Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Day 72: WGA's Strike; TV Land March 2008 Highlights

We are in day 72 of the writers' strike. The Writers Guild of America and the NAACP signed an interim agreement that will allow The 39th Annual NAACP Image Awards to be broadcast on Fox as scheduled Feb. 14. The agreement will allow the hiring of WGA writers to script the show and means that there will be no picketing of the event by striking writers. In addition, the Guild has granted a waiver permitting the use of clips from motion pictures and television programs. Is that good for The Grammys and The Oscars? Writers Guild of America West president Patric Verrone reiterated Tuesday that he does not anticipate granting the Academy Awards or The Grammy Awards a waiver unless the striking writers and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reach a deal. Ouch.
Finally, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and MRC, the independent film, television, and digital studio, have reached a comprehensive interim agreement that forges a new alliance between writers, producers, and financiers in the production of feature films, television shows, and digital programs. The terms of the agreement are similar to the Guild's recent deals with Worldwide Pants and United Artists
There have been a lot of reality signings and renewals thanks to the strike. NBC has picked up a second season of the hit competition series American Gladiators after just three airings. The season finale is expected to air on a Sunday leading into the premiere of the Knight Rider movie in February. No word when the second season will air and how many have been ordered, but NBC is leaning towards a summer launch date. In other news, NBC has ordered a pilot for the international hit series Top Gear from BBC Worldwide America.
CBS has ordered three new alternative/reality series for broadcast later this year - the biweekly celebrity talent contest Secret Talents of the Stars, the hidden camera game show Game Show in My Head and the search for America's Top Dog. I'm serious about the latter.

We have TV Land March 2008 for you! There are no regular schedule changes, but there are some minor adjustments on some dates (see link below for full schedule)...such as episodes of Just Shoot Me, mostly to accompany encores of High School Reunion. That series will launch on Wednesday, March 5 and will air at 10pm for 6 straight weeks, with MANY encores. TV Land reunites more than a dozen alumni from JJ Pierce high school in Richardson, Texas. The jock, the cheerleader, the partier, the bully, the nerd and several others reunite more than twenty years later in a two-week Hawaiian get-away to rekindle past relationships, rivalries and romances.
For two hours every Friday in March, catch super-sized episodes of M*A*S*H as TV Land features every two-part episode from the series back-to-back. So come say a tearful goodbye to Radar, catch a touring USO vaudeville show with the gang, or see the unforgettable kiss between rivals, Hawkeye and Hotlips. No need to wait until next week for any of these exciting conclusions; TV Land has got it here and now all month long. Talk about March err M*A*S*H Madness!
On weekends, catch some mini-marathons of your favorite shows such as Beverly Hillbillies, I Love Lucy and Leave it to Beaver! Also, a big weekend is planned for Andy the weekend of March 22! Investigate with the men of Mayberry in a two-day marathon of crime-solving episodes of The Andy Griffith Show. Swindlers, crooks, confidence men and slick-talkers all converge on this small town of simple folk and even simpler living. See how Sherriff Taylor and Deputy Fife use small town wisdom and wit to crack the case, round up the outlaws and make the streets of Mayberry safe once again.
Finally, it's the monthly Movie Week on TV Land, the week of March 24! Showtime is every weeknight at 8p, starting Monday with Gary Busey as the music legend in The Buddy Holly Story. On Tuesday, Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice tries to spook Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis out of their home. Tom Selleck, Ted Danson, and Steve Guttenberg are thrust into fatherhood in Three Men and a Baby on Wednesday. Finishing out the week, Cher finds herself caught between her fiancé and his brother Nicolas Cage in the romantic-comedy Moonstruck.
The Friday night movies include Beetlejuice, The Buddy Holly Story, and Three Men and a Baby.
For the COMPLETE TV Land March 2008 highlights, including the schedule adjustments on some nights, High School Reunion encores, episodes for the marathons and stunts, and much more, click HERE! You can also discuss there, too! March on to the March highlights!


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, January 22

Shifting Gears - "Job" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Riley, desperate for work, reluctantly takes a job at Matt’s shop. Meanwhile, Gabriel and Stitch secretly stray from Matt’s vision on a high-stakes restomod project.

Abbott Elementary - "Strike" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
City buses have stopped running due to a strike, resulting in many students being absent from school. The teachers at Abbott try to find creative solutions and adapt to hybrid learning. Meanwhile, Gregory and O’Shon strike up a friendship.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 20)

Wednesday, January 22

  • Lucy Liu (Joey/Pearl) - Watch Lucy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. She also chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghosts/White Famous), Betsy Sodaro (Ghosts/Duncanville/Disjointed/Animal Practice) and Punam Patel (Ghosts/Return of the Mac/Kevin from Work) - Utkarsh, Betsy and Punam are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris talks about Watson on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am, on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour, and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) and Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) - Andrew, Nick and Lin-Manuel Miranda are chatting with Drew about their Broadway show All In: Comedy About Love on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. They're also talking to Drew about parenting advice, how they were raised and how comedy brings people together.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series

10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


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