Thursday, March 24, 2011

Hallmark Channel Upfront 2011; Centric Adds Weekend Sitcom Marathons; Free Soup from the Soup Nazi

Many cable networks are having their upfronts. We have covered just Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite thus far, but other cable networks such as Syfy, Cartoon Network have gone recently. Yesterday The Hallmark Channel had its upfront. They didn't announce any sitcom acquisitions or anything like that, though. But we will cover what they did announce. Hallmark Channel announced that internationally renowned cultural icon and recent Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Maya Angelou will debut a new 13-episode unscripted, half-hour Hallmark Channel Original Series, The Spirit Table as part of the network's portfolio of lifestyle series beginning Q1 in 2012. The Spirit Table, blends Maya Angelou's Letter to My Daughter with Hallelujah, the Welcome Table to bring together the best of Maya Angelou, her family and traditions, in an entertaining and inspiring series that celebrates life's special moments with a feast from the heart. New traditions will unfold and today's most fascinating people will gather to bring substance and sustenance to Maya Angelou's table.
The second season of Hallmark Channel Home, Hallmark Channel's entertaining and informative daily lifestyle programming block, will premiere in September 2011. The block is headlined by the seventh season premiere of The Martha Stewart Show, the Emmy(R) Award-winning, daily series featuring a Who's Who of innovators and top personalities and inspiring ways to live life to its fullest - from cooking, crafting and collecting to decorating, gardening and even pet care, no one does it better than Martha. 140 new hours have been ordered. Also returning for its second season on Hallmark Channel is Petkeeping with Marc Morrone with 20 new half-hours. A contemporary Dr. Doolittle, Morrone is Martha Stewart's Go-to guy for all things pet related. Joining Hallmark Channel Home is Emeril Lagasse in Emeril's Table, a new daily half-hour cooking series featuring the celebrated chef and restaurateur with a table full of enthusiastic guests in each episode. 52 half-hours have been ordered. Martha follows up her popular and successful primetime holiday and interview "Martha Stewart Presents" specials with all-new Halloween and specials in primetime on Hallmark, celebrating the seasons as only this style and cultural maven can.
Hallmark Channel also announced it will partner with Hallmark Cards in an integrated, multi-platform holiday campaign to bring to life Hallmark Cards' hit interactive character, Jingle(TM) the Husky Pup. The multi-platform deal includes in-store exposure in Gold Crown stores for Hallmark Channel to drive tune-in for an animated holiday special featuring Jingle - Jingle All the Way - as well as the opportunity to drive traffic to Hallmarkchannel.com from Hallmark.com's popular "Interactive Storybook and Story Buddies(TM) Page" for exclusive trailers and behind-the-scene footage. Jingle All the Way premieres as part of Hallmark Channel's holiday-themed original programming event, "Countdown to Christmas." Jingle the Husky Pup is a very good dog who does everything he is told. Unfortunately, the only thing Jingles can't do is go home, because he doesn't have a home. But this holiday season, Jingle and all of his friends come home to Hallmark Channel, America's family network.
Finally, 25 all-new Hallmark Channel Original Movies and eight Hallmark Movie Channel Original Premiere movie will air in 2011-2012. Stars include: Wendie Malick, Catherine Bell, Kim Delaney, Sir Roger Moore, Martin Mull, Judd Nelson, Adrian Pasdar, Rhea Perlman, Teri Polo, James Patrick Stuart, Billy Ray Cyrus, Cheryl Ladd, Bruce Boxleitner, Nancy McKeon, and many more.

Centric has just added a few weekend marathons for the next few weekends. The weekend stunts kick off this coming weekend with The Jamie Foxx Show. The sitcom will air on Saturday (March 26) from 12pm-8pm and will be repeated the next day (Sunday, March 27) from 9am-5pm! Sister, Sister was removed from the regular schedule a few weeks ago for another hour of In Living Color, but Centric will give it a weekend stunt next weekend (April 2-3) with the same timings. The next weekend stunt for the weekend of April 9-10 will feature sketch comedy In Living Color. Nothing further has been announced yet, but when they do, we will let you know.
Also at Centric, they will make some schedule changes beginning next week (March 28). The Unit will join the schedule and air weekdays at 6am replacing Miami Vice, which will be moved to 8am. Everything else remains the same as it is now. The Unit will continue to air on sister network BET on weekends.

Yesterday I had free soup from Seinfeld's actual Soup Nazi in New York City, as I tweeted. The event was organized by New York station WPIX, which has reacquired the series in local syndication after 10 years. WPIX has a special "Nothing But the Big Apple" theme week all this week at 11pm & 11:30pm, focusing on classic New York episodes including "The Non-Fat Yogurt," "The Subway" and "The Soup Nazi." As part of the promotion for the move in New York, The Soup Nazi himself (actor Lary Thomas) was at Liati's Cafe in the WPIX building giving out FREE soup for lunch, taking pictures with you, and signing autographs! I also got a Seinfeld keychain and a soup bowl! If you missed it yesterday, not to worry, WPIX will be doing it today as well from 12-2pm! So if you're in New York City, head on over to 220 E. 42nd Steet (near 2nd Avenue) and meet with The Soup Nazi while eating some good soup! It isn't "no soup for you" this time, it's "soup for you!"
And then catch the classic "The Soup Nazi" episode tonight at 11pm on WPIX in New York!


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Sunday, September 15

The Great North - "You've Got Sail Adventure" (Fox, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Wanting a chance at casually making out, Judy suddenly finds herself with three separate dates to handle simultaneously; Beef goes to meet a friend he met online, only to find out that he's a cruise ship captain, and therefore a dire enemy.

The Simpsons - "Cremains of the Day" (Fox, 7:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When someone in Homer's life passes away, he and some guys from Moe's go on a road trip to scatter the ashes.

Universal Basic Guys - "Sunset Cruise" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When David, Andrea, Mark, and Tammy go on a cruise together, David and Andrea unexpectedly rekindle their romance; Mark's preoccupation with reeling in a big fish leads to him catching a whale that jeopardizes the safety of the entire cruise.

Bob's Burgers - "The Right Tough Stuff" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Gayle tells the family she's sending in an audition tape to be on Tough Stuff Island, Linda is determined to make her tape boring to save her from being humiliated on a rejection reel; Bob struggles with his new electric grinder.

The Great North - "Look Who's Squawking Adventure" / "Am I The Ice Hole? Adventure" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
When the eagle Moon is pet sitting escapes, he enlists Beef and Wolf to go searching for it; Honeybee and Beef bond on an ice fishing trip and try to find a compromise between quiet fishing and fun games.

The Conners - "Sober Sex, Plastic Silverware, and Losing My Religion" (The CW, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Part of Becky's recovery program mandates she make amends with people she has lied to over the years, leading her to meet up again with a former high school friend; Darlene visits with Pastor Phil; Louise continues planning her wedding.

The Conners - "The Wedding of Dan and Louise" (The CW, 7:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
A weather report forecasting that a tornado is headed for Lanford creates chaos and surprises on Dan and Louise's wedding day.

The Conners - "Peter Pan, The Backup Plan, Adventures in Babysitting, and a River Runs Through It" (The CW, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The Conner home is decked out for Halloween, despite the leak in the roof that forces Dan and Louise to cancel their honeymoon; Becky surprises the newlyweds and takes them on a virtual adventure around the world.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 9)

Friday, September 13

  • Brian Tyree Henry (HouseBroken/Atlanta) - Watch Brian on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Dax Shepard (Bless This Mess) - Dax appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Al Franken (LateLine) - Al is a guest on Real Time with Bill Maher at 10pm on HBO.
  • Kelsey Grammer (Frasier/Partners/Hank/Back to You/Cheers) - Kelsey will be on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
  • Sanaa Lathan (Family Guy/The Cleveland Show/LateLine) - Sanaa and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor talk about the enduring power of friendship in their new Hulu film The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • Dana Delany (The Comedians) - Dana discusses her television series Tulsa King on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
  • Josie Davis (Charles in Charge) - Josie will be on Good Day LA on FOX 11 in Los Angeles at 11:30am.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series Check It Out! - The Complete Series Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Friends - The Complete Series (4K Ultra HD) Young Sheldon - The Complete Series

04/03 - Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series (VEI)
04/08 - Check It Out! - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/21 - Frasier (2023) - Season One
06/11 - The Jeffersons - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
06/11 - Welcome Back, Kotter - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
07/05 - Letterkenny - Season 12 (Final Season)
07/30 - Ted Lasso - The Richmond Way (The Complete Series) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/10 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-7
09/10 - Ted - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/17 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
09/17 - Top Cat - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/24 - Friends - The Complete Series (4K Ultra HD)
09/24 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Seventh Season (DVD) / The Complete Series (DVD) (Blu-ray)
10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

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


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

09/14 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Tim Meadows to Star in New Sitcom DMV; Casting for The Office Followup Series
09/13 - ALF Anniversary Marathon on Shout! TV; HBO Orders Tim Robinson Comedy
09/12 - MeTV Halloween 2024 Events; CBS' Nate Bargatze Holiday Special
09/11 - HBO Orders Rachel Sennott Comedy to Series; Jaleel White Hosts New Game Show Flip Side
09/10 - CBS Fall 2024 Preview Special; The Franchise Premieres October 6 on HBO
09/09 - Lifetime Orders Christmas in the Spotlight; Hulu Sets Murdaugh Murders Series
09/08 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 9, 2024)
09/07 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Only Murders in the Building Renewed for Fifth Season; Plex Adds Knots Landing and More
09/06 - Hulu's Child Stars Documentary; Keke Palmer Heads to The 'Burbs for Peacock
09/05 - Dancing with the Stars Season 33 Cast; Tia Mowry We TV Docuseries
09/04 - Nick at Nite Acquires Modern Family; SNL Stars Go Live on Peacock Next Thursday
09/03 - The CW Swaps Two Nights for Fall 2024 Schedule; Retta Returns to HGTV
09/02 - TV Marathons on Labor Day 2024 Include Barney Miller
09/01 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 2, 2024)
08/31 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at New Netflix Comedy; One Tree Hill Sequel in the Works
08/30 - Freeform's 31 Nights of Halloween 2024; Wizards Beyond Waverly Place Premieres October 29
08/29 - Based on a True Story Returns in November on Peacock; Nikki Glaser to Host Golden Globes
08/28 - Acapulco Renewed for Season 4; Kiernan Shipka Max Movie
08/27 - Everybody Still Hates Chris Premieres September 25 on Comedy Central; Final Season of Somebody Somewhere Returns in October
08/26 - Frasier Returns September 19 on Paramount+ for Season 2; Ted Danson's Netflix Comedy Premieres in November
08/25 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of August 26, 2024)
08/24 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at New Netflix Comedy; TNT Picks Up The Librarians: The Next Chapter
08/23 - FETV's Sunday Mystery Matinee Block; Glen Powell Is Chad Powers for Hulu Comedy
08/22 - Pee-wee Forever on August 27 on Shout! TV; The Lincoln Lawyer Is Back This October
08/21 - NBC Moves Premiere Due to VP Debate; Seth Meyers Gets Live Primetime Special
08/20 - The Rockford Files 50th Anniversary Marathons on Great Entertainment Television (get.); Bad Sisters Returning for Season 2
08/19 - Schitt's Creek Stars to Host Emmys on ABC; Madison Iseman Joins USA Network Series
08/18 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of August 19, 2024)
08/17 - SitcomsOnline Digest: The Drew Carey Show Now Streaming for Free; Hulu Picks Up Mid-Century Modern Comedy
08/16 - NBC to Air Mr. Throwback Premiere; Ariel Winter Returns for New Sofia the First Series
08/15 - Comedy Central Acquires Family Guy; Hallmark to Launch Hallmark+ Streaming Service
08/14 - Only Murders in the Building Season 4 Trailer; Grotesquerie Gets Premiere Date on FX