Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Classic '80s Sitcom to Join ABC Family Channel in April; Sitcom News for ABC and Showtime; GSN Honors Knotts, McGavin and Weaver

'Life is such a sweet insanity..." Yes, life IS such a sweet insanity! Because the more you learn, the less you know...well not in this case, because you are ALL about to know what the new sitcom is coming to ABC Family Channel this April! I mentioned last week that a "TBD" slot has been filled in starting April 3 and it clearly had to be a sitcom because ABC Family airs nothing but sitcoms from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. So, if you have not guessed by now with all those clues (and the picture) the sitcom is the 1986-1991 sitcom The Hogan Family. It will air WEEKDAYS @ 12 PM & 12:30 PM starting April 3. They will start with season three, by passing the Valerie years.
The show was titled Valerie in its first two seasons, then Valerie's Family for season three, before being called The Hogan Family by season four. You can read all about that on our Hogan Family website. The series starred Valerie Harper, but she left show by season three. Sandy Duncan replaced her. The series also starred Jason Bateman, who went on to star in Arrested Development.
The series last aired as a regular on PAX some years ago. TV Land aired two episodes this past June for a Warner Bros. 50th Anniversary Weekend marathon. It will be SO good to have this series back on the air again. Now, let's hope we can get '80s gems Mr. Belvedere, Small Wonder, and Perfect Strangers back on the air. For more on ABC Family April 2006, click here!

ABC has announced the return date of third season sitcom Hope & Faith. It will return and air Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. starting March 21. It will replace Rodney, which airs tonight for the last time, since the next two weeks (March 7 & 14) a special According to Jim will air in its slot. No idea yet on when or if ABC will air the remaining 8 episodes of Rodney, as only 14 will have aired by tonight. Hope & Faith has 10 more episodes remaining, as 12 have aired earlier in the season. Still no word yet on when ABC plans to bring back sitcoms Crumbs, Less than Perfect and Jake in Progress. My guess would be in June.
ABC also announced other mid-season plans and changes. Veteran spy-drama Alias will return for its final eight episodes starting Wednesday, April 19 at 8 p.m. replacing sitcoms George Lopez and Freddie, who both would have finished their 22 episode order for the season by then. New J.J. Abrams drama What About Brian has been pushed back two weeks to a Sunday, April 16 premiere following DH, then will air Mondays at 10 p.m. starting the next night. Invasion will return Wednesday, April 19 at 10 p.m., after a four week break to let the new mid-season drama The Evidence air. Invasion is all-new on March 8 and 15--don't miss it, it is by far the best new drama this season! And ABC's new mini-series, a revival of the classic movie The Ten Commandments will air over two nights on Monday, April 10 and Tuesday, April 11 from 9 to 11 p.m. starring Naveen Andrews of Lost. Read all that and more here.

The New York Post is reporting that sitcom Arrested Development is very close to be picked-up by Showtime for 26 episodes. They would divide it by two and have 13 episodes for next season and 13 more the following season. The two-hour finale of the critically-acclaimed series nabbed only 3.3 million viewers when it aired on Feb. 10 on Fox. We certainly will keep you all updated on this as Showtime has not officially said anything on it, but it sure looks good!

In honor of the recent passing of legendary television actors Don Knotts, Darren McGavin and Dennis Weaver, GSN is planning special programming tributes showcasing some of their memorable appearances on classic game shows. GSN is honored to present these acclaimed and award-winning actors as they appeared as themselves on such memorable series as I've Got a Secret (Knotts), Password (McGavin) and Family Feud (Weaver.) To see when these special episodes are airing, click here.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, May 8

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Ladies Love Brunch" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie tries to juggle his mom, his mother-in-law and Mandy on Mother’s Day. Meanwhile, Audrey wants to meet Connor’s girlfriend.

Ghosts - "The Devil Went Down to Woodstone" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Sam and Jay host a big party for the launch of Sam and Isaac’s vampire book. Mary Holland (Patience), Punam Patel (Bela) and Matt Walsh (Elias Woodstone) return as guest stars.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 5)

Thursday, May 8

  • Paula Poundstone (Home Movies) - Paula performs stand-up comedy on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll) - Natasha appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - Michelle talks about Netflix's Survival of the Thickest on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite/Benched) and Doug Benson (You're the Worst) - Maria and Doug are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • John Benjamin Hickey (HouseBroken/The Big C/It's All Relative) - John stops by Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 11:15pm on Bravo.
  • Patricia Clarkson (Davis Rules) - Patricia is a guest on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 11:15pm on Bravo.
  • Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - E! News has an interview with Kerry at 11pm on E!. Kerry and Omar Sy discuss their highly anticipated new film Shadow Force on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Rebel Wilson (Super Fun Night) - Rebel chats about Juliet & Romeo on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/CafĂ© Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - In A Little Bit Extra Valerie and Ross Mathews are sharing more of their conversation with Al Roker in Charleston at the Food & Wine Classic on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) and Randall Park (Young Rock/Blockbuster/Fresh Off the Boat/Veep/Supah Ninjas) - Morris and Randall talk about Watson on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:30am.


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)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (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

05/08 - CBS 2025-26 Schedule; Animal Control and Going Dutch Renewed by Fox
05/07 - Netflix's A Man on the Inside Bulks Up Cast for Season 2; The Studio Renewed by Apple TV+
05/06 - Netflix's Long Story Short Announces Cast; NBC Renews All Chicago Series for 2025-26
05/05 - Antenna TV's The Partridge Family Mother's Day Marathon; Rewind TV's 227 40th Anniversary Marathon
05/04 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 5, 2025)
05/03 - SitcomsOnline Digest: CBS Cancels The Equalizer; Wisteria Lane Offshoot of Desperate Housewives in the Works
05/02 - USA and SYFY Announce Summer Premieres; CBC in Canada Renews 5 Series, Including Wild Cards
05/01 - ABC Summer 2025 Schedule; Audible Scripted Comedy Podcasts for Summer
04/30 - The Carol Burnett Show Mother of All Marathons; Netflix Renews North of North
04/29 - Lifetime Adds New Ripped from the Headlines Movie; BET+ Orders Season 2 of Series
04/28 - Fox Summer 2025 Schedule; Final Guest Hosts for Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Season
04/27 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 28, 2025)
04/26 - SitcomsOnline Digest: CBS Cancels Poppa's House; Final Season 50 Hosts for Saturday Night Live Set
04/25 - Classic TV's Biggest Auction; Remembering Will Hutchins and Wink Martindale
04/24 - Jerrod Carmichael's 4th HBO Comedy Special; HBO's Pee-wee as Himself Premieres May 23
04/23 - Apple TV+ Announces Comedy Series Prodigies; ABC Renews Unscripted Series Slate
04/22 - Hallmark Channel's May For Moms Month; Prime Video Gets Korean Comedy Action Series
04/21 - Peacock's Twisted Metal Returns July 31; Poker Face Lines Up Big Guests for Season 2
04/20 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 21, 2025)
04/19 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Clueless Reboot in the Works at Peacock; King of the Hill Cast Reunion and Revival Preview at ATX TV Festival Next Month
04/18 - 2025 TIME100 on ABC; Atsuko Okatsuka: Father Premieres June 13 on Hulu
04/17 - BET+ Orders Martin Spinoff Varnell Hill; It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Returns in July
04/16 - And Just Like That... Season 3 on Max This May; MGM+ Comedy Series Adds Big Stars
04/15 - HBO's Harry Potter Series; Classic TV Comes to Life in NYC
04/14 - TV Stars Lineup for Summer of 69 Hulu Film; Jessica Kirson Comedy Special
04/13 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 14, 2025)
04/12 - SitcomsOnline Digest: FX Sets Premiere Date for Adults; Netflix Picks Up Monopoly Themed Reality Competition Series
04/11 - Bounce TV Renews Mind Your Business; AMC Networks 2025 Upfront Highlights
04/10 - David Spade's Prime Video Comedy Special; Brett Goldstein's HBO Comedy Special Filmed in New Jersey
04/09 - Paramount+ Orders Season 3 of Colin from Accounts; FX's Adults Premieres May 28
04/08 - Prime Video's New Comedy Overcompensating; Nine Perfect Strangers Returns on Hulu in May