too!

A New Boy in the Neighborhood and a Coach to WWOR; Part 1 of Week Long Paramount TV DVD News

Today I thought I'd post some news early. So you never know what time I post news. Just keep checking throughout the day!
There is a 'new boy in the neighborhood' and a 'Coach' coming to WWOR (UPN9 in NYC) starting Sept. 26. Yes, the 80's series Charles in Charge (pictured) and the popular sitcom Coach are both coming to WWOR starting Sept. 26 airing 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., replacing an episode of Cops and Spin City. I posted WWOR's fall schedule a few weeks back and did indicate that we might see Charles on the schedule soon, and it did happen. Charles in Charge has aired in the NYC market before on WPIX and then later on WLNY-55. Coach also aired on WPIX previously, some years back. While Coach can still be seen on cable on USA Network in the morning, Charles is not on cable at all, just on select locals throughout the country. Scott Baio, Nicole Eggert and Craig T. Nelson are among the stars in these shows.

Now for our week long feature (Sept. 13-16) on Paramount Home Entertainment's TV on DVD for 2006. Now, remember the titles I'm giving throughout this week are not officially released yet, so the titles can be scrapped entirely without notice. That is why it is best to just check TVShowsonDVD.com. I have gotten word on about four new series coming to DVD from Paramount. To launch this week long feature, we will take 'flight' with a perfect show to take us off. That is of course, the popular NBC series from the '90s--Wings! Wings is finally coming to DVD and I know there are many fans waiting for this show on DVD (including a ton on our boards) and will be VERY happy. Now remember, this is NOT official, so don't get really excited yet. But you can get a little excited, since you know it is in the works. I don't know when in 2006 it is coming but you can right now watch Wings on TV every night on TV Land. Stay tuned tomorrow for part two of our four-day feature on Paramount Home Entertainment.

Since it is still early, I could still edit in some news later today, if anything is noteworthy. I'll label it as "breaking news" or "UPDATE" so you will know what is new.

TV Land Wins an Emmy; Mr. T Series Planned; Sneak Peek at This Week

TV Land won a creative Emmy this weekend! They won for "Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Television" for the All Access Pass special on the 2005 TV Land Awards. Read the press release here.
TV Land also announced today that they are developing an original series with the one and only Mr. T! Production will begin next month with no scheduled air date as of yet (if at all picked up). It looks like an interesting series and hopefully TV Land does pick it up. The pilot is being called, I Pity the Fool. A perfect title. Read TV Land's release on that pilot here.

For people who are awaiting both TV Land and Nick@Nite's November schedules, I hope to have that for you tomorrow. So come back tomorrow.

Also tomorrow, I will kick off a four day DVD revealing for TV titles in the works from Paramount Home Entertainment! So come check back with us all this week for that. I'll give a hint: none of the shows have come out on DVD yet--all brand new releases!

September 11 -- Remembered for Terrorist Attacks and the Passing of John Ritter

SitcomsOnline.com News Special Feature: September 11 is probably the worst day ever in the history of America. Yes, four years ago today the tragic terror events happened. It is hard to believe that it already has been four years, it seems that nightmare was just like yesterday. But this day is also very tragic for television fans, too. Two years ago tonight the great beloved John Ritter passed away. It was just after 10 p.m. PT that this happened two years ago. John was on the set of his ABC sitcom 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter doing promos, rehearsing scenes and doing an interview for the Museum of Television & Radio. It was also his little girl's birthday, so John, who is always energetic and happy, was extra energetic and happy that day. Two of his closest friends were set to guest star on his show the next day--actor Henry Winkler (Happy Days) and the great director Peter Bogdanovich.

Later that day, John didn't feel too good, so he asked the director if he could go lay down in his dressing room. The cast of the show were aware that he usually takes afternoon naps. He needs those naps because he is so energetic. A few hours or so later John began to sweat a lot so he called one of the producers over. Eventually, they took him to the hospital across the street, the same hospital where he was born. While going to the hospital, John was still cracking jokes to lighten the mood.

We all know what happens after that. Amy Yasbeck, John's wife, was later called to the hospital. Originally everyone thought he had food poisoning, but later they discovered an aortic problem. I believe his older son, Jason Ritter also came later on. And at 10 p.m. PT that night, John had passed away at the age of only 54. So tragic. It was such a terrible loss to not only Hollywood, but for the entire country. Everyone liked him. He was not your average Hollywood actor, he had no ego and he made you feel like someone important, when he was really the important one. He didn't care who he talked to, whether it be a janitor on the set or an executive at ABC, he treated everyone equally. He was known as the nicest actor in Hollywood. When everyone heard about his passing on early morning on Sept. 12, 2003, everyone was in a state of shock. I was literally in shock. I had never felt like that before and don't ever want to feel like that again EVER.
With reruns and DVDs, John's work will live on forever. The only sad part is we will never get to see him in a new movie or new TV show again. He was an amazing human being and actor.

So, tonight at 10 p.m. PT (1 a.m ET), please think of John or give him a moment of silence. He deserves it. Continue to rest in peace, John.
View all of my websites to all of John's series: Three's Company, Hearts Afire, Hooperman and 8 Simple Rules...
NOTE: The Three's Company website is on a temporary address, as the real address is currently down. Sorry for any inconvenience.

More on Growing Pains DVDs; Hearts Afire S2 Details, S3 Date

Alan Thicke's official website updated yesterday. It now says look for Growing Pains DVD collection by Spring 2006. TVShowsonDVD.com contacted Warner Bros. a few weeks back and they said first half of 2006, so now we have pinpointed probaly between mid-March and mid-June as the target for this series. It looks to be a season set release, so fans could relax if they were thinking a "best of" release.

As most of us know, Hearts Afire - The Complete Second Season is coming to DVD on November 1 via Image Entertainment. If you do not know, here are the details on that set:
Newlyweds John and Georgie Anne (the one-and-only John Ritter and Night Court's spunky Markie Post) abandon big city politics for the craziness of small-town life in this irresistible TV comedy! Helped out by John's best friend (the hilarious Billy Bob Thornton, Bad Santa), the couple attempts to revive the local paper. Adding to the mayhem is the incredible supporting cast, including the diminutive, but big-talking Lonnie (Leslie Jordan, Will & Grace) and the cynical, sharp-tongued Madeline (Conchata Ferrell, Two and a Half Men). From the creator of Designing Women, this warm and witty series has become an addictive pleasure for viewers around the world since its original 1992-1995 run! Now get fired up for all 16 episodes of this fun-filled show's smokin' second season, now on DVD for the first time.
EPISODES: Lovely Always - Moonlighting - The Great Depression - The First Edition - String of Pearls - The Stud Club - Blue Christmas - True Confessions - Accelerated Dating - Sweet Revenge - Fatal Traction - Son of Sissywhatsis - The Big Yes - Do the Limbaugh - Love in the Afternoon - Sleepless in a Small Town.
EXTRAS: Deleted Footage

The series lasted three seasons and we can expect the third and final season on DVD on February 7! John Ritter's series prior to Hearts Afire, Hooperman, is also in the works. Little details are available right now, though. And it probably is a while away still, as I don't even know what studio is going to release it. Speaking of John Ritter, we will be paying tribute to him tomorrow on his second anniversary of his tragic passing.
For more details on Hearts Afire & Hooperman visit my websites on those two underrated shows.

See TV Movies With Your Favorite 'Housewives' on Lifetime

So is Desperate Housewives a comedy or drama? I think it is a mixture of both. I will just call it a one hour sitcom-dram. I think I just made that term up. Nevertheless, this is a big month for thouse Housewives. First off, the biggest is of course the season premiere on Sunday, September 25 at 9 p.m on ABC. Make sure everyone tunes into that. Second, pick up the Desperate Housewives first season DVD, filled with over five hours of bonus material, on Tuesday, September 20. SitcomsOnline.com will have a DVD review of that set as soon as we get it. We hope to have the review up late next week.

Lifetime Television is going to celebrate the Housewives DVD and second season premiere by showcasing past TV movies from your favorite housewives, including the newest housewife Alfre Woodard. Tune in all afternoon and evening on Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18 for those "juicy"(as that new ABC promo calls them) Housewives in TV movies. Watch the Housewives mess with other stars like Farrah Fawcett, John Ritter, Gary Cole, Katherine Helmond, and many more. The following is the schedule:

Saturday, September 17
1:00 p.m. Extremities (1986) -- Alfre Woodard
3:00 p.m. The Devil's Bed (1994) -- Nicollette Sheridan
5:00 p.m. Last Man on the List (1998) --Nicollette Sheridan
7:00 p.m. Snap Decision (2001) -- Felicity Huffman
9:00 p.m. Living in Fear (2001) -- Marcia Cross
12:00 a.m. Formula for Death (1995) -- Nicollette Sheridan

Sunday, September 18
10:30 a.m. Miss Evers' Boys -- Alfre Woodard
1:00 p.m. A Time to Heal (1994) -- Nicollette Sheridan
3:00 p.m. A Touch of Fate (2003) -- Teri Hatcher
5:00 p.m. Deadly Visions (2004) -- Nicollette Sheridan
7:00 p.m. Deadly Betrayal (2002) -- Nicollette Sheridan

Only Eva Longoria is not featured, but she is relatively new to the business and does not have any TV movies from the past.

No Denver Tribute on TV Land; TV Land Updates

Unfortunately TV Land is not going to do a Bob Denver tribute. It might have something to do with The Hallmark Channel who currently has the rights to Gilligan's Island. Hallmark should air a Gilligan marathon, but I don't see that happening.

Sticking with TV Land, they released two pieces of information today. First, they will have PSA's airing during commercial breaks with classic TV stars encouraging to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Carol Burnett (The Carol Burnett Show), Bill Cosby (The Cosby Show), Tony Danza (Who's the Boss?), Florence Henderson (The Brady Bunch), Alyssa Milano (Who's the Boss?), Mary Tyler Moore (The Mary Tyler Moore Show), Rob Reiner (All in the Family), Dick Van Dyke (The Dick Van Dyke Show) and Henry Winkler (Happy Days) are among the actors who will express their support for the victims of the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina by appealing to television viewers to contribute to relief efforts. Beginning next week, TV Land and Nick@Nite will air the public service announcement featuring these Classic TV icons and their message designed to encourage viewers to support in the relief efforts. The 30-second spot will air in heavy rotation on both networks and be made available to all media outlets. The PSA will direct viewers to the American Red Cross website (www.redcross.org) and toll free phone number 1-800-HELP-NOW (1-800-435-7669) to make contributions to the cause. Gil Cope, whose credits include filming over 500 commercials for Levis, Coke, Honda and Mercedes among others, will direct the PSA.

TV Land is working on a pilot with Paul Reiser titled I Did Not Know That--one-hour sendup of "Biography" style shows to be hosted by Harry Shearer according to Variety. Reiser is producing the pilot. The pilot will feature a series of segments billed as "fake stories about real celebrities" and "fake bios of made-up people." Production begins next week in Los Angeles. If the show's picked up, TV Land execs are targeting a launch early next year. It is not a guarantee to make it on the air.

Up next on the TV Land original docket is One Night Only With David Steinberg, a six-part talker in which the Emmy-winning comedy writer chats with classic and contempo comedians who got their start on television, premieres in December.

Television Updates

We are still waiting if there will be a Bob Denver tribute event on TV Land. If we don't hear anything by tomorrow, I'd say the answer is no. So keep checking back here often to see if there is an update. As of now, GSN is the only network doing one.

Today we have a lot of little television news to tell you. You might have heard some or all of these, but I feel they are noteworthy. Sitcom stars Todd Bridges (Diff'rent Strokes) and Dave Couiler (Full House) will be skating this fall on FOX on the reality show Skating with Celebrities. Read the press release here. This year's Emmy Awards, which are airing on Sunday, September 18 on CBS, will have stars of television sing classic television themes. I guess they watched the TV Land Awards and liked that idea. The stars include Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) singing the theme for Fame, William Shatner (Boston Legal) and opera mezzo von Stade will sing the Star Trek theme, Megan Mullally (Will & Grace) and Donald Trump (The Apprentice) with the Green Acres tune, and Gary Dourdan (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) and R&B artist Macy Gray will sing the popular The Jeffersons theme.


And VH1 will relive two 1970's sitcom stars for two new shows. Christopher Knight (Peter from The Brady Bunch) and Danny Bonaduce (The Partridge Family) will headline their own shows. Knight will star in My Fair Brady, premiering Sunday at 9:30 p.m. Bonaduce will star in Breaking Bonaduce premiering Sunday at 10:30 p.m.
In Brady, Lovebirds Christopher Knight and Adrianne Curry first met on VH1's The Surreal Life 4. Now, a year later the two are living together and the twice married Chris is having commitment issues. Adrianne, on the other hand, is ready to start a family and gives Chris and ultimatum...either step up or I'm moving out. And in Bonaduce, America remembers Danny Bonaduce as the cute but spunky Danny Partridge in the 1970's classic series The Partridge Family. Since then however, this former child star has lived a life filled with dichotomy as the hard partying "bad guy" while also trying to remain a loving family man.

Sitcom Legend Bob Denver Passes Away

Today we will pay respect to sitcom legend Bob Denver. He passed away Friday and it was first announced this afternoon by Entertainment Tonight. Bob Denver's official website has a nice tribute to him. Please view that here. If you would like to send your thoughts or send flowers to the Denver family, you can do so by clicking here.
Bob of course was famous for his role as Willy Gilligan in Gilligan's Island. Prior to his role as Gilligan, Bob played Dobie's friend on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. But it was Gilligan that many fans recognize him as. Some never knew his real name, and just called him Gilligan. He also voiced Gilligan on two animated series The New Adventures of Gilligan and Gilligan's Planet. There were even three reunion movies of Gilligan's Island from 1978 to 1981: Rescue from Gilligan's Island, Castaways on Gilligan's Island, and The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island. He even played Gilligan on other series as a special guest star, such as ALF, The New Gidget, Baywatch, Meego, and Roseanne. He also played himself on Evening Shade, Herman's Head, The Simpsons, & Space Ghost Coast to Coast. To read the full article on his passing and to post your own memories of this legend, please click here.

Gilligan's Island airs Saturday mornings on The Hallmark Channel. Hallmark has not announced any immediate plans to air a marathon of the show. TV Land could plan a tribute marathon as well. Both Dobie and Gilligan airings would be nice. I will let everyone know when and if TV Land or any other network will air a marathon or a tribute for Mr. Denver. You can buy all three seasons of Gilligan's Island on DVD today by going to our Gilligan's Island section. We will all miss Bob Denver, but he forever will be on television until the end of time. Mr. Denver was 70 years old.

UPDATE: GSN will be airing a tribute to Bob Denver. GSN will air two game shows that featured Denver on Friday, September 9 with BEAT THE CLOCK from 1972 at 3 AM ET/PT and PASSWORD from 1966 at 3:30 AM ET/PT.

Carsey-Werner Central: More on Cosby Show DVDs; Status of 'A Different World' DVDs; and more!

Happy Labor Day everyone! Today is Carsey-Werner DVD news day. We have a first look on the Different World (cast pictured) DVDs. Will they be edited or unedited? But first we have more information regarding The Cosby Show. We know that seasons 2-8 will be unedited, as TVShowsonDVD.com told us late last week. But I have now found out that UrbanWorks has no plans at this time at all to release a replacement for Cosby Show Season 1 with the broadcast versions. While that is too bad, but at least the rest of the series will be shown in their original form. TVShowsonDVD.com is reporting a March 2006 target for season 2 on DVD.

Moving on to the spin-off series, A Different World, UrbanWorks will be releasing all six seasons eventually. Season 1 is slated for November. Will they be the syndicated prints or the original broadcast prints is the question many fans have been asking ever since we found out that its parent show had syndicated prints for season 1. The answer is ... syndicated prints. UrbanWorks has told me that they are too far along in production to make the change, so we will have to expect syndicated prints for the series' first season. As for seasons 2-6, they will indeed use the original broadcast versions, so just like The Cosby Show, not all is lost. Personally, I liked the first season of A Different World the best, since I'm a Cosby Show fan and Lisa Bonet from The Cosby Show is in it. Bonet left the series after season one due to her real life pregnancy. She later returned to The Cosby Show.

So what about Carsey-Werner's other series that have hit DVD with edited episodes? Anchor Bay is dealing with Roseanne and 3rd Rock from the Sun, and still there is no real statement, besides what they have been e-mailing fans saying to expect the broadcast versions soon. Hopefully that means the rest of the series and a replacement for season one, but I doubt the latter. I really don't understand why Carsey-Werner didn't give the broadcast versions to UrbanWorks and Anchor Bay in the first place. Did they not realize fans would not notice?

The internet has had a fair share of rumors on C-W's other titles, some included that the 1996-2000 Cosby would be released by UrbanWorks. I asked UrbanWorks that and they told me they don't have the rights to it. So, I don't think we can expect that series on DVD soon, at least not from UrbanWorks. No information so far on the other popular C-W titles Grace Under Fire and Cybill. That '70s Show Season 3 is coming November 15 though from 20th Century FOX and Grounded for Life is coming soon from Anchor Bay.

News Feature: Sitcoms on Local Television, Part II

Continuing our two-part feature on sitcoms on local television, we now focus on the earlier days--the sitcoms of the '50s and '60s.

Let's begin today with the '60s. The '60s was most known for the rural sitcoms and they were all very popular especially The Beverly Hillbillies and The Andy Griffith Show. Both shows still rule the airwaves today in reruns, too. But what about some of the rarely seen sitcoms from the '60s? Among them missing from cable and local television today are Car 54 Where Are You?, Dennis the Menace, Donna Reed Show, Family Affair, Flying Nun, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Gidget, Hazel, Joey Bishop Show, Julia, Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Monkees, Patty Duke Show, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, and That Girl. The ones that are barely seen on some locals or a rare cable channel include F-Troop (one local and AmericanLife TV), Get Smart (ME-TV in Chicago), Gomer Pyle USMC (few locals), The Lucy Show (few locals), Mayberry RFD (AmericanLife TV), McHale's Navy (two locals), My Favorite Marian (one local and AmericanLife TV), My Three Sons (few locals), and Petticoat Junction (ME-TV).
Shows like Addams Family, Andy Griffith Show, Beverly Hillbillies, Bewitched, Dick Van Dyke Show, Green Acres, Gilligan's Island, Hogan's Heroes, I Dream of Jeannie, Mr. Ed, and The Munsters are airing a lot on cable and local channels. There are no '60s sitcoms that are just on cable. So, whatever big show that is airing on cable, is also on some or a few local channels as well. There are still a lot of '60s sitcoms not airing at all, though. I think this is a bit worse than the '70s and maybe on par with the '80s.

Moving on to the golden age--the '50s, where the sitcom really started. We think of I Love Lucy and Leave it to Beaver when we think of the '50s. There are a few sitcoms from this era that are not airing at all, they are: Amos 'n' Andy, Ann Sothern Show, Bachelor Father, Bob Cummings Show, December Bride, Father Knows Best, Life of Riley, Our Miss Brooks, Phil Silvers Show, and The Real McCoys. Most of those you probably have not even heard of except for like Father Knows Best or Phil Silvers Show. The ones that are barely seen on some locals or a rare cable channel include Abbott & Costello (one local), Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet (some locals), George Burns & Gracie Allen Show (some locals), The Honeymooners (ME-TV), I Married Joan (some locals), Make Room for Daddy (few locals), and My Little Margie (few locals). Most of those are on low budget channels in public domain. Shows like I Love Lucy & Leave it to Beaver are airing a lot on cable and local channels. There are not many '50s sitcoms in general, so I can't say whether this is good or bad. But for sure we need some of these shows on local tv or cable such as Father Knows Best. Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet lasted so long, and is now relegated to low budget locals and public domain, which is quiet sad. While The Honeymooners didn't have a lot of episodes, it is not airing as much as it used to.

Finally, we have gone through the sitcoms of the '50s-'90s and I'd say between the '60s-'80s needs the most work. If we can't get them back on television, I guess DVD is the only other option. Some of the shows that have come out on DVD and are no where seen on television in this country include Too Close for Comfort, ALF, and That's My Mama. Looking at those shows from the '60s that are not airing currently, none of them are on DVD yet. So DVD is probably the answer as it seems local channels are more focusing on talk shows, court shows, and newer sitcoms, while cable channels are leaning toward original programming and newer sitcoms as well. Let's hope the sitcoms that are not airing at all get DVD releases quicker than some of the ones that are airing, but most of the ones that are airing on teleivison have already started coming out on DVD.
I hope everyone enjoyed this piece on sitcoms on local television, and we hope to bring you quite a few more of these features in the future.