New Original Sitcom for First-Run Syndication; Rosie in at 'The View'

Friday, April 28, 2006

New Original Sitcom for First-Run Syndication; Rosie in at 'The View'

Finally an original sitcom is coming to first-run syndication! There have been many series that are popular that have done well in the past debuting in first run syndication such as Charles in Charge, It's a Living, 9 to 5, and Small Wonder. Some not so popular such as She's the Sheriff.
Debmar-Mercury announced stations in ten markets are slated to air the first ten episodes of Tyler Perry’s first-run, original comedy series House Of Payne. Inspired by the independent film release model, Debmar-Mercury is distributing ten episodes of the series, which was created specifically for syndication, in a limited run this Spring/Summer with additional episodes to be available for national distribution in Fall 2007. The stations participating in the limited run this Spring/Summer represent all of the major station groups, including FOX, Tribune, CBS and Sinclair. Markets include New York, Houston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, Baltimore and Raleigh.
WWOR-My9 in New York and KTXH CH 20 in Houston will be the first to air the show, beginning on May 8.
House of Payne, about the comical situations that ensue when a multi-generational family lives under one roof, reflects Perry’s gift for delivering inspirational and uplifting stories with identifiable characters.
Stations slated to air the first ten episodes of House of Payne include: WWOR-My9 New York; KTXH-CH 20 Houston; WCIU-CH 26 Chicago; WPHL-CH 17 Philadelphia; WBDC-CH 50 Washington, DC; WTBS-CH 17 Atlanta; KTXA-CH 21 Dallas; WBFS-CH 33 Miami; WNUV-CH 54 Baltimore; and WRDC-CH 28 Raleigh.

More info on this will come, such as days and times.

Rosie O’Donnell is returning to daytime television as the replacement for Meredith Vieira on The View. An announcement was made today on the program. Extra and People Magazine first broke this news late yesterday. O'Donnell is of course famous for her own talk show The Rosie O'Donnell Show.

We will be back later possibly with more news. So just check back.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Friday, July 3

The Dick Van Dyke Show - Now in Living Color! - (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
CBS will honor the memory of legendary actor, producer, director, writer, comedian and Emmy Award winner Carl Reiner with THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW – NOW IN LIVING COLOR! A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO CARL REINER, featuring two colorized back-to-back classic episodes of the beloved 1960s series, Friday, July 3 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. As series creator and co-star, Carl Reiner personally supervised the original colorization of the episodes.

The special features “Coast to Coast Big Mouth,” which ranked #8 on TV Guide’s list of the “100 Greatest TV Episodes of All-Time,” and “October Eve,” which Mr. Reiner considered to be one of the series’ funniest episodes. Both were written by Bill Persky and Sam Denoff.

In “Coast to Coast Big Mouth,” Laura Petrie blurts out a top secret on a national television quiz show, revealing that comedian Alan Brady wears a toupee. The episode, which was the show’s fifth and final season premiere, was originally broadcast on Sept. 15, 1965. “Coast to Coast Big Mouth” won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 1966.

In “October Eve,” a painting of Laura returns to haunt her when, despite her having posed fully clothed, the artist (played by Carl Reiner) takes the liberty of “undraping” her. The episode was first presented on April 8, 1964, during season three.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 29)

Friday, July 3

Kevin Hart (The Big House/Undeclared) - Watch Kevin on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12:35am on ABC.
Tina Fey (30 Rock) - Tina appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Laura Dern (Enlightened) - Laura is a guest on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Mark Duplass (Togetherness/The Mindy Project/The League) - Mark appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly/Samantha Who?) - Melissa guest hosts a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Brett Gelman (Camping/Fleabag/Love/Married/Go On) - Brett appears on a repeat of A Little Late with Lilly Singh at 1:35am on NBC.
Tika Sumpter (mixed-ish/The Game) - Tika talks about the season finale of mixed-ish and her latest project helping new moms on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Peter Gallagher (Grace and Frankie/The Secret Lives of Men) - Peter talks about Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist and Grace and Frankie on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.