SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

We have a very exciting interview for you today and we also have a very cool giveaway. We have an interview with teen star Nick Robinson (ABC Family's Melissa & Joey) about his young career and his role on this hit ABC Family comedy. We get answers to various questions that you will all want to know about, including if he ever saw Melissa Joan Hart's and Joey Lawrence's other series and who his dream guest stars would be! As always with all of our interviews, it is in Seven Questions form. So let's first tell you a little bit about Nick Robinson.



Starring alongside Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence on ABC Family's Melissa & Joey, Nick Robinson plays pre-adolescent, Ryder Scanlon, who lives with his aunt (Hart) and older sister (played by Taylor Spreitler) after a scandal places their mother and father in prison. Robinson proves to be quite the scene-stealer with his talent for dropping witty one-liners, which is a tough feat in a cast of noteworthy sitcom veterans like Hart and Lawrence.
Robinson may be new to the small screen but is no stranger to performing. His professional career began at the age of 11 when he began performing with the Seattle ACT Theatre where he performed numerous lead roles in plays such as A Christmas Carol, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Lost in Yonkers, directed by Tony Award winner Brian Yorkey.
A native of Seattle, WA, Robinson is the oldest of 5 siblings, an avid swimmer, snow skier, soccer player, and golfer. Robinson also lends his hand at playing the ukulele and is a passionate supporter of muscular dystrophy.



"Seven Questions with Melissa & Joey's Nick Robinson"

SitcomsOnline: Hi Nick, we are very excited for more all-new episodes of Melissa & Joey this summer on ABC Family! We have to ask, what's your story of getting the part of Ryder Scanlon?
Melissa & Joey's Nick Robinson: Well, I'm from Seattle and about two years ago we came to L.A. Melissa and Joey was only my second audition. We kept flying back and forth from Seattle to L.A. because I kept getting callbacks. I was actually on a flight back to Seattle when I got the call. We had to keep quiet the whole flight home. It was completely surreal.

SitcomsOnline: This is your first big break, so congrats on that! How is it working with TV veterans Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence? What have been your most memorable moments with them so far?
Melissa & Joey's Nick Robinson: It was pretty nerve wracking at first, and I didn't know what to expect but Melissa and Joey have been great about showing me the ropes. It's a really great set to work on. One of my favorite moments was on April Fools Day when we saran-wrapped Joey's dressing room door. He dodged it at the last second. We got it on video though; it's pretty funny.

SitcomsOnline: You're so young, but do you remember watching Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence on their previous TV series like Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Clarissa Explains It All or going beyond your age, Blossom?
Melissa & Joey's Nick Robinson: I definitely remember watching reruns of Sabrina the Teenage Witch as a kid. I also remember the animated series! Blossom was a little before my time but I watched a couple episodes after hearing I was going to work with Joey Lawrence. It was good. Whoa!

SitcomsOnline: What's in store this summer on Melissa & Joey on the remaining 18 episodes of season one? We watched an advanced screener of the summer premiere a few weeks ago and it is very funny, so kudos to you and the rest of the cast! Can we expect some more cool guest stars like last summer/fall, where you got to act with the legendary Katherine Helmond from past sitcoms such as Soap and Who's the Boss?
Melissa & Joey's Nick Robinson: Oh yeah, the new episodes have a lot of great guest stars including Andy Lawrence and Megan Hilty who starred in Wicked on Broadway just to name a few. We've been lucky with an incredibly talented guest cast. The new episodes also have some love interests, which was a lot of fun to shoot.

SitcomsOnline: You also get to work with a fellow teenager in Taylor Spreitler, who plays your older sister, on Melissa & Joey. I know you must learn a lot from Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence, but learning from someone close to your own age could be even more rewarding. How is it working with Taylor? It seems you two probably get a long very well.
Melissa & Joey's Nick Robinson: Taylor and I have developed a brother-sister relationship a lot like what you see on screen. She was my first friend when I came to L.A. and we went to school on set together. She is really fun to have on set.

SitcomsOnline: We hope we have some Ryder-centric episodes in the cards! What do you think would be a good storyline for Ryder? And who would be your dream guest star?
Melissa & Joey's Nick Robinson: I think a good storyline would be for Ryder to get his drivers license since I just got mine in real life. A dream guest star for me would have to be Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, or James Franco.

SitcomsOnline: Do you plan on pursing any other acting jobs when Melissa & Joey goes on a production hiatus? Are movie roles something you see yourself doing in the immediate future or long-term?
Melissa & Joey's Nick Robinson: Yes, I recently completed a Disney movie called Frenemies in Toronto. I would love to continue to make the transition into movies. I'll just take it one step at a time!

Our thanks to Nick Robinson. We wish him the best of luck on the new episodes of Melissa & Joey and his career. Melissa & Joey airs Wednesdays at 8/7 central only on ABC Family! For more information on Nick Robinson and Melissa & Joey, continue to stay with us for info and don't forget to view the Melissa & Joey website. Follow Nick on Twitter and "like" him on Facebook. So, stay tuned right here on the blog for continued news and programming updates for this network.

We have a special Seven Questions interview tomorrow as well, keep reading today's blog to see what that will be!



One of you lucky readers out there will get to meet Joyce DeWitt (Janet from Three's Company) very soon! Joyce is now starring in the off-Broadway play Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage and one lucky fan will win two tickets to go and see the play and meet Joyce after the show! So if you're in the NY-NJ-CT area and can easily get to New York City, please enter our contest on Facebook and let us know why you want to come and see the play and tell us one thing you love about Joyce DeWitt! Entries end Friday, July 22 at 11:59pm ET! So enter today!
This will be a fan's dream come true and you'll be in store for a great day or night of laughs, as Miss Abigail's Guide To Dating, Mating & Marriage has been critically acclaimed! I will be seeing the play and meeting Joyce on Saturday and we will have a full recap next week along with "Seven Questions with Joyce DeWitt," you won't want to miss this!
Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage (now starring Joyce DeWitt from Three's Company) is the story of Miss Abigail, the most sought-after relationship expert to the stars, and her sexy sidekick Paco, as they travel the world teaching Miss Abigail's outrageously funny and spot-on tips on how to date, mate and marry! During this 90-minute comedy, you're guaranteed to laugh-out-loud and learn a thing or two...like how to have a perfect kiss (it's all about lip position)...what you should and should not talk about on a date (don't mention your troll doll collection)...and how to let a man think he wears the pants. Let Miss Abigail take you back to a simpler time, before booty calls and before speed-dating...back when the divorce rate wasn't 50% and when 'fidelity' was more than an investment firm! So, grab your girlfriends, your date, your mate (or even your ex!) and GET TICKETS for Miss Abigail's Guide to Dating, Mating & Marriage TODAY. The play is located at Sofia's Downstairs Theater on 221 West 46th Street, New York, NY. The showtimes are Wednesdays at 2PM; Thursdays at 8PM; Fridays at 8PM; Saturdays at 2PM & 8PM; and Sundays at 3PM & 7:30PM.
Once again, if you're in the NY-NJ-CT tri-state area, enter for a chance to win two free tickets to see this play! All you have to do is go on our Facebook page and let us know why you want to come and see the play and tell us one thing you love about Joyce DeWitt! Entries end Friday, July 22 at 11:59pm ET! So enter today!



And keeping the Three's Company theme, we recently interviewed Richard Kline from (Larry from Three's Company) and we'll have that interview posted tomorrow for you! See what he has to say about the state of today's sitcoms, if a reunion is possible and if he would do Dancing with the Stars!