Hallmark Channel's Martha Stewart Programming Starts Sept. 13; The Unit Coming to Universal HD, The Network That Airs Becker, Hogan's Heroes

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Hallmark Channel's Martha Stewart Programming Starts Sept. 13; The Unit Coming to Universal HD, The Network That Airs Becker, Hogan's Heroes

On the heels of the multi-year strategic partnership announced earlier this year, executives from Hallmark Channel and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia have revealed the original "how-to" programming block set to launch exclusively on the cable network this fall. The slate of new programming is anchored by the debut of the Emmy(R) Award-winning series The Martha Stewart Show on Hallmark Channel beginning Monday, September 13 at 10:00 a.m., ET/PT weekdays. The series moves from first-run syndication to cable on The Hallmark Channel!
Following The Martha Stewart Show, Hallmark Channel will air two new series: Between 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., ET/PT, weekdays, the network will air an hour-long topical talk show (at 11 a.m.), executive-produced by Emmy Award-winning writer and director David Steinberg and hosted by Sirius XM's Whatever hosts Alexis Stewart and Jennifer Koppelman Hutt. The show will have an intimate studio audience and provide a unique platform for the humorous duet to explore the daily headlines and everyday issues on the minds of viewers across the country. The home audience will be engaged through call-in and Skype-ing opportunities throughout the hour.
In the 12:00 p.m. ET/PT half-hour, weekdays, Hallmark Channel will premiere Mad Hungry with Lucinda. Lucinda Scala Quinn is the ubiquitous Executive Food Editor at MSLO, host of the radio show EatDrink on Sirius XM and author of popular cookbooks including her most recent title, Mad Hungry: Feeding Men & Boys. Lucinda's goal with the show is to bring family back to the dinner table. Lucinda will reveal her tips on how she has conquered the challenge of whetting the appetite of her husband and three sons. Then following Lucinda, in the 12:30 p.m. ET/PT half-hour, weekdays, Hallmark will air seasons one through four of the critically acclaimed series Everyday Food, offering quick, easy and practical cooking solutions. The series brings to life MSLO's award-winning Everyday Food magazine and is complemented by the popular iPhone app, Martha's Everyday Food.
From 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., ET/PT, weekdays, Hallmark Channel will put the spotlight on select episodes from Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's extensive library of programming including From Martha's Kitchen, From Martha's Home and "From Martha's Garden, among others.
There will be encore airings of The Martha Stewart Show back-to-back at 4:00 and 5:00 p.m., ET/PT, weekdays enabling millions of viewers to have access to the program in the afternoon.
So what will happen to your favorite daytime series like Who's the Boss?, The Golden Girls, and I Love Lucy? We're not sure yet, but you'll have to keep checking back with us for that schedule. We have still three months until this happens, so try and enjoy these sitcoms until then, if anything should happen to them.

The Unit will be joining the Universal HD schedule starting Tuesday, July 6. It will air on Tuesday nights, from 8pm-2am ET replacing movies. The Unit also airs on sister network Sleuth, which is owned by Universal. Sleuth/Universal share the show with Viacom's Spike TV/BET. Currently, broadcast reruns are airing on MyNetwork TV on Wednesday nights, but come Fall 2010, The Unit's broadcast run will move to local weekend syndication on local stations and WGN America. We'll have more on that when it is available.
So what else does Universal HD air? They air sitcoms Becker and Hogan's Heroes regularly, with Ted Danson's Becker now airing weekdays 7-8pm and encoring later that night from 2-3am. Hogan's Heroes airs in marathon blocks weekly, usually on Fridays between 9am-7pm mixed in with Becker. Can you imagine Hogan in HD? It has never looked better! Among the other series they air are Six Feet Under, House, Monk, Nash Bridges, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent-- all of which are on other Universal-owned cable networks (USA Network, Bravo).
Universal HD also airs rare stuff. On Friday nights from 8pm-11pm, which an immediate encore from 11pm-2am, they air short-lived series. Currently for the month of June, they are airing Bram and Alice (2002 CBS sitcom starring Alfred Molina), Fat Actress (2005 Showtime sitcom starring Kirstie Alley), First Monday (2002 CBS drama starring Joe Mantegna & James Garner) and South Beach (2006 UPN drama starring Odette Yustman). And if that's not enough, they air Monday marathons of That's Life (2000-2002 CBS comedic drama) from 9am-7pm.
Coming in July to the Friday night URTV block is Cuts (2005-06 UPN sitcom starring Shannon Elizabeth), Love Inc. (2005-06 UPN sitcom starring Holly Robinson Peete), Sex, Love & Secrets (2005 UPN drama starring Denise Richards), and Love Monkey (2006 CBS drama starring Tom Cavanagh). Among the other short-lived series they have aired on and off include Complete Savages, Threshold, Philly, Big Apple, Andy Barker, P.I., My Big Fat Greek Life, among many others.
We try to give you some updates here and there on this HD network, but we will try to more from now on, especially if more short-lived sitcoms are added!