'Saved by the Bell' on Adult Swim; 'Dynasty' Reunion on CBS this May

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

'Saved by the Bell' on Adult Swim; 'Dynasty' Reunion on CBS this May

As promised, today I will let you all know on the sitcom coming to Adult Swim...yes, Adult Swim! Adult Swim is the late night "animation" block on Cartoon Network that airs shows like Family Guy if any of you were not aware. Variety has already reported this: Major changes are in store for Cartoon Network, which will step outside its charter for the first time and into live-action programming. Cartoon Network has been testing the performance of live-action features like The Goonies, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Batman, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Ace Ventura on air since late last year. Most recently, they drew a big 2.3 million viewers to a showing of the Jim Carrey comedy Dumb And Dumber. They will make an event out of the Spider-Man premiere later this summer.
And now it looks like the Adult Swim block on Cartoon Network will sort of go into the live-action programming genre. Starting this coming Monday (April 17), Adult Swim will air the sitcom Saved by the Bell at midnight. Yes, Saved by the Bell...strange isn't it? They will borrow it from sister network TBS, which yesterday I announced will expand Saved by the Bell to 6 airings a day in June. It currently airs four times a day. Adult Swim will air the teen sitcom for at least two weeks, as of now--Mon-Thurs nights for the next two weeks. Click here for a list of episodes airing.

Let's hope they get more sitcoms, but not at 12 midnight, for the 5 a.m. hour where they usually air older animated programming to make fun of, such as Mr. T, Chuck Norris and The Gary Coleman Show. It would be nice if they air Small Wonder and Mr. Belvedere in that hour if they decide to go the sitcom route. Mr. Belvedere was just made fun of on this past week's Family Guy, so why not? So in a way I hope Saved by the Bell is sort of successful, so we get to see more sitcoms!

Who knew a Dynasty reunion was even in the works! But CBS and Michael Levitt/Henry Winkler Productions have made one! The series aired on ABC so it is strange it wasn't pitched to them, unless they declinded it first. Dynasty Reunion: Catfights and Caviar reunites original series stars Joan Collins, Linda Evans and John Forsythe to pay tribute and celebrate the long-running series Dynasty, one of the most popular series in television history, to be broadcast Tuesday, May 2 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. The legendary cast will gather together at the Filoli Mansion in Northern California, which was the home of the show's billionaire hero, Blake Carrington, and his infamous family. Al Corley, Pamela Sue Martin, Catherine Oxenberg and Gordon Thomson also return. Each cast member will reminisce about the time spent making the series and the scenes that they most treasure and enjoyed. Show creators Esther & Richard Shapiro, as well as famed fashion designer, Nolan Miller, will also be on hand to talk about how the show and its style evolved over the years. Film clips of scenes from the show will also be seen.
During its nine season run on ABC, Dynasty was one of the most popular primetime soaps, spending three seasons ranked among the top five programs, peaking at Number One in its fifth season averaging 25.0/37.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, April 23

The Conners - "Exercise Bands, Money Plans, and Faraway Lands" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Ahead of the deposition, Dan gets support from Jackie, Becky and Darlene. Mark is presented with an opportunity which leads to a major life decision. Meanwhile, Becky and Tyler consider the next step in their relationship – joint finances.

The Conners - "The Truck Stops Here" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Jackie prepares for a series of physical tests in an effort to rejoin the police force; Darlene confronts the insecurities in her marriage with Ben; Dan’s deposition stirs up feelings, and final farewells are made in true Conner family fashion.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 21)

Wednesday, April 23

Jenny Slate (The Great North/Big Mouth/Married/Bob's Burgers) - Watch Jenny on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Amanda Peet (Brockmire/Togetherness/Bent) - Amanda appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Vinny Thomas (Platonic), Paul F. Tompkins (The Great North/BoJack Horseman/DAG) and Aparna Nancherla (The Great North/Lopez vs Lopez/Corporate) - Vinny, Paul and Aparna are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Casey Wilson (The Righteous Gemstones/Black Monday/The Hotwives/Marry Me/Happy Endings) - Casey stops by Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 3:30am on Bravo.
Rita Moreno (One Day at a Time/Happily Divorced/9 to 5) and Ayo Edebiri (Big Mouth/The Bear) - Rita and Ayo are guests on Everybody's Live with John Mulaney at 10pm on Netflix.
Tika Sumpter (mixed-ish/Final Space/The Game) - Tika talks about her new children's book I Got It From My Mama on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Bowen Yang (Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens) - Bowen talks about The Wedding Banquet and Saturday Night Live with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Cheech Marin (Rob/The Golden Palace) and Tommy Chong (That '90s Show/That '70s Show) - Cheech and Tommy talk about their documentary Cheech & Chong's Last Movie with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Ricky Gervais (After Life/The Office) - Ricky talks about his upcoming tour on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Anna Camp (Perfect Harmony/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/The Mindy Project) - NBC's Today catches up with Anna in the 9am hour.
Tiffany Haddish (The Last O.G./The Carmichael Show) - Tiffany co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Sarah Michelle Gellar (The Crazy Ones) - NBC's Today Food has Sarah in the 10am hour.
Anthony Mackie (Twisted Metal) - Anthony Mackie talks about Captain America: Brave New World on a repeat of Sherri, so check your local listings.
David Arquette (In Case of Emergency/Double Rush/Parenthood) - David and Danny A. Abeckaser discuss their film Mob Cops on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.