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

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.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Wednesday, October 27

The Goldbergs - "The Hunt for the Great Albino Pumpkin" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Missing his Pops, Adam finds himself disenchanted with his once favorite time of year, Halloween. Beverly tirelessly tries to resurrect Adam’s Halloween spirit from the dead, encouraging Pop Pop (Judd Hirsch) to spend some quality time with his grandson. A night of mishaps and chaos turns out to be just the adventure Adam needs. Meanwhile, with the push and support from Joanne, Barry decides to bring his former alter ego, rapper “Big Tasty,” back to life; and a chance encounter with the legendary Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, brings Barry and Joanne closer together.

The Wonder Years - "Be Prepared" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Coach Long and Bill take the boys on a camping trip as part of their newly formed scout troop, their starkly different approaches to the outdoors show Dean that his father isn’t good at everything. As a thunderstorm threatens an eerie quest through the woods, Bill leans into his expertise to save the day.

The Conners - "Peter Pan, The Backup Plan, Adventures in Babysitting, and a River Runs Through It" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
The Conner home is decked out for Halloween despite the leak in the roof that forces Dan and Louise to cancel their honeymoon. But all is not lost when Becky surprises the newlyweds and takes them on a virtual adventure around the world. Meanwhile, Darlene continues her spiritual journey, and Harris introduces Aldo’s children to the family, where more tricks than treats await.

Home Economics - "Box of King-Size Candy Bars, $48.99" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Trick or treat is not the only question on the Hayworths’ minds as they debate the best neighborhood for a spooktacular Halloween. Meanwhile, Connor navigates sharing the holiday with his ex-wife, Emily.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 25)

Wednesday, October 27

Dan Levy (Schitt's Creek) - Watch Dan on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) - Nick appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Beanie Feldstein (Harriet the Spy) - Beanie will be on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Norman Lear (Producer of All in the Family/Maude/Sanford and Son/The Jeffersons/Good Times) - Norman is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Drew Barrymore (Santa Clarita Diet) - Drew will be on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Yvette Nicole Brown (The Mayor/The Odd Couple/Community) - Yvette appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Linda Lavin (B Positive/9JKL/Sean Saves the World/Room for Two/Alice) - Linda is a guest on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Hector Elizondo (Last Man Standing/Down and Out in Beverly Hills/Foley Square/Popi) - Hector will be on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Jane Seymour (Let's Get Physical/Modern Men) - Jane appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Alan Cumming (Schmigadoon!) - Alan is a guest on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan (check your local listings) and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney guest hosts The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
Ms. Pat (The Ms. Pat Show) - Ms. Pat appears on The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
Alyssa Milano (Who's the Boss?/Romantically Challenged) - Alyssa talks about her new personal essay collection, Sorry Not Sorry, on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Justina Machado (One Day at a Time) - Justina talks about Lifetime's Switched Before Birth on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Kermit the Frog (The Muppets) - Kermit the Frog talks about YouTube's Dear Earth on Access Daily, so check your local listings.
Jennifer Tilly (Out of Practice/Shaping Up) - Jennifer talks about USA Network's Chucky on Access Daily, so check your local listings.
Elizabeth Banks (Scrubs/30 Rock) - Elizabeth talks about My Body, My Podcast on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Justine Bateman (Family Ties) - Justine talks about Violet on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.