Friday, May 26, 2006

Norman Lear Sitcom Book Coming This Fall; NBC Revised Fall Thoughts; Paul Goebel's Hilarious PSA

A new book on the sitcom creator Norman Lear is coming out later this year. The book titled The Sitcoms of Norman Lear, will be written by River Edge, New Jersey native Sean Campbell. The amazing thing is Sean is only 16 years old and he will have a major book out this early in his life. Visit his website at dear-norman.com. And now here is a description of the book:
Archie Bunker, George Jefferson, Maude—the television sitcom world of the 1970s was peopled by the creations of Norman Lear. Beginning in 1971 with the premiere of All in the Family, Lear’s work gave sitcoms a new face and a new style. No longer were families perfect and lives in order. Mostly blue-collar workers and their families, Lear’s characters argued, struggled, uttered sometimes shocking opinions and had no problem contributing to—or at least, acknowledging—the turmoil so shunned by 1960s television. Significantly, not only did Lear address difficult issues, but he did so through successful programming. Week after week, Americans tuned in to see the family adventures of the Bunkers, the Jeffersons, and Sanford and son.
With a thorough analysis of his sitcoms, this volume explores Norman Lear’s memorable production career during the 1970s. It emphasizes how Lear’s shows reflected the political and cultural milieu, and how they addressed societal issues including racism, child abuse and gun control. The casting, production and behind-the-screen difficulties of All in the Family, Sanford & Son, Maude, Good Times, The Jeffersons and One Day at a Time are discussed. Each show is examined from inception through series finale. Interviews with some of the actors and actresses such as Rue McClanahan of Maude and Marla Gibbs from The Jeffersons are included.
You can pre-order the book by clicking here. It looks like a nice read and congrats and best of luck to Sean!

OK, as I promised, I will let you know my thoughts of the revised NBC Mon-Fri fall line-up. Let's start with Mondays. Previously it was Deal or No Deal, Heroes, Medium. Now it will be Deal or No Deal, Heroes, Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip. I think NBC might have made this night a bit stronger. I think Heroes, Studio 60 should switch slots though because Studio 60 has more buzz and would benefit a lot from Deal or No Deal's strong numbers. Heading to Tuesday, previously it was Friday Night Lights, Kidnapped, Law & Order: SVU. Now it will be Friday Night Lights, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: SVU. I think this change will not really affect them. I doubt Kidnapped would have done better than Law & Order: CI. If they wanted two Law & Order's back to back, they should have moved SVU to 9 p.m. and the original at 10 p.m. The original needs a boost and SVU is perfect for it. Heading to Wednesdays, previously it was The Biggest Loser, 20 Good Years, 30 Rock, Law & Order. Now it will be 20 Good Years, 30 Rock, The Biggest Loser, Kidnapped. OK, now this is a bad move. The Biggest Loser a lead-in to new drama Kidnapped? That is so stupid! Yes, Loser is a good alternative at 9 p.m. from Lost or Criminal Minds, but still poor new drama Kidnapped will be killed by CSI: NY and possibly ABC's The Nine. I would have kept the original line-up they had, but I think I would move the original L&O to 10 p.m. Tuesdays. But what would I have Wednesdays at 10? I think ER would work there. Moving on to Thursday, previously it was My Name is Earl, The Office, Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip, ER. Now it will be Earl, Office, Deal or No Deal, ER. Wise move moving their most buzz show (Studio 60) away from CSI & Grey's Anatomy. Now they are moving their highest rated show Deal or No Deal in that slot. It will take a big hit I think but will do much better than what Studio 60 would have done. NBC should have taken advantage of Deal and aired a new show at 10 p.m., like The Black Donnellys. ER is not going to benefit from Deal. Look for ER possibly to be third place in its slot this fall behind two rookies: Six Degrees and Shark. Finally we will look at Fridays. Previously it was Deal or No Deal, Las Vegas, Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Now it will be Crossing Jordan, Las Vegas, Law & Order. This is their second worse move (behind Wednesdays). No Deal or No Deal means no chance for a win for the night. Crossing Jordan can't air that early...it is a 10 p.m. show. The original Law & Order on Fridays at 10? Stupid. CI would be better here. I don't know what they could have done here. Maybe Dateline, Las Vegas, Law & Order: CI? Or maybe a third Deal at 8? Anyway, I think NBC made Mondays and Thursdays a bit better, Tuesdays will be the same probably, and Wednesdays and Fridays are terrible moves. The first line-up looked better to me, but we shall see what happens this fall!

The King of TV and a good friend of ours, Paul Goebel, has made a hilarious mock video of the Feed the Children PSA. Paul and his little daughter star. Click here to view the funny two and a half minute mock PSA. Feeding the hungry and poor is no laughing matter, but somehow he has made this pretty funny! Sally Struthers would be proud! Don't forget to rate the video there and don't forget to visit Paul's website TheKingofTV.com.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Friday, May 30

Happy's Place - "Don't Sweat It" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Bobbie asks Isabella to move in with her, but when Isabella sees that Bobbie likes to address conflict head on, Isabella decides it might not be the best idea.

Happy's Place - "Fish Fry Monday" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Emmett sees Bobbie drowning in work, he devises a clever ruse to give her a much-needed day off fishing, all under the guise of reviving the tavern's Fish Fry Mondays; Isabella dives into the world of bartending with Gabby.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 26)

Friday, May 30

  • Nathan Fielder (The Rehearsal/The Curse) - Watch Nathan on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Paula Poundstone (Home Movies) - Paula performs stand-up comedy on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Nathan Lane (Mid-Century Modern/Only Murders in the Building/Modern Family/Charlie Lawrence/Encore! Encore!/One of the Boys) - Nathan appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Ralph Macchio (Eight Is Enough) - Ralph swings by for a chat about Karate Kid: Legends on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Justina Machado (One Day at a Time) - Justina chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. She also talks about Broadway's Real Women Have Curves: The Musical on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
  • Yara Shahidi (grown-ish/black-ish) - Yara is telling Drew about the new venture she's taking on, where she's currently at with dating and more on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Don Darryl Rivera (Only Murders in the Building) - Don talks about Broadway's Aladdin on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.


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

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05/07 - Netflix's A Man on the Inside Bulks Up Cast for Season 2; The Studio Renewed by Apple TV+
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