Sunday, September 04, 2005

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.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, October 30

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A Will and a Dead Man’s Wife" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie’s not ready for his mother to start dating again. Meanwhile, Jim and Audrey struggle to make their wills.

Ghosts - "Halloween 5: The Mummy" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Sam and Jay’s Halloween takes a spooky turn when they accidentally unleash a mummy ghost.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 27)

Thursday, October 30

  • Emma Stone (The Curse) - Catch Emma on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Justine Lupe (Nobody Wants This/Cristela) - Justine talks about Nobody Wants This on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Harland Williams (The Geena Davis Show/Simon) - Harland is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building) - Steve chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Patti LaBelle (Out All Night) - Patti is whipping up something tasty in the kitchen, plus a special announcement just for the Tam Fam on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • Ariana Greenblatt (Stuck in the Middle) - Ariana talks about Now You See Me: Now You Don't on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
  • Leanne Morgan (Leanne) - Leanne co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Niecy Nash-Betts (Reno 911!/Getting On/The Soul Man/Do Not Disturb) - Niecy talks about her upcoming Hulu series All's Fair on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Wendie Malick (Hot in Cleveland/Big Day/Jake in Progress/Just Shoot Me!), Jane Leeves (Hot in Cleveland/Frasier/Throb) and Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Hot in Cleveland co-stars Wendie Malick and Jane Leeves are surprising Valerie Bertinelli for a cast reunion and to dish on their time working on the hit show on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Joel Kim Booster (Loot/Shrill) - Joel talks about Apple TV's Loot on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

10/30 - ABC's The Golden Girls 40th Anniversary Special on November 11; NBC 2025 Holiday Specials
10/29 - ABC Midseason 2026 Schedule; Hulu Renews Only Murders in the Building for Season 6, Now in London
10/28 - Hulu Debuts Trailer for Original Holiday Film; Sidelined Returns for Sequel on Tubi
10/27 - Netflix Grabs Victorious Spinoff Hollywood Arts; Dancing with the Stars Up for 5th Straight Week
10/26 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 27, 2025)
10/25 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Frankie Muniz Shares Photo Outside Studio for Malcolm in the Middle Reboot; Warner Bros. Discovery Still Looking for New Owner
10/24 - USA Network Renews The Rainmaker; Reba Hosting Christmas in Rockefeller Center
10/23 - The CW Holiday Specials Schedule; Apple TV Fraggle Rock Special
10/22 - Apple TV's Shrinking Returns in January 2026; Season 2 of Idris Elba Series Also Returns in January 2026
10/21 - FETV Acquires Here Come the Brides; Netflix's Mo Amer Special Trailer
10/20 - SNL November Guests Lineup; It's a Wonderful Lifetime 2025 Schedule
10/19 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 20, 2025)
10/18 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at NBC Comedy Stumble; Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage Showrunner Talks When the Inevitable May Happen
10/17 - Apple TV's Palm Royale Returns November 12; Pop Culture Jeopardy! Moving to Netflix
10/16 - Kathleen Madigan Prime Video Special; His & Hers Premiere Date for Netflix
10/15 - ABC Wednesday Comedies Premiere Strong; Sebastian Maniscalco's Hulu Comedy Special Date
10/14 - Tubi's Breaking Bear Premieres March 2026; NBC's Stumble Trailer
10/13 - Jurassic World: Chaos Theory Final Season; Bat-Fam Premieres November 10 on Prime Video
10/12 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 13, 2025)
10/11 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at Upcoming Paramount+ Sitcom Crutch; Yellowjackets to End After Upcoming Season
10/10 - Prime Video Releases Trailer for The Mighty Nein; Season 2 Premiere Date for Cross
10/09 - Rachel Sennott's I Love LA Comedy Series Trailer; Kaley Cuoco Heads to MGM+
10/08 - Prime Video's Kevin Details; Trailer for Crutch with Tracy Morgan
10/07 - The CW's TV We Love Docuseries; Happy's Place Season 2 Trailer
10/06 - Dancing with the Stars Surging in Viewership, Especially Among Younger Viewers; Remembering Kimberly Hébert Gregory of Vice Principals
10/05 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 6, 2025)
10/04 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Fox Cancels The Great North; Everybody Loves Raymond Cast Set to Reunite for 30 Year Anniversary
10/03 - MeTV Acquires Everybody Loves Raymond; Hazbin Hotel Season 2 Trailer
10/02 - CBS Presents Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion; Apple TV+ Renews Peanuts Specials Through 2030
10/01 - The CW's Six Brand New Movies Starting November 16; Hulu's Family Guy Halloween Special Details
09/30 - Sarah Sherman HBO Comedy Special in December; Huluween Programming for 2025