Monday, July 05, 2010
IFC Acquires Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared; Final 2 Episodes of happy town on ABC.com
Continuing to build on its strategy of showcasing "slightly off" comedies that appeal to its young male audience, IFC (Independent Film Channel) announced it has acquired the complete series of Judd Apatow's Emmy®-winning high school comedy Freaks and Geeks (18 episodes) and college spinoff Undeclared (17 episodes) from Paramount Pictures Corporation. These two cult TV short-lived series helped launch the careers of Jay Baruchel, Jenna Fischer, James Franco, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel, among other young stars. Freaks and Geeks airs on IFC on Fridays at 11:00pm, et/pt, and encore on Mondays (so tonight!) at 11:00pm and Sundays at 10:00pm. Undeclared will debut on IFC this fall. A previously unaired episode of Undeclared will make its U.S. television debut on IFC.
Freaks and Geeks is set in the 1980s at McKinley High where there are two different groups of teenagers: the Freaks with cool and charismatic Daniel Desario (James Franco) and tomboy Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini, ER), and the Geeks with Lindsay's shy younger brother Sam (John Francis Daley, Bones), gentle Bill Haverchuck (Martin Starr), and self-proclaimed ladies' man Neal Schweiber (Samm Levine). The series was executive produced by Judd Apatow; series writers include Paul Feig (The Office) and series directors include Jake Kasdan. It was produced by Apatow Productions in association with DreamWorks Television and aired for one season on NBC (1999-2000) and also starred Seth Rogen and Jason Segel in supporting roles.
Undeclared paired creator and executive producer Apatow with directors such as Kasdan together again along with stars Seth Rogen and Jason Segel. The series, which was also produced by Apatow Productions in association with DreamWorks Television, aired on Fox for one season (2001-2002). The comedy series follows an eclectic group of college freshmen as they experience their first year at the University of North Eastern California (UNEC). College life is seen through the eyes of the new and improved Steven Karp (Jay Baruchel), who goes from scrawny high school nerd to potentially handsome college guy over the course of one summer. The series also features Jenna Fischer (The Office), Carla Gallo and Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy).
As we wait for the final 2 episodes of canceled series Better Off Ted, Romantically Challenged and Eastwick to be scheduled, the final two episodes of ABC's canceled happy town are now available on abc.com. The series was pulled from the Wednesday schedule after its June 16 airing due to low ratings. The two episodes are "Dallas Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" and "Blame It On Rio Bravo." These will not air on TV, so it will be your only shot of watching it. I suggest you watch it if you were watching the show, so you have an ending because there is an actual ending to the show. Click below to watch the final 2 episodes of this mystery drama!
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Saturday, July 12
Mind Your Business - "Love Child" (Bounce TV, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Alfonso and Aaliyah's world is flipped upside down when their mother's secret love child comes into town, while Mia tries to figure out who is sending her gifts every hour on the hour.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 7)
Friday, July 11
- Aparna Nancherla (The Great North/Fairview/Corporate) and Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Aparna and Whitney are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Malachi Barton (Stuck in the Middle) and Meg Donnelly (American Housewife) - Malachi and Meg discuss Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires and perform on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am. They will also be on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Jean Smart (Hacks/Samantha Who?/Center of the Universe/In-Laws/Style & Substance/Designing Women) - Jean chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Patton Oswalt (A.P. Bio/The Goldbergs/The King of Queens) - Patton talks about Black Coffee and Ice Water on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) and Joel Kim Booster (Loot/Shrill) - CBS News contributor Lisa Ling talks with Margaret and Joel on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Krysten Ritter (Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - Tamron Hall (repeat) has a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE sitdown with actress/director/author Krysten Ritter who recently released her new thriller/mystery novel Retreat, so check your local listings.
- Maggie Q (Pivoting) - Maggie Q talks about Prime's Ballard on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Tisha Campbell (Act Your Age/Uncoupled/Outmatched/Dr. Ken/Rita Rocks/My Wife and Kids/Martin) and Wendy Raquel Robinson (Poppa's House/The Game/Here We Go Again/The Steve Harvey Show/Minor Adjustments) - Tisha and Wendy chat about their film Operation: Aunties on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings. They will also be on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:30am.
- David Zayas (The Bear/Saint George) - David appears on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.
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)
07/22 - 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