Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Summer 2008 TCA Press Tour: ABC, Day 1; Our Emmy Picks

ABC is up today and tomorrow at the summer 2008 TCA press tour. Before the panels began, they announced their premiere dates for the Fall:

Friday, September 19
10:00-11:00 p.m. 20/20

Monday, September 22
8:00-10:00 p.m. Dancing with the Stars (special two-hour performance show premiere)
10:00-11:00 p.m. Boston Legal

Tuesday, September 23
8:00-9:00 p.m. Opportunity Knocks (new series debut)
9:00-11:00 p.m. Dancing with the Stars (special performance show)

Wednesday, September 24
8:00-9:00 p.m. Dancing with the Stars Results Show Special (special day and time)
9:00-11:00 p.m. David Blaine Special

Thursday, September 25

8:00-9:00 p.m. Ugly Betty
9:00-11:00 p.m. Grey's Anatomy (special two-hour season premiere)

Sunday, September 28
7:00-9:00 p.m. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (two-hour season premiere)
9:00-10:00 p.m. Desperate Housewives
10:00-11:00 p.m. Brothers & Sisters

Tuesday, September 30
9:00-10:00 p.m. Dancing with the Stars Result Show (regular day and time period premiere)

Wednesday, October 1
8:00-9:00 p.m. Pushing Daisies
9:00-10:00 p.m. Private Practice
10:00-11:00 p.m. Dirty Sexy Money

Friday, October 3
8:00-9:00 p.m. Wife Swap
9:00-10:00 p.m. Supernanny

Sunday, October 5
7:00-8:00 p.m. America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00-9:00 p.m. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (regular time period premiere)

Monday, October 6
9:30-10:00 p.m. Samantha Who?

Thursday, October 9
9:00-10:00 p.m. Grey's Anatomy (regular time period premiere)
10:00-11:00 p.m. Life on Mars (new series debut)

Tuesday, October 14
10:00-11:00 p.m. Eli Stone

Couple of notes on the premiere dates...there will be a Presidential Debate on Friday, Sept. 26 (that is why Wife Swap and Supernanny launch Oct. 3) and a Vice Presidential Debate on Thursday, October 2 (so Ugly Betty/Grey's Anatomy will premiere on Sept. 25 then take a week off on Oct. 2 before returning Oct. 9 to help launch Life on Mars). It is unclear still what will air Tuesday at 10pm on Sept. 30 and Oct. 7, as Eli Stone won't premiere until October 14.
Now let's move on to the panels for today. The casts and crews of returning hits and upcoming series will be on hand to talk about their series. After the executive session (we will discuss that below), up at the panel were Eli Stone in the morning, followed by a CMA sponsored lunch (where Julianne Hough (Dancing with the Stars) sang and promoted the special CMA Music Festival: Country's Night To Rock she is hosting Sept. 8 on ABC), then after lunch up on the panel were Life on Mars, Scrubs, Opportunity Knocks, and dinner sponsored by Dancing with the Stars where they got to eat and dance with the likes of Kristi Yamaguchi and Drew Lachey.
At that executive session we found out that Katie Holmes will guest star on Eli Stone this season playing an attorney. She is slated for the second episode of the season (Oct. 21). And ABC President Stephen McPherson denied the stupid rumors about Katherine Heigl leaving Grey's Anatomy, "...she's absolutely staying with the show. There's an outstanding story for her this season." Earlier, "a reporter from Sarasota, FL" asked McPherson if ABC was 'actively courting' Jay Leno? The reporter was Jimmy Kimmel disguised in a t-shirt and baseball cap! Hilarious! McPherson said, "to me it's a question for NBC. I can't believe they're going to let this guy go at the top of his game." He added that any discussions with Leno would take place with Kimmel's knowledge and involvement, "I can't say enough about Jimmy. His show has just exploded this year."
Finally in regards to the mid-season in consideration pilots. Due to the strike, most of the shows in consideration if they had gotten picked-up would have launched in the fall, but now all of them are in consideration for mid-season. The pilots have began filming last month and some still have yet to be shot or shooting now. So, if picked-up, ABC will launch them in November, January or March. We will let you know when any gets picked-up.

Coming up tomorrow is Day 2 for ABC, where more ABC shows go on the panel along with ABC Cable Networks, like ABC Family.

Today we will give our preview of what we think the nominations for the Emmy's will look like. The real nominations will be announced tomorrow (Thursday) morning on Good Morning America at 8:30am ET, so we will give you those then. But for now...here are our predictions for the main acting categories for the 60th Annual Emmy Awards airing Sept. 22 on ABC:

BEST COMEDY SERIES
Pushing Daisies (ABC)
The Office
(NBC)
Ugly Betty
(ABC)
30 Rock
(NBC)
Entourage
(HBO)
MY THOUGHTS: 30 Rock won last year, but Pushing Daisies might win this year. Two and a Half Men, Weeds or Curb Your Enthusiasm could sneak in. It's a shame Desperate Housewives won't get in after a great season.

BEST COMEDY ACTOR
Tony Shalhoub, Monk (USA Network)
Steve Carell, The Office (NBC)
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (NBC)
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies (ABC)
MY THOUGHTS: Ricky Gervais won it last year, but who will win it this year? Will the love for Pushing Daisies continue and Lee Pace can win it? Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory could sneak in over Sheen maybe.

BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty (ABC)
Anna Friel, Pushing Daisies (ABC)
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who? (ABC)
Marcia Cross, Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Tina Fey, 30 Rock (NBC)
MY THOUGHTS: Ferrera won last year. Mary-Louise Parker or Julia Louis-Dreyfus could sneak in over Cross. Personally I'd have Eva Longoria instead, as she was a riot this season....one of the F's will win, Ferrera, Fey or Friel.

BEST SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR
Kevin Dillion, Entourage (HBO)
John Cryer, Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Rainn Wilson, The Office (NBC)
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Jeremy Piven, Entourage (HBO)
MY THOUGHTS: Jeremy Piven won it last year. This list will be relatively the same as last year, but I'm surprised Chi McBride of Pushing Daisies will be snubbed...he had the funniest lines.

BEST SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty (ABC)
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds (Showtime)
Jean Smart, Samantha Who? (ABC)
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies (ABC)
Jenna Fischer, The Office (NBC)
MY THOUGHTS: Jamie Pressly won last year but will not be nominated this year. Chenoweth should win this, as her character is hysterical.

BEST DRAMA SERIES
Lost (ABC)
House (Fox)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Boston Legal
(ABC)
Mad Men (AMC)
MY THOUGHTS: With The Sopranos out of the picture, a new winner will emerge this year. Damages could get in this list. Lost deserves to win it.

BEST DRAMA ACTOR
Hugh Laurie, House (FOX)
James Spader, Boston Legal (ABC)
Patrick Dempsey, Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Denis Leary, Rescue Me (FX)
Michael C. Hall, Dexter (Showtime)
MY THOUGHTS: James Spader won it last year and will be the favorite once again, but personally I'd want Dempsey. Kyle Chandler of Friday Night Lights or Jon Hamm of Mad Men could make this cut, too. Matthew Fox deserves to be on this, but won't.

BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Glenn Close, Damages (FX)
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer (TNT)
Minnie Driver, The Riches (FX)
Elizabeth Moss, Mad Men (AMC)
MY THOUGHTS: Sally Field won it last year and will win it again I bet. Past nominees like Patricia Arquette and Mariska Hargitay could make the cut, but sadly Evangeline Lilly and Ellen Pompeo won't. Why do they keep going for cable stars instead of broadcast?

BEST SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR
T.R. Knight, Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
William Shatner, Boston Legal (ABC)
John Slattery, Mad Men (AMC)
Ted Danson, Damages (FX)
Michael Emerson, Lost (ABC)
MY THOUGHTS: Terry O'Quinn won it last year but it looks like he won't even make it this year, which is crazy. Naveen Andrews can sneak in this list I think, but I don't have him in the top 5. Danson, Shatner or Emerson are my bets for the win.

BEST SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTRESS
Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men (AMC)
Candice Bergen, Boston Legal (ABC)
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Rose Byrne, Damages (FX)
MY THOUGHTS: Katherine Heigl won it last year, but she removed herself from the running this season. I would have had Yunjin Kim in this race as she was excellent in the Lost season finale. Sandra Oh could sneak in. It's anyone's game as far as a winner is concerned, but give it to Chandra!

Nominations are announced tomorrow morning. Come on back here and we will give you the official nominations and you can compare those to our picks!


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, December 26

Ghosts - "The Christmas: Spirit One" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
In part one of a special one-hour #Ghostsmas episode, Jay’s sister, Bela (Punam Patel), visits Woodstone Mansion and brings along an adoring male friend, inspiring Sam to spark a romance between them in the spirit of the holiday rom-coms she loves. Meanwhile, the ghosts have conjured up a very different holiday plan for Trevor and Bela. Also, Isaac has an awkward encounter with Nigel that forces him to look back on events in his life.

Ghosts - "The Christmas: Spirit Two" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
In part two of a special one-hour #Ghostsmas episode, Sam and Thorfinn get caught in the crossfire as the scheme Jay’s sister, Bela (Punam Patel), and the ghosts have conjured up goes awry. Also, Isaac’s marriage to Beatrice sheds light on how apprehensive he has been in communicating his feelings to Nigel.

Ghosts - "A Very Arondekar Christmas Part 1" / "A Very Arondekar Christmas Part 2" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
A leaky water heater mishap threatens to ruin holiday plans as Sam and Jay prepare to host Jay’s hard-to-please dad, Mahesh (Bernard White), difficult-to-impress mom, Champa (Sakina Jaffrey), and sister Bela (Punam Patel), on a one-hour GHOSTSMAS special.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 23)

Thursday, December 26

  • Jenny Slate (The Great North/Big Mouth/Married/Bob's Burgers) - Catch Jenny on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Paul Feig (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch/The Louie Show/The Jackie Thomas Show/Dirty Dancing) - Paul is a guest on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Luke Wilson (No Good Deed/Englightened) - Luke is joining Drew for a round of "Behind-the-Scenes" with tidbits from his roles in movies like Legally Blonde on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. He's also telling her about his role in the thrilling new show, No Good Deed.
  • Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney is chatting with Drew about joining her on Hollywood Squares, going back to work in comedy after becoming a mother, and hosting her new trivia show about Friends on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - Michelle appears on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
  • Sanaa Lathan (Family Guy/The Cleveland Show/LateLine) - Sanaa and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor talk about the enduring power of friendship in their new Hulu film The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • Carol Kane (Taxi/All Is Forgiven/Amerian Dreamer/Pearl/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) - Carol chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Lamorne Morris (Woke/New Girl) - Lamorne sits down for an interview on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
  • Jay Pharoah (White Famous/Champaign ILL) - Jay talks about his new virtual reality series Soapstone Comedy Presents on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Friends - The Complete Series (4K UHD) Young Sheldon - The Complete Series Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

09/10 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-7
09/10 - The Ropers - The Complete Series (VEI)
09/10 - Ted - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/17 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - Video Scrapbook
09/17 - Top Cat - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/24 - Friends - The Complete Series (4K UHD)
09/24 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Seventh Season (DVD) / The Complete Series (DVD) (Blu-ray)
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)
02/04 - 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

12/25 - Merry Christmas from Sitcoms Online; The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Coming to DVD in February
12/24 - 2024 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day TV Marathons
12/23 - Christmas Con Celebrates 5 Year Anniversary; Deli Boys Premieres in March on Hulu
12/22 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 23, 2024)
12/21 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Creative Team Put in Place for Big Bang Theory Spinoff; Girls5eva Canceled at Netflix
12/20 - Netflix Announces You and Sweet Magnolias Details; Tell Me Lies Renewed for Season 3 on Hulu
12/19 - Apple TV+ Bad Monkey Renewed for Season 2; Norman Lear's Clean Slate Comedy to Premiere on Prime Video in February
12/18 - Netflix Renews A Man on the Inside; Silo Gets 2 Season Renewal for Apple TV+
12/17 - Paramount Adds The Big Bang Theory to Nick at Nite and MTV Lineups; The White Lotus Season 3 in February
12/16 - Malcolm in the Middle to Return for 25th Anniversary; Game Show Network Holiday Schedule
12/15 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 16, 2024)
12/14 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Malcolm in the Middle Limited Reboot Headed to Disney+; King of the Hill Reboot Episode Titles Released
12/13 - Antenna TV's Christmas and New Year's Holiday Schedule; Apple TV+ and Peanuts Holiday Specials
12/12 - Harley Quinn Returns in January; Night Court Holiday Episode on NBC
12/11 - Valerie Bertinelli Hosting Game Show; Whitney Cummings Finding Ultimate Friends Fans
12/10 - 82nd Golden Globe Nominations; Michelle Buteau: A Buteau-ful Mind at Radio City Music Hall
12/09 - Jamie Foxx Returns on Tuesday on Netflix; Ilana Glazer Hulu Comedy Special
12/08 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 9, 2024)
12/07 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Scrubs Reboot in the Works; Family Guy Returning to Adult Swim
12/06 - Apple TV+ New Comedy Government Cheese; Prime Video Sets Half-Hour Police Drama
12/05 - Marlon Wayans to Guest Star on Poppa's House on CBS; Mo Returning to Netflix
12/04 - STARZ Comedy Thriller Sweetpea Renewed for Season 2; Bel-Air to End After Next Season
12/03 - Pluto TV Holiday Schedule; SNL December Hosts and Musical Performers
12/02 - Scripps Networks (Laff, Bounce, ION) Holiday Schedule; First Look at Watson on CBS
12/01 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 2, 2024)
11/30 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Desperate Housewives Creator Has Prequel Idea; Finale Date Set for The Talk
11/29 - Abbott Elementary Aces the Test on Multi-Platform; Dancing with the Stars' Resurgence
11/28 - 2024 Thanksgiving TV Marathons
11/27 - Henry Danger The Movie Premieres in January; Dexter: Original Sin Trailer
11/26 - The Way Home Returns for Season 3; Matthew Broderick and Son to Guest Star on Elsbeth
11/25 - Peacock's Laid Premieres December 19; Jon Hamm Drama Gets Season 2 Before Series Premiere