Cable Deals for 'Two and a Half Men' & 'Grey's Anatomy' Will Be Done Soon; 'Grey's' Thursday Summer Slot Delayed

Monday, June 12, 2006

Cable Deals for 'Two and a Half Men' & 'Grey's Anatomy' Will Be Done Soon; 'Grey's' Thursday Summer Slot Delayed

Warner Bros. Domestic Cable TV Distribution is seeking Two and a Half Men reruns for cable, according to Broadcasting & Cable. The show will be going to local channels (and their websites!) in fall 2007, but Warner Bros. was also trying to sell it to cable the same year. That looks like won't happen, instead we will see the show on cable around fall 2010 (the normal fourth year cable deal). TBS seems to be the front-runner in acquiring the sitcom. USA Network could also be interested. Viacom nets Comedy Central and Nick@Nite are also in the run. Comedy Central (and WGN) starts reruns of Scrubs this fall. Meanwhile, Buena Vista Television is seeking a cable network buyer for the red hot ABC show Grey's Anatomy. They have added a repurposing window to Grey’s Anatomy that, starting in January, will allow the Touchstone hit drama to run on cable a few days after its ABC run. The syndication deal would start in 2009, with the repurposed episodes obviously airing sooner than that--Touchstone could get between $700,000 to 1 million per episode. Desperate Housewives recently went to Lifetime for a 2008 start at $500,000 per episode. Buena Vista is also looking for a cable deal for the short three-season sitcom Hope & Faith. No cable or local channels on Lost yet, but TNT would be so perfect for that show. Frontrunner to get cable rights for Grey's Anatomy right now is TNT. But USA Network, ABC Family and Oxygen are also in the running. It would be interesting if Lifetime tries to get this show, too, as they already have Desperate Housewives. Let the bidding begin!

In other Grey's Anatomy news, ABC has quietly taken the Thursday at 9 p.m. season one airings off the line-up "for now." It was slated to air repeats starting June 29, but a special Primetime will air in that slot instead. No idea yet when GA will make the move to its new Thursday slot, but it looks like it won't happen until August or early September.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Friday, November 22

Happy's Place - "Happy's House" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Bobbie agrees to take Isabella to Happy's house in search of a connection to their late father, leading Bobbie to worry about what they may find; Gabby hopes to strike it rich by searching through Happy's penny collection looking for a rarity.

Lopez vs Lopez - "Lopez vs Orlando" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Rosie's spoiled nephew Orlando visits, Mayan sets out to expose Rosie's cultural gender bias; George wants to teach Chance the value of hard work, but, instead, helps him create a toxic work environment.

Bob Hearts Abishola - "Whacking the Mole" (The CW, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After Abishola has a romantic dream about Bob, she tries to suppress her feelings for him and pays the price.

Bob Hearts Abishola - "Ralph Lauren and Fish" (The CW, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Bob and Abishola finally go on a proper date, which is interrupted by Dottie's medical emergency.

Bob Hearts Abishola - "Tough Like a Laundromat Washing Machine" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Bob hires Abishola to take care of Dottie in his home while she recovers; Dottie has a hard time dealing with her limitations and takes it out on Abishola.

Bob Hearts Abishola - "Useless Potheads" (The CW, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
With Abishola only helping part-time, Bob, Douglas and Christina struggle to take care of Dottie.

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place - "Wiz-Taken Identity" (Disney Channel, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Billie struggles with a spell, Roman says he could do it if he was a wizard: to prove him wrong, Billie uses a Power Glass to transfer her powers to Roman.

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place - " Ain't Gnome Party Like a Wizard Party" (Disney Channel, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Justin embraces mortality to live with his family; his new challenge arises when Alex introduces Billie, a wizard-in-training, seeking Justin's mentorship.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 18)

Friday, November 22

Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - Watch Kerry on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Jimmy O. Yang (Interior Chinatown/Space Force/Silicon Valley) - Jimmy is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Ariana Grande (Sam & Cat/Victorious) - Ariana appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Andy Richter (Andy Barker, P.I./Quintuplets/Andy Richter Controls the Universe), Thomas Lennon (The Odd Couple/Sean Saves the World/Reno 911!) and Aparna Nancherla (Lopez vs Lopez/Search Party/Corporate) - Andy, Thomas and Aparna are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Keke talks about her new book Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Drew is joined by the hilarious Andrew to celebrate all things Thanksgiving on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Rosie Perez (Human Resources/Search Party) - Rosie tells Sherri about her new Apple TV+ psychological thriller Before on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Candace Cameron Bure (Fuller House/Full House) - Candace will be on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:15am.