Tuesday, January 17, 2006
TCA Network Winter Tour: The WB and FOX; Life Goes On DVD on April 11
Ellen DeGeneres, the multiple Award-Winning Comedienne/Actress/Author/Talk Show Host, will bring her comedic vision to The WB Network with a pilot script for a new half-hour, live-action comedy tentatively titled My Dog Sparky. She will voice the dog. A Nick Lachey sitcom and a Brandy sitcom are also in the works.
Regarding the new Daytime WB block (weekdays 3-5 p.m.):
Although the WB has had mixed early results programming the Monday to Friday 3-5 p.m. daypart in place of Kids' WB! programming, the network is committed to the affiliate stations.
"We worked with the stations to figure out an economic formula of how to do this," said Garth Ancier, chairman, the WB. "And all the feedback has been very positive. The biggest question is should it be a drama, or should it be comedies in there. So far 8 Simple Rules is doing better than ER, but ER is one of those serialized shows that tend to do better over time. So I think the jury is still out as to whether we should go in the comedy or drama direction long-term in the future."
And finally, upcoming this mid-season sitcom wise will be Misconceptions starring Jane Leeves and French Stewart and Modern Men starring Jane Seymour, George Wendt and Marla Sokoloff.
Today Fox was up at the TCA Tour. They made a lot of announcements. Two new comedies, Free Ride and The Loop, will soon join FOX's spring schedule. A partially improvised comedy, Free Ride follows recent college graduate Nate Stahlings (Josh Dean) as he moves back in with his parents in a small Midwestern town, with no life plans past doing his laundry. A preview episode airs Wednesday, March 1 (9:30-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), after a special 90-minute episode of American Idol. Free Ride premieres in its regular time period Sunday, March 12 (9:30-10:00 p.m.ET/PT). American Dad returns to the line-up in late April after Free Ride completes its run.
The Loop launches with a special preview Wednesday, March 15 (9:30-10:00 p.m. ET/PT) following the half hour American Idol Results Show. The following night, Thursday, March 16, the new comedy premieres in its regular time period (8:30-9:30 p.m. ET/PT) after That '70s Show. Stacked will return later in the season.
And at least two long running Fox sitcoms will come to an end this season. Malcolm in the Middle and That '70s Show. Malcolm in the Middle's series finale is scheduled to air Sunday, May 14, soon after its 150th episode. The show, which has followed the growth of boy genius Malcolm (Frankie Muniz) and his family. The show has won six Emmys and a Peabody Award in its lifetime. That '70s Show packs up the polyester bellbottoms, Zeppelin 8-tracks and lava lamps when it ends its eight-season run Thursday, May 18 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT) on FOX. The series finale also marks the 200th episode milestone. Numerous '70s icons have stopped by to guest-star, including Danny Bonaduce, Alice Cooper, Marion Ross, Eve Plumb, Ted Nugent, Valerie Harper, Richard Kline and Roger Daltrey from The Who. This season, Don Knotts, Mary Tyler Moore Tom Bosley and Isaac Hayes are joining the list.
Other Fox notes: Arrested Development is very likely finished on Fox. King of the Hill is also nearing its end and might not return until January 2007 next season. Ashton Kutcher and Topher Grace are in discussions to return for the series finale of That '70s Show.
Finally, last month we broke the news that the '90s ABC drama Life Goes On would be coming to DVD. As of now, the date for that season one set will be April 11! Now, take that with a grain of salt, as it is not official yet. Stay tuned to TVShowsonDVD.com for official information. Bring on Corky!
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Sunday, June 4
The Simpsons - "My Life as a Vlog" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Through a series of YouTube recommended videos, the story of the rise and fall of the Simpson family vlog is revealed.
Family Guy - "Oscars Guy" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The Griffins perform a retelling of three Oscar-winning stories: "Silence of the Lambs," "American Beauty" and "Forrest Gump."
HouseBroken - "Who's Nocturnal?" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
After Honey loses a clutch of baby possums she is supposed to be caring for, she and The Gray One set out to find them; Shel and Nibbles try to apprehend a critter that has been pooping on Shel's shell at night; Diablo gets abducted by an owl.
HouseBroken - "Who's Married?" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
A new playmate upends Honey and Chief's relationship; Tabitha helps Chico find the perfect anniversary gift for Kevin; Nibbles goes searching for her special someone.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 29)
Saturday, June 3
- Ronald Gladden (Jury Duty) - Ronald can be heard on SiriusXM's Ben +1 at 9am.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (January-June)
01/03 - Andy Richter Controls the Universe - The Complete Series (2023 Release)
01/27 - Master of None - Season Three / The Complete Series
02/21 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Nine / The Complete Season Ten
02/28 - Growing Pains - The Complete Series
03/28 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/04 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Fifth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/18 - Blondie - The Complete 1957 Television Series (Blu-ray)
04/25 - Cheers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
05/23 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Eleven / The Complete Season Twelve
05/23 - Go On - The Complete Series
05/23 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (Universal)
05/29 - Gimme a Break! - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/29 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/30 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
06/13 - Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series
06/13 - Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest
Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts