"i" Network Now Acquires Sony Owned TV Shows; Stiller to Produce CBS Sitcom, McClanahan on Here! Network

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

"i" Network Now Acquires Sony Owned TV Shows; Stiller to Produce CBS Sitcom, McClanahan on Here! Network

Fresh off their announcement last Thursday of acquiring classic TV shows and movies from Warner Bros. Television, the "i" network has now announced a similar deal with Sony Pictures Television! Today they announced a programming agreement that provides ION Media (i network) with the rights to broadcast dozens of classic television series and a large selection of award-winning feature films from the Sony library on the i television network, reaching over 90 million homes.
Under the terms of the agreement, "i" will have access to many of SPT’s most popular TV series from the last three decades, including Charlie’s Angels, Starsky & Hutch, The Partridge Family, The Monkees and Silver Spoons, among others.
They will begin scheduling the Sony movies on the i network this month, with plans to launch the television series in August. So, both Warner and Sony TV shows will both be scheduled starting this August. It is unclear right now how many shows from Sony they have acquired, but I'll try to find out. And we will bring you their launch schedule very shortly--it will include both Warner and Sony TV shows.
To discuss this wonderful news, click here.

Ben Stiller is back on television. Well...sort of. He will executive produce and direct a sitcom project for CBS that will star his wife Christine Taylor. The project has been likened to a Curb Your Enthusiasm-type show featuring Taylor’s life in Hollywood and her career as an actress. The project, from CBS Paramount will be executive produced by Stiller and Ajay Sahgal.
Rue McClanahan has signed on for a sitcom pilot for the Here! network, B&C reports. Here! is a gay TV channel. The show, which it targeted for a 2007 launch, will feature McClanahan as the "crazy and wise" grandmother of a gay teenager "coming of age and coming out." The network describes the veteran actress (The Golden Girls, Maude) as having a strong fan base in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community. The six-episode series is based on a short film from writer Nick Wauters, who will also pen the series.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Thursday, March 30

Young Sheldon - "A Stolen Truck and Going on the Lam" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Missy steals her dad’s truck and hits the road with her friend Paige (Mckenna Grace).

Ghosts - "Alberta's Descendant" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Alberta is thrilled when a living relative, Alicia (Ashley D. Kelley), visits Woodstone to learn more about her, but things take a turn when she hits it off with Todd (Rodrigo Fernandez Stoll), Sam’s podcast co-host. Also, Nigel uses his knowledge of Trevor and Hetty’s secret tryst to try to blackmail Hetty.

Animal Control - "Peacocks and Pumas" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Frank and Victoria stake out a squawking peacock; Emily and Patel attend to Shred.

Call Me Kat - "Call Me Not Okurrr" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
In the heat of the moment, Zoey kisses Kat at karaoke night; when Randi discovers a secret hideaway in the condo, she hides it from Carter and makes it a place for her to unwind.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 27)

Thursday, March 30

Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso) - Catch Brett on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Fred Armisen (Los Espookys/Forever/Final Space) - Fred sits-in with the 8G Band on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Kyra Sedgwick (Call Your Mother) - Kyra and Kevin Bacon are guests on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS. Kyra will also be on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan (check your local listings) and chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
John Leguizamo (The Brothers Garcia) - John guest hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Animal Practice/Better with You/Reba) and Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - JoAnna and Morris guest co-host The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Katie Lowes (How We Roll) - Katie guest co-hosts LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
Ike Barinholtz (History of the World, Part II/The Afterparty/Bless the Harts/The Mindy Project) - Ike appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Julie Bowen (Modern Family/Ed) - Julie is a guest on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
Method Man (Method & Red) - Method Man will be on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
Larenz Tate (South Central/The Royal Family) - Larenz appears on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.