Friday, May 26, 2006
Norman Lear Sitcom Book Coming This Fall; NBC Revised Fall Thoughts; Paul Goebel's Hilarious PSA
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
Monday, December 4
American Dad! - "The Pink Sphinx Holds Her Hearts on the Turn" (TBS, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Francine enters the strange and dangerous world of poker to learn how to hide her true feelings from Steve and Hayley.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 4)
Monday, December 4
- Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond) - Watch Ray on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Sebastian Maniscalco (Bookie) - Sebastian appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Sarah Paulson (Leap of Faith) - Sarah is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Gabriel Iglesias (Mr. Iglesias/Cristela), John Witherspoon (The First Family/The Tracy Morgan Show/The Wayans Bros.) and Thea Vidale (Thea) - Gabriel, John (RIP) and Thea are guests on repeats of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen on CBS between 12:37-1:37am.
- Rachel Bloom (Upload) - Rachel appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Kenan Thompson (Kenan/Kenan & Kel) - Kenan talks about When I Was Your Age on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
- Kate Flannery (The Office) - Kate tells Sherri all about A Swingin’ Little Christmas, her holiday concert with Jane Lynch, on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Henry discusses his new memoir Being Henry: The Fonz...and Beyond on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Bellamy Young (The Other Black Girl) - Bellamy appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Marilu Henner (Taxi/Evening Shade) - Marilu is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:15am.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (September-December)
09/05 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Sixth Season
09/12 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Second Season
09/12 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-6 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/26 - Family Matters - The Complete Series
09/26 - Step by Step - The Complete Series
10/10 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Thirteen / The Complete Season Fourteen
10/17 - ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) (Shout! Factory Special Offers)
10/17 - Night Court (2023) - The Complete First Season
11/07 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/14 - Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest
Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts