Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Shows Head Online on ABC.com, DotComedy.com, NBC.com and Google Video
New episodes of returning series Lost, Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy, as well as episodes of the new series Six Degrees, Ugly Betty, The Knights of Prosperity and The Nine will be offered free to consumers on ABC’s website the day after their broadcast premieres. Generally, four episodes per series will be available at any given time. When the player relaunches, half-hour promotional programs of Lost, Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy, created to help viewers follow the ongoing stories in these series, will also be available.
Under the new arrangement, affiliates will be able to feature the broadband player on their own websites. Stations will have the opportunity to sell local advertisements for episodes and will retain all revenue associated to those specific sales, marking the first time that local ad insertion on a nationally operated broadband video player has been accomplished. The ABC affiliates will also be promoting the broadband player on-air and online.
All content will be streamed in 16x9 formatting which offers a cinema-like feel to the viewing experience.
NBC's DotComedy.com has quietly launched. You will find trailers, previews of NBC comedies, and classic full length episodes of Universal-owned shows such as The Munsters, Leave it to Beaver, Weird Science and Significant Others. They are found on the channel called "Sitcom Flashback." We will have more details when available.
Also at NBC, they will create a broadband player on NBC.com. They will stream full episodes of its new Fall primetime shows on www.nbc.com for free. The ad-supported model will allow viewers to watch episodes of their favorite NBC primetime shows on NBC 24/7, NBC Universal's video player which will re-launch on October 1st with a new enhanced high-resolution, large-format version. Additionally, nbc.com will feature live premiere blogs from the creators, producers or cast members for every show on the air (such as Deal or No Deal and The Office). The shows are: The first four episodes of 30 Rock and 20 Good Years; eight episodes of the new dramas Kidnapped, Friday Night Lights, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and Heroes.
CBS has made yet another deal for shows online. Google Video will now carry a few CBS series starting today. CBS will stream the premieres of three series on Google Video before they air on TV. New series Smith and The Class, and the sophomore show The New Adventures of Old Christine will be available for free streaming for four days starting today.
I'm starting to forget how many ways we can watch The Class now. Let's see Google Video, innertube, TiVo, anything else? Oh yes, CBS Mondays at 8 p.m., but that's on TV. Speaking of The Class, we will have the pilot review of that sitcom in a few days. So check back with us.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, May 29
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A Tire Convention and the Moral High Ground" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Georgie discovers that Jim’s annual tire convention trip isn’t what he says it is. Meanwhile, Mandy has doubts about the strength of her and Georgie’s marriage.
Ghosts - "The Not-So-Silent Partner" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Sam and Jay are forced to cover when Mark demands to meet the silent investor in Jay’s restaurant who has been holding up construction.
Bob's Burgers - "Like a Candle in the Gym" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Linda forces everyone to go on a family walk; the kids stumble onto a bizarre conspiracy theory.
Grimsburg - "Blue Light District" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Roles get reversed in Flute and Summers' partnership after male sex workers start turning up dead.
Family Guy - "Cool Hand Lois" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Peter suspects Lois of betraying his trust with Quagmire at a swanky vacation resort.
The Great North - "Sunset Beeflevard Adventure" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Judy joins the cast of a dinner theater production; Wolf and Honeybee help Moon sell jerky door-to-door.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 26)
Thursday, May 29
- Ricky Gervais (After Life/The Office) - Catch Ricky on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Kaitlyn Dever (Last Man Standing) - Kaitlyn appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Bill Burr (F Is for Family/Townies) - Bill is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Glenn Howerton (Sirens/It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia/A.P. Bio/The Mindy Project/That '80s Show) - Glenn appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Thomas Lennon (The Odd Couple/Sean Saves the World/Reno 911!), Paul F. Tompkins (The Great North/BoJack Horseman/DAG) and Joe Manganiello (How I Met Your Mother) - Thomas, Paul and Joe are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- The Cast of And Just Like That... - E! News has an interview with the cast at 11pm on E!.
- Tia Mowry (Family Reunion/The Game/Sister, Sister) - Tia has a big announcement to help you plan your summer vacation on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings. Plus, she catches us up on family and her hit TV show Tia Mowry: My Next Act.
- Megan Hilty (Sean Saves the World) - Megan joins the hosts for a chat about Death Becomes Her on Broadway on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Sarah Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Program) - Sarah chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Chloe Fineman (Big Mouth/Search Party) - Featured host Vlad Duthiers attends an acting class and partners with Chloe Fineman, actor and comedian, in an attempt to land a film role on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am and on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour.
- Justina Machado (One Day at a Time) - Justina talks about the Broadway musical Real Women Have Curve on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Paul Scheer (Black Monday/Fresh Off the Boat/The League) - Paul is telling Drew all about his new memoir and answering questions from his wife June Diane Raphael on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Jack Innanen and Malik Elassal (Adults) - Jack and Malik talk about Adults on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
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)
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive
Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts