Wednesday, January 17, 2007

TCA Winter Press Tour: NBC; More NATPE News; 'Growing Pains' Delayed on Nick@Nite; Mid-Week Notes

Busy day today. Well, really it is a busy last few weeks with the TCA, NATPE, and schedule changes. Today at the TCA Tour, NBC was up. They had quite a few announcements to make. They made it official today, they will add a fourth hour to their morning show Today, which means it will now air 7-11am. Wow! What's next 7am-12pm? I think they could do that, since most of the NBC Universal new shows are bombing. Anyway, this is what NBC said about adding the 4th hour of Today: On January 14, 1952, Today made history when Dave Garroway and the Today show made its network debut – the first two-hour morning program of its kind. In September, 2000, the program did it again – and expanded to three hours. And now, in the midst of an unprecedented 11 year run as the number-one morning news program, Today will once again make its mark on television history, and expand to four hours. The new hour will launch in September, 2007.
With this piece of news, NBC had to cut an hour from their daytime line-up. So, what is gone? Soap opera Passions will be canceled after August.
Heading into primetime, NBC made announcements that it has renewed some of their shows for next season (2007-08). The four series that received an early pick-up for next season are: Heroes, The Office, My Name is Earl, and Law & Order: SVU. All four will likely have at least 22 episodes next season.
NBC has picked up its popular game show Identity – hosted for one week before Christmas by Emmy Award-winning comedian-magician Penn Jillette -- for a series return in March. Seven episodes have been ordered. No timeslot or day as of yet, but it could be coming to Sundays at 8, when Grease is finished in late March. Speaking of Grease, NBC has announced two more additional episodes have been picked-up, raising it to 11 episodes.
Also at NBC will be a new reality improv-comedy. NBC has ordered six one-hour episodes of Thank God You're Here. Hosted by David Alan Grier, and presided over by judge Dave Foley, each episode of Thank God You're Here showcases the improvisational skills of a group of fearless celebrities as they compete in a battle of wits and laughter to outdo each other's performance in various unexpected situations. Jennifer Coolidge, Bryan Cranston, Joel McHale and Wayne Knight star in the pilot episode. Production on the remaining episodes is expected to resume in February with a launch set for in the spring.
Finally, Dateline: To Catch a Predator (yet again) returns for six weeks Tuesdays at 8 p.m. starting Jan. 30.
NBC has still not announced yet when mid-season sitcoms The Singles Table and Andy Barker, P.I. will be airing. Black Donnellys and Raines are still on target for their premieres on Mondays at 10 and Fridays at 9.

Coming up next are CBS, Fox, and The CW. CBS and Fox had some news today, but we'll make it official when they go at their respected TCA tours. So come back for that.

Just one NATPE note today. Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution has pulled its high-profile Celebrity Jury court strip off the market for this fall after failing to come to terms with the Fox station group on price. But the project may not be dead entirely and could make a comeback sometime later, perhaps in 2008.

Nick at Nite has announced that it will NOT premiere Growing Pains this coming Sunday now. Instead the show will now launch on Monday, February 12. No idea why the delay, but there will now be a Roseanne week next week. Jan. 22-28, nothing but Roseanne. We're also not sure yet what slots Growing Pains will air, but it is likely the same slots we reported when it was supposed to launch Jan. 21. Full House will not air at 8:30 p.m. now until Feb. 12. It was slated to air there on Jan. 22.
Also, Nick at Nite will air the Tuesday night movies in February. It was slated to start Jan. 9. with Crocodile Dundee, but they backed out.
We'll keep you updated when we get more information on the Growing Pains situation.

Now time for some mid-week notes. This is a lightning round of short news items. First and foremost, don't forget the third episode each of hilarious sitcoms The Knights of Prosperity and In Case of Emergency tonight at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Tonight the Knights hire a security expert to help them get passed the bodyguards. Should be fun!
The Super Bowl airs Sunday, Feb. 4 on CBS, but CBS will have Super Monday the next night with NFL legends (and Dancing with the Stars alums) Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice guest starring on the opening hour sitcoms. Emmitt on How I Met Your Mother and Jerry on The Class. Emmitt will play himself in the episode when a star-struck Barney (Neil Patrick Thomas) recognizes the former NFL great on the street. As for Jerry Rice's appearance, Duncan (Jon Bernthal) is shocked when he visits Nicole (Andrea Anders) and finds Rice and former pro-football player Yonk Allen (David Keith) working on a charity event speech together.
The CW Network and CBS Paramount Television will stream a never-before-seen episode of the critically acclaimed comedy Everybody Hates Chris on Yahoo! TV (http://tv.yahoo.com/) for one week prior to its network debut on Jan. 22. The episode, entitled "Everybody Hates Eggs," will be offered free-of-charge and without commercial interruption on Yahoo! beginning NOW. In the episode, which airs on The CW on Monday, January 22 (8:00-8:30 p.m. ET), Chris (Tyler James Williams) and Greg (Vincent Martella) get a classroom lesson on parenting when they are each assigned an egg to care for as if it were their own child.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Friday, May 23

Happy's Place - "Sisters Ink" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Isabella gifts Bobbie matching sister mugs, Bobbie is forced to quickly think of an equally thoughtful gift, resulting in Isabella expecting the sisters to get matching tattoos; Steve and Takoda investigate where Emmett has been sneaking off.

Happy's Place - "Whiskey Business" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Steve drops his favorite pen down a crack in the bar, Bobbie decides to pry the bar open to find it, discovering a very valuable bottle of whiskey in the process; Steve is thrown by Emmett's reaction to breaking a knife that Steve gifted him.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 19)

Friday, May 23

  • Milly Alcock (Sirens) - Watch Milly on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Michael Urie (Shrinking/Krapopolis/Partners), Jessica Williams (Shrinking/Love Life/Just for Kicks) and Luke Tennie (Shrinking) - Michael, Jessica and Luke are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Sarah Jessica Parker (And Just Like That.../Divorce/Sex and the City/Square Pegs) - Sarah talks all things And Just Like That... on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Method Man (Method & Red) - Method Man talks about his new film Bad Shabbos on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) - Hannah talks about Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
  • Joe Jonas (Jonas) - NBC's Today catches up with Joe sometime between 7-9am.
  • Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - Kerry talks about Shadow Force on a repeat of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • David Hyde Pierce (Frasier) - NBC's Today catches up with David in the 9am hour.
  • Rebel Wilson (Super Fun Night) - Rebel joins Sherri to talk about starring in the new film Juliet & Romeo on a repeat of Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Terri J. Vaughn (She the People/Mann & Wife/Meet the Browns/All of Us/The Steve Harvey Show) - Terri talks about starring in the new Netflix series She the People on a repeat of Sherri, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (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

05/22 - TV Legend Henry Winkler's New HISTORY Series; The CW Renews Family Law
05/21 - Remembering George Wendt of Cheers; Platonic Season 2 First Look
05/20 - The CW Renews Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble; Mike Birbiglia: The Good Life on Netflix May 26
05/19 - North to Shore Festival Returns This June in NJ; S.W.A.T. Sets Spinoff Series
05/18 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 19, 2025)
05/17 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Netflix Picks Up New Dan Levy Comedy; First Look at King of the Hill Reboot Artwork
05/16 - Michael J. Fox to Guest Star on Shrinking; The CW Picks Up Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent
05/15 - 2025 Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront; 2025 Netflix Upfront
05/14 - Chad Powers Premieres September 30 on Hulu; Upfront Premiere Dates for FX on Hulu
05/13 - ABC Upfront 2025-26: Fall 2025 Schedule; Ted: The Animated Series Coming to Peacock
05/12 - NBC Upfront 2025-26: Fall 2025 Schedule; Fox Upfront 2025-26: Fall 2025 Schedule
05/11 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 12, 2025)
05/10 - SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC Cancels Night Court and Lopez vs. Lopez; ABC Renews Duo of Game Shows
05/09 - Peacock Orders Dig from Amy Poehler; Apple TV+ Comedy Stick Premieres June 4; Remembering Ruth Buzzi
05/08 - CBS 2025-26 Schedule; Animal Control and Going Dutch Renewed by Fox
05/07 - Netflix's A Man on the Inside Bulks Up Cast for Season 2; The Studio Renewed by Apple TV+
05/06 - Netflix's Long Story Short Announces Cast; NBC Renews All Chicago Series for 2025-26
05/05 - Antenna TV's The Partridge Family Mother's Day Marathon; Rewind TV's 227 40th Anniversary Marathon
05/04 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 5, 2025)
05/03 - SitcomsOnline Digest: CBS Cancels The Equalizer; Wisteria Lane Offshoot of Desperate Housewives in the Works
05/02 - USA and SYFY Announce Summer Premieres; CBC in Canada Renews 5 Series, Including Wild Cards
05/01 - ABC Summer 2025 Schedule; Audible Scripted Comedy Podcasts for Summer
04/30 - The Carol Burnett Show Mother of All Marathons; Netflix Renews North of North
04/29 - Lifetime Adds New Ripped from the Headlines Movie; BET+ Orders Season 2 of Series
04/28 - Fox Summer 2025 Schedule; Final Guest Hosts for Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Season
04/27 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 28, 2025)
04/26 - SitcomsOnline Digest: CBS Cancels Poppa's House; Final Season 50 Hosts for Saturday Night Live Set
04/25 - Classic TV's Biggest Auction; Remembering Will Hutchins and Wink Martindale
04/24 - Jerrod Carmichael's 4th HBO Comedy Special; HBO's Pee-wee as Himself Premieres May 23
04/23 - Apple TV+ Announces Comedy Series Prodigies; ABC Renews Unscripted Series Slate
04/22 - Hallmark Channel's May For Moms Month; Prime Video Gets Korean Comedy Action Series