SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

As you all know, The Hallmark Channel aired an Empty Nest marathon this past Saturday (Feb. 26) that they called a "premiere" marathon. There were no regular schedule airings planned, as we reported, but now in a last minute schedule change, the show will indeed be joining the regular schedule starting next week! Perhaps the series did well in the ratings? We're not sure actually (we will try to find out), but you can assume it did. Richard Mulligan and company will join the schedule on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 and will air for two-hours every weekday from 3-5pm ET. The sitcom will start from the pilot episode and go in order. So, since it is airing four times a day and 20 times a week (16 times the first week), it should go pretty fast. The "premiere" marathon on Saturday aired all 22 first season episodes, but now the rest of the series will be shown, too. The second season will begin on Tuesday, March 15, if you want to get your DVR's ready, especially if you recorded all 22 first season episodes in the marathon.
Empty Nest will replace Little House on the Prairie from 3-5pm, but Little House will remain at 5pm and will now air from 6-8pm as well, replacing Who's the Boss? So, it is Empty Nest from 3-5pm and Little House on the Prairie from 5-8pm every weekday late afternoon/evening. Who's the Boss? will remain airing on the schedule in the late night/early morning times of 4-6am every single day. Let's hope it returns to a good time slot soon, though, but at least it is still airing. One more piece of bad news is the Who's the Boss? full-day 24-hour marathon for this Saturday (March 5) has been canceled. No reason for the change was given. The regular Saturday line-up will air consisting of I Love Lucy and Golden Girls in the mornings, then movies the rest of the day with Golden Girls and Cheers in late night. The Cheers 24-hour marathon the following day (March 6) will remain on the schedule.
There are no other schedule changes, but view our March 2011 schedule for more info and to discuss these changes!

We have many network notes to recap for you. First, last night's 20/20 special with Charlie Sheen had to preempt Detroit 1-8-7 at 10pm, as you know. ABC will now bump that episode to next week, as expected, and the following episode will air on March 15, but the season finale will air on a special night on Sunday, March 20, preempting a Brothers & Sisters repeat. The Charlie Sheen interview last night did big ratings and won its 10pm hour easily.
Yesterday we gave you the celebrities appearing on Dancing with the Stars Season 12, today we have the pro pairings! Kirstie Alley and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (who is back for his tenth season), "Psycho" Mike Catherwood and "Racey" Lacey Schwimmer (who is back for her fourth season), Chris Jericho and Cheryl Burke (who is back for his eleventh season), Chelsea Kane and Mark Ballas (who returns for his eighth season), Sugar Ray Leonard and Anna Trebunsakaya (who returns for her seventh season), Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff (who returns for her eighth season), Petra Nemcova and Dmitry Chaplin (who returns for his third season), Romeo and Chelsie Hightower (who returns for her fifth season), Hines Ward and Kym Johnson (who returns for her ninth season), Kendra Wilkinson and Louis van Amstel (who returns for his eighth season), and finally Wendy Williams and Tony Dovolani (who is back for his eleventh season). Missing from this last from last season are Derek Hough, who will be back for season 13, and Corky Ballas, while Dmitry Chaplin returns. The season premiere is Monday, March 21 at 8pm.
Meanwhile, Grammy Award winner Cee Lo Green and fellow Grammy Award winner Adam Levine (Maroon 5) have been named as two of the four musician coaches on NBC's new musical competition series The Voice, a show about real vocal talent that will premiere on Tuesday, April 26 from 9-11 p.m. ET. Following the premiere, The Voice will also air on Tuesday, May 3 from 9-11 p.m. ET and then move to its regular time period beginning May 10 from 8-9 p.m. ET that will last through at least Tuesday, June 28. This means The Biggest Loser will be reduced to one-hour on April 26 and May 3, then it will be back to two-hour episodes, but it will move to 9-11pm instead. 10pm drama Parenthood will wrap up its 22-episode season on Tuesday, April 19. The Biggest Loser season finale is on Tuesday, May 24, so it is unclear what will air from 9-11pm starting May 31, but of course NBC has America's Got Talent coming back but no schedule has been announced yet. Last season it returned on this same Tuesday (June 1, 2010) from 8-10pm, so it is likely it returns this season on this night.
Finally, beginning Monday, March 7, The Hills repeats will be airing on TV Guide Network every weekday at 5:00 p.m. ET and 5:30 p.m. ET, as the series finds a cable home in syndication. Encores will also air at 1:00 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. The series will move Punk'd to 4 p.m. & 4:30 p.m., as Curb Your Enthusiasm is replaced. Ugly Betty will remain at 12 noon, 6pm & 7pm. Curb Your Enthusiasm will now only air in its Saturday morning schedule of 1:00am & 11:30am. Weeds will remain Thursday and Saturday nights and an airing on Sunday nights. The Hills, which aired on MTV, follows budding fashion designer Lauren Conrad and her friends as they navigate life, love and friendships. In addition to Conrad, The Hills launched the careers of reality stars such as Audrina Patridge, Whitney Port, Brody Jenner and Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt. Audrina Patridge appeared on season eleven of Dancing with the Stars this past fall.