'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

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.