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

Wednesday, October 4

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Love Grows Here" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
After Phillip goes out with his friends, Leah and Jeremy realize that he is a responsible young man. Through a counseling session, Leah and Cora teach the residents the importance of mental, physical and spiritual health.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Let The Church Say Amen" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
When Cora runs for president of the local church, mud-slinging and sabotage threaten her reputation and test her faith. The Pleasant Days squad bolsters their ability to protect themselves by taking a self-defense class.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "The White Flag" (BET, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Philip feels as though he is being treated like a child and resists his parents' punishment. Mr. Brown sends Kimberly an innocent text message that gets him into trouble.

The Ms. Pat Show - "Twenty Seven Side Pieces" (BET, 10:30PM ET/PT)
Denise gets a job at a Black hair salon but has to recruit Pat to deal with some "mean girls;" Terry is still in pain from his injury, but pain management comes in more forms than one, none of them good.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 2)

Wednesday, October 4

Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Watch Wanda on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Chelsea Handler (Are You There, Chelsea?) - Chelsea appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) - Nick is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. NBC's Today catches up with Nick in the 9am hour.
Siobhan Fallon Hogan (Fred: The Show) - Siobhan appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Jane Krakowski (Schmigadoon!/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/30 Rock) - Jane gives latest details on the series Name That Tune on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
Bellamy Young (The Other Black Girl) - Bellamy will be on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Phil Rosenthal (Creator of Everybody Loves Raymond) - Phil is a guest on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Tiffani Thiessen (Saved by the Bell/Alexa & Katie/Good Morning, Miami/Saved by the Bell: The College Years) - Tiffani shares recipes from her new cookbook, Here We Go Again: Recipes and Inspiration to Level Up Your Leftovers, on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Leslie Odom Jr. (Central Park/Love in the Time of Corona/Big Day) - Leslie chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary/Fam/Instant Mom/Moesha/It's a Living) - Sheryl Lee appears on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.