Thursday, January 12, 2006

TCA Winter Cable Press Tour: Day 3; Sitcom Pre-Emptions; Website Offering Classic TV for Free

Day 3 of the TCA Winter Cable Press Tour has been slow so far. Not many news to report as of now. Hallmark Channel has brought out sitcom stars to star in original TV movies. Some of the stars they are showcasing include: Shirley Jones (The Partridge Family) in Hidden Places, Shelley Long (Cheers) in Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door, Doris Roberts (Everybody Loves Raymond) and Judy Reyes (Scrubs) in Our House, Patrick Duffy (Step by Step, Dallas) in Falling in Love and Desolation Canyon, Stacy Keach in Desolation Canyon and Blackbeard, Richard Chamberlain in Blackbeard andCasper Van Dien in The Curse of King Tut’s Tomb. Here are descriptions of those:

Hidden Places:
A deep yearning for home had led Eliza to Wyatt Orchards ten years ago. Now widowed with two young children, she faces mounting debts and the realization that her family’s financial survival is all up to her. When a stranger, Gabe, appears at her doorstep, Eliza guesses he is no different than the other out-of-luck characters searching for work during the Depression. But the familiarity and determination with which Gabe tends to the orchard raises unanswered questions. With the help and support of her Aunt Batty, Eliza learns to trust and understand Gabe. Academy Award® winner Shirley Jones, two-time daytime Emmy® Award nominee Sydney Penny and Jason Gedrick star in “Hidden Places,” a Hallmark Channel Original movie premiering Saturday, January 28, (9/8c).

Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door
Emmy® Award winner Shelley Long and Academy Award®, Emmy® and Golden Globe winner Patty Duke star as Bridget Connolly (Duke) and Betsy Lucas (Long), two social climbing society mavens from Catalina Island who have engaged in not-so-friendly rivalry for decades. But when Bridget’s daughter (Crystal Allen, “Maid in Manhattan”) returns home after a failed romance and falls in love with the boy next door, (Ken Marino, What I Like About You) her childhood friend and Betsy’s son, the two women try to put their differences aside for the sake of the children in “Falling in Love with the Girl Next Door,” a two-hour Hallmark Channel Original movie premiering Saturday, February 4 (9/8 c). Patrick Duffy (Step by Step) and Bruce Boxleitner (Babylon 5) also star as best friends and golfing buddies who want no part of their wives’ feud.

Our House
No one saw them as people. She saw them as friends. Ruth Galloway, a wealthy Beverly Hills widow, has a chance encounter with Billy, a homeless woman who rescues Ruth after she attempts suicide. This story was profoundly important to the film’s star Doris Roberts, who found inspiration not just in the script but also in the writings of her late husband, author William Goyen. “He wrote that, when we see infirm, handicapped or older people, or the homeless, we tend to turn away,” Roberts said. “We shun them and we take away their light.” It is Roberts’ hope that, just as her character does, people will be inspired to offer hope to those who may have lost it, not to turn away. Five-time Emmy® Award winner Doris Roberts and Judy Reyes (Scrubs) star in “Our House,” a Hallmark Channel Original movie coming in March 2006.

Desolation Canyon
In an outlaw ghost town, two aging gunmen realize they have much to learn about the Old West in “Desolation Canyon.” Golden Globe winner Stacy Keach stars as Samuel Kendrick a retired gunfighter living in an isolated cabin in Desolation Canyon with his common law wife. Patrick Duffy stars as Sheriff Tomas ‘Swede’ Lundstrom, an old friend who fought with Sam on the Union side in the Civil War, where Sam first earned his reputation as a deadeye shot. Following the war, both wild young men rode with an outlaw gang, but have subsequently reformed with Swede switching to the right side of the law. The two men are reunited on a mission to track down Sam’s estranged outlaw son, Johnny Kendrick, in an effort to save him from deeper trouble and possibly a violent death “Desolation Canyon,” a Hallmark Channel Original movie premiering July 2006.

Blackbeard
Cannons roar, cutlasses clash and the Jolly Roger flies high as one of history’s most notorious cutthroats sails the Caribbean in search of buried treasure in the rousing Hallmark Channel Original movie event “Blackbeard” premiering June 2006. Angus MacFadyen (“The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood”) stars in the title role, Mark Umbers (soon to be seen in movie theaters in “The Good Woman”) plays a dashing Royal Navy officer and newcomer Jessica Chastain is the feisty heroine. “Blackbeard” marks the first time that four-time Emmy Award® nominee Richard Chamberlain and three time Golden Globe® nominee Rachel Ward have starred together since their memorable pairing in “The Thorn Birds.” Stacey Keach (“The Prison Break,” “Mike Hammer”) also stars as a pirate captain undone by Blackbeard’s ruthless cunning.

A&E has a lot of original series in the works, most are reality shows, but one is of interest to us: A Guy Walks into a Bar, an hour-long sketch comedy series featuring Cheers’ George Wendt and comedian George Gray. The reality series include Driving Force. John Force is a dominant figure in drag racing, with 118 career victories he holds the world record for consecutive Funny
Car championships. Its described as 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Daughter meets the bonerattling thrills of the drag strip.


If there is anything else we will update it here. So check back!

Meanwhile three sitcoms will get pre-empted for their next episode. ABC's Hope & Faith will be pre-empted this week for a one-hour edition of Dancing with the Stars: The Results. ABC will push back the all-new episode until January 20 and push back the episode that was slated for January 20 to January 27. January 27 was originally a rerun anyway. I think this move is more so ABC can build even more on its new drama hit In Justice, which has done decent. Hope & Faith is coming off a season high in the ratings this past Friday.
Finally, after doing not so good in the ratings this past Monday for the series and season premieres of Emily's Reasons Why Not and Jake in Progress, ABC has pulled both shows for next Monday (Jan. 16) and replaced it with an encore of The Bachelor: Paris season premiere. Maybe so The Bachelor can do better at 10 p.m. and Wife Swap will be a better lead-in for the encore at 9 p.m.

Santa Monica, Calif.-based Internet content provider iWatchNow is looking to take advantage of the growing Internet video market by launching a broadband video-on-demand service.

www.iwatchnow.com will offer classic TV shows such as the The Dick Van Dyke Show, Roy Rogers, and Popeye, along with “cult” movies including Night of the Living Dead and the Kevin Costner vehicle Sizzle Beach USA.
iWatchNow says its service is compatible with PC, Macintosh and Linux computers.
The service will be free to viewers choosing to watch programming with commercials, or $3.99 for a one-time download fee that buys six commercial-free programs, with an additional 99 cents charged for every commercial-free show after that.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, September 18

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 15)

Thursday, September 18

  • Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/George and Leo/Chicago Sons/Simon/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons) - Jason appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about Black Rabbit on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
  • Anna Camp (Perfect Harmony/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/The Mindy Project) and Milana Vayntrub (Other Space) - Anna and Milana are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Michael Urie (Shrinking/Krapopolis/Partners) - Michael appears on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Emayatzy Corinealdi (Ballers) Emayatzy talks about Reasonable Doubt on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
  • Eugene Levy (Schitt's Creek/Greg the Bunny/Hiller and Diller) - Eugene talks about The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy on Live with Kelly and Mark (check your local listings) and on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Michael Chiklis (Daddio) - Michael talks about The Senior on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly/Crowded/Drake & Josh) - NBC's Today catches up with Miranda in the 9am hour.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Valerie is at the news desk to talk about the hottest headlines on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Rob Reiner (All in the Family/Morton & Hayes) - Rob is chatting with Drew about his iconic career and his new movie Spinal Tap II on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Martin Starr (Silicon Valley/Party Down/Freaks and Geeks) - Martin is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

09/17 - FETV Acquires The Munsters Effective September 29; Apple TV+ The Morning Show Renewed for Season 5
09/16 - Disney's SuperKitties Adds to Voice Cast; Netflix Renews The Hunting Wives for Season 2
09/15 - 77th Primetime Emmy Award Winners; Letterman TV Adds Late Night with David Letterman
09/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 15, 2025)
09/13 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Paramount Looking to Merge with Warner Bros. Discovery; Samsung TV+ Adds Late Night with David Letterman
09/12 - Emmy Awards to Create Special Moments; Ricky Gervais Netflix Animated Comedy Alley Cats Coming in 2026
09/11 - Remembering Polly Holliday of Alice and Flo; Prime Video's Overcompensating Renewed for Season 2
09/10 - Netflix Renews Leanne for Season 2; Hazbin Hotel Returns October 29
09/09 - HBO Comedy The Chair Company; Trailer for Disney's Vampirina: Teenage Vampire
09/08 - The Paper Renewed for Season 2, NYC Event on Tuesday; Final Season of Bel-Air
09/07 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 8, 2025)
09/06 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Shifting Gears Picked Up for Three Additional Episodes; The Paper Renewed for Season Two
09/05 - Crutch Premieres November 3 on Paramount+; Trailer for Season 2 of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place
09/04 - Freeform's 31 Nights of Halloween 2025 Schedule; Dancing with the Stars Season 34 Cast
09/03 - Live Staged Reading of Three's Company Episode; Freeform Acquires According to Jim for October
09/02 - Hulu's Chad Powers Trailer; BET's The Hospital Premieres September 10
09/01 - TV Marathons on Labor Day 2025 Include Archie Bunker's Place and George Lopez
08/31 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 1, 2025)
08/30 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Saturday Night Live Cast Changes Loom; NBC Renews Password for Third Season
08/29 - HBO's Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television; Adult Swim Slates Two Series for October
08/28 - NBC's Password Renewed for Season 3 for 2026; Pluto TV Streaming CBS Shows Ahead of Fall Season
08/27 - Hulu's Deli Boys Renewed for Season 2 with Fred Armisen; HBO's I Love LA Premieres November 2
08/26 - English Teacher Returns on FX for Season 2; Jesse Williams Prime Video Series Trailer
08/25 - Doc Season 2 Trailer for Fox; Remembering David Ketchum and Jerry Adler
08/24 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of August 25, 2025)
08/23 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Home Improvement Cast Members to Reunite on Shifting Gears; The Paper to Have Binge Drop
08/22 - Hulu's Futurama Season 13 Trailer; A Man on the Inside Returns November 20 on Netflix
08/21 - George Lopez Coming to COZI TV; The Morning Show Season 4 Trailer
08/20 - Welcome Back, Kotter 50th Anniversary Marathon on Rewind TV; Apple TV+ Palm Royale Season 2 Premieres November 12
08/19 - Antenna TV's Archie Bunker's Place Labor Day Marathon; Larry the Cable Guy Prime Video Special
08/18 - Nobody Wants This Season 2 Premieres October 23; HGTV and Retta Continue Partnership
08/17 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of August 18, 2025)