Thursday, February 03, 2011

TV Land Taping 3 Sitcom Pilots, To Honor Regis at 9th TV Land Awards; ABC Family Picks-Up 3 Pilots to Series

TV Land is taping 3 sitcom pilots the next three weeks in February at CBS Studio City. They are just pilots, but should they come out good, they could be ordered to series and join Hot in Cleveland and Retired at 35 on the TV Land schedule. We have mentioned these pilots before, but now we have more details on them. The first pilot was taped last night (Feb. 2) and is known as the Untitled Mark Reisman Pilot. From creator/producer Mark Reisman (Frasier) revolving around 3 divorced guys, who live in an apartment building where their landlord is their sexy female divorce attorney. Starring Donald Faison ([scrubs]), Kristen Johnston (3rd Rock From The Sun), Wayne Knight (Seinfeld, Hot in Cleveland), David Alan Basche (Law & Order), Beth Lacke (Happy Hour), Kelly Stables (Romantically Challenged, Two and a Half Men), Edi Patterson (The Groundlings) and Golden Brooks (Girlfriends). The pilot was previously titled Ex Men.
The next pilot will be taped next week (Feb. 8). The pilot is titled Happily Divorced and is based on Fran Drescher's real life. In addition to co-writing/exec producing, the former The Nanny star will star in the project, about a woman who re-enters the dating world after finding out that her husband is gay. It focuses on how she juggles her relationship with her current boyfriend and ex-husband post-divorce. John Michael Higgins, D.W. Moffett, Valente Rogriguez (George Lopez), Rita Moreno, Robert Walden and Tichina Arnold (Everybody Hates Chris) also star.
The final pilot tapes a week later (Feb. 16). It doesn't have an official title yet, but it known as the Untitled Terri Minsky Pilot. Creator/producer Terri Minsky (Less Than Perfect), presents a comedy set at a regional beverage manufacturer and distributor in Oregon centering on a thirty-something, Ivy League-educated New York woman who takes over as the boss. Her enthusiasm is dampened when her boyfriend doesn't follow her and nobody at the new company wants her there. Starring Christine Taylor (The Brady Bunch Movie), Barry Watson (Samantha Who?) and The View's Sherri Shepherd (Sherri, Less Than Perfect). The pilot was previously titled Rip City.
We will of course let you know if any of these are picked-up to series to join Hot in Cleveland and Retired at 35. What do you think about these potential series? Which one(s) do you want on the air? Sound off on our message board!

In other TV Land news, beloved Emmy(R) Award-winning television host Regis Philbin (LIVE! with Regis and Kelly, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire) will receive the Legend Award at The Ninth Annual TV Land Awards in New York City. The star-studded celebration will be held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on Sunday, April 10 and will premiere on TV Land on Sunday, April 17 at 9pm. The awards show moves to New York for the first time, after the previous eight shows were in the Los Angeles area.
The Legend Award is presented to an entertainer or a television show that has stood the test of time and ranks among the most memorable and celebrated in television and movie history. Previous winners include Garry Marshall, Don Rickles, Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner, the cast of The Dick Van Dyke Show and the cast of Cheers. On January 18, 2011, Regis Philbin announced on-air that after 28 years, he would retire as host of LIVE! With Regis and Kelly" later this year.
Philbin joins previously announced honorees The Cosby Show, which will receive the Impact Award at this year's show, and the cast of Family Ties, which will receive the Fan Favorite Award. More honorees besides these two series and Philbin will be announced shortly. So stay tuned.

Finally, ABC Family has picked-up three pilots to series. Two are dramas and one is a multi-camera sitcom. The two one-hour dramas are Switched at Birth and The Nine Lives of Chloe King, and the half-hour multi-cam comedy series is The Great State of Georgia. The three original series will debut on the network later this year.
Switched at Birth is a one-hour scripted drama that tells the story of two teenage girls who discover they were accidentally switched as newborns in the hospital. The series stars newcomer Katie Leclerc as Daphne Vasquez; Vanessa Marano (Gilmore Girls) as Bay Kennish; Constance Marie (George Lopez) as Regina Vasquez; D.W. Moffett (Friday Night Lights) as John Kennish; Lea Thompson (Caroline in the City) as Kathryn Kennish; and Lucas Grabeel (High School Musical) as Toby Kennish.
The Nine Lives of Chloe King is a one-hour scripted drama about Chloe King who is looking forward to celebrating her birthday with her friends and single mother, just like every other year... that is until she starts developing heightened abilities and discovers she's being pursued by a mysterious figure. The series stars Skyler Samuels (The Gates) as Chloe King; Amy Pietz (The Office, Caroline in the City) as Meredith King; Grey Damon (True Blood) as Brian; newcomer Grace Phipps as Amy; Benjamin Stone (10 Things I Hate About You) as Alek; Alyssa Diaz (Southland) as Jasmine; and Ki Hong Lee (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) as Paul.
And finally, The Great State of Georgia, an ABC Studios Production, is a half-hour multi-cam comedy series starring Raven-Symone as Georgia, an aspiring actress with a larger than life personality, and her science geek best friend, who try to make headway in New York City. Majandra Delfino (Roswell) also stars, as Jo and Meagen Fay (Malcolm in the Middle) as Aunt Honey.
Stay tuned for premiere dates for all three series. The The Great State of Georgia could be a nice companion with ABC Family's hit comedy Melissa & Joey, which returns with 18 more episodes to complete its first season of 30 episodes sometime this spring or summer.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Saturday, May 31

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 26)

Friday, May 30

  • Nathan Fielder (The Rehearsal/The Curse) - Watch Nathan on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Paula Poundstone (Home Movies) - Paula performs stand-up comedy on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Nathan Lane (Mid-Century Modern/Only Murders in the Building/Modern Family/Charlie Lawrence/Encore! Encore!/One of the Boys) - Nathan appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Ralph Macchio (Eight Is Enough) - Ralph swings by for a chat about Karate Kid: Legends on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Justina Machado (One Day at a Time) - Justina chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. She also talks about Broadway's Real Women Have Curves: The Musical on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
  • Yara Shahidi (grown-ish/black-ish) - Yara is telling Drew about the new venture she's taking on, where she's currently at with dating and more on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Don Darryl Rivera (Only Murders in the Building) - Don talks about Broadway's Aladdin on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


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