SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

New Year's Eve Brings Marathons

Wow! What a year it has been. 2005 went by so fast and it felt like 2005 just started. A lot has happened this year sitcom wise. Good and bad. So on this last day of the year we hope everyone will take a look what has happened in 2005 and think of what you think will happen in 2006.

New Year's Eve brings marathons. Sure we have our old friend Dick Clark ringing in the new year on ABC and now Regis this year on Fox, but there are marathons of classic series, too! WPIX in New York will ring in the new year with the classic sitcom The Honeymooners. Tune in right after the WB11 News, which will air at a special time of 11 p.m. The Honeymooners start right after that, at approx. 11:30 p.m. and runs through 5 p.m. on New Year's Day. What a way to end 2005 and start 2006!

Other marathons that we know of are The Three Stooges Marathon on WCIU in Chicago. Tune in from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. on New Year's Eve for those hilarious Three Stooges. No, Philadelphia we have not forgotten about you! WPSG (UPN57) will air their own Three Stooges marathon on New Year's Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Start off 2006 with a good laugh, with the crazy antics of the Three Stooges! Join Ashley, Justin and Sean from the U-Crew as they roll out six straight hours of Larry, Moe & Curly!

And it would not be New Year's Eve without The Twilight Zone. Sci-Fi Channel will present two all-day events for this classic series. Starting 9 a.m. on Dec 31. running all the way to 6 a.m. on January 2.

--This post was previously recorded in advance by the vacationing Pavan.

Scrubs Fifth Season Set To Begin on January 3rd

NBC will finally start airing Scrubs fifth season starting on Tuesday, January 3rd. They will air back-to-back episodes throughout January on Tuesdays at 9:00 and 9:30PM ET/PT. Mandy Moore and Jason Bateman will be appearing in guest spots. The 100th episode of the series, airing January 14th, will be directed by Zach Braff and feature an extended homage to The Wizard of Oz. I believe the show was renewed for a full 22-episode order last spring, so it should be shown a lot in the second half of the season. Scrubs will be shown in local syndication and on cable on WGN and Comedy Central starting in the fall of 2006. The first and second season are available on DVD and have reportedly had strong sales. Check out our reviews of Season 1 and Season 2. You can discuss Scrubs on our message board.

Sitcom Actor Deaths in 2005

In today's blog entry, we pay tribute to the sitcom actors, directors, and writers that passed away in 2005. They are listed in alphabetical order. The link goes to their Internet Movie Database entry where you can view a list of their credits.



Don Adams - He became famous for his role as Maxwell Smart (Agent 86) on the popular Get Smart. Don won three consecutive Emmy Awars for Best Comedy Actor from 1967-1969. His other sitcom roles and appearances included The Partners, The Love Boat, Empty Nest, and Check It Out. He was a voice actor for characters such as Tennessee Tuxedo and Inspector Gadget. Mr. Adams died September 25, 2005 at 82 of a lung infection.



Mason Adams - His most famous role was as Managing Editor Charlie Hume on Lou Grant. He was the long-time voice of the Smucker's Jam commercials. His sitcom roles included The Love Boat, Family Ties, Family Matters, and Knight & Daye. He passed away April 26, 2005 of natural causes at the age 86.



Eddie Albert - He is perhaps best-known for his role as Oliver Wendell Douglas on Green Acres. He appeared in many movies and other tv series, and he was twice nominated for Oscars for Roman Holiday and The Heartbreak Kid. Albert was a tireless conservationist and active in a number of causes. He passed away at the age of 99 on May 26, 2005 of pneumonia.



Leon Askin - He is best-known as the stern Nazi General Albert Burkhalter on Hogan's Heroes. His other sitcom appearances included My Favorite Martian, It's About Time, The Monkees, Happy Days, Three's Company, and Diff'rent Strokes. He died on June 3, 2005 at age 97 of natural causes in his native Vienna, Austria.



Lamont Bentley - He was probably best-known for his role as Hakeem Campbell on Moesha. His other sitcom appearances included South Central, Family Matters, The Parent 'Hood, Clueless, and The Parkers. He was killed in an accident on January 18, 2005 when his vehicle ran off the San Diego Freeway. He was only 31 years old.



Hamilton Camp - He started off as a musician as part of Gibson & Camp and later found many roles as a character actor. His many sitcom apparances included The Andy Griffith Show, The Monkees, Bewitched, The Good Guys, Love American Style, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Alice, M*A*S*H, WKRP in Cincinnati, Laverne & Shirley, Soap, Three's Company, and Too Close for Comfort. He died of a heart attack on October 2, 2005 at age 70.



Bob Denver - He is best-known as the lovable castaway Gilligan on Gilligan's Island. He had earlier played beatnik wannabe Maynard G. Krebs on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. His other sitcom roles include The Good Guys and Dusty's Trail. You can read a lot more information about him on his official website. He passed away on September 2, 2005 at age 70 from complications from throat cancer treatment.



John Fiedlder - He was the voice of Piglet in the Winnie the Pooh productions. John played the nervous patient, Mr. Peterson, on The Bob Newhart Show. His other sitcom roles included The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Pete and Gladys, Dennis the Menace, My Favorite Martian, The Munsters, Bewitched, Get Smart, The Odd Couple, and many more. He died June 25, 2005 at age 80 of cancer.



Elisabeth Fraser - Her best-known role was as Sgt. Joan Hogan, Sgt. Blko's longtime girlfriend on The Phil Silvers Show. Other sitcom roles included Car 54, Where Are You?, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., The Addams Family, Bewitched, Hey Landlord, The Monkees, and Maude. She passed away on May 5, 2005 at age 85 due to congestive heart failure.



Paul Henning - Mr. Henning was a writer and producer for some popular 1960's sitcoms. He served as the producer for The Bob Cummings Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, and Green Acres. His writing credits included The Bob Cummings Show, The Real McCoys, The Andy Griffith Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Petticoat Junction. As if producing and writing weren't enough, he also wrote the lyrics for The Beverly Hillbillies theme song. He passed away of natural causes at age 93 on March 25, 2005.



Barney Martin - He was a character actor who is known for his role of Morty Seinfeld, Jerry's father, on Seinfeld. His other sitcom guest appearances included Car 54, Where Are You?, The Odd Couple, Happy Days, Barney Miller, Archie Bunker's Place, Benson, At Ease, Night Court, Diff'rent Strokes, Punky Brewster, Mama's Family, Murphy Brown, The Golden Girls, Full House, The Wayans Bros., and George & Leo. He was a regular on The Tony Randall Show, Zorro and Son, Sydney, and Daddy Dearest. He died of cancer on March 21, 2005 at age 82.



Macon McCalman - He was a versatile character actor with many film and tv credits. His many sitcom guest appearances included The Jeffersons, Maude, The Bob Newhart Show, Three's Company, Soap, Diff'rent Strokes, Cheers, Newhart, Family Ties, Designing Women, Perfect Strangers, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and The Wonder Years. He died on November 29, 2005 at age 72 following a series of strokes.



Pat Morita - He played Arnold (Matsuo Takahashi) on Happy Days in 1975-76 and 1982-83. He is probably best known for his role of Mr. Miyagi in the four Karate Kid movis. He was nominated for an Oscar for the first Karate Kid film. His many other sitcom roles included The Odd Couple, Love American Style, Mr. T and Tina, Blansky's Beauties, M*A*S*H, and Sanford and Son. He passed away November 24, 2005 at age 73 of natural causes.



Howard Morris - He is best remembered for playing the outrageous mountain man character Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show. Howard was a regular voice actor on various Hanna-Barbera cartoons. He was a director for The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Bewitched, Hogan's Heroes, Get Smart, and One Day at a Time. Mr. Morris died of a heart ailment on May 21, 2005 at age 85.



Sheree North - She was a versatile character actress and singer. Some of her sitcom credits include The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Archie Bunker's Place, The Golden Girls, and Seinfeld as Kramer's mother Babs. She earned Emmy nominations for her roles on Archie Bunker's Place. Sheree died at age 73 on November 4, 2005, from complications during cancer surgery.



Nipsey Russell - He was a comic actor known for his many talk show and game show appearances where he earned the nickname "the poet laureate of television." In 1961-62, he appeared on Car 54, Where Are You? as Officer Wilson. His other sitcom roles included Barefoot in the Park, The Love Boat, 227, and Spin City. He passed away October 2, 2005 at age 80 from stomach cancer.



Vincent Schiavelli - He had a very recognizable gloomy, droopy-eyed look. He appeared in some 150 film and television productions. You might know him best as Mr. Vargas in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. He would reprise the role in the 1986 sitcom Fast Times. His other sitcom appearances included The Corner Bar, WKRP in Cincinnati, Taxi, Night Court, Who's the Boss?, Head of the Class, Married People, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Dharma & Greg, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. He died at age 57 on December 26, 2005 in his native Sicily of lung cancer.



Debralee Scott - She played Cathy Shumway in the soap opera spoof Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. She appeared in multiple episodes of Welcome Back, Kotter as Rosalie 'Hotsy' Totsy and played Marie Falco in Angie. She died of natural causes at age 52 on April 5, 2005.



John Spencer - He was one of the stars of the NBC drama "The West Wing." The Emmy award winning actor played the role of Chief of Staff Leo McGarry. John got his start as an actor on The Patty Duke Show as Henry Anderson in the 1964-65 season. Mr. Spencer died on December 16, 2005 at the age of 58 due to a heart attack.



Wendie Jo Sperber - She had many appearances in films and tv series. Wendie Jo is probably best known for her supporting role on Bosom Buddies with Tom Hanks. Her other sitcom roles included Designing Women, Who's the Boss?, Married with Children, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Murphy Brown, 8 Simple Rules, Private Benjamin, Babes, and Hearts Afire. In 2001, she founded the weSpark Cancer Support Center to advance and help support individuals and their families fighting various forms of cancer through free emotional support, information and social events/activities. She died following a courageous battle with breast cancer on November 29, 2005 at age 47.

Good News If Your Name Is Earl; Dick Van Dyke Returns To The Small Screen; I Love Lucy's Final Season Coming To DVD

Some good news if your name happens to be Earl. Universal Studios Hollywood is offering free admission, starting January 5th and running through the end of January, to anyone named Earl. All Earls will also receive free t-shirts. My Name Is Earl is being shifted from Tuesdays to Thursdays on NBC at 9PM ET/PT starting January 5th. Read their press release here. Discuss this freshman sitcom on our message board.

Dunkin' Donuts commercial star Michael Vale has died. He passed away on Saturday, December 24 in New York City at age 83 due to complications from diabetes. He did the ads from 1982 until he retired in 1997. He said "Time to make the donuts." His sitcom roles included 3 appearances on Car 54, Where Are You? and a 1987 episode of The Cosby Show.

Television icon Dick Van Dyke returns to the small screen in “Murder 101” premiering on Hallmark Channel on Saturday, January 7 (9/8c). Van Dyke is joined by his real life son, Barry Van Dyke, and grandson, Wes Van Dyke, in the new murder mystery that also reunites the Van Dykes with Dean Hargrove, the Emmy® Award-winning executive producer of “Murder 101,” “Diagnosis Murder,” and “Columbo.”

Dick Van Dyke stars as Dr. Jonathan Maxwell, a bumbling professor of criminology who happens to be one of the sharpest crime-solving minds in the world. Although sometimes forgetful in his ordinary life, when it comes to solving a whodunit, Dr. Maxwell is talented in using psychology and evidence to uncover the truth with a little help from his protégé private investigator Mike Palmer played by real life son, Barry Van Dyke. Grandson Wes Van Dyke makes a cameo appearance as one of Dr. Maxwell’s criminology students.

I Love Lucy's sixth and final season will be released on May 2nd. Click here to read the info and see the artwork at TVShowsonDVD.com . Will we see the start of The Lucy Show season sets after I Love Lucy wraps up? Or maybe The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour? Click here to read one rumor thread that was posted on our Lucy Show message board. There is still lots of Lucy material that could be released in the future.

Police Squad! Finally Coming to DVD; Yahoo! Offers Episodes of How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men Online

Another sitcom on DVD has been announced by TVShowsonDVD.com . Paramount is expected to release the show sometime in 2006. Police Squad! aired on ABC in the spring of 1982. Only six episodes were produced. Leslie Nielsen, Alan North, Ed Williams, Peter Lupus, and William Duell starred. There were a number of guest stars including Florence Henderson. Although the episodes were previously released on VHS awhile back and re-run on CBS in 1991, it will be nice to have them in the DVD format. It will be interesting to hear if there are any audio commentaries, interviews, or other special features included. A few bits of trivia. This sitcom didn't have a laugh track. ABC wanted them to use one, but the show creators didn't want it. John Belushi filmed a cameo guest star appearance for the sixth episode, but he died before it aired. We might not see this scene on the DVD as it has been presumed to have been lost or destroyed. The producers wanted to use it when the episodes were re-run on CBS in the summer of 1991, but they couldn't find the footage.

Yahoo! TV is offering an exclusive for two CBS Monday night sitcoms. They are offering streams of two episodes of How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. The episodes of How I Met Your Mother are "The Sweet Taste of Liberty" and "The Pineapple Incident." The episodes of Two and a Half Men are "Madame and Her Special Friend" and "We Called It Mister Pinky." They will be avilable for free without any commercials this week, beginning today through Monday afternoon, at http://tv.yahoo.com/feature/cbscomedybowl.html . Two and a Half Men is currently the highest rated sitcom on television with over 15 million viewers per week. You can discuss these shows on our How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men message boards.

Nick@Nite/TV Land in February; Here Come the Brides and Dinosaurs May Be Coming to DVD in 2006; Vincent Schiavelli Dies; End of An Era on ABC

Pavan has posted the schedule for Nick@Nite in February. The regular schedule will remain the same as January with some specials and marathons airing. Click here to view the Nick at Nite's February schedule.

TV Land's regular schedule in February will remain the same as January. TV Land Originals will air as encores on Saturday mornings. A TV Romances Marathon and Top 10 Greatest TV Romances will air on Thursday, February 9. There's Sam & Diane, Mike & Gloria... and who could forget David and Maddie's Moonlighting? Who'll make the list? Tune in to find out as TV Land takes a look at the most-loved television couplings in the hour long original, Top Ten: TV Couples. TV Land honors Black History Month with the debut of the original special "That's What I'm Talking About", a three-part, 1-hour series featuring celebrities from all fields discussing and debating who made the greatest contributions to African-American pop culture in a free-wheeling, fast-paced, quick-witted show. It will air Wednesdays at 10PM ET/PT on February 1, 8, and 15. Click here to view TV Land's February schedule. In March, they will have the 4th Annual TV Land Awards Show and new Living in TV Land episodes.

TV Land has made some changes to their Wednesday, December 28 and Wednesday, January 4 schedules. Click here to view them.

Our friends at TVShowsonDVD.com have reported on two sitcoms that may be coming to DVD in 2006. Here Come the Brides was a comedy/adventure one-hour series that aired on ABC for two seasons in 1968-1970. I'm not sure if it was really a true sitcom. It might be what we now call a dramedy. Bobby Sherman and David Soul became pop stars due to the popularity of the series. Click here to read their full news item.

Their news item on Dinosaurs seems a bit more definite. Dinosaurs aired for four seasons on ABC from 1991-1994. A total of 65 episodes were produced. Industry sources have told them it is headed to DVD sometime in 2006, possibly in the second quarter. We may see the first and second seasons released as one set as the first season had only 5 episodes.

Character actor Vincent Schiavelli has died at age 57 of lung cancer. He had a very recognizable gloomy, droopy-eyed look. He appeared in some 150 film and television productions. You might know him best as Mr. Vargas in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. He would reprise the role in the 1986 sitcom Fast Times. His other sitcom appearances included The Corner Bar, WKRP in Cincinnati, Taxi, Night Court, Who's the Boss?, Head of the Class, Married People, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Dharma & Greg, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Click here to view his Internet Movie Database entry.

The party is over for Monday Night Football on ABC. Tonight's New England Patriots at New York Jets game is the 555th and final broadcast. After 36 seasons on ABC, it moves to ESPN next season. Al Michaels will do the play-by-play with Joe Theismann doing the commentary. ESPN is paying $1.1 billion per year in an eight-year-deal. It will be interesting to see what kind of ratings they get on ESPN as they are available in far fewer homes. ESPN NFL Primetime will move from Sundays to Mondays.

Merry Christmas from Everyone at SitcomsOnline.com; Tune Into TV Land All-Day

Merry Christmas to everyone from our family to yours! We hope you are with your families on this day. Spend a little time watching TV with everyone and enjoy what TV Land has to offer--all Christmas episodes all-day long. Happy Days, Bewitched, Three's Company, Good Times, Andy Griffith, Sanford & Son, All in the Family, Night Court, What's Happening!! and who can forget Carol Brady losing her voice on The Brady Bunch Christmas episode. And those are just some of what you'll see on this special day. TV Land will also reair their top 10 holiday moments special! And if you are not in the comedy or drama spirit, tune into GSN for a Betty White Christmas, featuring some of her finest appearances on game shows. A six-hour marathon from noon to 6 p.m.

And in case you missed it, TVShowsonDVD.com posted a few days back that Mama is coming to DVD! Yes, Mama's Family. They also say to expect the release to be in a season format, rather than the TV Favorites format. Wonderful news and here it is again if you missed it. Now go back to "your" Mama, or anyone from your family and spend the holiday with them. Happy Holidays!

Note: Weekly ratings and how the sitcoms did analysis will return on Sunday, Jan. 15.

--This post was previously recorded in advance by the vacationing Pavan.

We Post Even on Christmas Eve! Who's the Boss E! True Hollywood Story

And here we are a day before Christmas and we are still bringing you news. Today we will be reminding you to tune in tomorrow night (yes, Christmas night) to E! for an all-new True Hollwood Story focusing on the classic '80s laugher, Who's the Boss? A two-hour look airing from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT on E! For eight seasons, a macho maid from Brooklyn and his uptight Connecticut boss-lady fought, wrangled and denied feelings for each other--all while raising two kids in the same house. What raged behind the scenes while this comedy aired nationwide? Who wanted off the show, and who had a secret to keep? For more information check out the E! THS website.

TV One is reairing some of the best Christmas episodes today of their reruns. Amen, 227, Martin and Good Times will be airing.

And don't forget to check TVShowsonDVD.com during the holidays. They promise big news DVD wise that you won't find anywhere else. I sure wish I could be checking with all you guys, as I probably won't get to check until I come back from my special assignment.


--This post was previously recorded in advance by the vacationing Pavan.

I'm Off On a Vacation, But the Blog Continues

Today is my last "live" post until January 11. I will be going on vacation later today until Tuesday, January 10. I have saved some news posts and Todd will publish them when needed. Todd will also post all the scoops, news, and whatever the heck else we post here until I come back. So not to worry--our everyday streak will continue despite my absence! You will notice my "saved" posts because at the end of posts I will mention it. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and best wishes in 2006. Keep on coming back everyday, we will still have some goodies for you while I'm gone! As we say in the TV world, I'm on "special assignment."

FOX Switches '70s' and O.C.' for Mid-Season; Al Sharpton Nixes Sitcom Idea

FOX has announced that The O.C. will move from Thursdays 8 p.m. to Thursday 9 p.m. starting January 12. That '70s Show will air at 8 p.m. with repeat episodes at 8:30 p.m. Originally it was slated for Thursdays 9 p.m. Stacked will be on hiatus until mid-March, when it returns it will air at 8:30 p.m., instead of the original plan of 9:30 p.m. American Idol results show will give FOX a mid-season boost on Thursdays at 8 p.m. for a few weeks in late February/early March. It should be interesting to see who wins the adults 18-49 match -- Will & Grace or That '70s Show? Both shows are on their last legs. The O.C. will be in trouble I think facing CSI, My Name is Earl and the last half hour of Dancing with the Stars. No doubt American Idol will give it a boost in those few weeks where it will be its lead-in.

Al Sharpton will not be the next Archie Bunker afterall. Reverend Sharpton had plans to create and start in his own sitcom, titled Al in the Family. The title even sounds hilarious. The Democrat, who has run for president, mayor of New York and the Senate, was earlier this month reported to be working with CBS on this pilot. "I'm not interested in being Archie Bunker, I'm looking forward to becoming George Bush," Sharpton said, alluding to a possible future presidential race. Too bad, it could have gotten enough buzz to be a hit. I think it would have been even better on sister Paramount network UPN. Pairing Everybody Hates Chris and Al in the Family would have been interesting.

TV Land & Nick@Nite With Best Ever Ratings In 2005; Knots Landing Off Weekday Schedule on SOAPnet

For 2005 to date, TV Land is pacing to earn its most-watched year ever among its core demo of Adults 25-54 and among total viewers on a total programming day basis. Bolstered by new original programming and its proven roster of hit classic TV programming, the network will finish the year averaging 303,000 A25-54, up +18% versus year-ago and 600,000 total viewers on a total programming day basis, up +20% over last year. Additionally, TV Land is pacing to have its most-watched prime time ever in its 10-year history, averaging 411,000 A25-54, an increase of +16% over 2004 and drawing 966,000 total viewers, up +24%. Among the shows that have lifted TV Land this year are Good Times, What's Happening!!, and TV Land Confidential.
For 2005 to date, Nick at Nite is poised to record its most-watched year ever among total viewers on a total programming day basis. Driven by the success of its hit original hidden camera series, Hi-Jinks, as well as the continued success of modern hit sitcoms The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Roseanne the network is also finishing the year as the number-one basic cable network among Women 18-49, Women 18-34, Women 25-54 and African Americans A18-49.
For the entire press release on both network's 2005 ratings, click here.

Many fans have known and have noticed that SOAPnet has removed Knots Landing from the weekday line-up effective today. They went through the cycle and finished yesterday and now the short lived Paper Dolls is airing in that slot instead. And when that show is finished, they will air another short lived soap, Pasadena. After that, let's hope Knots returns to the weekday line-up. You can still catch Knots Landing however on Saturday nights at 9 p.m. So all is not lost!

If you have not noticed, we have moved our blog to our own server. We are now located at http://www.sitcomsonline.com/blog - so update those bookmarks! Looking for our RSS feed? Then here is the new atom: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/blog/atom.xml

Original Star Trek and The Next Generation Series Coming to G4 TV; Betty White Christmas on GSN; ABC Recap Episodes and 'Chief' on iTunes

The '60s cult classic Star Trek will be coming to G4 TV in 2006. The '80s series Star Trek: The Next Generation will also be coming to G4 and will start on January 8. TNG will still also air on Spike TV, too. The classic '60s Star Trek previously aired on Sci-Fi Channel, so fans should be happy that the original is coming back to TV. G4 is mostly on Comcast systems on digital cable. For the full details, click here.

GSN is dreaming of a white Christmas this year, a Betty White Christmas, that is! GSN will salute the game show staple Betty White on Christmas Day! The sitcom star of course appeared on two classics, The Mary Tyler Moore Show & The Golden Girls. You can still catch her on her wonderful role on the drama Boston Legal, where you get to see her and actor Leslie Jordan go at it. On GSN, you will see her first appearance on a game show back in 1955 in What's My Line. Other game shows with Betty airing that day include Match Game, Password, Family Feud, and Body Language. The fun all starts at 12 noon and runs through 5 p.m. ET/PT. Click here to read the press release and full schedule.

In addition to the ABC Desperate Housewives special airing January 1 ("All the Juicy Details"), ABC has now also scheduled similar specials for Grey's Anatomy and Lost. Grey's Anatomy special ("Straight to the Heart") will air on Sunday, January 8 following an all-new episode of Desperate Housewives. The Lost special (titled "Revelation") will air Wednesday, January 11 at a special time of 8 p.m. The special will lead-in to the winter premiere (meaning the next new episode) of Lost at 9 p.m. ABC also has scheduled a Lost episode (no idea if it is an encore or all-new) on Wednesday, January 18 at 8 p.m., in addition to its regular 9 p.m. episode. The 8 p.m. showing probably is to counteract with Fox which will debut American Idol Wednesday that night.

Starting today you can watch the ABC drama Commander in Chief now on iTunes! The show will replace Night Stalker, which is now canceled. Chief joins Lost and Desperate Housewives as the ABC shows on iTunes. iTunes also features classic Universal series episodes for a small fee, such as Knight Rider and Adam-12. Commander in Chief returns with all new episodes on ABC on Tuesday, January 10.

TV Land Developing Scripted Original Series; TV Land Change for this Wednesday; More On Nick@Nite January

Today is all TV Land and Nick@Nite! We have a lot to share with you on both! Variety is reporting that TV Land will be developing some more original series. They will develop an all-new sitcom even! The sitcom is titled Us and Them. An updated animated version of Mr. Magoo is also in the works. There are six other series/specials also in the works. Now, it doesn't mean they will also make it on the schedule. TV Land has booked more episodes of Living in TV Land for air though. The series aired as one-time special a few years ago and featured Dick Van Patten. Now more episodes have been ordered and we can expect stars like William Shatner, Barry Williams, Adam West and Sherman Hemsley . The first episode will air right after The 4th Annual TV Land Awards Show on Wednesday, March 22. The article also mentions Nick@Nite and that Hi-Jinks has done well for them and The Search for the Funniest Mom in America will return this spring. For the full article click here.

TV Land has made a tweak for their schedule this Wednesday. They will showcase Andy Griffith and Good Times in between a new episode of Sitdown Comedy this week. My guess is to lure ratings, as I guess the first episode didn't do too well. Andy will air 9-10p and 12-1a. Good Times will air 11p-12a and 2-3a. Sitdown Comedy episode two will air in between that at 10-11p and the encore at 1-2a.

Nick@Nite has added another Roseanne marathon. This time in January. Catch a full week of nothing but Roseanne from Monday, January 23 through Sunday, January 29 at 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. ET/PT those nights. The December week-long Roseanne marathon is this week! I hope you are all excited! And finally, Nick@Nite will rebroadcast all six episodes from season one of Hi-Jinks every Tuesday for six weeks at 9:30 p.m. starting January 17. After that, season two will air. View the full Nick@Nite January details here.

Home Improvement E! True Hollywood Story Premieres Tonight; Week 13 First Four Day Ratings; How The Sitcoms Did

E! will have a new episode of E! True Hollywood Story tonight featuring the '90s sitcom Home Improvement. E! will take a two-hour look starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT on what happened behind the scenes on this sitcom starring Tim Allen.
Turn off that Shop-Vac, and tune in to see how a ragtag show grew into a prime-time phenomenon, lasting eight seasons and more than 200 episodes, on Home Improvement: The E! True Hollywood Story.
More details here, including a video preview. Next Sunday (Christmas night), E! will have a brand new episode of True Hollywood Story on the '80s sitcom Who's the Boss?, which starred Tony Danza, Judith Light, Katherine Helmond and Alyssa Milano. More details will be shared soon.

Week 13 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):
Households: CBS: 8.5/13.4; ABC: 6.1/9.7; NBC: 6.0/9.5; FOX 4.2/6.6; The WB: 2.4/3.7; UPN 2.2/3.4.
Total Viewers: CBS: 13.04 million; ABC: 9.21 million; NBC: 9.03 million; FOX 6.58 million; The WB: 3.58 million; UPN: 3.18 million.
Adults 18-49: CBS: 4.3/11.4; ABC: 3.3/8.8; NBC: 3.3/8.8; FOX 2.8/7.3; The WB: 1.5/3.9; UPN: 1.3/3.5.

Analysis: Like last week, repeats dominated the schedule with shows like Lost, Two and a Half Men, My Name is Earl, and CSI: Miami in repeats. The CBS comedies repeated pretty well on Monday, but Monday Night Football took home the prize. CSI: Miami repeat did very well with 13.79 million, but down from last week's repeat of 15.33 million. It was not so well for Arrested Development yet again which had an original episode and a repeat UPN's competing comedies did even better. Tuesday saw CBS win with a new Navy NCIS and the finale of The Amazing Race 8. Sitcom wise, a special holiday episode of Hope & Faith at a special night and time on ABC, did very well, building on According to Jim with 8.02 million viewers. A new House on Fox did well. On Wednesday, again CBS was all original and won the night thanks to Criminal Minds & CSI: NY. ABC's Alias again at a special night and time was not too good, Alias will now return in March, with a night and time to be determined. The WB aired the classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and had a good showing for them with 5.23 million viewers, taking audience away for George Lopez, which just drew 7.16 million for ABC. Thursday saw CBS winning even in repeats for the dramas. It's sad when repeats of Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother are airing in a special night and time on CBS and they beat two new episodes of Joey on NBC. The Apprentice 4 finale was down big from previous installments.
Not included in the ratings are Friday and Saturday. Friday saw CBS winning with its dramas. Saturday saw NBC and ABC battle with Law & Order franchise repeats and the movie The Sound of Music. CBS also got a strong showing for Frosty the Snowman.
CBS will for sure win by a wide margin in total viewers for the week and adults 18-49. Will the remake of the classic movie Once Upon a Mattress lift ABC to victory on Sunday? Housewives is a repeat, people in the east might not see all of it as President Bush will pre-empt all the networks at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT).

Monday Sitcoms

• The King of Queens (CBS) - 9.23 million tuned in for an encore broadcast; very good!
  
• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 8.42 million tuned in for a repeat, almost similar to what it did later in the week on a special night and time encore.
• Arrested Development (FOX) - Only 3.91 million for an original. And an encore at 8:30 did worse with 3.42 million. UPN beat it with 3.77 million at 8:30!
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - A repeat scored 14.25 million, slightly up from last week.
  
• Out of Practice (CBS) - 10.84 million for a repeat of the hiatus bound sitcom.
  
• One on One (UPN), All of Us (UPN), Girlfriends (UPN), Half and Half (UPN) - All were original and did decent as CBS's competing comedies were in repeats and Fox aired the low rated Arrested Development. Here is how the networks did from 8-9pm in order: CBS, NBC, ABC, The WB, Fox and UPN. Fox averaged 3.67 million and UPN 3.6 million--you see how bad it was for Fox. Let Showtime or ABC take Arrested Development please!
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• According to Jim (ABC) - 7.89 million tuned in for the 2005 Christmas episode at 8 p.m. Classic Christmas episodes aired at 9 and 9:30 and scored a decent 7.99 and 7.82 million.
  
• Hope & Faith (ABC) - Impressive on a special night and time. All-new holiday episode scored 8.02 million, built on lead-in in households, total viewers, and adults 18-49.
  
• My Name is Earl (NBC) - Repeat at a special time of 9:30 p.m. did 7.04 million, not bad.
  

Wednesday Sitcoms

• George Lopez (ABC) - Down a lot from last week, the holiday episode only did 7.16 million and 2.3 adult 18-49 rating. I guess people watched The WB's How The Grinch Stole Christmas instead.
  
• Freddie (ABC) - Built from last week's 7.44 million to 7.48 million. Steady A18-49 rating continues, with a 3.0 rating for number one in timeslot.
• Twins (The WB) - Special night and time was nothing to write home about. Following the Grinch, a big loss for this repeat with only 2.26 million and a 1.1 adult 18-49 rating.
  
• That '70s Show (FOX) - Young audience is there, but not overall yet again.
  
• Stacked (FOX) - 4.32 million only tuned in.
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• Joey (NBC) - 7.99 tuned in for an hour of new episodes.
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - Special night and time encore at 8 p.m. did very well with 9.72 million...beating the new episode of the NBC comedy at 8 p.m.
  
• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - Special night and time encore at 8:30 p.m. did very well with 8.4 million...beating the new episode of the NBC comedy at 8:30 p.m.
• Everybody Hates Chris (UPN) - New episode scored 4.95 million.
  
• Love, Inc. (UPN), Eve (UPN), Cuts (UPN) - New episodes did decent enough for them ranging from 2.66 to 2.97 million.
  

Friday Sitcoms

Not even going here. Fox had a new and a repeat of Bernie Mac, a repeat of Family Guy and a new Malcolm. Didn't do well. ABC's Hope & Faith repeat and a new Hot Properties did better, but not good. WB's repeats of What I Like About You, Reba & Twins were on par with previous weeks. A special Scooby Doo Christmas special aired at 8:30.

Summing it up. Out of Practice, How I Met Your Mother Mon & Thurs, Two and a Half Men Mon & Thurs, and The King of Queens were the only impressive sitcoms this week. Everything else was OK (such as Freddie, Hope & Faith Tues) or just plain old terrible (such as Arrested Development, Bernie Mac, Malcolm in the Middle).

FX Christmas Marathon Today, Includes the Bundys; BET Sitcom Marathon

FX is having a Christmas episodes marathon today. It started this morning with an episode of Dharma & Greg and Spin City, if you were awake. Dharma & Greg's holiday episode aired at 7 a.m. 5 holiday episodes of Spin City aired from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET/PT. Then two holiday themed episodes of the reality show Fear Factor follows. Starting at 12 noon FX brings you another year of Christmas sitcom episodes, Bundy style! Yes, catch all the Christmas episodes of Married...With Children from 12 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. today. You'll see santa parachute by accident into the Bundy yard, Al being zapped by Christmas lights, Al as a department store Santa, and the nightmare of Al & Peg seeing It's A Wonderful Life on every channel! Those are just some of the episodes you'll see in this FX marathon!

After watching the Bundys, head on over to another strange family with the Hill family in the animated sitcom King of the Hill! Christmas episodes will air from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET/PT. Finally, two Christmas episodes of the sitcom That '70s Show follow at 6 and 6:30 p.m.
You don't want to miss all this!

BET is running a sitcom marathon all day today, but it isn't all Christmas episodes. Catch The Parkers from 9-11 a.m., The Wayans Bros. from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Jamie Foxx Show from 4-9 p.m. and Girlfriends 9-11 p.m. and again from 2-3:30 a.m. The Parkers and Girlfriends usually air in those slots on Saturdays anyway, so the other two are the only special ones for today.

Your Top 10 Perfect Strangers Episodes Revealed; Will & Grace Goes Live Again; John Spencer Passes Away

You all have voted and now the top 10 episodes for Perfect Strangers are now in! Among the episodes that you loved were: "The Lottery" - in which they win the lottery but can't find the ticket; "Pipe Dreams" - in which Larry & Balki do the plumbing for the girl's bathroom and hell breaks; "Just Desserts" - in which the gang goes crazy in making the Myposian desert--bibi bobkas; "Piano Movers" - is the one where Larry & Balki try to move a huge piano in Lydia's apartment, which is a very tall building; and "Knock Knock, Who's There? - is where it all started and Larry & Balki first meet! To see the full list of "your top 10" click here. We thank all the fans who helped us out. Warner Home Video will take a look at the ten most requested episodes and they will choose six episodes from this list that will make it on DVD on this TV Favorites set, which will be out on June 27, 2006!
We will have the six episodes that they chose for DVD soon, so keep checking back with us! All fans should buy this set because this series is rarely seen these days. In fact, I have not seen the last two seasons on TV since the original airing on ABC! That was 1991-93!
Finally, I want to give special thanks to my friend Tim. You have been great to us on this selection process and the Alice selection last month. Thanks for everything!

Apparently NBC's live episode of Will & Grace's season premiere worked because NBC will have another live episode in January. The second live episode will air Thursday, January 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Both the east and west coast will get it live. The cast and crew will do two live episodes that night, one for the east and one for the west. If you are a fan, try to get someone to tape the other live episode for--as this is part of TV history! Will & Grace has had average ratings this season only, and the live episode was the highest rated one this season, so thus this is why NBC is doing it.

SitcomsOnline.com mourns the tragic passing of NBC star John Spencer. Mr. Spencer starred in the drama The West Wing. Mr. Spencer got his start on the sitcom The Patty Duke Show. He starred on that sitcom in the 1964-65 season. But the actor never appeared on a sitcom again. He mainly played in dramatic series and movies. The Emmy award winning actor played the role of Chief of Staff Leo McGarry. He also starred previously on NBC's L.A. Law. He passed away this morning of a heart attack at the age of only 58, just four days shy of age 59.

Press Release for Wave 2 of WHV's TV Favorites; Sleuth Marathon Week

We told you earlier in the week that Night Court, Drew Carey & Welcome Back Kotter TV Favorites were coming Feb. 28 and now it is official! WHV announced it officially and we can expect the same episodes on the Best Buy exclusives for Drew and Kotter. Night Court episodes have been announced and for some reason the pilot will be on it as well. If you like these three series, show your support and buy them so you can get season sets soon! Read the press release here.
Show me that smile, as WHV also issued the press release for Growing Pains: The Complete 1st Season.

And Sleuth TV has added a week-long stunt to its premiere week. The "From The Beginning Of Crime" theme week with a Miami Vice marathon from Monday, Jan. 2-3 (8 p.m.- 3 a.m. ET) that includes the revolutionary drama's high-octane, two-hour pilot starring Don Johnson and Phillip Michael Thomas.
The classic crime-drama pilots continue on Tuesday, January 3 with the two-hour 1968 pilot for Columbo ("Prescription: Murder"), starring Peter Falk in his immortal title role as the rumpled police detective, from 9-11 p.m. (ET). Then on Wednesday, Jan. 4 (9-10 p.m. ET) is the initial episode from The Rockford Files, starring James Garner as the sardonic private detective.
On Thursday, Jan. 5 (9-10 p.m. ET), Magnum, P.I. rides the Hawaiian waves starring Tom Selleck in the series pilot that made him a star.
After a night of theatricals on Friday, January 6, Sleuth salutes with the two-hour, 1995 pilot of JAG, starring David James Elliott from 5-7 p.m. (ET).
No, Magnum, Rockford, Columbo & JAG will not be regulars. They will just air for the launch week for now.

WGA Nominations Announced; Arrested Development to Showtime or ABC?; Nick@Nite January Sneak Peek

The Writers Guild of America announced its nominations today for its 58th annual awards. NBC sitcoms My Name is Earl & The Office had three nominations each. Among the other series were Arrested Development, Grey's Anatomy, Everybody Hates Chris, and Lost. The Desperate Housewives season premiere ("Next") was nominated for best episode writing. To see the full list click here. The winners will be announced Feb. 4.

Could Arrested Development be moving to Showtime or ABC next season? It is quite possible if Fox does "officially" cancel the series. It seems Fox doesn't want to pay the hefty $1.6 million an episode price anymore. The show has never been a ratings hit, so maybe if it moves to another network it could garner higher ratings, just like JAG did when it moved from NBC to CBS some years back. You can discuss your thoughts here.

Nick@Nite finally announced its January line-up today! There will not be many changes though. The Saturday line-up will now be the same as the Friday line-up, so no more Fresh Prince all night on Saturdays. And the Sunday line-up will be the same as the Mon-Thurs line-up, so no more Roseanne all night on Sundays. Ratings was not the issue, as both blocks did well but they can't keep airing those shows all night long for too long. That was a nice two month stunt by Nick@Nite. The only other change will be Mon-Thu 2 a.m. will now be Roseanne instead of Three's Company. That is good because Three's Company was being wasted at 2 a.m. The show is already low on contract airplays, so why waste an airing at 2 a.m.? I think it should rest until it is ready to come back strong and help TV Land again.

And again we leave you tonight with a reminder to make your top 10 episode selections for Perfect Stranger's upcoming DVD set. And as Balki would say during the holiday season, "On Reagan, on Nixon" -- let's keep the selections going! The deadline is 3 p.m. ET/12 noon PT on Friday, so hurry! Click here to get there.

Golden Globes Nominations; TV Land January; Sleuth TV Launch Schedule; And More!

The 63rd Annual Golden Globes will take place on a Monday this year (so it doesn't have to compete with powerhouse Desperate Housewives). The awards will air Monday, January 16 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. The nominations were announced today and ABC had the most with 16 total nominations for its shows and stars. Among the highlights were a nomination for Eva Longoria who was snubbed last season, and best comedy nominations for two new comers My Name is Earl and Everybody Hates Chris. The star of My Name is Earl, Jason Lee, also received a nomination for best actor in a comedy. Among the other new shows that brought a ton of nominations include Commander in Chief and Grey's Anatomy. But no one got more than Desperate Housewives, which received best actress nominations for the big four stars and a nomination for best comedy. Scrubs got snubbed for the best comedy category, but Zach Braff did get nominated for best actor in a comedy. For the full list of nominations, click here.

As promised I will highlight what TV Land has in store for January today. TV Land will add The A-Team and Miami Vice to its line-up and air them on weekend afternoons (Vice Sat 12p-2; Team Sun 12-2p). They will also air each week in the My Time Marathons, which are now moving from 6-8 p.m. to 2-4 a.m. The Carol Burnett Show and Mister Ed will no longer be on the line-up, as their contracts have run out. And Wings and SCTV will not be on anymore as the My Time Marathons have replaced them. Other things to expect: First Episodes marathon on the first day of the year, new episodes of David Steinberg's Sitdown Comedy, and a 48 hour marathon salute to the 35th Anniversary of All in the Family. TV Land has also made an all-new special for All in the Family counting down the top 10 episodes of the series. For the complete details for TV Land January, please click here.
Nick@Nite has not released its line-up for January yet, which is very strange. But I do have two big changes to report. They will pre-empt their entire line-ups the week of December 19 and 26. We can expect Roseanne all night for the entire week the week of December 19 and The Cosby Show will get the same treatment the week of December 26. This is how TV Land will close out 2005. More details here.

And now for a launch schedule! We mentioned a month or so ago that Universal is creating an all-new mystery/action type channel and will have classic dramas. The A-Team, Knight Rider, Miami Vice, Simon & Simon, The Equalizer, and Homicide are among the shows they will air. Head on over to the boards and we have the first look at the schedule for Sleuth TV! You can post your thoughts and what Universal owned show you think should be on this channel!

And don't forget to make your top 10 choices for Perfect Strangers episodes! The deadline is Friday and you have a chance to make a difference on the upcoming DVD set! And as Balki would say, it's not over until Roseanne Barr sings! So make your choices TODAY!

The Alice Episodes on DVD Are...; Perfect Strangers Fan Episode Choosing to Begin NOW

We picked our top 10 Alice episodes for the upcoming DVD set earlier and now Warner Home Video has make their final decision in what will be on the set! So, here is our own little exclusive on what the Alice TV Favorites set will consist of:

AIR DATE		EPISODE		SEASON
08/31/76		Alice Gets a Pass		1
02/26/77		The Odd Couple		1
01/22/78		Close Encounters of the Worst Kind		2
10/22/78		Block Those Kicks		3
12/02/79		Cabin Fever		4
02/24/80		Flo's Farewell		4

This is wonderful news for all Alice fans, and please make sure you buy this set because this will make a HUGE difference whether or not we get season sets! I would not be saying that if it were not true, as I am a true believer in season sets. Thanks for all the fans who participated in the episode choosing process and we hope all fans will be happy and buy the set! The set will be out on June 27, 2006. Mark those calendars!

Now, we have yet another job to do for Warner Home Video! Another long time favorite will be FINALLY coming to DVD also in June 2006. Now, the classic '80s sitcom Perfect Strangers! And again it will be a "TV Favorites" set, just like Alice. And again if the sales are good, we will get season sets. Now Warner Home Video needs your help in selecting your top 10 favorite episodes. Please make your choices here. You have to make your selections by this Friday (December 16) -- so hurry!!
So let's get ready to do the dance of joy and eat bibi bobkas all day long and help them out and we also get helped out as we get episodes that we really want! You bet your bibi bobkas we will make a difference!

We also mentioned TV Favorites sets awhile back for other series. WHV just told me that we can expect "TV Favorites" sets of Welcome Back, Kotter; The Drew Carey Show; Night Court all on February 28, 2006! The first two currently are Best Buy exclusives, but they wont be by Feb. 28, as they will be available nationwide! So what about Step by Step and Family Matters? We mentioned those awhile back, too. Step by Step will be on June 27, same as Alice and Perfect Strangers. Family Matters has not been set yet, but if I were to guess, June 27 would be a logical date. Remember WHV has decided to play it safe and start off series with "TV Favorites" sets, so if you buy them and they sell well, you WILL get season sets. I know I keep saying that, but please scarve that in your brains.

Thanks again to Warner Home Video for all this information and thinking of the fans of these two sitcoms!

I am so excited that I will just have WHV information today. I know I promised TV Land January, but I will save that for tomorrow along with some other goodies including the launch schedule for the new Universal owned channel--Sleuth!

Remembering Richard Pryor; Week 12 Ratings Numbers Through Thursday; How the Sitcoms Did

Today we will pay tribute to one of the best comedians ever--Richard Pryor. Mr. Pryor was a great stand-up comedian on stage and brought great laughter to his roles in the movies. While he never was a sitcom star, we will still pay tribute to him. Pryor died yesterday morning of a heart attack. Pryor battled alcohol and drugs in the early '80s, in fact he burned 50% of his body while freebasing cocaine at his home. Later Pryor battled multiple sclerosis for many years. Through all that, he still cracked jokes, even at himself. Pryor did have some sitcom history in him, despite not ever starring in one. He wrote a few episodes of the '70s sitcom Sanford & Son. He made a few guest stints on some sitcoms such as The Partridge Family, Martin, Malcolm & Eddie, and Norm. In 1977, NBC gave Pryor his own show titled, The Richard Pryor Show. It was a comedy-variety show, but did not last long at all. Tim Ried and Robin Williams also starred, with Williams also a writer. The ratings were not good, despite the show being of good quality.
But it was the stand-up and the movies that he was more known for. He especially was known for all the movies he did with his good friend Gene Wilder. He starred with Mr. Wilder in hit movies such as Stir Crazy and See No Evil Hear No Evil. Mr. Pryor was also nominated for an Emmy for his guest stint on an episode of the CBS drama Chicago Hope. Mr. Pryor just turned 65 on December 1. He will be missed by many and we all will always remember him flying with Superman through the clouds.

Week 12 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):
Households: CBS: 8.8/13.6; NBC: 7.1/10.9; ABC: 6.4/9.9; FOX 3.6/5.4; UPN: 2.3/3.5; The WB: 2.3/3.4
Total Viewers: CBS: 13.86 million; NBC: 10.77 million; ABC: 9.87 million; FOX 5.65 million; UPN: 3.33 million; The WB: 3.29 million.
Adults 18-49: CBS: 4.5/11.5; NBC: 4.0/10.1; ABC: 3.5/8.9; FOX 2.6/6.6; UPN: 1.4/3.6; The WB: 1.4/3.4.

Analysis: It was the first full week of week after November sweeps. Repeats dominated the schedule with shows like Lost, Two and a Half Men, Commander in Chief, and CSI: NY in repeats. NBC was the only real network that had mostly original programming, hence their ratings were decent. The CBS comedies repeated pretty well on Monday, but Monday Night Football took home the prize. CSI: Miami repeat did very well with 15.33 million. It was not so well for Arrested Development and Kitchen Confidential, which both aired original episodes and bombed. Tuesday saw NBC having an all original line-up with My Name is Earl and Law & Order: SVU leading the way. Fear Factor returned, but not many tuned in. The Office was its usual self, losing a lot from the lead-in. ABC's A Charlie Brown Christmas was the highest rated in 5 years. CBS relied on Victoria Secret Fashion Show but unforunately that special was the lowest rated one ever. On Wednesday, again NBC was all original and won the night thanks t Law & Order. ABC's Alias at a special night and time was not too good, but a Lost repeat did well. CBS bombed with part two of the Pope movie. Thursday was all original for both CBS and NBC, with CBS's CSI drawing 30.95 million viewers! Take that Donald! The Donald only had 11.27 million. Don't expect The Apprentice to return to Thursday nights after the Winter Olympics.
Not included in the ratings are Friday and Saturday. Friday saw CBS winning with its dramas. NBC bombed with one of the last episodes of Three Wishes. ABC saw moderate success with the new Charlie Brown Christmas special, I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown. A new Hot Properties didn't draw much of an interest. Saturday was pathetic as usual.
CBS will for sure win by a wide margin in total viewers for the week and adults 18-49. ABC Sunday has no Housewives this week but a special two-hour holiday themed Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and the Christmas episode of Grey's Anatomy will battle the Survivor season finale. Who will be second place for the week in adults 18-49? NBC or ABC? It all depends on tonight!

Monday Sitcoms

• The King of Queens (CBS) - 9.26 million for a repeat is very good.
  
• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - Will CBS move this show in March to Wednesdays? Something will have to air then as Still Standing and Yes, Dear are expected to get the boot by then. 8.72 million tuned in for this repeat broadcast.
• Arrested Development (FOX) - Only 4.09 million for an all-new episode. I guess this will never be a ratings smash despite whatever Fox does.
• Kitchen Confidential (FOX) - A big loss with a repeat on UPN almost beating it! 3.14 million tuned in. Just for that Fox has officially canceled this sitcom. Look for repeats of ArD to takeover until January 9.
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - A repeat scored 14.11 million.
  
• Out of Practice (CBS) - The consistent sitcom scored decent with a repeat at 11.01 million.
  
• One on One (UPN), All of Us (UPN), Girlfriends (UPN), Half and Half (UPN) - Repeats, repeats, repeats, repeats! Scored in similar levels as they usually do for encores.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• My Name is Earl (NBC) - With no House on Fox and Commander in Chief in a repeat, Earl was the most watched show with 13.99 million. Can it do that number Thursdays at 9? If it does, NBC will be happy, as The Apprentice can not get that anymore.
  
• The Office (NBC) - Again a four million drop--but at least it is consistent! A loyal audience I guess.
  

Wednesday Sitcoms

• George Lopez (ABC) - Up from last week to 8.08 million and a 2.9 adult 18-49 rating.
  
• Freddie (ABC) - Down from last week in total viewers to 7.44 million but up in A18-49 with a 3.1 rating. No original Lost episode tonight hurt the overall numbers.
  
• That '70s Show (FOX) - Young audience is there, but not overall.
  
• Stacked (FOX) - How can more people watch this show than Arrested Development? ArD has more buzz and press. 5.07 million. I bet it will do even worse Thursdays.
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• Joey (NBC) - Up from last week's repeat airing of 7.32 to 7.77 million. Decent, but NBC needs to jump start this line-up with something else again.
  
• Will & Grace (NBC) - Jumped big from lead-in to 8.79 million.
  
• Everybody Hates Chris (UPN) - Like last week, 4.43 million tuned in for a repeat.
  
• Love, Inc. (UPN), Eve (UPN), Cuts (UPN) - It was repeats all around tonight. Worse than last week though, as Cuts only did 1.89 million.
  

Friday Sitcoms

Not even going here. Fox's Malcolm and Bernie were not in their normal 8 p.m. slot, but repeats aired in the 9 p.m. hour, but was dead last with The WB even winning! ABC's Hope & Faith was a repeat and scored a 4.2 rating, but Hot Properties was all new and did terrible with a 3.5 rating. The WB did its normal ratings. Close to a 2.

Summing it up. Out of Practice, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, and The King of Queens were the only impressive sitcoms this week. Everything else was OK (such as Freddie, George Lopez) or just plain old terrible (such as Stacked, Bernie Mac, Malcolm in the Middle).

TV Week's TV Land Article; ABC Family Channel Announces Marathons for January

TV Week had an excellent article on TV Land earlier this week. I saved it to show you all today. They mention that the recent acquisitions of Good Times and What's Happening!! has brought TV Land high ratings and also even higher ratings among African Americans. TV Land has aired black sitcoms in the past such as The Jeffersons and Sanford & Son (which is still a staple today), but now they have a nice little African American sitcom block with Sanford & Son, Good Times and What's Happening!!. No, TV Land is NOT trying to become the home of African American sitcoms, it just happens to be that those two new acquisitions have done very well. TV Land has also added Night Court this year, which showcases two supporting black stars (Charles Robinson and Marsha Warfield), but they also have added a pure white show in the drama Little House on the Prairie. Both have done well, especially Little House. All have done well because of how broad their popularity is, especially Good Times. Good Times is clearly becoming the new staple for TV Land, which The Andy Griffith Show was for TV Land for many years. Andy still does well, but the Good Times marathon broke a lot of records for TV Land and brought TV Land to its highest ratings ever. Andy remains the only pre '70s show in primetime, the rest of the pre '70s shows can still be found in the mornings.
More African American-led fare is on its way. TV Land will produce a three-hour Black History Month special to run in February. Recently TV Land announced it has ordered a reality show pilot starring Mr. T, and more acquisitions of African American-led shows are being considered, such as Benson in June. They will also add Miami Vice and The A-Team to weekends in January. Both '80s dramas had a black star in the cast.
Lucy, Munsters, and the rest of your favorite '50s and '60s shows are being cut down to morning slots because the broad popularity and ratings for the '70s sitcoms have done very well for TV Land. TV Land's focus is viewers 25-54, and they want to cut their median age of 52 way down, so '70s laughers are the right start. In fact, the '70s sitcoms don't just mean black sitcoms, because Three's Company and All in the Family have also done very well for them. Now if TV Land can bring us The Jeffersons, Alice, One Day at a Time, and Maude we can all party like it's 1977!
You can read the full text of the article here. You can also post your thoughts there as well.

ABC Family Channel won't be making any changes to its regular line-up in January but they have a lot of marathons in the works! Start off the New Year with some home improvement during the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Marathon. Seven self-contained episodes of award winning series will be aired back-to-back with each episode featuring a team of designers, contractors and several hundred workers who have just seven days to rebuild an entire house for one deserving family. Airs Sunday, January 1 from 12 noon to 7 p.m.
Spend a whole day with Kris, Junior, Dani and Matt in this all day Wildfire marathon. Relive all the drama, secrets and seductions from season one from the beginning, where Kris finds her way to Raintree, to the very end – with Kris in a neck-and-neck race during the Sandpiper Classic on Wildfire. Stay tuned for the second season premiere of Wildfire following the all-day marathon. The marathons Airs Monday, January 2 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET/PT. Followed by the second season premiere at 8 p.m.: ABC Family's highest rated adult-targeted primetime drama, returns for an exciting new season. The episode opens at last year’s cliff hanger with Kris riding Wildfire in the Sandpiper Classic. In a nose-to-nose race, Wildfire and Kris are distracted by rival jockey Tina Sharp and end up losing the race to Avatar. Despite the loss, Kris becomes a local celebrity as a jockey, and well-known sports agent, Kerry O'Connell tries to convince her to become his client.
Have you ever wondered whether the grass is greener on the other side of the fence? Two wives discover that it often isn't when they hand over the keys to their homes and literally switch families for two weeks on the reality show Wife Swap. In the first week of the swap, the wives move in with their new family and adopt their very different lifestyle. They agree to follow a manual written by the departing wife that sets out the rules of their new household. But then, in the second week, everything changes. The new wives take charge and introduce their own set of rules and run the new household their way. At the end of the show, the two couples meet for the first time. In a highly-charged exchange of views, both couples make a frank assessment of each other and talk about what they've learned from the experience. Catch the Wife Swap marathon on Sunday, January 15 from 12 noon to 7 p.m. ET/PT.

Ho, Ho, Ho 'Jim' Christmas Episodes; More News Notes; And 'Life Goes On' On DVD?

The According to Jim 2005 Christmas episode is on Tuesday (December 13) at 8:00 p.m. on ABC, which will be about Cheryl & Dana's mom visiting for the holidays and Jim & Cheryl and Ryan & Dana compete for her affections, but now ABC has also scheduled two previous Christmas episodes of the series later that night! You can catch the 2002 Christmas episode at 9 p.m. where Jim is not invited to a neighbor's party and the 2003 Christmas episode at 9:30 p.m. where Dana takes credit for Cheryl's gift to Jim. So, what about 2001 & 2004 you say? 2001 is not slated as of now, but you can catch 2004 a week later on December 20 in the normal 8 p.m. time-slot. What better way to spend your holidays with blue-collar Jim!

Now with some network notes. Fox has officially canceled Monday night sitcom Kitchen Confidential. Kitchen aired this week and did even worse than what it is previously. Fox has openly even said they will not air the rest of the remaining episodes. Reruns of Arrested Development will fill that slot before that show also leaves after January 9. ABC has announced that it will have another recap special for Desperate Housewives. The special will be titled "All the Juicy Details." It will air on New Year's Day, Sunday, January 1 in the regular DH timeslot of 9 p.m. It will recap the season so far and preview of what is still yet to come--how juicy! ABC also announced that the acclaimed new drama In Justice will air right after that at 10 p.m. with a special preview airing. In Justice will then air regularly on Fridays at 9 p.m., as previously announced. Grey's Anatomy was scheduled for a rerun on New Year's night anyway, so not to worry fans of GA.

Now we have some good DVD news to report! Warner Home Video will possibly release the first season DVD of Life Goes On! Life Goes On of course is the underrated and well written 1989-93 ABC drama starring Chris Burke as Corky, the young man with Down syndrome. Yes, you will get to see Becca, Drew, Libby and the rest of the Thatcher family, along with that snotty little miss Lieberman, all again on DVD! This is still unofficial and more of a grapevine news item, but I'm confident we will see this set very soon--perhaps even early on in 2006. Bring it on Warner Home Video; I am ready to watch as the new AOL.com service In2TV has not announced if Life Goes On will be on that service yet or not. It certainly won't be at launch time come next month. Life Goes On last aired on television back in June on TV Land as part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Warner Bros. And that was only two episodes. It last regularly aired some years back on what was then called PAX TV (now called "i"). I'm certainly hyped if we get this series on DVD!

A Whole Bunch of News Notes

Today we have a whole bunch of little news notes for you. Wilmer Valderrama, one of the stars of the Fox sitcom That '70s Show, has signed on to play the role of Ponch on the big screen adaptation of CHiPs. CHiPs will be of course be based on the TV series from the '70s starring Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox. Estrada played the role of Ponch. Warner Bros. Pictures will be developing the movie being written by the writer from the ABC sitcom George Lopez. This now brings the question--will the original series be in the works for a DVD release the time the movie comes? I believe MGM distributed the show, so maybe they have the rights to release it? CHiPs is no longer on cable here in the U.S., but for many years it was on the Turner owned stations (TBS, TNT).
The Hogan Family and Family Ties were classic '80s sitcoms. Both had a Bateman family member in the cast. Jason Bateman in The Hogan Family and Justine Bateman in Family Ties. Now the siblings will get together on Jason Bateman's show Arrested Development. Justine Bateman will guest star on the January 9 episode of the acclaimed sitcom Arrested Development. It'll be the last episode to air for a while as Fox has not decided when to air the remaining episodes after January 9. The acclaimed sitcom is not likely to return to Fox after this season due to poor ratings.
Don't expect former Friends star David Schwimmer to appear on Joey anytime soon (if the show even comes back after December), as Schwimmer will be making his Broadway debut May 7, with previews beginning in April. The show is a revival of Herman Wouk's The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.

ABC has announced the latest batch of stars for Dancing with the Stars. Unfortunately we don't have a former sitcom star in the bunch but they do have George Hamilton and Lisa Rinna who are in the television business. Other stars include Academy Award winning actress Tatum O'Neal (who has guest starred on the sitcom 8 Simple Rules before), former NFL star Jerry Rice, rapper Romeo, and ESPN broadcaster Kenny Mayne. Stars premieres Thursday, January 5 with a two-hour premiere on ABC.
CBS has announced that it will move the premiere of its mid-season drama Love Monkey from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, January 17 to avoid the second hour of the American Idol season premiere. Monkey will air at 9 p.m. in the following weeks to come.

Finally, you have asked, now I will answer--TV Land January and Nick@Nite January line-ups will be coming out soon. We should be releasing February by now, but TV Land has been delaying lately in schedules.