FOX Pulls Bateman-Bateman Arrested Development Reunion Episode From Schedule; Other TV Notes

Friday, January 06, 2006

FOX Pulls Bateman-Bateman Arrested Development Reunion Episode From Schedule; Other TV Notes

Next week's episode of Arrested Development, which was going to feature a reunion of Justine and Jason Bateman, has apparently been pulled from the schedule by FOX. They are airing a rerun of "House" instead according to the FOX.com website. No word on if or when the four remaining episodes will air. The show could be moving to Showtime or ABC next season. Discuss the fate of Arrested Development on our message board.

Speaking of "House," it will begin airing on the USA Network starting tonight at 11PM ET/PT (right after "Monk"). They are starting with the pilot episode and will go in order from there. It will air every week on Fridays at 11PM ET/PT.

George Lopez is executive producing a pilot for ABC starring Lisa, Christina, and Tanya Vidal. It will be based on the Vidal's real-life and centered on the three sisters and their racially mixed families.

Drake Bell, the star of Nickeloden's popular sitcom "Drake & Josh," is recovering from injuries, including a broken jaw and severe cuts, he suffered in a car accident. The series debuted on Nickelodeon in January 2004 and regularly draws 3 million viewers a week. Drake Bell's other sitcom appearances include Seinfeld, Caroline in the City, The Drew Carey Show, and Home Improvement.

ABC's telecast of the Rose Bowl game between Texas and USC drew an average of 35.6 million viewers on Wednesday night. It drew 21.7 of U.S. households. It was the most-viewed bowl game since 1987, and the highest rated pro (non Super Bowl) or college game on ABC in the same period. Whoa Nelly, what a game!

The annual WPIX New Year’s “Honeymooners” marathon once again proved to be among the most popular programs of the New Year’s holiday on New York Television. “The Honeymooners” marathon, which was seen from 12:30 am until 5 pm New Year’s Day on WPIX Channel 11 (The WB11), Tribune Broadcasting’s WB Television Network Affiliate, peaked with a whopping 359,000 viewers for the episode, “Brother Ralph,” which was seen from 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm on January 1. “Brother Ralph,” wherein Jackie Gleason’s Ralph Kramden is laid-off from his job as bus driver, forcing Audrey Meadows’ Alice to find work, won its time period handily, more than 100,000 viewers ahead of its nearest competitor according to Nielsen Station Index (NSI) overnight Local People Meter (LPM) ratings. It was a remarkable performance for a ,TV program which is 50 years old. In “Brother Ralph,” Alice can find a job only by pretending to be the only single woman in an office staffed completely by men, a turn of events that prompts significant jealousy by husband Ralph.

Debmar-Mercury distribution company has acquired the domestic television distribution rights for ALF. They are looking to off-license it, so we could see ALF reruns return to cable and local syndication in the future.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, March 31

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to the Signature Service Loyalty Rewards Program" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Malcom receives an unexpected call from USC’s athletic director about a baseball head coach vacancy. Meanwhile, Calvin and Marty start a new signature loyalty rewards program at The Fuse Box.

Poppa's House - "Say Wha?!" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Junior’s fundraising effort for his film takes a dramatic turn when he discovers Poppa’s flea market purchase is worth a fortune. Vivica A. Fox guest stars as “Judge SayWha.”

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 31)

Monday, March 31

Jennifer Coolidge (2 Broke Girls/Joey) - Watch Jennifer on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Britt Lower (Ghosted/Man Seeking Woman/Big Lake) - Britt appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Nathan Lane (Mid-Century Modern/Only Murders in the Building/Modern Family/Charlie Lawrence/Encore! Encore!/One of the Boys) - Nathan stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite/Benched) - Maria is a guest on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Jay Ellis (Running Point/Insecure/The Game) - Jay talks about Running Point and Freaky Tales on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am and on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour.
Sara Gilbert (The Conners/Bad Teacher/The Big Bang Theory/The Class/Roseanne) - Sara chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. She also talks about The Conners on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - Michelle talks about Survival of the Thickest on NBC's Today in the 10am hour and on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
Michael Angarano (Laid/I'm Dying Up Here/Will & Grace) - Michael talks about Sacramento on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia guest co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Eva Longoria (Only Murders in the Building/Telenovela) - Eva talks about Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie is joining Drew and Ross to hit the headlines in an all-new Drew's News on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.