SitcomsOnline.com News Blog: November 2010

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

TV One December 2010 Highlights; TV Land Orders Two More Sitcom Pilots

We're a bit late for TV One December 2010, but we are technically still on time since December doesn't start until tomorrow. There are no changes to the regular schedule, but we have plenty of sitcom stunts! On Saturday, December 11 from 1pm-8pm, TV One presents a marathon of your favorite TV One sitcoms featuring Christmas themed storylines on Martin, All of Us, A Different World, Living Single, and The Tracy Morgan Show. Encores of Martin and A Different World will air later that night from 2am-6am. Some of these episodes will reair also on Sunday, Dec. 19 from 4pm-8pm.
The following week on Saturday, December 18 from 12pm-8pm, we get more sitcom Christmas episodes, this time of classic series! Featured on this marathon are Good Times, Amen, The Jeffersons, Sanford & Son, The Hughleys and The PJs. Select encores air later that night from 3am-6am.
Beginning on Monday, December 20 and continuing through Friday, December 24, TV One airs Christmas comedy marathons from 9pm-11pm each night in primetime with a different TV One sitcom to keep viewers in the holiday spirit, including Martin on Monday, Good Times on Tuesday, A Different World on Wednesday, All of Us on Thursday and Amen on Friday. The block will encore from 12am-2am also. And if that's not enough holiday episodes for you, every weeknight that week in the 7pm hour will also be holiday episodes instead of the regular Good Times hour. On Monday it will be Tracy Morgan Show/Sanford & Son, on Tuesday it will be The PJs, on Wednesday it will be Living Single, on Thurdsay it will be Half & Half/The Jeffersons, and on Friday it will be more holiday episodes of The Jeffersons. We also get holiday episodes of The Jeffersons and The Hughleys on that Friday (Dec. 24) from 3am-6am.
On Christmas Day (Saturday, Dec. 25), TV One gives us a FULL day worth of sitcom Christmas episodes beginning at 8am through 8pm! We get multiple episodes of Amen, The Jeffersons, All of Us, Living Single, Good Times, A Different World, Martin, and the only Sanford & Son Christmas episode. We get encores of Living Single and A Different World later that night from 3am-6am.
As TV One gets ready for a second season of their original sitcom Love that Girl, you can watch all four first episodes on Sunday, Dec. 26 from 10pm-12am, with an encore from 1am-3am. The series returns with 26 more episodes in early 2011, as we mentioned.
Finally, on Saturday, January 1 beginning at 6am, TV One rings in the new year with a 24-hour laugh fest, airing a "Martin: New Years Day Mega-thon" featuring episodes focusing on the relationship between Martin Payne and his lady love Gina Waters.

TV Land announced that it has given cast-contingent greenlights to two new sitcom pilots, Happily Divorced written by Fran Drescher (The Nanny) and Peter Marc Jacobsen (The Nanny, What I Like About You), and Rip City written by Terri Minsky (Less Than Perfect, Lizzy McGuire) and executive produced by Michael Hanel (Rita Rocks, Retired at 35) and Mindy Schultheis (Reba, Retired at 35). These join the previously announced Ex Men on the network's list of sitcom pilots. These pilot orders represent TV Land's push to continue to expand its role in the original sitcom landscape. The network's first original sitcom, the critically acclaimed Hot in Cleveland, is cable's #1 sitcom and it returns for its second season on Wednesday, January 19, 2010 at 10 p.m. ET/PT and will be followed by the premiere of TV Land's second original sitcom, Retired at 35, starring George Segal and Jessica Walter at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.
Based on Fran Drescher's real life, Happily Divorced centers around how Drescher deals with dating after finding out her husband is gay. The show focuses on how she juggles her relationship with her current boyfriend and ex-husband post-divorce.
Rip City is a multi-camera office comedy which takes place at Rip City Cola, a regional beverage manufacturer and distributor. When a young, Ivy League-educated female takes over as the boss, the entire office, particularly a confident man in his 50s, is shaken and unsure of what happens next.
The network previously announced the comedy pilot Ex Men by former Frasier executive producer Mark Reisman. The pilot revolves around 3 divorced men who live in an apartment building together where the landlord is a smart and sexy divorce attorney.
None of these sitcom pilots have been picked-up to series yet, if and when they do, we will let you know. There is still a long way to go for all three. First, the casting needs to be done. Then the pilot will be taped and after that TV Land will decide which will make it on the air with Hot in Cleveland and Retired at 35. So stay with us!

Monday, November 29, 2010

GMC Holiday 2010 Schedule w/227, Sister Sister, Amen; Remembering Leslie Nielsen

Beginning today (Nov. 29), GMC will air an array of holiday films, including the network's first world premiere Christmas movie, a Yule log marathon, memories from music and entertainment stars in the form of exclusive interstitials and holiday episodes from popular series. GMC will air more than 300 hours of Christmas-themed fare this holiday season, reports B&C!
Christmas-themed episodes from their regular series such as Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, Amen, Highway to Heaven, Doc, Sister Sister and 227 beging to air starting tonight. The Amen two-part episode "Miracle On 134th Street" airs tonight at 1am. On Tuesday, the Amen holiday episode "Your Christmas Show of Shows" airs at 1am. On Sunday, Dec. 5, there will be a marathon of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Christmas episodes from 3pm-7pm, and again on Monday, Dec. 6 from 5pm-9pm. Highway to Heaven Christmas episodes first air Tuesday, Dec. 7 and Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 1pm. 227 first airs their Christmas episodes on Saturday, Dec. 11 from 5:30pm-7pm, with encore airings in the 11pm hour on Saturday, Dec. 11, Monday, Dec. 13, and Tuesday, Dec. 14. The Christmas episodes air again on Friday, Dec. 17 from 2:30pm-4pm in a special 227 Friday marathon from 2:30pm-7pm. A Sister, Sister "Christmas" airs Friday, Dec. 17 at 2pm, following a special Friday marathon of that show from 10am-2pm.
Christmas with a Capital C, their first GMC World Premiere Christmas movie, premieres on Sunday, December 5 at 7 p.m. ET. The movie will encore at 9 p.m. ET and 11 p.m. ET. 'Tis the season to be jolly, but holiday traditions are under attack when lawyer Mitch Bright returns to his hometown of Trapper Falls, Alaska. Residents of the small town who once looked forward to each year with enthusiasm and taking great care to drape the town with Christmas cheer every season, find themselves in the heat of a legal battle with a former member of their community. Christmas with a Capital C stars Daniel Baldwin (Cold Case) as Mitch Bright and Ted McGinley (Married... with Children) as Mayor Dan Reed.
Other Christmas features include The Perfect Gift on Sunday, December 5; Fred Hammond's Christmas Who Needs It? on Saturday, Dec. 11; the Arnold Schwarzenegger-directed Christmas in Connecticut (starring Dyan Cannon, Kris Kristofferson, Tony Curtis) on Saturday, Dec. 18; Miracle of the Cards (starring Kirk Cameron) on Saturday, Dec. 18; The Christmas Box (starring Richard Thomas, Annette O'Toole, Maureen O'Hara) on Saturday, Dec. 18; Miracle at Christmas: Ebbie's Story (starring Susan Lucci) on Sunday, Dec. 5; The Secret of Giving (starring Reba McIntire) on Sunday, Dec. 12; The Joyriders (starring Martin Landau, Elizabeth Moss, Kris Kristofferson) on Wednesday, Dec. 8; and Papa's Angels (starring Cynthia Nixon, Scott Bakula) on Tuesday, Dec. 14.
Also running throughout the month, GMC will serve up Top Spin: Top 12 Songs of Christmas, hosted by Tiffany Thorpe (premiering Friday, Dec. 3 at 8am), while Christmas Voices, presenting the festive sounds of Christmas music by the world's most popular inspirational singers, will sound every Monday to Saturday through Christmas Day at 7am (and other times, too). Throughout the month, the GMC Presents franchise will focus on original Christmas concert specials featuring performances from the likes of Natalie Grant, Jars of Clay, Mary Mary, Mercy Me, Mandisa, Take 6, George Huff, among others. The specials are also available on GMC onDemand. Scheduled for all dayparts during the month, GMC will offer exclusive interstitials in which stars including Jane Seymour, Joe Lando, Tia and Tamera Mowry, Kim Fields, Amy Grant, Mary Mary, Brian McKnight, Ledisi share their fondest holiday moments and memories.
Finally, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, GMC will burn brightly with its Christmas Yule Log Gospel Music Video Marathon" starting at 8 p.m. (ET) on Dec. 24.

Finally, we pay tribute to Leslie Nielsen, who passed away yesterday. Leslie Nielsen, who traded in his dramatic persona for inspired bumbling as a hapless doctor in the 1980 movie Airplane! and the accident-prone detective Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun trilogy (1988, 1991, 1994), died on Sunday (November 28, 2010) in Fort Lauderdale, FL in his sleep in a hospital after complications from pneumonia.
While Nielsen was know for movies and TV dramas, he appeared on sitcoms as well. He played Detective Frank Drebin first in the 1982 TV comedy series, Police Squad, which trashed the cliches of Dragnet and other cop shows. Despite good reviews, ABC canceled it after only four episodes to low ratings. The series aired Thursdays at 8pm and was paired with Bosom Buddies. The remaining two episodes were aired in the summer of 1982. Years later, CBS aired reruns of the short-lived comedy in the summer of 1991 when the film The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear came out in theatres. Nielsen was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 1982 for the role. Of course 6 years later the series turned into The Naked Gun film trilogy. Police Squad has been available on DVD since 2006. After Police Squad, he had another sitcom on ABC titled Shaping Up in mid-season 1984 lasting only 5 episodes despite being paired with Three's Company on Tuesdays at 9:30pm.
Earlier in his career he was a regular on dramas. The Swamp Fox on ABC in 1959, The New Breed on ABC in 1961, Peyton Place on ABC in 1964, Bracken's World on NBC in 1969, The Protectors on NBC in 1969, and the mini-series Backstairs at the White House on NBC in 1979.
He has also guest starred on many sitcoms such as The Farmer's Daughter, M*A*S*H, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, 227, Who's the Boss?, The Golden Girls, Evening Shade, Herman's Head, Day by Day, and Flesh 'n' Blood. He was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for Day by Day. He also guest starred on many dramas like Lights Out, Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Route 66, The Fugitive, Daniel Boone, Wagon Train, The Defenders, The Virginian, Ben Casey, The Wild Wild West, Dr. Kildare, Bonanza, It Takes a Thief, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, Night Gallery, Medical Center, The Mod Squad, The FBI, Barnaby Jones, The Streets of San Francisco, Hawaii Five-0, Ironside, Kojak, The Rookies, Lucas Tanner, Kung Fu, Cannon, Columbo, SWAT, Vega$, Hotel, Finders of Lost Love, Murder She Wrote, Highway to Heaven, Father Dowling Mysteries, Due South, and many more! Wow! I bet nobody knew he was on that much TV!
He has appeared in many TV movies as well such as Chance of a Lifetime in 1981 on NBC opposite Betty White, Cave-In! on NBC in 1983, The Wonderful World of Disney: Safety Patrol in 1998 for ABC and The Wonderful World of Disney: Santa Who? in 2000 for ABC.
Mr. Nielsen will be DEEPLY missed by his many fans. He was on TV dramas, films, and comedies. AMC is airing Airplane! tomorrow (Tuesday) at 6pm & 12am, while GMC is airing his episode of 227 on Tuesday at 11:30pm. These were already scheduled before his death, though. If there are any tributes, we will let you know. Let's hope someone airs Police Squad! Mr. Nielsen was 84.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Week 10 TV Ratings and Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did

2010-11 Week 10 TV Ratings (first four nights averages, Mon-Thu):

Households: N/A
Total Viewers: N/A
Adults 18-49: N/A

Week 10 (Nov. 22-28) Analysis: Week 10 had the end of November 2010 sweeps after Wednesday, but due to the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, we don't have final sweep numbers and finals through Thursday yet. We only have final ratings for Monday and Tuesday, so we will use preliminary numbers for Wednesday-Saturday, like we always do for Friday and Saturday. We cannot tell who is on top, but ABC lead the pack the first three nights of the week. So, I can project through the first four days, ABC probably has the lead in all categories, as CBS has to settle for second. Fox is likely third across the board and NBC is probably back in the familiar fourth across the board with no NFL until tonight to help them boost their weekly ratings. This could change like usual after tonight, due to a NFL overrun on Fox. Last week, week 9, had CBS first in all categories. ABC was second in all categories, as NBC tied them in 18-49 thanks to another great showing from Sunday Night Football. NBC was third in HH/viewers, leaving Fox in fourth across the board.

Monday still has ABC on top, like all season, but with a shortened Dancing, they had to settle for second in 18-49 for the second straight week. They started with a 73-minute Dancing with the Stars: The Finals winning the total viewer race with 23.7 million and a 4.9 18-49 rating, up SHARPLY from previous week, which was 91-minutes. Next Castle was preempted, but from 9:13-11pm ABC aired the premiere of the 5-week series Skating with the Stars. The premiere did 9.35 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, sounds OK but it dropped throughout the night. Hopefully for ABC it could stay in this range for regular episodes (Mondays at 8), even 15-20% lower than this would be OK for December. Next up was CBS with its comedies and Hawaii Five-0. At 8pm, How I Met Your Mother started it off with 8.73 million and a 3.5 18-49 rating, down a bit from previous week. At 8:30, Rules of Engagement did 7.96 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. Two and a Half Men followed with 14.39 million and a 4.5 18-49 rating, also on par with previous week. At 9:30, Mike & Molly did 12.93 million and a 4.0 18-49 rating, up from previous week as it didn't face Dancing again, for series highs. A new Hawaii Five-0 was next and did 12.34 million and a 3.3 18-49 rating, up two million from previous week, as looks like ABC not airing Castle certainly helped. Fox started off with House at 9.24 million and a 3.4 18-49 rating, down sharply from previous week...followed by a new Lie To Me doing 5.63 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, down some from previous week. NBC followed with Chuck doing 4.8 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, for season lows. At 9pm, The Event did just 5.19 million and just a 1.7 18-49 rating, on par with previous week in 18-49. Then at 10pm, Chase did 5.34 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating, up from previous week with no Castle. The CW was next but they were in repeats, with 90210 doing 870,000 viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating and Gossip Girl at 820,000 viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating. Even for repeats that is too low.

Tuesday had CBS take a back seat, as ABC won the night big the Dancing with the Stars finale. Starting with CBS, they had a new NCIS opening the night off with 18.78 million and a 3.9 18-49 rating, down some from previous week in total viewers. A new NCIS: Los Angeles was next and did 14.96 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating, both down some from previous week. And finally CBS aired a new episode of The Good Wife doing 10.03 million and only a 2.1 18-49 rating, both were season lows. ABC started off with No Ordinary Family doing 7.0 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, up some from previous week. Dancing with the Stars: The Finale was next and did 24.2 million and a 5.3 18-49 rating, up seven million in total viewers and nearly two full points in 18-49 from previous week, as we crowned Jennifer Grey the new champion! Detroit 1-8-7 was preempted due to the two-hour Dancing finale. Fox had a new Glee doing 10.41 million and a 4.0 18-49 rating, down sharply from previous week, going from a 5.0 to a 4.0 in 18-49. Next Raising Hope did only 5.7 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, down some from previous week but a better retention. A repeat followed with 4.34 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, still better than Running Wilde and up some from previous week. NBC was next with a two-hour The Biggest Loser episode doing 6.77 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, down from previous week. At 10pm was Parenthood doing 4.47 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, basically on par with previous week. The CW was in repeats for the second straight night as One Tree Hill did only 890,000 viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating, followed by an even worse Life UneXpected at just 800,000 viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating.

Wednesday it was the last night of November 2010 sweep but it also was Thanksgiving Eve, so everyone was down. We only have prelim ratings for this night and the rest of the week. CBS started the night off with Survivor: Nicaragua Clip Show at a prelim 8.03 million and a prelim 2.0 18-49 rating, down a ton up from previous week's regular episode, but expected. Veteran drama Criminal Minds was next but CBS aired a repeat and did a prelim 9.0 million and a prelim 1.9 A18-49 rating. At 10pm, The Defenders was also a repeat and did a prelim 7.35 million and a prelim 1.4 18-49 rating. ABC was all-new with its Laugh On comedy block and did well for Thanksgiving Eve with The Middle doing a prelim 8.18 million and a prelim 2.1 18-49 rating, down from previous week but better than last year's Thanksgiving Eve airing. Better With You was next and was down a bit to a prelm 6.78 million and a a prelim 1.9 18-49 rating. Modern Family was all-new at 9pm and did a prelim 10.53 million and a prelim 3.7 18-49 rating, down from previous week of course but up from last year's Thanksgiving Eve airing. Cougar Town was all-new as well and did a prelim 6.72 million and a prelim 2.5 18-49 rating, which was only off some from its previous episode in total viewers. And yes it was up from last year's Thanksgiving Eve airing. At 10pm, ABC aired the special Primetime: Celebrity Plastic Surgery Gone Too Far? and did a prelim 5.97 million and a prelim 1.8 18-49 rating. Did much better than a special that aired the previous week. NBC preempted the recently canceled Undercovers again with the holiday special Merry Madagascar doing a prelim 5.92 million and a prelim 1.5 18-49 rating, could have been better. Then at 8:30pm it was the premiere of an all-new special, Kung Fu Panda: Holiday Special but it didn't do so well with a prelim 5.92 million and a prelim 1.6 18-49 rating. Then Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Los Angeles were preempted for an all-new two-hour special The Biggest Loser: Where Are They Now? and it did a prelim 4.86 million only and a prelim 1.6 18-49 rating. Fox started off with a new episode of Human Target at a prelim 5.6 million but only a prelim 1.4 18-49 rating, down from previous week of course. Hell's Kitchen aired at 9 and did a prelim 5.1 million and a prelim 2.2 18-49 rating, down some from previous week. The CW had a Top Model Clip Show that did a prelim 1.86 million and a prelim 0.8 18-49 rating. A repeat of Hellcats followed with a prelim 1.03 million and a prelim 0.3 18-49 rating.

Thursday it was Thanksgiving night and we don't have final ratings yet for this night either, but Fox won the night. ABC opened the night with the classic special A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving doing a prelim 4.99 million and a prelim 1.5 18-49 rating for its second airing. Then Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice were preempted as we got a special repeat of Modern Family from last season doing a prelim 4.17 million and a prelim 1.4 18-49 rating, not bad for a random special airing. Then ABC aired a new 90-minute special titled Beyonce's I Am....World Tour doing a prelim 4.13 million and a prelim 1.3 18-49 rating, building each half-hour. CBS opened with a repeat of The Big Bang Theory at a prelim 6.36 million and a prelim 1.6 A18-49 rating. Then a repeat of $#*! My Dad Says followed with a prelim 6.05 million and a prelim 1.5 18-49 rating, not bad. Next, CSI was preempted but we got two more comedy repeats with another repeat of The Big Bang Theory doing a prelim 7.14 million and a prelim 2.0 18-49 rating, good numbers. Then a repeat of Mike & Molly on a special night did a prelim 6.5 million and a prelim 1.8 18-49 rating, good retention. A repeat of The Mentalist did a prelim 7.59 million and a prelim 1.6 18-49 rating. Fox preempted Bones and Fringe to give us Fox Movie: The Simpsons Movie which did a prelim 7.57 million and a prelim 2.7 18-49 rating, but that includes some NFL action in the 8pm half-hour. Final ratings will have a better picture. NBC was still in the familiar fourth on Thanksgiving, as Community, 30 Rock, The Office and Outsourced were all preempted. NBC aired specials from 8-10pm as Taylor Swift: Speak Now did a prelim 4.42 million and a prelim 1.2 18-49 rating at 8. At 9, NBC News Special: NBC's People of the Year only did a prelim 4.41 million and a prelim 1.0 18-49 rating. At 10, The Apprentice closed the night with only a prelim 3.37 million and a prelim 0.9 18-49...for season lows obviously. The CW was preempted in New York, so football ratings are in the prelim ratings for repeats of Vampire Diaries and Nikita so we won't cover this.

Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but on Friday everyone was very low due to Thanksgiving weekend. CBS, ABC and Fox all tied for first with a low 1.2 prelim 18-49 rating.
Saturday numbers had ABC's Saturday Night College Football coverage win the night with a higher average than previous week, everything else was low with repeats or movies.

Tonight ABC Sunday is in repeats with AFV, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters as the latter three are new next week. NBC has the Colts/Chargers NFL game that will make them number one for the night as usual. CBS has its normal Sunday line-up preempted from 9-11pm with a new Hallmark Hall of Fame movie that will skew old, following 60 Minutes/Amazing Race. Fox's animation block is new from 8-10pm, (except Family Guy) following an NFL overrun. NBC will win the night, thanks to NFL being a factor, Fox will be second thanks to an NFL overrun, with CBS and ABC following.

As for the week (week 10), since ABC is not new tonight, they could lose the top spot in HH/viewers to CBS. As for 18-49, it's anyone's game this week, as it is hard to predict with no finals for the first four nights. As for the coming week (week 11), we have lots of repeats, specials and some new showings of course. Specials include CMA Country Christmas on ABC Monday, How the Grinch Stole Christmas/Shrek the Halls on ABC Tuesday, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town on ABC Thursday, Big 12 Championship Game on ABC Saturday, Rudolph the Red Nosed-Reindeer on CBS Tuesday, Victoria Secret Fashion Show on CBS Tuesday, and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting on NBC Tuesday. Also, of note, the next two episodes of No Ordinary Family on ABC is at a special time of 9pm--so hopefully it is boosted.

Week 10 How the Sitcoms Did

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week 9 -- Nov. 15-21)

The Simpsons (Fox) 2 episodes - An all-new episode at 8pm did 6.59 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, which is sharply down week-to-week as it had no direct NFL lead-in. A repeat at 7:30pm did OK with 4.5 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating.
The Cleveland Show (Fox) 2 episodes - A new episode at 8:30pm did just 5.07 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating...down from previous week. This series has sprung a leak this season. A repeat at 7pm only did 2.55 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating.
Family Guy (Fox) - A new episode did 6.59 million and a 3.3 18-49 rating, down some from previous week. This show also hasn't done that great this season, especially after the season premiere.
American Dad! (Fox) - A new episode did 4.86 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, down some week-to-week.

Monday Sitcoms

How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A new episode did 8.73 million and a 3.5 18-49 rating, down just a lick from previous week.
Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 7.96 million for a new episode is up a few thousand from previous week and the 2.9 18-49 rating, is same as previous week. Consistent, but could be better.
Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 14.39 million for a new episode is up some week-to-week and its 4.5 18-49 rating was identical from previous week.
Mike & Molly (CBS) - 12.93 million for a new episode is up from the previous week again. 18-49 rating of 4.0 was a series high. Good showing!

Tuesday Sitcoms

Raising Hope (Fox) 2 episodes - The new sitcom was new at 9pm with 5.7 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, both down some from previous week, but its lead-in Glee was down a full point to a 4.0 18-49 rating, so it did its best retention of the season...a good sign, but still a long way to go. A repeat at 9:30pm did 4.34 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, up some from previous week despite the newer episode down some. Improved showing!
Running Wilde (Fox) - preempted.

Wednesday Sitcoms

The Middle (ABC) - ABC Laugh on Wednesday was all-new on the last night of sweeps, but it was Thanksgiving Eve, so expect lower numbers. We only have prelim ratings for this night due to the Thanksgiving holiday. A new episode of this show did a prelim 8.18 million and a prelim 2.1 18-49 rating. Up sharply from last year's Thanksgiving Eve airing.
Better with You (ABC) - A new episode did a prelim 6.78 million and a prelim 1.9 18-49 rating, not too bad as it was down just some from previous week in total viewers.
Modern Family (ABC) - A new episode did a prelim 10.53 million and a prelim 3.7 18-49 rating, obviously down from previous week but better than last year's Thanksgiving Eve airing.
Cougar Town (ABC) - A new episode did a prelim 6.72 million and a prelim 2.5 18-49 rating, only off some from its previous episode in total viewers. As with the other ABC comedies that aired last year on Thanksgiving Eve, also up from last year. Zach Braff was sort of in the episode, ha!

Thursday Sitcoms

The Big Bang Theory (CBS) 2 episodes - A repeat at its normal 8pm slot did a prelim 6.36 million and a prelim 1.6 18-49 rating. A second repeat at a special time of 9pm did a prelim 7.14 million and a prelim 2.0 18-49 rating. Not bad for Thanksgiving.
S#*! My Dad Says (CBS) - The first ever repeat of this show did a prelim 6.05 million and a prelim 1.5 18-49 rating for the pilot, good retention from the lead-in for, in my opinion, a terrible pilot.
Community (NBC) - preempted
30 Rock (NBC) - preempted.
The Office (NBC) - preempted.
Modern Family (ABC) - A special repeat on Thanksgiving night did a prelim 4.17 million and a prelim1.4 18-49 rating.
Mike & Molly (CBS) - A special repeat of the pilot on Thanksgiving night did a prelim 6.5 million and a prelim 1.8 18-49 rating.
Outsourced (NBC) - preempted.

Friday Sitcoms

None.

Saturday Sitcoms

None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) are Fox's animated comedies from 8-10 after NFL action.

Summing it up. Modern Family, Two and a Half Men, Mike & Molly, How I Met Your Mother were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as Raising Hope, Better With You) or just plain old terrible (such as American Dad! Sun).

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Digital Digest: The Fugitive - The Final (Fourth) Season, Volume One DVD Review

Welcome to Digital Digest, where we bring you news each and every week along with DVD/Blu-ray Disc reviews and other features! We hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving, and we have a lot of great news to be thankful for this week! Plus, we have a review of The Fugitive - The Fourth and Final Season, Volume One, from CBS Home Entertainment. Let's get started!

DIGITAL NEWS

This week, we start with some news that we have missed, but it is about a DVD release that is only a few weeks away! For those who have been purchasing The Lucille Ball Specials that MPI Home Video has been releasing, there is another DVD containing two of these specials coming up on December 16... that is only a few weeks away! The Lucille Ball Specials - Happy Anniversary & Goodbye/What Now, Catherine Curtis? will debut on DVD in a single disc on December 16 at a $14.98 MSRP. This was announced some time ago, but the release date was unknown at the time. Now, we know. We'll have a review of this in a few weeks!

That isn't the only DVD coming soon, though. Fans of the series The New Adventures of Old Christine will be pleased to know that The New Adventures of Old Christine - The Complete Fourth Season is coming soon, and very soon at that! On December 7, Warner Archive will be releasing the next-to-last season of the series, as an exclusive DVD-R product to their website. We don't have all of the details yet, but we are definitely glad to see the series continue on DVD, even if it isn't a wide retail release.

While we are speaking of Warner Archive, in our review of their Classic TV Christmas Collection, we noted that the episode of Perfect Strangers included in the set is a syndicated version of the episode. In response, they issued the following statement:

We thought we were releasing the Christmas DVD with the most complete original master of the Perfect Strangers episode "The Gift of the Mypiot," but apparently we included the syndicated version that is approximately two minutes shorter. Currently, we are reviewing the many master tapes we have to see if we can find the complete episode, and if we do have it, we will replace the current episode with the more complete one. The good thing about manufacturing-on-demand is that we are able to make rolling changes to our line since we are not stuck with tens of thousands of copies in a warehouse. That said, we will keep you posted with details on if we locate the correct master, and how we are rolling it out. Also- we honestly appreciate when fans point these kinds of errors out, because we are committed to releasing the best quality products we can. Thanks!

So what does this long and verbose statement mean? Simply put, in a nutshell, they thought that they had included the unedited version, and are trying to find the correct version. And if they do find it, then they will replace the edited version with the unedited version on future orders of the DVD set. Hopefully, they will find it (and perhaps be able to do something for those who have already purchased the set). There is still no word on what they plan on doing with Night Court - The Complete Fourth Season, but as of this writing, it is still unavailable to order from their website.

Mill Creek announced a few weeks ago that they would be releasing several "best of" and "volume" sets of series previously released by Shout! Factory, and in January, they will be delivering once again. January 18 will bring My Two Dads - You Can Count on Me!, Simon & Simon - The Best of Season Two, and thirtysomething - Season One, Volume One. All of these are episodes of series that have already been released, but now you can get them at a much lower price for just a few of the episodes. They all have a $14.98 MSRP, but you'll likely be able to find them in the $5-10 price range as most Mill Creek DVD sets are. And yes, they will likely come in those atrocious paper sleeves that Mill Creek has been using for all of their DVD sets.

Mill Creek will also be releasing some more series from their Stephen J. Cannell library, including 21 Jump Street - The Complete Fourth Season and Stingray - The Complete Series on the same day. This is the second time that both sets have been released, but for Stingray, this is the first time it has been released as an American release (previously, it was released for Canada by VEI). These will also have a $14.98 MSRP.

Finally, we end with two news items from CBS Home Entertainment, the first regarding the legal drama Matlock. Matlock - The Sixth Season is coming January 25 at a $49.99 MSRP. Meanwhile, the primetime soap opera that mixed catfights and caviar, Dynasty, will be coming with a new release on March 22. Presumably, this will be the first half of the fifth season of the series, unless CBS Home Entertainment changes their release model.

UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Get prepared for another slow week of releases on Tuesday (November 30), but at least they are both very good sets. From Universal, we have Parks & Recreation - Season Two. This is a very hilarious show, and a very good DVD set. I encourage you to read our review of the set. CBS Home Entertainment has another installment of The Lucy Show - The Official Third Season. Unfortunately, we haven't received this to review yet, but we are sure that it'll be an "all-star" DVD set as well, and will not disappoint any fan of Lucy out there. We'll have a review of it as soon as we get it on our main review page.

BLOG FEATURE REVIEW

The Fugitive - The Fourth and Final Season, Volume One
by skees53

A man who is on the run from the law is a fugitive, but Richard Kimble (David Janssen) is no ordinary fugitive. Having escaped from death row (thanks to a train wreck) for being wrongly convicted of killing his wife, Kimble is determined to go on a journey to prove his innocence, and along the way, he runs in to others who need his help too. Check out our review of The Fugitive - The Fourth and Final Season, Volume One.

The Fugitive - The Fourth and Final Season, Volume One (CBS Home Entertainment, $39.98) is the first installment of the final season in Richard Kimble's (David Janssen) quest to prove that he is not guilty of killing his wife. The fourth season, the first (and only) one to be broadcast in color, finally brings closure to the series, but before we get there, this set contains the first 15 episodes of the journey to that closure.

There are many twists and turns in the storyline to get us here, and it all began in the first season when a fortunate train wreck helped Kimble to escape from prison. Kimble, a former physician, was on a train to go to his execution for killing his wife, a crime that he did not commit. Once the train crashes, he struggles with trying to prove his innocence, but in the meantime, he has to move from town to town to avoid the inevitable, going back to death row. The time clock is ticking and Kimble has to do whatever is possible to prove his innocence before he gets caught. Along the way, he supports himself by helping others in whatever way possible, just hoping that he doesn't get caught.

The fourth season begins with "The Last Oasis," where Kimble finds a (temporary) home at an Indian reservation, where he is offered a job as a teacher. Kimble is caught on security camera and fears that he may be caught, and in the process becomes a witness to a murder in "Death is a Door Prize." Kimble finds a quiet town in "A Clean and Quiet Town," but not all is well for him when he discovers the town is run by the mob, and they are out to get him. Kimble is accused of murder while working as an apartment building janitor in "Sharp Edge of Chivalry." In "Joshua's Kingdom," Kimble tries to uphold his duties as a doctor against a father unwilling to use medicine. Kimble has to intervene in a labor strike when the union leader may be on a hit list in "Wine is a Traitor."
Kimble helps a woman struck by a car in "Nobody Loses All the Time," but as it turns out, she happens to be the girlfriend of the man he believed framed him for murder. Kimble is arrested during a union strike in "Right in the Middle of the Season." Can Kimble kill to protect his innocence in his wife's murder? A motorcycle gang offers to help in "The Devil's Disciples." In "The Blessings of Liberty," another doctor is wanted for murder after offering illegal abortions. Kimble has an offer from a mobster to kill his pursuer in "The Evil Men Do." The set ends with "Run the Man Down," where stolen money threatens to cause more trouble for Kimble.

There are many great guest stars in this set, including Hope Lange, Lois Nettleton, Tom Skerritt, Dabney Coleman, Julie Sommars, Ed Asner, and more.

Having never seen this series prior to this review, I don't know if the episodes are unedited or not. However, most episodes on the set look fine. There were some major issues with music replacement on a previous set, and this set says that it contains music edits. However, I don't know how severe they are, and they mostly seem fine. The episodes even have their original "Next, The Fugitive, in color" tags at the beginning. Runtimes are as follows:

Disc 1:
1. "The Last Oasis" (51:36)
2. "Death is a Door Prize" (51:23)
3. "A Clean and Quiet Town" (51:36)
4. "Sharp Edge of Chivalry" (51:37)

Disc 2:
5. "Ten Thousand Pieces of Silver" (51:37)
6. "Joshua's Kingdom" (51:35)
7. "Second Sight" (50:37)
8. "Wine is a Traitor" (50:36)

Disc 3:
9. "Approach with Care" (51:37)
10. "Nobody Loses All the Time" (51:36)
11. "Right in the Middle of the Season" (51:36)
12. "The Devil's Disciples" (51:35)

Disc 4:
13. "The Blessings of Liberty" (51:27)
14. "The Evil Men Do" (51:06)
15. "Run the Man Down" (51:34)

Like the previous releases, this set is in a Viva pack, with a picture of Dr. Kimble on the cover. The back has another picture of Kimble, along with several snapshots from the series, and basic information about the season. Inside the case, there are four discs (no artwork except the series logo) which contain four episodes each, except for Disc 4, which contains three episodes. There are episode descriptions and airdates for all of the episodes, as well.

As for the menus, they are VERY basic, with just various stills of Kimble, and a listing of all of the episodes on the disc, along with a Play All option and a Set Up option. Set Up allows you to turn on the English subtitles. Chapters are placed throughout each episode.

The series looks and sounds great, and there are few (if any) issues with the video and audio quality. The color does allow SOME of the minor imperfections to show up (since the previous sets were of black and white episodes), but the only real issue is some minor grain and debris. The sound is very loud and clear, as well. Each episode contains English subtitles.

There is one special feature on this disc, and it can be found on Disc 4. "Composer Dominic Frontiere: A Season of Change" (10:37) is a brief featurette that talks about Dominic Frontiere, the new musical composer for this season of the series. Really, this is basically just an interview with him, where he talks about his beginnings, this series, and other series that he worked on. Still, it is nice to see that this set wasn't totally neglected for special features.

This was my first time watching the series, and at first, I thought that it was awful. And if you don't know the backstory, then it probably IS awful. But I recently picked up Season One, Volume One at Big Lots (in their $6) DVDs and watched the pilot, and with a better understanding of what is going on, I realized how great this series actually is. So, if you've never seen the series before, I would strongly recommend NOT starting with this season, but instead to start from the beginning. I think fans of this type of series will enjoy the series. It is a lot like a version of The A-Team from the 60s. So what is in store for Dr. Kimble next? Find out when CBS Home Entertainment releases the final volume of the series!

(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
The Fugitive on TV.com

LOOKING AHEAD

We'll be back next week with more news and reviews! As we approach the holiday season, our news will probably slow down, although this week proves that it doesn't exactly come to a halt! Until then, keep it digital!

Friday, November 26, 2010

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 29, 2010)

It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars (but we won't cover movie stars like Tom Hanks or John Travolta, since they won't be talking about their past sitcoms likely), so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of Nov. 29-Dec. 3, 2010, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Bill Cosby (The Cosby Show/Cosby) - Watch Bill on an all-new Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC at 11:35pm.
John Stamos (Full House/Jake in Progress) - Catch John on Chelsea Lately on E!
George Lopez (George Lopez) - George appears on Conan on TBS at 11pm.
Zachary Levi (Less than Perfect) - Catch Zachary on The Rachel Ray Show, so chck listings, and then later on Lopez Tonight at 12am on TBS.
Joel McHale (Community) - Catch Joel on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly, but check your listings for time and station.
Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother) - Watch Alyson on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your listings.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Tracy Morgan (30 Rock/Tracy Morgan Shw/SNL) - Catch a REPEAT of Tracy on Late Show with David Letterman on at 11:35pm on CBS.
Bill Cosby (Cosby Show/Cosby) - Watch the legendary star on Lopez Tonight on TBS at 12am.
Bob Saget (Full House/Surviving Suburbia/Entourage/Raising Dad) - Catch Bob on the TODAY Show on NBC, then later in the morning on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am PT-CT and then on The Joy Behar Show on HLN at 9pm.
Mindy Kaling (The Office) - Watch Mindy on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your listings.
Kim Fields (The Facts of Life/Living Single) - Catch Kim on an all-new The Mo'nique Show at 11pm on BET.
Eric Roberts (Less than Perfect) - Catch Eric on a REPEAT of The Wendy Williams Show, so check your listings.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Joel McHale (Community) - Catch Joel on an all-new Conan on TBS at 11pm.
Brandy (Moesha/Thea) - Watch Brandy on Lopez Tonight at 12am on TBS.
Steve Harvey (The Steve Harvey Show) - Watch Steve on The Rachel Ray Show, so check your local listings.
Marlo Thomas (That Girl) - Catch Marlo on an all-new The Martha Stewart Show on The Hallmark Channel at 10am.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Michael J. Fox (Family Ties/Spin City) - Catch a REPEAT of Michael on Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother) - Watch Alyson on an all-new Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC at 12:06am.
Tracy Morgan (30 Rock/Tracy Morgan Show/SNL) - Catch Tracy on a REPEAT of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
Kevin Nealon (Weeds) - Watch Kevin on Conan on TBS at 11pm.
Mario Lopez (Saved by the Bell) - It's all right, because you can catch Mario on Lopez Tonight at 12am on TBS.
Cybill Shepherd (Cybill) - Catch a repeat of Cybil on The Oprah Show, so check your local listings.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Craig Robinson (The Office) - Catch Craig on a REPEAT of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:37am on NBC.
Mila Kunis (That '70s Show/Family Guy) - Watch Mila on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your listings for showtime and station.

Leave us comments on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us to let us know what you think of this Friday feature! We do listen!

Thursday, November 25, 2010

2010 Thanksgiving TV Marathons on TV This Weekend

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! We thank you for visiting us on this special day and every other day, all-year. We also are very thankful that you all will continue to visit every single day and making this blog a continued huge success. We get thousands of visitors every day (even on weekends). So, we thank you for the growth each year! It is simply amazing and I can't believe it has been over 5 years now of posting on this blog every single day no matter what! No days off!

Before we let you all go back to your families (or special friends), we want to let you know the marathons on TV you and your family might want to watch during the day and after Thanksgiving dinner. We love TV marathons and you all come here on each holiday to see what marathons are airing, so as always we will do that today, too, of course!

We have told you about many of the sitcom related marathons already in our regular news stories. As mentioned yesterday, Centric has a Cosby Show marathon on Thanksgiving Day from 9am-9pm ET. TV Land has its annual Overstuffed Weekend with I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched and Roseanne on Thanksgiving Day and Night, with many other sitcoms from Friday-Sunday. Nick at Nite has a George Lopez marathon all night long through Sunday. TV One has a Thanksgiving episodes marathon from 6am-1pm with Half & Half, All of Us, Good Times, A Different World, Living Single and of course Martin airing. New York City is lucky to have a marathon of The Odd Couple today on WPIX from 11am-7pm! So yeah we told you about all these already many moons ago. TBS has its Seinfeld "Festivus" marathon tomorrow (Friday) from 11am-8pm, that we already told you about. Also on Friday, BET airs an Everybody Hates Chris marathon from 9am-7pm.

Non-sitcom wise, we told you about ReelzChannel's Ally McBeal-athon earlier this week. SOAPnet has a Beverly Hills 90210 marathon from 4pm-12am tonight. USA Network will have a Burn Notice marathon today starting at 6am, while a Law & Order marathon airs on TNT from 10am-8pm. Other notables for Thanksgiving Thursday include an Ugly Betty marathon on TV Guide Channel from 12pm-2am, a Star Trek: The Next Generation marathon on BBC America starting at 8am, a Kick Buttkowski marathon on Disney XD from 6am-12am which includes a premiere episode at 8:30 with Alyssa Milano & Henry Winkler, and a Cake Boss marathon on TLC. We also have a Deal or No Deal marathon on GSN from 9am-6pm, a Biography marathon on Bio TV from 8am-5am, Mythbusters marathon on Discovery Channel, SNL marathon on VH-1 from 8pm-1am, Gangland marathon on Spike TV, and many many movies marathons on networks like ABC Family, FX, Hallmark, Lifetime, Sleuth, Comedy Central, and Syfy's James Bond Movies marathon. VS. has a Rocky movie marathon. Hallmark Movie Channel showcases a Murder, She Wrote marathon on Friday from 12am-4am, while ION Television has a Criminal Minds marathon on Friday from 3pm-1am.
Check out more TV marathons on Thanksgiving weekend, from our friends at TV Tango!

And don't forget my pick of the night, tonight at 8pm on ABC the holiday classic A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. It's an annual tradition to watch! Can't get enough of old Chuck! If you haven't seen it already, view our 2010 Network TV Holiday Specials and Movies Guide, so you don't miss anything on network TV this holiday season. Also our ABC Family 25 Days of Christmas schedule, because that is the place to be as always during the holiday season with classics like A Flintstone Christmas and Winnie the Pooh & Christmas Too!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Centric Thanksgiving Stunts, Schedule Change; The Hub Premieres Shows on Christmas & New Year's

Centric will air two sitcom marathons on this Thanksgiving weekend! First up on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 25) itself, Centric presents a marathon of America's favorite sitcom family, the Huxtables, with a Cosby Show marathon from 9am-9pm! You'll see the very first episode along with classic episodes such as "Goodbye, Mr. Fish," "A Shirt Story," "First Day of School," and "Mrs. Westlake." The next day (Friday, Nov. 26), Centric presents a marathon of The Steve Harvey Show from 9am-9pm leading into The Steve Harvey Project at 9. Various episodes from seasons 4-6 will air of the sitcom, from "Y2K" to "The Graduates." Also of note, on Saturday (Nov. 27), Centric will present a full-day of Soul Train from 9:30am-6am with classic episodes, Soul Train Awards 2010 Nominees and Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America. The Soul Train 2010 Awards airs on Centric on Sunday at 9pm!
As for the regular schedule, it looks like The Steve Harvey Show is no longer airing on the regular schedule starting next week (Nov. 29). The sitcom was airing weekdays in the 1pm hour, but now at least for next week, we see encores of the new The Steve Harvey Project airing in the hour. The schedule looks like this for series: Miami Vice at 6am, The A-Team at 7am, Soul Train at noon, an encore of The Steve Harvey Project at 1pm, back-to-back The Cosby Show at 2pm, Flick Central Movie at 3, back-to-back The Jamie Foxx Show at 5pm, another encore of The Steve Harvey Project at 6pm, various BET original encores at 7pm, back-to-back The Cosby Show at 8pm, an all-new The Steve Harvey Project at 9pm, back-to-back In Living Color at 10pm, another Soul Train at 11pm, back-to-back The Jamie Foxx Show at 12am, back-to-back The Cosby Show at 1am, back-to-back In Living Color at 2am, Flick Central movie encore at 3am, and The A-Team at 5am.
Stay tuned early tomorrow for tomorrow's blog, as we give you the full rundown of the Thanksgiving marathons on TV this Thanksgiving weekend! Tune in tonight for all-new Thanksgiving episodes of ABC's Laugh on Wednesday (The Middle/Better With You/Modern Family/Cougar Town) starting at 8pm ET/PT!

While we only really report on The Hub's primetime sitcoms (Family Ties, The Wonder Years, Doogie Howser, Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley) and the classic Batman (which all air Mon-Thurs from 8pm-12am), we have some noteworthy updates for you.
Coming to The Hub on Christmas Day (Saturday, Dec. 25) is R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series, a half-hour, live-action children's anthological storytelling series, featuring the best-selling author of kids horror and the master of scary takes, R.L. Stine (Goosebumps). The series will debut with two new episodes back-to-back, "A Creature Was Stirring" (8 p.m. ET) and "The Dead Body" (8:30 p.m. ET).
Adding to the holiday festivities, The Hub will ring in the New Year (Saturday, Jan. 1) with the premiere of Dan Vs., a new, half-hour animated series featuring Dan, a lovable misanthrope who takes on different adversaries with his pal Chris, on a ceaseless quest for justice in various misadventures. The series premiere will include two new episodes, "New Mexico" (7 p.m. ET) and "The Ninja" (7:30 p.m. ET).
As previously announced, cast for Dan Vs. includes: Curtis Armstrong (Revenge of the Nerds), Dave Foley (The Kids in the Hall), Paget Brewster (Criminal Minds) and Family Ties stars Meredith Baxter & Michael Gross. That's right Baxer and Gross, together again, even if it is animated! You can watch them on Family Ties Mon-Thurs 8-9pm on The Hub.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Me-TV Going National Starting December 8; Fox Schedules Running Wilde Schedule and Finale

You saw that title correctly, Weigel's Me-TV (Memorable Entertainment TV) is going national starting Wednesday, December 8, 2010! It is expanding beyond just stations in Chicago and Milwaukee! This is wonderful news and the coming months are shaping up to be great for fans of classic TV, as we also will be getting Antenna TV in many markets on digital local stations starting Jan. 1. See our previous stories on Antenna TV.
Back to Me-TV, it will be a free, over-the-air television network for local broadcasters, just like Tribune's Antenna TV. It will run 24 hours/7 days a week with iconic television series in all the classic genres: comedy, drama, western adventure and crime/courtroom/detective series. More than 50 series from the 1950s-1980s have been licensed for air on the national Me-TV Network from multiple studios and independent producers. This allows for the type of seasonal and thematic program stunts which have defined Me-TV in Chicago for more than seven years as the destination for true, classic television presented with respect for the programs and viewers.
Among the series on the national Me-TV will be The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Bob Newhart Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, I Love Lucy, Perry Mason, Laverne & Shirley, The Twilight Zone, Bonanza, Happy Days, M*A*S*H, Cheers, Beverly Hillbillies, Streets of San Francisco, The Big Valley, Hawaii Five-0, Star Trek, Gunsmoke, Marshall Dillon, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Honey West, Taxi, The Brady Bunch, My Three Sons, Cannon, The Odd Couple, The Honeymooners, The Untouchables, Gomer Pyle, Hogan's Heroes, Get Smart, Rawhide, Combat, 12 O'Clock High, Phil Silvers Show, The Wild Wild West, Petticoat Junction, Car 54 Where Are You? and Family Affair! Most of these series are from CBS Paramount with a few from 20th Century Television as well. View and discuss the complete schedule.
So what does Antenna TV think of this? Sean Compton, VP of Tribune Broadcasting, told us this: "I'm glad they are launching, the dot 2 spectrum is going to be filled with great programming. Me-TV is a competing yet at the same time complementing service. We have opposite shows and they don't run movies. (It) should be fun having both of us out there. I wish them luck; they are good guys." We also spoke with Neal Sabin, VP of Weigel Broadcasting, and he added the following: "Sean and I have a great relationship, we are sort of co-competitors of sorts. There is a mutual admiration between us, and I think the market place benefits from having both of us out there. In every market where Tribune or local TV has the Antenna TV affiliation, we become an option for the other broadcasters." -- We agree 100% with both Sean and Neal! The more classic TV, the merrier! SitcomsOnline.com supports both services and cannot wait for both to launch!
So now we have to ask, what markets will Me-TV be in? Antenna TV has secured nearly all of the top markets, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, but what about Me-TV? We will let you know clearances very soon, but unfortunately there is no clearance yet for New York City, but hopefully they can secure a spot soon. Chicago and Milwaukee will of course still remain with their current line-up. Stay tuned for clearances for Me-TV national!
View more on the national Me-TV Network. Me-TV is owned by Weigel Broadcasting Company.

Moving on to the other news of the day, Fox has set the finale date for struggling comedy Running Wilde. Fox has said they are not going to order more than the initial 13 episodes of the comedy, but it is all but canceled. They haven't said the "c" word, but after the terrible ratings, it seems it has zero chance of coming back next season.
The comedy starring Will Arnett and Keri Russell still has six episodes left to air and they will ALL air in December. It will air at its normal time of Tuesdays at 9:30pm next week (Nov. 30) and the following week (Dec. 7). The next two Tuesdays, Fox will preempt the series (Glee repeats on Dec. 14 and a new Million Dollar Money Drop on Dec. 21). As a result, Fox will move the show to Sundays for the next three weeks: Sunday, Dec. 12 at 7pm, Sunday, Dec. 19 at 7pm and Sunday, Dec. 26 at 9:30pm. The final two episodes will air on its normal night of Tuesdays, with back-to-back airings in the 9pm hour on Tuesday, Dec. 28.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Fox Mid-Season 2011 Schedule; ReelzChannel's Ally McBeal-athon on Thanksgiving

Late on Friday, Fox announced its revised mid-season 2011 schedule. As always, Fox releases their first draft of the mid-season schedule during upfronts every May, but almost always the schedule changes when a revised version is announced in November. And that is the case here, too. We hinted earlier in the day on Friday on Twitter that American Idol would be moving to Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8pm, and it became official.
American Idol moves to Wednesdays and Thursdays beginning with a two-night premiere event Wednesday, Jan. 19 from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT and Thursday, Jan. 20 in the 8:00 PM ET/PT hour. American Idol welcomes new judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, who join judge Randy Jackson and host Ryan Seacrest, and an all-new crop of hopefuls from auditions held in Austin, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, San Francisco and East Rutherford, NJ. Idol Wednesday will regularly air Wednesdays in the 8:00 PM hour, before expanding to two-hours episodes beginning Feb. 16 and then later will be reduced to 90-minutes from 8:00-9:30 PM starting April 6. Idol Thursday will air in the 8:00 PM hour every week.
The mid-season schedule starts Tuesday, Jan. 4 with more Million Dollar Money Drop as it will challenge more duos to keep their $1 million with all-new episodes airing for four weeks on Tuesdays at 9:00 PM ET/PT starting Jan. 4, plus two bonus Thursday at 8:00 PM ET/PT episodes on Jan. 6 and 13. Then after a run of six all-new episodes in a row this fall, Human Target springs into action with special two-hour episodes airing Wednesday, Jan. 5 and 12 from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT. The action-packed drama charges into its time period premiere Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 9:00 PM ET/PT following American Idol for three weeks to finish up its season of 13 episodes.
Bob's Burgers, the new animated comedy about a man, his family and their burger joint, opens Sunday, Jan. 9 at 8:30 PM ET/PT. In the newest addition to the Sunday "Animation Domination" lineup, Bib (H. Jon Benjamin) and his quirky family have big ideas about burgers, but fall short on service and sophistication. Despite the greasy counters, lousy location and a dearth of customers, Bob and his family are determined to make Bob's "grand re-re-re-opening" a success. As a result of this addition, The Cleveland Show will be moving starting Sunday, Jan. 9 at 9:30 PM ET/PT, with American Dad! moving to a new time a week later Sunday, Jan. 16 at 7:30 PM ET/PT. The Simpsons and Family Guy remain in their 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM half-hours.
Lie to Me reveals a special two-hour episode Monday, Jan. 10 from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT with Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) continuing his search for the truth in its regular time period Mondays at 9:00 PM ET/PT until Jan. 31 following new episodes of House. As previously announced, The Chicago Code, the new police drama from creator Shawn Ryan (The Shield), will make its anticipated debut the night after Super Bowl XLV, Monday, Feb. 7 at 9:00 PM ET/PT, following all-new episodes of House.
The thrill continues when Bones moves to a new time period on Thursdays ow at 9:00 PM ET/PT after American Idol starting Jan. 20. As a result, fan-favorite Fringe will travel to a new night with all-new episodes beginning Friday, Jan. 28 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. Also on Fridays, Kitchen Nightmares serves up a new season Friday, Jan. 21 at 8:00 PM ET/PT. Each week, Chef Gordon Ramsay will try to help turn around some of the country's most unsanitary and unsuccessful restaurants on the verge of closing their doors forever.
Fox Tuesday line-up will return in February, as Glee continues with encores until all-new episodes begin in February with a special installment airing immediately following Super Bowl XLV Sunday, Feb. 6 (approximately 10:30-11:30 PM ET/7:30-8:30 PM PT). Then beginning Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 8:00 PM ET/PT, Glee leads a night of all-new episodes of Fox comedies, including the return of Raising Hope at 9:00 PM ET/PT and the premiere of new comedy Mixed Signals at 9:30 PM ET/PT. Mixed Signals is the new relationship comedy created by Bob Fisher that reveals how friendships and romances both enhance and complicate the lives of the men and women in them. The new ensemble comedy stars David Denman (The Office), Nelson Franklin (I Love You, Man), Kris Marshall (Human Target), Liza Lapira (Dexter) and Aya Cash (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit).
Additionally, Fox has picked up the comedy Breaking In (working title), an offbeat half-hour workplace comedy about a high-tech security firm that takes extreme - and often questionable - measures to sell their protection services. Created by Adam F. Goldberg and Seth Gordon, the series centers on a team of uniquely skilled oddball geniuses hand-picked to work for a manipulative mastermind. Starring Christian Slater (the forgotten), Bret Harrison (Reaper) and Odette Yustman (October Road), the new comedy premieres Wednesday, April 6 at 9:30 PM ET/PT following 90-minute American Idol episodes from 8:00-9:30 PM ET/PT.
View the FULL Fox mid-season 2011 press release and also view our day-by-day schedule for Fox winter/mid-season.

You take care of the turkey, ReelzChannel will handle the TV. On Thanksgiving Day, ReelzChannel is airing the first 12 episodes of Ally McBeal in the first ever "McBeal-athon" - 12 hours of America's favorite quirky, self-questioning lawyer played by Calista Flockhart. The Ally McBeal-athon starts at 8am ET through 8pm ET on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 25, 2010 only on ReelzChannel!
The Ally McBeal-athon begins with the pilot episode where we meet Ally, a new law school graduate who is caught off guard when she accepts a job at a law firm only to learn that her childhood sweetheart and first love works there too. From there, we follow Ally and her colleagues Georgia Thomas (Courtney Thorne-Smith), Billy Thomas (Gil Bellows), Richard Fish (Greg Germann), Renee Raddick (Lisa Nicole Carson), John Cage (Peter MacNicol), Elaine Vassal (Jane Krakowski) and Vonda Shepard among others as they argue tough cases, explore office romance, confront the separation of church and state and hallucinate about dancing babies. The series doesn't stop there as ReelzChannel continues to air Ally McBeal every weekday at 3pm ET/12pm PT and 4pm ET/1pm PT.
And for all those die-hard Calista Flockhart fans, stay tuned to ReelzChannel after the Ally McBeal-athon for Brothers & Sisters at 10pm ET/ 7pm PT and watch as Flockhart's character, Kitty Walker, makes her debut appearance in the very first episode "Patriarchy." Kitty returns home from California after having been estranged from her mother for three years while contemplating a job offer and a marriage proposal. Brothers & Sisters airs every weekday at 2pm ET/11am PT and 10pm ET/7pm PT

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Week 9 TV Ratings and Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did

2010-11 Week 9 TV Ratings (first four nights of the season, Mon-Thu):

Households: #1. CBS 7.9/12.9 rating/share; #2. ABC 6.7/11.0; #3. Fox 4.5/7.0; #4. NBC 3.8/6.2; #5. The CW 1.2/1.9
Total Viewers: #1. CBS 12.94 million; #2. ABC 10.61 million; #3. Fox 7.55 million; #4. NBC 5.93 million; #5. The CW 1.8 million.
Adults 18-49: #1. CBS 3.2/9.0 rating/share; #2. ABC 2.8/7.8; #3. Fox 2.8/7.6; #4. NBC 2.0/5.5; #5. The CW 0.8/2.2.

Week 9 (Nov. 15-21) Analysis: Week 8 has CBS on top through the first four nights, as ABC was on top through the first four nights in week 8 thanks to the CMA's. So, through the first four days, CBS has the lead in all categories, as ABC has to settle for second. Fox is third across the board and NBC is back in the familiar fourth across the board with no NFL until tonight to help them boost their weekly ratings. This could change like usual after tonight, due to a NFL overrun on CBS, so expect CBS or ABC to possibly take the week in 18-49, as ABC has the AMA's tonight. Last week, week 8, had CBS in first in HH/viewers but Fox took the 18-49 crown for the second time this season. ABC was second in all categories, including 18-49, so CBS as actually third for the week in 18-49. NBC was up to third in HH/viewers, leaving Fox in fourth...but they were first in 18-49, go figure.

Monday still has ABC on top, like all season, but with a shortened Dancing, they had to settle for second in 18-49. They started with a 90-minute Dancing with the Stars winning the total viewer race with 20.68 million and a 4.0 18-49 rating, up in viewers and on par in 18-49 with previous week, which was two-hours. A special repeat of last season finale of The Middle did good for a repeat with 9.61 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating...just some sampling for ABC's lead-off comedy on Wednesdays. In fact, the total viewers was a series high. Next an all-new Castle did a solid 9.98 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, down some from the previous week in total viewers but the exact same 18-49 rating as previous week, despite the lead-in NOT being Dancing. Good showing for the show, as it did it on its own. Next up was CBS with its comedies and Hawaii Five-0. At 8pm, How I Met Your Mother started it off with 8.87 million and a 3.6 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. At 8:30, Rules of Engagement did 7.92 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, down a lick from previous week. Two and a Half Men followed with 14.25 million and a 4.5 18-49 rating, up from previous week. At 9:30, Mike & Molly did 12.15 million and a 3.7 18-49 rating, up from previous week as it for the first time didn't face Dancing. A new Hawaii Five-0 was next and did 10.34 million and a 2.8 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week, despite a higher lead-in. Fox started off with an improved House at 10.77 million and a 4.0 18-49 rating, up from previous week...followed by a new Lie To Me doing 5.94 million and a third place 1.9 18-49 rating (beating NBC again), and up some from previous week. NBC followed with Chuck returning and doing 5.43 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating. At 9pm, The Event did just 5.64 million and a fourth place 1.7 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. Then at 10pm, Chase did just 4.57 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, also on par with previous week. The CW was next, with 90210 doing 1.76 million & a 0.9 18-49 rating and Gossip Girl at 1.69 million & a 0.9 18-49 rating...both down a bit in viewers from previous week but steady (but low) in 18-49.

Tuesday had CBS win in viewers but Fox won in 18-49. CBS had a new NCIS opening the night off with 19.43 million and a 3.9 18-49 rating, down some from previous week. A new NCIS: Los Angeles was next and did 15.81 million and a 3.3 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. And finally CBS aired a new episode of The Good Wife doing 11.74 million and only a 2.2 18-49 rating, tying a season low from previous week. The total viewers was down from previous week. ABC started off with No Ordinary Family doing 6.69 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, down from previous week to lowest numbers yet. I don't understand the drop, since previous week had a climb. Hopefully this week it goes back to those levels. Dancing with the Stars Results Show was next and did 17.43 million and a 3.4 18-49 rating, up in total viewers from previous week, as we said goodbye sadly to Brandy. That is total crap, as Bristol Palin really was the worst one of the four remaining dancers. She won't win the whole thing, I can assure that. At 10pm, Detroit 1-8-7 was new doing 8.03 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, up some from its previous episode in total viewers. Fox had a new Glee doing 11.7 million and a 5.0 18-49 rating, up from previous week with a special episode. Next Raising Hope did only 5.91 million and a 2.7 18-49 rating, up from previous week. A repeat followed with 3.96 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, better than Running Wilde as Fox has pulled that show from sweeps. NBC was next with a two-hour The Biggest Loser episode doing 6.91 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, up some from previous week. At 10pm was Parenthood doing 4.8 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, down from previous week's 2.1. The CW was all-new One Tree Hill doing only 1.9 million & 0.9 18-49 rating, followed by an even worse Life UneXpected at just 1.33 million & a 0.6 18-49 rating, the latter show was off a bit from previous week.

Wednesday it was CBS back on top after ABC won the previous week with CMA's. CBS started the night off with Survivor: Nicaragua at 11.98 million and a 3.5 18-49 rating, up from previous week's season lows. Veteran drama Criminal Minds was next and did 14.39 million and a 3.8 A18-49 rating, sharply up from previous week's season lows as well...more so than Survivor, though. At 10pm, The Defenders aired and did 9.43 million but only a 1.9 18-49 rating, both up some from previous week's series lows, though. CBS was down big the previous week because of the CMA's, it seems. ABC returned its Laugh On comedy block after a week off and did well with The Middle doing a solid 9.29 million and a 2.8 18-49 rating, just off a bit from series highs. Better With You was next and was down a bit to 7.11 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating. Special guest star Reba should have spiked it up some, but it didn't. Modern Family was all-new at 9pm and did a great 12.09 million and a 4.8 18-49 rating, the best among sitcoms. Cougar Town was all-new as well and did 7.05 million and a 3.0 18-49 rating, which was off some from its previous episode. At 10pm, ABC aired the special 25 Years of Sexy: People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive! and did only 4.08 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating. Comedy repeats would have been better. NBC preempted the recently canceled Undercovers with the special Dateline: William & Kate - A Royal Love Story doing 6.72 million and 1.6 18-49 rating, the best numbers in this slot in weeks. At 9, Law & Order: SVU was next doing 7.65 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, up just a bit from previous week's season lows. A new Law & Order: Los Angeles was next and did 7.84 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, up from previous week's series low. Fox started off with the season premiere of Human Target at 6.59 million but only a 1.8 18-49 rating, lower than the usual Hell's Kitchen 8pm airing. Hell's aired at 9 and did 5.92 million and 2.6 18-49 rating, off some from previous week's 9pm airing. The CW had its usual showing of Top Model but only at 2.48 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, for season lows and a new episode of Hellcats followed with a could-be better 2.04 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating.

Thursday it was a battle between CBS and ABC, with CBS squeezing by. ABC opened the night with the classic special A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving doing below normal at 7.46 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, but it is on again Thanksgiving night. Then an all-new Grey's Anatomy followed with 11.46 million and a 4.3 A18-49 rating, both up from previous week. A new episode of Private Practice was next doing 8.01 million and a 2.9 18-48 rating, on par with previous week. CBS opened with The Big Bang Theory at 13.02 million and a 4.3 A18-49 rating, down a lick from previous week in total viewers but up a tenth in 18-49. Then $#*! My Dad Says followed with 10.13 million and a 3.0 18-49 rating, both up a bit from previous week. A new CSI followed and did 14.15 million and a 3.1 18-49 rating, up from previous week. A new episode of The Mentalist did 14.74 million and a 3.0 18-49 rating, also up some from previous week. Fox started with a new Bones doing 9.4 million and a 2.7 18-49 rating, both up some from previous week and should give CSI some trouble in January in its new slot of 9pm. The current 9pm holder Fringe dropped the ball with only 4.85 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, but it was up some from previous week, as this show prepares for a Friday move in January. NBC was in the familiar fourth place, as Community did 4.41 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, down a bit from previous week. At 8:30, 30 Rock did an OK 5.11 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, off a bit in 18-49 week-to-week, as this show is going to move to 10pm. Can it do these same ratings at 10? At 9pm The Office jumped to 7.28 million and a 3.8 18-49 rating, both up some from previous week. A new Outsourced closed the comedy block with 5.43 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating, on par with previous week, but this show is moving to 10:30 in January...so expect lower ratings to come. At 10, The Apprentice closed the night with only 3.56 million and a 1.2 18-49...for season lows. You still think you're number one, Donald? The CW was preempted in Chicago and Miami for NFL action, but the rest of the country saw a repeat of big gun Vampire Diaries do 1.72 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, followed by Nikita repeat at 1.46 million and a 0.4 18-49 rating.

Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but this week ABC nipped by CBS's dramas in 18-49 on Friday. Fox's Good Guys and NBC's School Pride did terrible again with under a 1 rating and ABC had a great showing again from Primetime: What Would You Do again at 9pm while NBC's Dateline specials bombed. ABC's 20/20 was the number one show of the night in 18-49.
Saturday numbers had Fox win its normal crime reality line-up, besting ABC's Saturday Night College Football coverage which was up some from previous weeks. NBC's College Football game with Notre Dame and Army at Yankee Stadium bombed badly. Everything else was repeats.

Tonight ABC Sunday is preempted except for AFV, as Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters are off as ABC airs the 2010 American Music Awards from 8-11pm. NBC has the Eagles/Giants NFL game that will make them number one for the night. CBS has its normal Sunday line-up after an NFL overrun (most of the country gets Pats/Colts), so expect shows like Undercover Boss and CSI: Miami to be boosted. Fox's animation block is new from 8-10pm, following repeats at 7. Look for all four nets to do well again on Sunday. NBC will win the night, thanks to NFL being a factor, ABC and CBS will follow, depending on how long the overrun is. If it's short, ABC will take second because of the AMA's.

As for the week (week 9), CBS will win in HH/viewers, but with the NFL overrun tonight in the 7pm ET hour CBS should hang on in 18-49, but ABC could make a run with the AMA's. ABC will be second in HH/viewers, though. Fox and NBC will battle for third in HH/viewers, but I think NBC will take that. As for the coming week (week 10), we have Thanksgiving coming up, so the first 2-3 nights will only be new. Look for the Dancing with the Stars two-night finale and the premiere of Skating with the Stars on Monday on ABC. NBC will stunt with the premiere of Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special on Wednesday. Happy Thanksgiving, see you next Sunday for more ratings!

Week 9 How the Sitcoms Did

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week 8 -- Nov. 8-14)

The Simpsons (Fox) - An all-new episode at 8pm following an NFL overrun for most of the country, did 8.83 million and a 3.9 18-49 rating, which is up week-to-week obviously with the inflated lead-in.
The Cleveland Show (Fox) - A new episode did 6.66 million and a 3.1 18-49 rating...on par really with previous week, as this show is not doing as well as last season.
Family Guy (Fox) - A new episode did 7.06 million and a 3.4 18-49 rating, down from previous week. This show hasn't done what it is capable of yet this season.
American Dad! (Fox) - A new episode did 5.38 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, down sharply week-to-week.

Monday Sitcoms

How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A new episode did 8.87 million and a 3.6 18-49 rating, nearly identical to the previous week.
Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 7.92 million for a new episode is down some from previous week, as is the 2.9 18-49 rating. CBS could do better.
Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 14.25 million for a new episode is up week-to-week as is its 4.5 18-49 rating.
Mike & Molly (CBS) - 12.15 million for a new episode is up over a million from the previous week. 18-49 rating of 3.7 was up a few tenths also from previous week.
The Middle (ABC) - A special encore of last season's finale did decently with 9.61 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, as this only aired for more sampling for the show. The 9.61 million is a series high, just nipping by an episode from three weeks ago.

Tuesday Sitcoms

Raising Hope (Fox) 2 episodes - The new sitcom was new at 9pm with 5.91 million and a 2.7 18-49 rating, both up from previous week, but its lead-in Glee was up to a 5.0 18-49 rating, so hence this also went up some. A repeat at 9:30pm did only 3.96 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, but that was better than a new Running Wilde, ouch for that show.
Running Wilde (Fox) - preempted.

Wednesday Sitcoms

The Middle (ABC) - ABC Laugh on Wednesday returned after a week off because of the CMA's and was only off a bit from last time. A new episode of this show did 9.29 million and a 2.8 18-49 rating...solid.
Better with You (ABC) - A new episode did 7.11 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, with guest star Reba. Should have done a bit better than that, as the previous two episodes tied series best ratings.
Modern Family (ABC) - A new episode did a great 12.09 million and a 4.8 18-49 rating, for the best 18-49 among sitcoms and second best 18-49 overall behind Glee.
Cougar Town (ABC) - A new episode did 7.05 million and a 3.0 18-49 rating, off some from its previous episode. R.I.P. Big Joe (2007-2010), ha!

Thursday Sitcoms

The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A new episode did a great 13.02 million, on par with previous week and a 4.3 18-49 rating, up a tenth.
S#*! My Dad Says (CBS) - Following the big lead-in again, a new episode did 10.13 million and a 3.0 18-49 rating, up some week-to-week. How will this so against Idol in January?
Community (NBC) - A new episode at 8pm time did only 4.41 million and a 1.9 A18-49 rating, both off a bit from previous week. Will it go down more with Idol coming?
30 Rock (NBC) - A new episode did only 5.11 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, down some in 18-49 rating but up a lick in viewers from previous week.
The Office (NBC) - A new episode did 7.28 million and a 3.8 18-49 rating, both up some from previous week.
Outsourced (NBC) - A new episode dropped to 5.43 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating, both on par week-to-week.

Friday Sitcoms

None.

Saturday Sitcoms

None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) are Fox's animated comedies from 8-10 after NFL action.

Summing it up. Modern Family, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, The Office, Mike & Molly, How I Met Your Mother, The Middle were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as Raising Hope, Cougar Town) or just plain old terrible (such as Community).

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Digital Digest: Digital Bargains and The Commish - The Complete Series DVD Review

Happy weekend before Thanksgiving! And since Thanksgiving is coming soon, that can only mean that Black Friday will come the next day, and for that reason, we will debut a new section of Digital Digest that won't be a weekly section, but will pop up from time-to-time, that we'll be calling Digital Bargains, where we tell you where can find some of the best deals on DVDs and Blu-rays. There are a lot of nice deals out there, and we encourage you to check them out. And of course, we will have a review for you today, and this week, it is The Commish - The Complete Series. Let's get going!

DIGITAL NEWS

We have typically not been bringing you enough "Digital News" outside of the DVD/Blu-ray realm, but we do have a little bit of news this week about a series that you can now watch online that you previously could not see online! CBS.com now has full episodes of recent episodes of the series The Big Bang Theory that you can watch from your computer. The series previously has not been available for viewing online in the United States (which is unusual for current series), but now, if you miss an episode, you can catch it online! Finally, the series has entered into the Internet era!

Now back to our usual DVD news... and there isn't that much this week, sadly. However, Lionsgate has announced a release date of January 16 for Weeds - Season Six and Nurse Jackie - Season Two. Both of these will be available on both DVD and Blu-ray. The DVD sets of both series have an MSRP of $39.98, and the Blu-ray Discs of both sets have a MSRP of $39.99 (only a penny more?). Both of these sets will be loaded with interviews, commentaries, and various featurettes. You can already pre-order Nurse Jackie on DVD (or Blu-ray Disc) and Weeds on DVD (or Blu-ray Disc) from Amazon.com.

Finally, we have a little bit of news from Mill Creek, with their plans to release the complete series of the Saturday morning series, Hey Vern, It's Ernest! It isn't available for pre-order yet, but we were very surprised to see this announcement.

UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (November 23) isn't that big of a day for DVD releases, but there are a few releases worth noting, including 7th Heaven - The Eleventh and Final Season and Murder, She Wrote - The Complete Twelfth Season. Your best bet for next week is to pick up some older releases of your favorites... so read ahead for details on great bargains!

DIGITAL BARGAINS

Last week, we mentioned that several TV series sets of CBS Home Entertainment products have been showing up at Big Lots. Well, as it turns out, this is going to be one of their Black Friday deals, with each set retailing at $6 each! You can find season sets of sitcoms such as The Beverly Hillbillies, The Brady Bunch, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, and more (including series such as CSI and Melrose Place) in this batch of DVDs! The sale doesn't officially start until Black Friday, but many stores have been stocking these already. Additionally, there has been a pallet of Nickelodeon DVDs appearing in stores, and while many of these DVDs don't necessarily peak our interest, this pallet does include DVD sets of the series The Adventures of Pete & Pete (I picked this one up today, and it was a much better series than I remember). So once again, there are bargains to be found at Big Lots! You can always check out our thread on these bargains on our message boards.

Meanwhile, Target (by the way, they have some nice deals on some DVDs from ABC in their ad that ends today) has several DVD sets for $9.99 in their Black Friday ad, including Friends, the first five seasons of The Simpsons, and Weeds, and other titles. These aren't the only titles available, and more will be available in store. For three dollars more, at $12.99, you can pick up The Big Bang Theory, The Office, and seasons 6-12 and 20 of The Simpsons. They've even got Punky Brewster - Season One, Volume One for $1.99 if you are interested in that (although it isn't that great of a DVD).

Walmart is a little less promising with a few $12 titles, including Community and True Blood. But of course, there may be more titles available for that price in store.

Regional retailer Meijer (mostly found in the midwest) is advertising several season sets of series for $8 on Thanksgiving Day (NOT Black Friday), and while we don't know exactly what will be included, their ad shows series such as The Addams Family, The Bob Newhart Show, Get Smart, How I Met Your Mother, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, My Name is Earl, The Office, Weeds, and more.

Another regional retailer, Shopko (found in the northwestern United States) is advertising several DVD sets "buy one, get one free," including modern and classic hits. The ad scan is not very clear, so the details aren't fully known, but it appears to include The Big Bang Theory, Friends, The Nanny, The Office, and more.

Hastings is offering DVDs and Blu-ray Discs at three different price points. For $9.99, you can pick up How I Met Your Mother, My Name is Earl, Parks & Recreation, and others. For $14.99, you can pick up The Big Bang Theory and The Office. Finally, $19.99 will get you into Blu-ray Disc territory with series such as Breaking Bad and Chuck. All of these say "many to choose from," so there may be a lot available.

Finally, if you just don't feel like being out there in the crowds, there is always Amazon.com, which has some deals all throughout the week (no prices given yet) on some DVDs, including season sets of Friends and The Simpsons. Since they only do business online, it is hard to get a lot of advanced information about what they'll be doing, but we encourage you to check them out throughout the week (and if possible, buy them through our links and support us!).

So who is the obvious retailer missing here? It is Best Buy! Their ads for Black Friday do not show any TV series being on sale, although more than likely, they will have unadvertised specials on DVDs in their stores.

That's the wrap-up for next week... happy hunting!

BLOG FEATURE REVIEW

The series that first introduced TV audiences to Michael Chiklis is finally available in its entirety on DVD. Fans of The Commish have been yearning for the release of seasons 3-5 and that day has finally come with this release which includes all 94 episodes on 17 discs in The Commish - The Complete Series. A desk job? Not the way HE does it. Commissioner Tony Scali is no nonsense commissioner and is very hands on with his work. He is compassionate, good-hearted, a family man and even funny. If you like Chiklis on the current ABC series No Ordinary Family, you'll love him on his '90s ABC series The Commish!

DVD Review: The Commish - The Complete Series
by Pavan

The Commish - The Complete Series (Mill Creek, $69.98) brings all 5 seasons of the 90s ABC cop series to DVD...including the never before released on DVD seasons three to five! This special collection includes all 94 episodes on 17 discs! The series starred Michael Chiklis as Tony Scali, a police commissioner in a small upstate New York town who worked through problems with humor and creativity more often than with violence or force. This series aired on ABC from 1991-1996. Seasons 1-2 were previously released by Anchor Bay but now Mill Creek Entertainment is re-releasing those on this set, but now they are releasing all five seasons. The series starred Michael Chiklis, Theresa Saldana, Kaj-Erik Eriksen, John Cygan, Melinda McGraw, Geoffrey Nauffts, Nicholas Lea, Gina Belafonte, and David Paymer.

The show focused as much on family situations as on police drama. The series often dealt with a wide range of topical social issues such as racism, homophobia, drug addiction, disabilities, child abuse, illegal immigrants, and sexual harassment. Since we get all 94 episodes on this set, it is hard to cover memorable episodes from each season. We didn't review the first two seasons that Anchor Bay released, so we will try to cover a few memorable episodes from each season. The series didn't start with their pilot episode for some reason, instead ABC aired the second episode produced as the premiere. The actual pilot was a two-hour episode and aired as the fifth episode on ABC. We get the original airdate order here on this complete series.

For season one, in "Do You See What I See?," a rapist wearing a Santa mask terrorises the town of Eastbridge, while Tony decides to take the graveyard shift after overhearing one of his officers make a disparaging comment. In the two-hour episode "A Matter of Life or Death," which was produced as the pilot, Tony starts the search for two missing police officers while a new candidate emerges for the job of police commissioner, later the two missing police officers are finally found in the water, but Tony is forced to deal with a hunger strike at the jail as well as his possible appointment as the new police commissioner of New York City. In "The Wicked Flee," a boy who sees his mother's murder becomes emotionally withdrawn, while Tony's son has trouble with his father coaching methods in basketball. For season two, in the two-part episode "Adventures in the Skin Trade," when David's former babysitter and the daughter of a family friend, go missing after appearing in an amateur pornography film, Tony and Paulie go undercover as investors to infiltrate Shangri-La Productions. In "Sleep of the Just," Tony struggles with building a case again Emanuel Bolchek, a rapist who is enjoying every minute of his diplomatic immunity and to make things worse, Tony's been having trouble sleeping with Sarah being up every night, and Rachel is upset that her father still hasn't seen the baby. In the season three premiere, "Suffer the Children," a juvenile center is in trouble when the head of the center is linked by Tony to a young runaway's suicide and the investigation continues when the remains of a young runaway are found in the juvenile center's head cabin. In "Hero," the Scali babysitter accuses an Eastbridge high school quarterback of rape, so Tony must investigate despite the mixed feelings of the community. In "Dead Drunk," when Joe Thompson's wife is killed by a drunk driver leaving him with an eight-year-old daughter, the investigation leads to prominent surgeon Harris Clark, who has a history of drunken driving. In the two-part season four premiere "Against the Wind," after being struck with a ball, Tony is hospitalized and it looks like he is going to be permanently paralyzed. But his family refuses to give up on him, and enlists the help of physiotherapist Dan Boylan to help him walk again. In "Working Girls," while investigating an armed robbery, Tony goes undercover and hires an escort to get some important information and he is shocked to see his friend Ralph's daughter, who is barely 18, show up, preparing to spend the night with him. In "Accused," Tony is accused of sexual harassment by a computer technician. Season five had three two-hour episodes that were aired as TV movies. The last one of these was titled "Redemption," where The Commish is on the trail of an arsonist and notices that all the clues point to the wife's father.

Guest stars over the span of five seasons include Telly Savalas, Ernest Borgnine, Richard Kind, Wilt Chamberlain, Stella Stevens, Giovanni Ribisi, Darren McGavin, Ray Walston, Pat Sajak, Eric McCormack, and hundreds more!

Here are the runtimes of all of the episodes. We are not sure if anything is edited out, but some runtimes do look a little low. Each episode has three chapter stops, unless noted:

Season 1 (1991-1992)
Disc 1
1. "In the Best of Families" (46:16)
2. "Do You See What I See?" (48:08)
3. "The Poisoned Tree" (47:46)
4. "Nothing to Fear But..." (46:14)
5. "A Matter of Life or Death - The Commish Pilot" (88:57, 5 chapters)
Disc 2
6. "Behind the Storm Door" (47:23)
7. "The Hatchet" (47:15)
8. "Two Confessions" (44:55)
9. "The Commissioner's Ball" (47:37)
10. "No Greater Gift" (46:53)
Disc 3
11. "The Fourth Man" (46:51)
12. "Charlie Don't Surf" (46:58)
13. "Skeletons" (46:56)
14. "The Wicked Flee" (47:09)
15. "True Believers" (47:04)
Disc 4
16. "Officer April" (47:34)
17. "Sex, Lies, and Kerosene" (45:11)
18. "Judgement Day" (47:22)
19. "Shoot the Breeze" (46:47)
20. "Video Vigilante" (46:44)
21. "The Puck Stops Here" (47:06)

Season 2 (1992-1993)
Disc 1
1. "Adventures in the Skin Trade, Part 1" (47:48, to be continued tag at the end of episode)
2. "Adventures in the Skin Trade, Part 2" (47:27, part 1 recap is intact)
3. "Guns & Sons" (46:13)
4. "The Rolodex Madam" (47:16)
5. "The Witches of Eastbridge" (47:58)
Disc 2
6. "The Two Faces of Ed" (47:35)
7. "Escape" (46:19)
8. "A Time to Be Born" (46:34)
9. "Witness" (46:51)
10. "Sleep of the Just" (47:00)
Disc 3
11. "The Frame" (47:44)
12. "Stoned" (45:31)
13. "The Heart is a Lonely Sucker" (46:56)
14. "The Sharp Pinch" (45:36)
15. "Dead Cadet's Society" (47:27)
16. "Family Business" (48:15)
Disc 4
17. "Out of Business" (47:02)
18. "The Ides of March" (46:30)
19. "Blue Flu" (46:39)
20. "Eastbridge Boulevard" (46:05)
21. "Sight Unseen" (46:17)
22. "The Anti-Commish" (47:36)

Season 3 (1993-1994)
Disc 1
1. "Suffer the Children, Part 1" (47:56, to be continued tag at the end of episode)
2. "Suffer the Children, Part 2" (47:45, part 1 recap is intact)
3. "Scali, P.I." (47:59)
4. "Burned Out Case" (45:38)
5. "The Set-Up" (45:39)
6. "Rising Sun" (46:45)
Disc 2
7. "Hero" (46:31)
8. "Dying Affection" (46:48)
9. "All That Glitters" (46:15)
10. "Mansion" (46:03)
11. "A Little Heart" (45:50)
12. "Benny" (46:09)
Disc 3
13. "Keeping Secrets" (47:31)
14. "Dog Days" (47:19)
15. "Father Eddie" (47:22)
16. "Bank Job" (46:33)
17. "Romeo & Juliet" (45:51)
Disc 4
18. "Security" (47:33)
19. "Dead Drunk" (47:04)
20. "The Letter of the Law" (47:44)
21. "Sergeant Kelly" (48:37)
22. "The Iceman Cometh" (46:47)

Season 4 (1994-1995)
Disc 1
1. "Against the Wind, Part 1" (47:32, to be continued tag at the end of episode)
2. "Against the Wind, Part 2" (46:59, part 1 recap is intact)
3. "Working Girls" (46:04)
4. "Born in the USA" (45:25)
5. "Who Do You Trust?" (46:54)
6. "Nancy with the Laughing Face" (45:26)
Disc 2
7. "Revenge" (45:11)
8. "Head Case" (44:40)
9. "The Lady Vanishes" (46:55)
10. "Ghost" (48:28)
11. "A Christmas Story" (46:43)
12. "Hidden" (45:25)
Disc 3
13. "The Johnny Club" (46:12)
14. "The Golden Years" (45:53)
15. "Accused" (45:22)
16. "The Trial" (47:40)
17. "Cry Wolf" (46:22)
Disc 4
18. "Brooklyn" (45:20)
19. "Letting Go" (45:17)
20. "The Kid" (45:54)
21. "Off Broadway, Part 1" (46:30, to be continued tag at the end of episode)
22. "Off Broadway, Part 2" (46:07, part 1 recap is intact)

Season 5 (1995-1996)
1. "In the Shadow of the Gallows" (92:15, 6 chapters)
2. "Father Image" (92:15, 6 chapters)
3. "Redemption" (91:32, 6 chapters)

The menus are very basic, but also nicely done, with the theme song playing on the main menu and options of Play All and Episode Select. For seasons one-two, I believe we have the same style as Anchor Bay, with Tony crossing his arms behind his desk. For seasons three-five, the main menu has video clips playing instead, with the menu options below that. When you go to Episode Select, it takes you to a menu that lists all of the episode titles and the theme song continues to play. There are no scene selection menus, but chapters are placed appropriately throughout each episode, as mentioned earlier.

As for the packaging, it still cheap like other Mill Creek sets. We have an outer box that holds a double thick keep-case with 17 black paper sleeves inside holding the discs. This is TERRIBLE and cheap! The cover art has a shot of Tony in a suit with the city in the background. We also get Michael Chiklis' name and the show logo with the Eastbridge Police badge. Seasons 1-5 is printed on the bottom. The back of the case has basic series information along with another shot of Tony. Special features and guest stars are also listed. We also have five episodic photos on the bottom. The disc artwork is the same on each disc with the show logo and Eastbridge Police badge, but each season the wording is in different color. Season one's wording is in red, season two's wording is in blue, season three's wording is in orange, season four's wording is in green, and season five's wording is in grey. Each disc has the episode titles contained on the disc printed on the disc in the season's coloring. But again, there are no other episode lists contained within the set.

The video and audio is good. There is nothing to complain about. It is about as good as it gets for a series that aired from 1991-1996. The opening credits look a bit choppy, though. View the runtimes above and some tidbits on the multiple part episodes. Season five really wasn't a season, as it consisted of three TV movies. Actually one of the TV movies were split up on ABC and aired as a two-part episode on consecutive weeks, but we get it in full movie form here on this DVD. Nothing much else to say here, but the video and audio is as expected for a series from the early '90s.

The only special feature we have here is on season one, disc two that Anchor Bay produced. We get "Interviews with the Cast & Creators." This is very long and detailed and it runs 45:50. Among the people interviewed are Stephen J. Cannell, Michael Chiklis, and Theresa Saldana. They talk in length one at a time.

There are some problems with this set as with previous Mill Creek sets, but we finally have the complete series on DVD, and that is what matters the most. We didn't even have to wait for seasons 3-5 to be individually released. For die-hard fans you should get it because we get every single episode of this series on DVD. It is too bad the packaging is cheap, mainly the plastic sleeves holding the discs. Everything else is actually OK, so I think this is better than Hunter: The Complete Series. I am not sure if any music or episodes are edited, though. There are some low runtimes, but that could be how it aired originally. I have always liked this show, and I am glad Mill Creek continued the series after Anchor Bay dropped it after two seasons. I enjoyed watching the show on Saturday nights on ABC and too bad there are no longer shows like this one (and shows on Saturdays for that matter). Michael Chiklis rocks in this role and is very likable. If you watch his current show No Ordinary Family, but you have never seen this show, you'll want to sample this! So go and buy this set because The Commish gives us no nonsense!

(4/5 stars)

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LOOKING AHEAD

We'll be back next week with another edition of Digital Digest. We hope that you enjoyed our new Digital Bargains section, and while we won't be bringing you this section every week, we hope to bring it to you whenever we find good deals out there. Next week, we'll have reviews of The Fugitive - The Fourth and Final Season, Volume One and Hoarders - Season Two, Part One. Until next time, keep it digital!

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