Monday, October 11, 2010

ABC Family Orders More Melissa & Joey, More Pilots, and 2010 Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas

Happy Columbus Day! When we told you about ABC Family's annual 13 Nights of Halloween, we told you about Melissa & Joey's Halloween episode (which airs on October 19), but that put it past its 10 episode order. Now we know why, ABC Family has ordered more episodes, as we sort of knew. Originally the original sitcom had a 10 episode order, but now ABC Family has ordered 20 more, for a total of 30 airing this season. ABC Family will split the season in two halves, like they do with all of their original series. The first half will consist of 15 episodes and will have its fall finale on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 8pm. No word yet on when the second half will air, but it will be sometime in early to mid-2011. Perhaps after the second half of Pretty Little Liars (returns in January for 12 more episodes) is over with? Melissa & Joey of course stars Melissa Joan Hart as Mel and Joey Lawrence as Joe.

ABC Family has given the production greenlight to four more pilots as well. The pilots are Untitled Brenda Hampton Project, What Would Jane Do, The Lying Game and The Great State of Georgia. The latter, The Great State of Georgia, is a half-hour multi-camera sitcom about an exuberant plus-sized performer from the south and her science geek best friend who try to make headway in New York City. Pilot writers are Jennifer Weiner (author of the best-selling novels Good in Bed, and In Her Shoes (Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette starred in the feature film version by the same name)) and Jeff Greenstein (Desperate Housewives, Friends, Will & Grace). No casting has been announced yet. The other three pilots are scripted one-hour dramas. In What Would Jane Do, the series follows 16 year-old Jane, who lands a job at a hip retail company when they mistake her for an adult. Jane soon finds herself juggling life as a regular teenager in high school and as an assistant to a high powered executive in the cutthroat world of fashion... all while trying to keep her true identity a secret. Executive producer is Gavin Polone (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Gilmore Girls); writer is April Blair (Christmas Caper).
In The Lying Game, the series follows Emma, a kind-hearted foster kid who can't catch a break. She finds out she has an identical twin sister, Sutton, who - unlike Emma - was adopted by wealthy parents and is seemingly living an ideal life. After their initial meeting, Sutton talks Emma into stepping into her life for a few days while she pursues a lead on their birth mother. Initially excited to do this favor for her sister, Emma soon learns that Sutton has gone missing and could be in trouble. Now, Emma must decide whether to come clean to Sutton's family and risk her own safety in the hope of uncovering her twin sister's true whereabouts, along with the truth about why they were separated in the first place. Charles Pratt, Jr. (Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives) serves as executive producer and writer; Leslie Morgenstein (Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl) and Gina Girolamo will serve as executive producers. Produced by Alloy Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television, the series is based on the upcoming novel by Pretty Little Liars author Sara Shepard.
And in the Untitled Brenda Hampton Project, it is executive produced by Brenda Hampton (The Secret Life of the American Teenager, 7th Heaven), and is a groundbreaking and heartfelt look at the lives and families of four ethnically-diverse teenage girls at a private school in California. The pilot follows the girls and the challenges they face at home -- challenges that include a parent with terminal cancer, a brother with a behavioral disorder, and a father who parents with an unwaveringly strict hand.

And today it is an all ABC Family news day on this Columbus Day holiday, so we will give you their November 2010 highlights, which includes the "Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas." The countdown starts Sunday, November 21, 2010. Among the movies airing are Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Holiday in Handcuffs, A Carol Christmas, Aladdin, Ice Age, Dumbo, Mary Poppins, A Boy Named Charlie Brown, Snoopy Come Home, Home Alone 2, Home Alone 4, Richie Rich, Happy Feet and the ABC Family original movie premiere of The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation on Sunday, Nov. 28. Holiday episodes include America's Funniest Home Videos Thanksgiving & Christmas episodes and Boy Meets World Christmas episodes. The countdown airs Nov. 21-30, then the actual stunt starts Dec. 1 through 25. As we mentioned earlier, Melissa & Joey has its fall season finale on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 8pm. Leading into the finale will be the first 14 episodes of the season, so you can catch-up with any missed episodes or get hooked for the first time! The marathon airs from 1-8pm. Other November 2010 highlights includes the ABC Family premieres of Evan Almighty, Trading Places and Cheaper by the Dozen. And when the Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas airs on weeknights, My Wife & Kids will have its evening airings at 6pm aired at 1pm instead of 8 Simple Rules.
View the full list of movies and episodes airing on ABC Family's 2010 Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas (Nov. 21-30).

And finally we leave you today reminding you to watch the launch of new network The Hub! The Hub is replacing Discovery Kids and will feature sitcoms starting at 8pm every weeknight. We get Family Ties, The Wonder Years, Doogie Howser, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and Batman, as we mentioned! Holy classic TV, Batman indeed! Watch tonight on The Hub!


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Saturday, December 21

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 16)

Friday, December 20

  • Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/George and Leo/Chicago Sons/Simon/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons) - Watch Jason on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters/HouseBroken/Catastrophe) - Sharon is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Dwayne Johnson (Young Rock) - Dwayne appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Colton Dunn (Superstore) and Diona Reasonover (Clipped) - Colton and Diona are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Zachary Quinto (Big Mouth/So Notorious) - NBC's Today catches up with Zachary in the 9am hour.
  • Billy Eichner (Friends from College/Difficult People/Parks and Recreation) - Billy talks about Mufasa: The Lion King on NBC's Today in the 10am hour. He can also be heard on The Morning Mash Up on SiriusXM.
  • Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - Kerry talks about The Six Triple Eight on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am and on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • James Marsden (30 Rock) and Ben Schwartz (The Afterparty/Space Force/Parks and Recreation) - James and Ben talk about Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Jamie Lee Curtis (The Sticky/Anything But Love/Operation Petticoat) - Jamie Lee chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney talks about Max's Fast Friends on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Access Daily with Mario & Kit has the best of Henry and Kit Hoover, so check your local listings.
  • Howie Mandel (Good Grief) - The Talk celebrates 15 seasons with a special finale episode; friend of the show Howie Mandel makes his 21st appearance on the show when he stops by one last time with a surprise for the hosts on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.


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

12/21 - 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
11/24 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 25, 2024)
11/23 - SitcomsOnline Digest: HBO Renews It's Florida, Man; Simpsons Voice Actor Announces Retirement
11/22 - NBC's Happy's Place Gets Full Season; HBO Renews It's Florida, Man for Another Zany Season
11/21 - The CW Midseason 2025 Schedule; Voice of Milhouse Leaving The Simpsons