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
Wednesday, July 15
United We Fall - "Pilot" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Series Premiere)
Bill and Jo juggle a typical day that starts with a parent-teacher conference and ends with a trip to the ER. After defending their parenting style, or lack thereof, to teachers, doctors and social workers, they find comfort in the fact that their kids are healthy and happy and that they’re all in this together.
United We Fall - "The Biter" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
At Chuy’s insistence, Bill and Jo finally enroll Lulu in preschool only to discover she is a biter. While they navigate incident reports and overprotective parents, Sandy explores their family history with an ancestry DNA kit.
The Conners - "Brothers, Babies and Breakdowns" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Dan avoids coping with a death in the family, only to be confronted by it head-on. Ben and Darlene address Ben’s baby fever and have “the talk.” The Lunch Box is officially open for business, and Dwight gets the jitters when he has to fill in for the chef who suffers an accident.
American Housewife - "Wildflower Girls" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Katie grows concerned when Anna-Kat is invited to join Westport’s elite scout troop, The Wildflower Girls. Meanwhile, Taylor learns her Carnegie Mellon interview is scheduled with famous alumnus and Broadway star Brecken Phillips (Ian Gomez); and, Oliver befriends the school recluse, Trevor (Tenzing Norgay-Trainor).
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 13)
Wednesday, July 15
- Kelly Ripa (Hope & Faith) - Watch Kelly on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Ricky Gervais (After Life/The Office) - Ricky appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat) - Constance is a guest on a repeat of A Little Late with Lilly Singh at 1:35am on NBC.
- Mark Feuerstein (9JKL/Good Morning, Miami/Conrad Bloom/Fired Up) - Mark will be on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Mike Epps (Survivor's Remorse/Uncle Buck) - Mike appears on a repeat of The Real, so check your local listings.
- Marlo Thomas (That Girl) - Marlo and her husband Phil Donahue talk about their new book What Makes a Marriage Last: 40 Celebrated Couples Share with Us the Secrets to a Happy Life on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- David Schwimmer (Intelligence/Friends) and Nick Mohammed (Intelligence) - David and Nick talk about Peacock's Intelligence on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
- Will Sasso (United We Fall/Less Than Perfect) and Jane Curtin (United We Fall/Crumbs/3rd Rock from the Sun/Kate & Allie) - Will and Jane talk about ABC's United We Fall on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am. Will and Christina Vidal (United We Fall/Taina/Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher) are guests on People Now at 1pm.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (April/May/June/July)
04/07 - Cheers - The Complete Series (2020 Release)
04/14 - Police Squad! - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
04/14 - The Righteous Gemstones - The Complete First Season
04/21 - Step by Step - The Complete Seventh and Final Season (WBShop.com)
05/05 - Kidding - Season 2
05/19 - The Good Place - The Final (Fourth) Season
05/19 - The Good Place - The Complete Series - Collector's Edition (Blu-ray)
05/26 - Silicon Valley - The Complete Sixth and Final Season
05/26 - Silicon Valley - The Complete Series
06/02 - Work in Progress - Season 1
06/09 - Head of the Class - The Complete First Season (WBShop.com)
06/09 - How to Be a Gentleman - The Complete Series
06/09 - Letterkenny - Seasons 3 & 4
06/09 - Modern Family - The Eleventh and Final Season
06/09 - No Activity - Season 1
06/09 - Superior Donuts - Season Two
06/23 - Bob's Burgers - The Complete 10th Season
06/23 - Fresh Off the Boat - The Complete Sixth and Final Season
06/23 - Last Man Standing - The Complete Seventh Season
06/23 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Third Season (Blu-ray)
06/30 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season Seven
07/07 - Will & Grace - The Revival - Season Three - The Farewell Season
07/21 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Tenth Season
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