Thursday, July 13, 2006

TCA Tour Cable: Day 4; SitcomsOnline Remembers Three TV Veterans

We are at day four of the cable portion of the TCA! Today is the big day for TV Land and Nick@Nite. TV Land announced that it will launch its first broadband video player for its TVLand.com on Thursday, Aug. 24. The site will feature full-length episodes of new programs each month, episodes and clips from TV Land’s original programming and classic TV shows, the "retromercials" that run on the linear network, recent and classic promos, celebrity interviews. Uncut Episodes of '60s western Daniel Boone will kick off the online channel in August. Then Three's Company clips, outtakes, bloopers and more (possibly episodes of the spin-offs, The Ropers and Three's a Crowd?) will be the main feature in September. October will see the premiere of TV Land's original Mr. T series I Pity the Fool. November has episodes of the pop culture hit Star Trek and in December viewers can watch the work of Marlo Thomas with the special Free to Be You and Me and episodes of That Girl! I was excited about this online channel, and it certainly is not disappointing! We will certainly have more updates on this. We might see Daniel Boone on the TV Land network itself in September, but it premieres first on TV Land Online on Aug. 24. Star Trek and I Pity the Fool will both be offered online and on-air. Not sure yet about That Girl. For the complete press release, click here.
I Pity the Fool debuts on-air on TV Land on October 11 at 10 p.m. Nick@Nite hyped its new series A Different World, which will air on Wednesday nights this summer from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. and on weekends at 10 p.m., before airing every night at 10 p.m. starting in September.
Other networks also went:
FX will create a mini-episode of gritty cop series The Shield to air on-demand and on video-broadband platforms prior to the show's sixth-season premiere in early 2007. The show, which will be dubbed The Shield 5.5, is similar to the Rescue Me 2.5 video short released in May prior to the third-season premiere of the network's popular Denis Leary-produced firefighter series. That show, which featured Leary and the show's cast, drew 1.5 million viewers through cable video-on-demand and on the Internet via AOL, network officials said. FX also announced Wednesday the renewal of Rescue Me for a fourth season.
The Discovery Channel name opened more doors of interview subjects internationally than did the name ABC News, journalist Ted Koppel told television critics. Koppel lavished praise on the network when he was asked what it is like doing important news on a "smaller platform" than ABC. He noted that his reporting could reach millions of people internationally through Discovery's more than 160 affiliates. Koppel said he hopes the channel's international cache will help him and his crew to get into Iran in the fall so that he can report on that nation's growing nuclear program and its distrust of America.
Can't wait to see the next episode of HBO’s The Wire and Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam? The network will premiere each episode of the urban drama and the standup-comedy series via its subscription-video-on-demand service one week before it airs on the premium service, Multichannel News says. HBO On Demand will debut the fourth season of The Wire, as well as the first episode of Def Comedy Jam -- returning to HBO after a 10-year hiatus -- Sept. 4, three days before they air on the network.
Keep checking back for further updates!

Today, SitcomsOnline.com mourns the deaths of three TV veterans: Amzie Strickland, Barnard Hughes, and Kasey Rogers. Amzie Strickland was best known for her guest starring roles on classic TV shows, but she also had a recurring role on short lived shows such as Carter Country and Full Circle. Among her many guest roles include a few characters on The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Leave it to Beaver, I Love Lucy, My Favorite Martian, The Donna Reed Show, Gomer Pyle, F Troop, Petticoat Junction, The Doris Day Show, Happy Days, The Bob Newhart Show, Flo, Three's Company, The Golden Girls, ALF, Murphy Brown, Empty Nest, Full House, Sister Sister, Roseanne, Ned & Stacey, Wings, Ellen and many many more! Ms. Strickland suffered from Alzheimer's disease and had not acted in 5 years. She passed away on July 5 at the age of 87.
Barnard Hughes was best known for his roles on Doc (70s version), Blossom, The Cavanaughs, and the short lived sitcom Mr. Merlin. He received an Emmy Award in 1978 for a guest appearance on Lou Grant, and began appearing on television in the 1950s in shows such as Kraft Television Theatre and The U.S. Steel Hour. He appeared on other series as a guest such as All in the Family, Hawaii Five-0, Bob Newhart Show, The Love Boat, Hotel, and The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd. He later had stints on the soap operas The Guiding Light, The Secret Storm and As the World Turns. He had a Broadway career dating back to 1935 and has won Tony Awards. Mr. Hughes died Tuesday after a brief illness, he was 90.
And finally, Kasey Rogers has also passed away. Rogers was best known probably for her role as Louise Tate on the hit sitcom Bewitched. She was a series regular on Peyton Place. She has guest starred on series such as Perry Mason, Marcus Welby, Maverick, Hawaiian Eye, Adam-12, Wyatt Earp, and Cheyenne. She had basically stoped acting in recent years, but she did interviews for The E! True Hollywood Story: Bewitched and TV Land Confidential. Ms. Rogers died of a stroke and was 79.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Sunday, September 24

Krapopolis - "All Hail the Goddess of Likeability" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Asskill threatens to attack Krapopolis, Tyrannis tries to use diplomacy to stop him; Deliria decides to build a temple to herself.

Krapopolis - "The Stuperbowl" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Stupendous and Hippocampus give a trojan horse to the Asskillians.

The Villains of Valley View - "The Promposal" (Disney Channel, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When teenage supervillain Havoc stands up to the head of the League of Villains, her family members are forced to change their identities and relocate to a sleepy Texas suburb.

Bunk'd: Learning the Ropes - "Me, Myself, and A.I." (Disney Channel, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Lou, Parker, Noah and Destiny head to Dusty Tush, Wyo., to open up a new camp at a dude ranch that they purchased from The Marshall.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 18)

Friday, September 22

  • Kathryn Newton (Gary Unmarried) - Watch Kathryn on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Ralph Harris (On Our Own) and Jimmie "JJ" Walker (Good Times/At Ease/Bustin' Loose) - Ralph and Jimmie are guests on repeats of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen on CBS between 12:37-1:37am.
  • Alfonso Ribeiro (In the House/The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air/Silver Spoons) - Alfonso is a guest on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
  • Sam Jay (Bust Down) - Sam appears on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 8:50am.


New on DVD/Blu-ray (June-October)

Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series Family Matters - The Complete Series Step by Step - The Complete Series ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition)

06/13 - Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series
06/13 - Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series
07/18 - South Park - Seasons 21-25 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
07/25 - The Neighborhood - Season Five
07/25 - Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin - Season One
07/25 - Superstore - The Complete Series
08/22 - Back to Life - Season 1 / Season 2
08/29 - Smiling Friends - Season 1 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/05 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Sixth Season
09/12 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Second Season
09/12 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-6 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/26 - Family Matters - The Complete Series
09/26 - Step by Step - The Complete Series
10/10 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Thirteen / The Complete Season Fourteen
10/17 - ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) (Shout! Factory Special Offers)
10/17 - Night Court (2023) - The Complete First Season
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

09/23 - SitcomsOnline Digest: An End on the Horizon for WGA Strike?; Hallmark Ready for Christmas
09/22 - The Santa Clauses Season 2 Launches November 8; CBS Alters Fall Schedule
09/21 - Penn & Teller: Fool Us Gets New Return Date; Netflix's Unicorn Academy Premieres November 2
09/20 - Paramount+ Announces Colin from Accounts; The Really Loud House Gets Halloween Movie
09/19 - The Simpsons Season 34 Streams October 11 on Disney+; Good Burger 2 Set for Holiday Season
09/18 - Hulu's Huluween and Disney+'s Hallowstream Line-Up; Shining Vale Returns October 13 on STARZ
09/17 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 18, 2023)
09/16 - SitcomsOnline Digest: ABC Cancels Wonder Years Reboot; Byron Allen Makes $10 Billion Offer to Buy ABC
09/15 - Antenna TV's Bewitched Halloween Marathon; Rewind TV's Sabrina the Teenage Witch-O-Ween Marathon
09/14 - Dancing with the Stars Season 32 Cast; BUZZR Celebrates 40 Years of Press Your Luck
09/13 - TBS Acquires Modern Family; The Frasier Awards on COZI TV
09/12 - Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen Gets CBS Late Night Run; Unsolved Mysteries: Behind the Legacy Special
09/11 - Matt Rife Gets Netflix Special; Star Trek Day and Kid Cudi Join Forces
09/10 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 11, 2023)
09/09 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Warner Bros. Television Suspends Deals with Top Creators; Fran Drescher Re-Elected President of SAG-AFTRA
09/08 - CBS Announces Hosts of Game Show; New Goosebumps Premieres Friday the 13th This October on Disney+ and Hulu
09/07 - MeTV Presents Svengoolie's Halloween BOOnanza!; The CW Moving Fall Comedies to Thursdays
09/06 - CBS to Air NCIS: Sydney This Fall; Fox Makes Fall Change
09/05 - TBS and TNT September Stunts Include Big Bang Theory Batman Day Marathon; Netflix UK Produced Series Updates
09/04 - TV Marathons on Labor Day 2023 Include Three's Company
09/03 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 4, 2023)
09/02 - SitcomsOnline Digest: No Third Season for How I Met Your Father; Spectrum Dispute with Disney Could Spell End of Cable
09/01 - September Is Anniversary Month on Hulu; Freeform's 31 Nights of Halloween Returns for Its 25th Anniversary
08/31 - Max's Original Comedy Series Starstruck Season 3 and Our Flag Means Death Season 2 Premiere Dates; AXS TV Announces Fall Programming Lineup
08/30 - The Partridge Family Coming to AXS TV Starting Oct. 2; CBS to Air A Tribute to Bob Barker Special Aug. 31, Marathon of Match Game Episodes to Air Sept. 2 on Game Show Network
08/29 - Once Upon a Time Coming to Hulu; Young Love Launches on Max in September
08/28 - Remembering TV Legend Bob Barker; Wolf Like Me Returns in October on Peacock
08/27 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of August 28, 2023)
08/26 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Frasier Reboot Date Set, With CBS Also Airing First Two Episodes; Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. Cancelled
08/25 - Rick and Morty Returns October 15; Switch New Season Begins September 18 on Game Show Network
08/24 - Hulu Fall 2023 Slate; Apple TV+ Series Still Up Debuts Trailer
08/23 - Frasier Returns October 12 on Paramount+; And Just Like That... Renewed for Season 3