Tuesday, August 05, 2008
USA Network Fall 2008 Schedule; Lionsgate To Release Many ABC Studios DVDs
Then starting Monday, Sept. 15 the regular schedule finally begins. Changes include the 8am airing of JAG being replaced by Monk, as Walker Texas Ranger moves to 9am. Monk's afternoon airing is now 2pm, followed by back to back Law & Order: Criminal Intent at 3 and 4pm. Navy NCIS will air weeknights at 5 and 6pm, followed by Law & Order: SVU at 7pm. SVU will also air Tuesdays at 8pm, while House will air weeknights at 8pm except Tuesdays at 9pm, as we mentioned.
View the full USA Network September 2008 fall line-up and also discuss it.
Lionsgate, the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, and Disney-ABC Domestic Television have entered into an agreement where Lionsgate obtains the home entertainment distribution rights (DVD rights) to select primetime series and library titles from ABC Studios.
The first programs to be released under the new agreement – popular current ABC sitcom According to Jim: Season One, starring Jim Belushi and Courtney Thorne-Smith and one-hour current The CW series Reaper: Season One – will be available on DVD on October 21 and November 4, respectively. The agreement also encompasses other popular sitcoms and dramas including Hope & Faith (Kelly Ripa, Faith Ford), 8 Simple Rules...for Dating My Teenage Daughter (John Ritter, Katey Sagal, David Spade), Boy Meets World (Ben Savage, Rider Strong), October Road (Tom Berenger, Bryan Greenberg), Kevin Hill (Taye Diggs), My Wife & Kids (Damon Wayans), Six Degrees (Jay Hernandez, Bridget Moynahan, Erika Christensen), and more.
So what does this all mean? Well, first of all let me explain what ABC Studios is. ABC Studios is the studio that produces Touchstone Television/Buena Vista television shows, so it is not necessarily all ABC network shows. Reaper is produced by ABC Studios but airs on The CW. Kevin Hill was a drama on UPN but was produced by ABC Studios. Lionsgate has reached a deal for select ABC Studios series for DVD rights. No, that does not mean ABC Studios/Buena Vista Home Entertainment will not release any more DVDs, as they will still continue to release well over 40 ABC Studios series each year such as Desperate Housewives, Lost, Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, Samantha Who, Scrubs and many others. Lionsgate primarily will release the series that are not in production anymore, but of course a few are going to be released that are in production (like the aforementioned According to Jim & Reaper).
I don't have a full list of shows yet that Lionsgate acquired for DVD rights from ABC Studios other than those listed above like 8 Simple Rules, October Road and Boy Meets World. Speaking of those three, I am told Lionsgate will continue where Buena Vista Home Entertainment left off, so 8 Simple Rules & October Road will start with Season 2 and Boy Meets World with Season 4. I am hoping Lionsgate also acquired classic ABC Studios series not on DVD such as Empty Nest, Nurses, Blossom, and short lived stuff like The Golden Palace, Thunder Alley and The Sinbad Show. Notice most of those were not on ABC but they were produced by ABC Studios (Touchstone Television). Once I have a full list of what Lionsgate has acquired, I will let you all know, unless TVShowsonDVD.com posts it first. So stay tuned to us and/or TVShowsonDVD.com for details. Just to reiterate...if a show aired on ABC in the past like Family Matters or Step by Step, which were both produced by Warner Bros., that will not be available for Lionsgate because they were NOT produced by ABC Studios...only those series produced by ABC Studios/Touchstone Television could be available.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, June 26
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "McAllister Auto Loves the Ladies" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Jim feels ganged up on when Georgie and Audrey make changes to the tire store, and Mandy helps Georgie navigate a fight between her parents.
Ghosts - "The Bachelorette Party" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Alberta’s descendant hosts a bachelorette party at Woodstone Mansion, Alberta becomes suspicious of her fiancĂ©. Also, Jay is excited about a positive review on his restaurant.
Bob's Burgers - "Hope N' Mic Night" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The kids want to host an open mic night at the restaurant, but the hidden costs keep mounting and Bob worries that the night will ruin them.
Grimsburg - "Haunted Housewife" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Annoyed by Flute ruining her dates, Harmony pushes him to move out, resulting in him moving into a house haunted by a doting housewife who does all his chores, transforming him into a real adult.
Family Guy - "Lois C.K." (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Lois becomes a stand-up comic, using real life stories about Peter as content; Peter tries his best to straighten his life out to avoid being ridiculed by Lois's act.
The Great North - "Bots on the Side Adventure" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Ham gets a singing job at a local pizza place; the rest of the family decide on a name for the new boat.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 23)
Thursday, June 26
- Emma Stone (The Curse) - Catch Emma on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) - Jeremy is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Mariska Hargitay (Can't Hurry Love) - Mariska appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also talks about My Mom Jayne on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Lennon Parham (Minx/Bless This Mess/Schooled/Playing House/Best Friends Forever) and Tim Baltz (The Righteous Gemstones) - Lennon and Tim are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Jameela Jamil (Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin/The Good Place) - Jameela talks about Elio on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Lisa Ann Walter (Abbott Elementary/Emeril) - Lisa appears on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
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