Friday, July 28, 2006
i Network's New Line-Up; Nick@Nite Greenlights Sitcom Pilot
Starting Monday, August 14 from the Sony deal we can expect the classic '60s sitcom Green Acres weeknights at 7 p.m. And from the Warner Bros. deal we can expect back-to-back episodes of Mama's Family Mon-Thurs at 8 and 8:30 p.m.
Green Acres is replacing Shop 'Til You Drop and Mama's Family is replacing Sue Thomas F.B.Eye, which will move to Sundays at 6 p.m. replacing a Bonanza airing (that will stillair Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 6 p.m.).
And the explanation on why they didn't program new shows for their entire 6-11 p.m. block is because their existing audience and fan base is important to them, and they are not looking to make an abrupt change to the network schedule overnight. Their goal is to gradually transition the new programs, which will continue to appeal to their core audience while bringing in new fans who are coming to the network for the first time to watch their favorite shows! Thereafter they will phase in one or two shows at a time, with most of the hours switched out with new product by November.
Paid Programming will slowly be phased out I think, they have a kids block coming in mid-September, that is likely to air either in mid-afternoons (3-5pm?) or mornings (7-9am?). We will have details on that, too, along with the additional changes coming in the next few months. It looks to be a bright and better future for the i Network. Keep it right here for additional news!
Nick@Nite is moving forward even more in its original series. They have greenlit production on the series pilot Tim Stack's Family Vacation, a sitcom starring writer-actor Timothy Stack as the patriarch of an RV-bound family going on a cross-country road trip. The show falls square into Nick@Nite's development mantra: fun, family-friendly and familiar. It will be both partially scripted and improvised. If you liked the movie National Lampoon's Family Vacation, then you will like this. Shooting on Family Vacation is set to begin next month.
The half-hour pilot is the second to emerge at Nick@Nite, which last partnered with Seinfeld writer Carol Leifer on the original sitcom pilot Darlene Westgor (Daily Variety, April 19), a Roseanne-style laffer still up for contention at the cabler.
So, we will let you know if Nick@Nite buys episodes of these series to actually air. If bought, they would likely air in the Tuesday original slot, where shows like Fatherhood and Hi-Jinks have aired. As soon as (or if) they buy any or both of these series, we will post it here!
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Friday, June 6
Happy's Place - "Ladies' Night" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After Gabby's latest heartbreak, Bobbie and Isabella throw a Ladies' Night at the tavern to show Gabby she doesn't need a man to be happy, but things don't go as planned; Steve and Takoda tease Emmett about his sudden interest in dating apps.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 1)
Friday, June 6
- Paul Rudd (The Shrink Next Door/Living with Yourself/Wild Oats) - Watch Paul on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Ike Barinholtz (The Studio/The Afterparty/Bless the Harts/The Mindy Project/Eastbound & Down) - Ike appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- David Oyelowo (Government Cheese), Bokeem Woodbine (Government Cheese/Battery Park) and Simone Missick (Government Cheese) - David, Bokeem and Simone are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney appears on Real Time with Bill Maher at 10pm on HBO.
- Sarita Choudhury (And Just Like That...) - Sarita talks about And Just Like That... on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Mark Hamill (The Texas Wheelers) - Mark chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Brianne Howey (Dollface) - Brianne chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Steve Guttenberg (No Soap, Radio/Billy) - Steve talks about Kidnapped by a Killer: The Heather Robinson Story on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Andrew talks about I Don't Understand You on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am and on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour.
- Lena Waithe (Master of None) and Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show/Cosby) - Lena and Phylicia talk about The Chi on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Mark Hamill (The Texas Wheelers) - NBC's Today catches up with Mark in the 9am hour.
- Natasha Rothwell (How to Die Alone/Insecure) - Natasha talks about The White Lotus on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
New on DVD and 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)
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