Thursday, June 09, 2011

NBC To Burn-Off Friends With Benefits; TNT Acquires Castle Reruns for 2012

NBC has finally scheduled its comedy Friends with Benefits. But it is only a burn-off, as they didn't air it during the 2010-11 season, thus it has a 100% chance of not returning, like last summer's 100 Questions. Even more so, it will be airing Saturdays at 8:00pm & 8:30pm starting June 25 and will run though July 30. NBC has 13 episodes in the can, but as of right now 12 will air. If it remains on the schedule, that is. Anyway, there is a sitcom to watch on Saturdays this summer, even though it is a burn-off and will not return beyond these episodes.
From Brian Grazer, Friends With Benefits is a half-hour, single-camera comedy revolving around a group of twenty-something singles as they navigate the difficult, and often confusing, world of dating. Ben Weymouth (Ryan Hansen) is on the hunt for the perfect woman who meets his unique set of standards, while his best friend, Sara Maxwell (Danneel Harris), is just looking for a man to settle down with and raise a family. Ben and Sara have fallen into the habit of turning to each other for moral and physical support as they wait for Mr. and Ms. Right to arrive. Their friend Aaron (Fran Kranz), a romantic at heart, doesn't approve of Ben and Sara's complicated friendship, but he, along with womanizer Hoon (Ian Reed) and straight shooter Riley (Jessica Lucas), are all distracted with their own dating trials and tribulations.

In its latest high-profile acquisition, TNT has secured the exclusive off-network cable rights to the hit series, Castle, from Disney-ABC Domestic Television. Castle, which just completed its third highly rated season on ABC, is a crime drama starring Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Desperate Housewives) and Stana Katic (Quantum of Solace, TNT's The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice).
Castle (seasons 1 & 2) will begin airing on TNT in summer 2012. As part of TNT's TV Everywhere rollout, Castle will also be available for online viewing through mobile phones, tablets, computers and other devices.
TNT's deal for Castle follows on the heels of the network's recent acquisition of Hawaii Five-0, which will join the TNT lineup in 2014. TNT has also landed the popular series The Mentalist, which recently enjoyed a strong opening in its Wednesday 7-9 p.m. timeslot. It is unclear when Castle seasons 3 and beyond will air on TNT. I would assume that would start in Fall 2013.
Look for Castle to land a weekend local syndication deal soon as well and that should start in Fall 2012 or 2013 (and that would be all seasons to date rather than just the first two seasons). Stay tuned


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Tuesday, January 21

St. Denis Medical - "Gimme the Scuttlebutt" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
An "intimacy in the workplace" discussion leads Joyce to discover she's out of the loop on office gossip; Alex gets self-conscious about her sex life; Bruce tries to fight a new policy about dating co-workers.

Night Court - "The Jakeout" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
After learning that Jake has never been in a long-term relationship, Abby is determined to find his secret dealbreaker; Dan and Julianne go head to head to prove they don't have feelings for each other.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 20)

Tuesday, January 21

  • Sterling K. Brown (Starved) - Watch Sterling on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Sarah Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Program) - Sarah appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Bobby Cannavale (Angie Tribeca/Will & Grace) - Bobby is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Britt Lower (Ghosted/Man Seeking Woman/Big Lake) - Britt appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. She also talks about Severance on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings
  • Adam Scott (Ghosted/Veep/Parks and Recreation/Party Down) - Adam stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about Severance on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Mary Lynn Rajskub (Rob Riggle's Ski Master Academy/How to Be a Gentleman/Veronica's Closet/The Larry Sanders Show), Patton Oswalt (A.P. Bio/The Goldbergs/The King of Queens) and Brian Posehn (The Sarah Silverman Program) - Mary Lynn, Patton and Brian are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Stephanie Hsu (Laid) - Stephanie is a guest on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Frankie Grande (Danger Force/Henry Danger) - Frankie talks about Henry Danger The Movie on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am and on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour.
  • Megan Hilty (Sean Saves the World) - Megan and Jennifer Simard talk about Death Becomes Her on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Ben Stiller (Arrested Development) - Ben talks about Severance on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Yvette Nicole Brown (Act Your Age/The Odd Couple/Community/The Big House) - Yvette talks about BET+'s The Family Business on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Chyler Leigh (That '80s Show) - Chyler is a guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:05am.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series

10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series

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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