Yet More Network Show Orders & Cuts (Cuts Include Arrested Development); TV Titles in the Works for Paramount on DVD

Friday, November 11, 2005

Yet More Network Show Orders & Cuts (Cuts Include Arrested Development); TV Titles in the Works for Paramount on DVD

We have so much news for you today! TGIF! I'll get the bad news out of the way first. The FOX sitcom Arrested Development has been cut from the full season order of 22 to only 13 episodes. That is not good news at all. And to make matters worse, FOX has pulled the show for the rest of November sweeps, replacing it with encores of the freshman drama Prison Break. The sitcom that follows Arrested, is also getting 'arrested' -- Kitchen Confidential is also being benched for the rest of sweeps and is not going to get picked up for the rest of the season. There is strong word that FOX will not bring Arrested Development back, so it is all but canceled now...but maybe not totally. There is still a shot it could move to cable next year, possibly on FX. The series is a critical hit, but viewers have not followed. Only 4 million viewers or so tuned into the last episode FOX aired.

Now to some good news! The ABC sitcom Freddie has been picked up for the rest of the season, meaning it will have 22 episodes this season. I was expecting "additional episodes" (more like 18), so this is sort of surprising, since Warner Bros. had a huge job paycut and is reducing costs. Freddie airs right before the mega-hit drama Lost, so that certainly helps. ABC has not announced any details yet on its other new sitcom Hot Properties, which is also a Warner Bros. property. I do expect at least "additional episodes" for this series. Tune in tonight for the famous "Oprah's friend" episode at 9:30 p.m. on ABC and also tune in this Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. for a special night & time airing on ABC!
Warner Bros. has also announced that its new mid-season sitcom for CBS has gone through a title change. Old Christine is now known as The New Adventures of Old Christine.

Now for some DVD news! We are very excited to announced some new titles and returning titles in the works for Paramount Home Entertainment! All of the following mix of sitcoms, dramas, westerns, and even an animated series will be released in early 2006 or so, starting in February: Wings Seasons 1 & 2, The Brady Bunch S5, I Love Lucy S6, JAG S1, The Sentinel S1, Star Trek: Animated, The Phil Silvers Show, Have Gun Will Travel S4, The Beverly Hillbillies, Touched by an Angel S3 Vol 1., NUMB3RS S1. I know for some of these shows TVShowsonDVD.com mentioned, like for NUMB3RS S1 and Touched by an Angel Season 3 Volume 1. Have Gun Will Travel is interesting because season three is not even out yet (it comes out in early January). The Beverly Hillbillies is interesting, too, since MPI will release two volumes of that show, so hopefully Paramount will continue off where they left off? These are the titles they have told me, I'm sure there will be more in early 2006. TVShowsonDVD.com will have more news on all of these for sure when they are officially announced.
A while back we had a Paramount week-long feature and mentioned four shows. Wings, Gomer Pyle, The Love Boat and Melrose Place. Gomer Pyle was penciled in for Jan. 31, and I'm not sure yet if that is still happening. Wings is slated for Feb. 7 with the first two seasons, as I stated above. And Melrose Place and The Love Boat will be in the second half of 2006 (July and August, as of now).

And finally fans of the drama Renegade can relax because Anchor Bay has announced "due to popular demand" they will continue releasing the show on DVD! BOTH Seasons 2 and 3 will be released in one box set on March 21. That's 44 episodes for you! Season 1 was released earlier this year and I think fans wanted to know when season two was coming when they canceled plans for a May 31, 2005 date. Now you'll get two seasons in one set!

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, December 11

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Bitin’, Spankin’ and a Load of Yankee Psychobabble" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie and Mandy get upset when Audrey disciplines CeeCee without their permission.

Ghosts - "The Life and Times of Esther Greene" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Now a successful podcaster, Todd Pearlman returns to profile Sam and Isaac’s book, but becomes obsessed with Jay. Meanwhile, Pete tries to get to the bottom of why Alberta changed her name, forcing her to admit a hidden truth.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 8)

Thursday, December 11

Jamie Lee Curtis (The Sticky/Anything But Love/Operation Petticoat) - Catch Jamie Lee on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Rachel Sennott (I Love LA/Call Your Mother) - Rachel appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Ike Barinholtz (The Studio/The Afterparty/Bless the Harts/The Mindy Project/Eastbound & Down) - Ike stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Elon Gold (Stacked/In-Laws) - Elon is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
Zooey Deschanel (Physical/New Girl) - Andy Cohen interviews Zooey on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 3:30am on Bravo. She also talks about Merv on Live with Kelly and Mark (check your local listings) and on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
Lucien Laviscount (Emily in Paris) - Lucien talks about Emily in Paris on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Kyra Sedgwick (Call Your Mother/Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and Kevin Bacon (I Love Dick) - Kyra and Kevin talk about The Best You Can with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Loretta Devine (Family Reunion/The Carmichael Show) and Lela Rochon (The Wayans Bros.) - Co-host Gayle King sits down with Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon, original cast of Waiting to Exhale, on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Lea Michele (The Mayor) - Lea talks about Broadway's Chess on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am. She also performs in the 10am hour.
Daryl McCormack (Bad Sisters - NBC's Today catches up with Daryl in the 9am hour.
Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Mila Kunis (Family Guy/That '70s Show) - Mila tells Drew about her role in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Ashley Park (Emily in Paris) - Emily tells Drew about what to expect in season five of Emily in Paris on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Joey McIntyre (Return of the Mac/The McCarthys) - Joey talks about Roku's Jingle Bell Wedding on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Danica McKellar (The Wonder Years) - Danica is a guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:15am.