Day 45: WGA's Strike; ION Drew Carey Show Contest; RTN's 40th Affiliate: Phoenix

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Day 45: WGA's Strike; ION Drew Carey Show Contest; RTN's 40th Affiliate: Phoenix

Today is day 45 of the writers' strike. The Los Angeles City Council's Housing, Community, and Economic Development Committee will conduct a hearing on the economic impact of the Writers Guild of America strike on the local and regional economy. Issues discussed will include the history of bargaining and the issues at stake in this strike. It was slated today Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 7:30 AM PT.
Rejected for a Writers Guild of America waiver, the Golden Globes now are scheduled to be picketed by the WGA, assuming the guild is still on strike by the time of the telecast on Jan. 13. Dick Clark Productions, producer of the Globes telecast, fears many actors won't cross the picket line to attend the event. The Oscars could also be impacted on Feb. 24, if the strike lasts that long.
In schedule news, NBC will move the premiere of The Celebrity Apprentice from Jan. 3 to Jan. 10, so it doesn't have to go head-to-head vs. ABC's Grey's Anatomy. Like that will work...The Donald is so over already. Meanwhile, NBC will give viewers an expanded season finale of new live competition show Clash of the Choirs from one-hour to two hours on Thursday, December 20 from 8-10 p.m. ET.

ION Television today announced that it is celebrating the launch of The Drew Carey Show on ION Television with a "Bring in the Drew Year With a Smile" promotion, sponsored by Crest Whitestrips. The contest will be promoted beginning New Year's Eve, and will officially begin on January 1, 2008. Viewers will get to vote for their favorite smiles from members of The Drew Carey Show cast, and enter for a chance to win a trip for four anywhere in the US that will "make you smile."
To enter the contest, viewers will need to watch The Drew Carey Show on ION Television during the first few weeks of 2008, and vote for their favorite smile from Drew, Mimi or Lewis on ION's Web site (www.ionline.tv). The grand prize package includes roundtrip airfare, deluxe hotel accommodations and spending money.
The contest will be heavily promoted during a special "Drew Year's Eve" marathon of back-to-back shows, which will launch The Drew Carey Show from 7-11 pm (ET) on New Year's Eve. On New Year's Day, the series will join ION Television’s primetime lineup, with episodes airing Mondays through Thursdays at 9 and 9:30 pm (ET).

Retro Television Network (RTN) announced today that it will partner with Londen Media Group to bring RTN programming to Phoenix, the nation's 12th largest television market. The new affiliate will launch next year on KAZT-DT, bringing the network's total number of affiliates to 40. Phoenix viewers will enjoy RTN's 'Primetime All The Time' lineup of hit shows, including Get Smart, Hogan's Heroes, Hawaii 5-0, A-Team, Mission: Impossible and the original Knight Rider!

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Tuesday, January 25

Abbott Elementary - "Student Transfer" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
After a negative teacher review, Janine gets a confidence boost when a student gets transferred from Melissa’s class into hers, but it turns out the student proves to be too much to handle. While trying to forge a friendship with an uninterested Gregory, it is revealed that Jacob is constantly getting roasted by his students. The two bond after Gregory unintentionally gives Jacob the idea to incorporate the roasts in an educational way.

black-ish - "Hoop Dreams" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Jack gets a job as the locker room attendant for the Los Angeles Lakers, and Dre and Bow feel like they need to step in before letting the job get to his head. Meanwhile, Pops and Ruby realize their daily routine has gotten boring and heed advice from Junior and Olivia.

American Auto - "Commercial" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Katherine and the team reshoot a commercial to make it more inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community.

Grand Crew - "Wine & Pie" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Noah's dad is in a funk, so he asks Fay to make his favorite pie; Sherm teaches Anthony to play chess; Wyatt introduces the crew to his brother.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 24)

Tuesday, January 25

Kristen Bell (The Good Place) - Catch Kristen on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Ike Barinholtz (The Afterparty/Bless the Harts/The Mindy Project) - Ike appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Nicole Byer (Grand Crew/Loosely Exactly Nicole) - Nicole is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Thomas Middleditch (B Positive/Silicon Valley) - Thomas will be on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Jim Belushi (According to Jim) - Jim is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Mike Schur (The Office/Creator of Parks and Recreation/Brooklyn Nine-Nine/The Good Place/Rutherford Falls) - Mike appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. NBC's Today catches up with Mike in the 9am hour.
Francia Raisa (How I Met Your Father/growni-ish) - Francia appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Sherri Shepherd (Mr. Iglesias/Trial & Error/Sherri/Less Than Perfect) - Sherri guest hosts The Wendy Williams Show.
Jay Pharoah (White Famous) - Jay guest co-hosts The Real, so check your local listings.
Autumn Reeser (Complete Savages/Grounded for Life) - Autumn appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Marsai Martin (black-ish)- Marsai talks about her new Discovery+ series Remix My Space! on Access Daily, so check your local listings.
Kevin James (The Crew/Kevin Can Wait/The King of Queens) - Kevin talks about Home Team on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Ming-Na Wen (The Single Guy) - Ming-Na talks about The Book of Boba Fett on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.