Wednesday, March 07, 2012
ABC Family Acquires The Middle For Fall 2013, Also In Local Syndication; TV One's March Sitcom Madness
Warner Bros. Television has sold the ABC hit family sitcom The Middle into broadcast syndication and cable for Fall 2013! In broadcast syndication, Tribune Broadcasting stations will air it in 11 markets, including WPIX-CW New York, KTLA-CW Los Angeles and WGN-CW Chicago. Also, Sinclair Broadcast Group has picked up the sitcom in 19 markets, including Pittsburgh and Baltimore. The Middle has been cleared on stations reaching 92% of TV homes so far, having also been sold to stations owned by CBS, Communications Corp., Raycom, Newport, Belo, Cox, Local TV, New Age Media, Titan, Grant, News Press & Gazette, Barrington, Mission, Venture, LIN, Pappas, Weigel, Acme, and others. A full list of stations will be available closer to fall 2013. More clearances will come.
As for cable, The Middle has been acquired by ABC Family for also fall 2013. This marks the first major current sitcom acquisition by the network, as the other comedies they previously acquired were of canceled sitcoms like My Wife & Kids and 8 Simple Rules or older comedies like That '70s Show and Full House. The hit family sitcom will likely air in the early evenings, probably sometime between 6-8pm during family time. We'll have more on that as we get closer to fall 2013, as we are still a while away!
The series premiered in fall 2009 on ABC (Wednesdays at 8PM) and is currently in its third season. By the time the series hits syndication, it will have four full seasons of episodes to air five-days-a-week. Two-time Emmy winner Patricia Heaton stars in this warm and witty single-camera comedy about raising a family and lowering your expectations. Middle-aged, middle class and living in the middle of the country in Orson, Indiana, Frankie Heck is a harried wife and working mother of three who uses her wry wit and sense of humor in an attempt to get her family through each day intact. The Middle stars Patricia Heaton as Frankie, Neil Flynn as Mike, Charlie McDermott as Axl, Eden Sher as Sue, Atticus Shaffer as Brick and Chris Kattan as Bob. It is created and is executive produced by Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline.
It's March and sports fans know that March means it's time for March Madness (the college basketball tournament). TV One will have its own March Madness with Sitcom Madness! TV One will air sitcom marathons every weekday all-month long from 11am-5pm. The stunt started this week on Monday (March 5) and will continue through Friday, March 30, so you have plenty of time to join the Sitcom Madness! On Mondays, TV One will air six hours of Martin in March. On Tuesdays, spend the day with twelve helpings of The Jeffersons from 11am-5pm. The sitcoms continue mid-week with Good Times on Wednesdays. On Thursday, it's not a half marathon but we get a Half & Half marathon. And close the week out on Fridays with Eve. That's five different sitcoms, so what show do you think is the best show from these five if TV One were doing a bracket style elimination? Luckily they're not, so you can watch all five series if you like them!
Everything else on TV One in March will remain as it is, as the 11am-5pm portion is preempted this month for these marathons. No other stunts are planned, so it's all about the Sitcom Madness in March!
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Monday, November 3
The Neighborhood - "Welcome to Family Value" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Malcolm’s home renovation takes an unexpected turn when Calvin’s cousin Crutch (Tracy Morgan) shows up uninvited to fix his floors. Meanwhile, Dave’s attempts to help around the house and support Grover’s booming T-shirt business lead to more stress than he bargained for.
DMV - "Don't Kill the Job" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Colette runs into an old friend at the DMV, she pretends to be a fellow customer rather than an employee in order to save face.
St. Denis Medical - "Aloha, Everyone" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Alex tries to hold on to her peaceful vacation vibes; Joyce faces a design crisis in the birthing center; Matt and Serena reassess their working relationship.
St. Denis Medical - "Mama Bear Activated" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
After Bruce is attacked at the hospital, Matt helps him deal with the aftermath; Alex motivates Joyce to amp up security, while Ron and Serena debate who is more qualified to defend themselves.
TV We Love - "The Honeymooners" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Jackie Gleason's creative genius; why "The Honeymooners" continues to resonate 70 years after its premiere.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 3)
Monday, November 3
- Sean Hayes (Will & Grace/The Millers/Sean Saves the World) - Watch Sean on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Tom appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Rickey Smiley (The Rickey Smiley Show) - Rickey is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
- Isla Fisher (Wolf Like Me/Arrested Development) - Andy Cohen interviews Isla on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo.
- Patti LaBelle (Out All Night) - Patti and Nona Hendryx perform on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Rami Malek (The War at Home) - Rami talks about Nuremberg on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Lacey Chabert (Still the King/Baby Daddy/Family Guy) - Lacey dishes on She's Making a List on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- John Slattery (Maggie/Ed) - NBC's Today catches up with John in the 9am hour.
- Tig Notaro (One Mississippi) and and Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Drew is hitting the headlines with her co-pilot Ross Mathews, Valerie Bertinelli and Tig Notaro on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. Tig talks to Drew about executive producing the documentary Come See Me in the Good Light.
- Erika Alexander (Run the World/Living Single/The Cosby Show) - Erika tells Drews about her show Invasion and her podcast ReLiving Single on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and 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)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season
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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