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

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

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.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Sunday, July 13

Ghosts - "Patience" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
While Sam and the ghosts race to find him, Isaac comes face to face with Puritan ghost Patience (Mary Holland) for the first time since she was lost in the dirt.

The Simpsons - "Homer and Her Sisters" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After a fight in an escape room, Krusty's aunt fixes Homer's relationship with Patty and Selma.

Krapopolis - "Ice Week!" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Ty struggles to keep his cool when he gets the hots for a visiting reporter; Shlub is paid a visit by an old friend; Hippocampus and Stupendous risk missing the festivities altogether.

Animal Control - "Giraffes, Gorillas and Penguins" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The crew must contain a freak zoo break; Frank realizes that he needs to break up with Yasmin; Emily finds an unexpected benefactor in a celebrity businesswoman.

Going Dutch - "Pilot" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The colonel is reassigned to take emergency command of USAG Stroopsdorf in the Netherlands; Sgt. Conway provides the colonel and Shah with a tour of the things Stroopsdorf is known for... cheese, laundry and bowling.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 7)

Friday, July 11

Aparna Nancherla (The Great North/Fairview/Corporate) and Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Aparna and Whitney are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Malachi Barton (Stuck in the Middle) and Meg Donnelly (American Housewife) - Malachi and Meg discuss Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires and perform on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am. They will also be on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Jean Smart (Hacks/Samantha Who?/Center of the Universe/In-Laws/Style & Substance/Designing Women) - Jean chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Patton Oswalt (A.P. Bio/The Goldbergs/The King of Queens) - Patton talks about Black Coffee and Ice Water on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) and Joel Kim Booster (Loot/Shrill) - CBS News contributor Lisa Ling talks with Margaret and Joel on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Krysten Ritter (Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - Tamron Hall (repeat) has a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE sitdown with actress/director/author Krysten Ritter who recently released her new thriller/mystery novel Retreat, so check your local listings.
Maggie Q (Pivoting) - Maggie Q talks about Prime's Ballard on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Tisha Campbell (Act Your Age/Uncoupled/Outmatched/Dr. Ken/Rita Rocks/My Wife and Kids/Martin) and Wendy Raquel Robinson (Poppa's House/The Game/Here We Go Again/The Steve Harvey Show/Minor Adjustments) - Tisha and Wendy chat about their film Operation: Aunties on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings. They will also be on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:30am.
David Zayas (The Bear/Saint George) - David appears on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.