Detroit's WADL New Classic TV Block; Obama Preempts Programming on March 24

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Detroit's WADL New Classic TV Block; Obama Preempts Programming on March 24

WADL TV-38, Detroit's Urban TV station will be adding some exceptional new programming that will include legendary favorites to the station's spring line-up. The new additions to the classic TV programs will include: I Love Lucy, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Brady Bunch, The Honeymooners, The Beverly Hillbillies and The Andy Griffith Show.
WADL TV 38 features Detroit's only local dance show Dance Party, and nationally known programming such as Cribs, American Chopper, RENO 911, Dave Chappell's Show, and Cheaters. In addition, the station already specializes in classic programming such as Good Times, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Fat Albert, The A-Team, In The Heat of the Night and up and coming to the lineup, Steve Harvey, Brian McKnight, The Brady Bunch and many others.
Currently the classic TV line-up on weekdays starting at 4PM is The Jeffersons, Sanford & Son, The A-Team, The Rockford Files, Fat Albert, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, A Different World, In the Heat of the Night, Good Times, M*A*S*H, The Odd Couple, Magnum P.I., Hawaii Five-0, and What's Happening Now!!
So, the new programming will start Monday, March 30. Weekdays starting 4PM: Fat Albert, The Brady Bunch, Beverly Hillbillies, I Love Lucy, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Sanford & Son, Fresh Prince, A Different World, The Honeymooners, In The Heat of the Night, The Jeffersons, Good Times, M*A*S*H, The Odd Couple, Magnum P.I., Hawaii Five-0, and What's Happening Now!!

President Obama is as it again...with preempting primetime programming. This time it will be on Tuesday, March 24 at 8PM ET. I'm all for Obama, but come on this is crazy. Eastern/Central time zones will be mostly affected by this. I'll detail it by network.
First up ABC will air the Presidential News Conference with Obama live at 8pm ET/5pm PT. So in the eastern/central time zones, the return of According to Jim will be totally preempted. Dancing with the Stars: The Results and Primetime: What Would You Do? will air as scheduled following the news conference. Out in the mountain and pacific time zones, everything will air as normally scheduled, including According to Jim...but they will be repeats instead ("The Blankie" and "Cabin Boys"). So if you're in the east/central time zones and love According to Jim, you'll have to watch the repeats on abc.com the next day, or if you get ABC onDemand on your cable system. Not sure how this will affect ABC's finale date of May 5 for According to Jim. Will it be pushed back a week or will they air two episodes on a special night to catch up? I was looking forward to the return, because Constance Marie (George Lopez) was going to guest star and the second episode was directed by Penny Marshall.
CBS will air the Presidential News Conference with Obama live at 8pm ET/5pm PT. Following the address, they will air all-new episodes of NCIS and The Mentalist at special times of 9pm and 10pm ET/PT. Without a Trace will totally be preempted. Not sure yet what will air at 8pm PT/7pm MT, but that could go back to local affiliates or CBS could air a NCIS repeat there leading into a new NCIS.
NBC will air the Presidential News Conference with Obama live at 8pm ET/5pm PT, pushing The Biggest Loser an hour back from 8-10pm to 9-11pm ET/PT. So, Law & Order: SVU is totally preempted. For mountain/pacific time zones at 8pm PT/7pm MT you will see a special Dateline episode leading into The Biggest Loser at a special time.
Finally, most affected by Obama is Fox. Fox will have to totally scrap a two-hour American Idol Tuesday. They will air the Presidential News Conference with Obama live at 8pm ET/5pm PT. A House repeat will follow at 9pm ET/8pm CT. House will also air at 9pm PT/8pm MT. King of the Hill repeats will fill the hour at 8pm PT/7pm MT. The regular Tuesday installment of Idol will be moved to Wednesday 8-10pm ET/PT, so that means an episode of Lie to Me will have to be preempted that week. And the regular results of Idol Wednesday will have to be moved to Thursday, March 26 from 8-9pm ET/PT preempting Bones. Instead of this mess, couldn't Fox just have aired Idol 9-11pm ET on Tuesday and air it in its normal time in the mountain/pacific time zones instead of causing mass confusion? I know Fox doesn't schedule at 10pm, but the local affiliates wouldn't mind, I'm sure.

I'm on my way to a quick trip to Houston in literally minutes, so I'll see you back live on Sunday when I return...but please do come on by tomorrow (great story!) and Saturday (blog DVD review) as I have already done those stories for those days set to post on their own. Ain't technology grand?

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, April 30

Krapopolis - "Mazed and Kingfused" (Fox, 9:02PM ET/PT)
Hippo accompanies Shlub on his journey to Minos; Ty gets glued to his throne.

Grimsburg - "Crystal Ball" (Fox, 9:31PM ET/PT)
When Flute goes for surgery to have a second testicle put in, he finds an unexpected side effect.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 28)

Wednesday, April 30

Allison Janney (Mom/Mr. Sunshine) - Watch Allison on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Adam DeVine (The Righteous Gemstones/Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin/Workaholics/Modern Family) - Adam appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Chase Sui Wonders (The Studio/Bupkis) - Chase stops by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Tim Baltz (The Righteous Gemstones) and Lennon Parham (Minx/Bless This Mess/Schooled/Playing House/Best Friends Forever) - Tim and Lennon are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Lisa Ann Walter (Abbott Elementary/Emeril) - E! News has an interview with Lisa at 11pm on E!.
Molly Shannon (I Love That for You/The Other Two/Divorce/Kath & Kim/Craking Up), Marc Maron (GLOW/Maron) and Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Molly, Marc and Ronny are guests on Everybody's Live with John Mulaney at 10pm on Netflix.
Geena Davis (The Geena Davis Show/Sara/Buffalo Bill) - Geena talks about The Girl Who Was Too Big for the Page on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am, on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT and on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
Jaleel White (Family Matters/Grown Ups) - Jaleel talks about The Flip Side on CBS Mornings Plus sometime between 7-9am.
Da'Vine Joy Randolph (Only Murders in the Building/High Fidelity/People of Earth/Selfie) - Da'Vine talks about Shadow Force on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Ke Huy Quan (Head of the Class/Together We Stand) - Ke and Drew are reminiscing about acting as children and becoming close with Steven Spielberg on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. He's also telling Drew about choreographing stunts for Hugh Jackman, how he met his wife of over twenty years and making an acting comeback for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Animal Practice/Better with You/Reba) and Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - The Drew Barrymore Show (repeat) has a Date Dish Competish with JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Kee Huy Quan, Sarah Fennel and Marc Murphy. Drew's got a date dish competish and Sarah Fennel, Ke Huy Quan and JoAnna Garcia Swisher are judging the whole thing. Team Drew and Pilar Valdes are taking on Valerie Bertinelli and Marc Murphy using three mystery ingredients to make a date night dish. Then, Drew is chatting with Joanna Garcia Swisher about season four of her show Sweet Magnolias.
Dennis Quaid (Merry Happy Whatever) - NBC's Today catches up with Dennis sometime between 7-9am.
Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Mike Epps (The Upshaws/Uncle Buck/Survivor's Remorse) - NBC's Today catches up with Mike in the 10am hour.