Fox To Air Married...with Children Pilot; Hallmark Pulls Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart On Weekends

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Fox To Air Married...with Children Pilot; Hallmark Pulls Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart On Weekends

In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Fox is giving viewers a chance to look back at a show that defined the network and created one of television's most iconic characters: Al Bundy. On Sunday, April 22, the premiere episode of Married... With Children will air at 7:00 PM ET/PT followed by an encore of The Simpsons' 500th episode at 7:30 PM ET/PT, kicking off an historic evening on Fox. Married... With Children premiered Sunday, April 5, 1987 on Fox, with three half-hour broadcasts (7:00 PM, 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM) of the show's "Pilot" episode. In the pilot, Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) gets front row seats to a basketball game, but Peggy (Katey Sagal) makes him stay home and meet their new neighbors, Marcy (Amanda Bearse) and Steve Rhoades (David Garrison). The Simpsons officially launched as a full-fledged series on January 14, 1990, but Springfield's most famous family had appeared on Fox for several years in a number of animated "shorts" as part of The Tracey Ullman Show. So, to celebrate The Simpsons' continuing impact on popular culture, Fox will encore the series' 500th episode, "At Long Last Leave," in which the Simpsons are evicted from Springfield and join an off-the-grid community outside of town.
Of course immediately following these rebroadcasts, Fox's 25th Anniversary Special will air from 8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT (as we have mentioned many times) and will take an entertaining look back at the groundbreaking and irreverent shows that have come to define the network. The star-studded special will pay tribute to Fox's most memorable moments with appearances by Fox talent, highlights from iconic series and specials and reunions with cast members from some of the network's fan-favorite series, including Married... With Children, In Living Color and That '70s Show, among other surprises.

The Hallmark Channel has made a last minute minor schedule change. It's not that big of a deal, but we still want to make a note of it for you classic TV fans out there. Starting this weekend, the Saturday and Sunday 2-6am block of The Bob Newhart Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show will be removed. Two hours each of Frasier and I Love Lucy will air instead on weekend mornings. Not to fret fans of The Bob Newhart Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, because both classic sitcoms will remain in this block on weekdays from 2-6am. It's just that they won't be seven days a week anymore. No reason for this weekend change, but perhaps ratings had a lot to do with it. Usually that is the culprit for a quick leash, especially on Hallmark.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show premiered 12 days ago on April 1 on Hallmark with a marathon that did OK in the ratings, while The Bob Newhart Show has been airing on the cable network since January, but it has moved timeslots already--going from 8-10am to 2-4am. With Mary Tyler Moore starting at 4-6am, there is no other place to go for a bad timeslot, other than out of the line-up completely. So let's hope it does well in this early morning block, so at the very least it can remain there. We're gonna make it after all!

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, July 22

Shifting Gears - "Loyalty" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Matt’s dream build turns into a nightmare when controversy between Stitch and the client threatens to derail everything. Meanwhile, Riley hires Carter at her coffee business and quickly learns that working with family brews more tension than drinks.

Shifting Gears - "License" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When he finds out Carter’s getting driving lessons, Matt’s plan to prove he’s the better teacher hits a snag when he learns his license is expired. Meanwhile, Riley’s two worlds collide as she struggles to keep both her business and family afloat.

Shifting Gears - "Nutcracker" (ABC, 10:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
This holiday season, the Parkers discover that romance isn’t always a smooth ride as Matt and Eve are on thin ice, Gabe enlists Riley to help Amelie impress his mom, and Carter seeks help with his “promposal.” Pamela Adlon guest stars.

Shifting Gears - "Dog" (ABC, 10:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Matt refuses to let Carter bring a dog into “his” house, Riley starts to wonder if it’s time for her and the kids to find their own place. Meanwhile, Gabe seeks Riley’s advice amid second thoughts about moving in with Amelie.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 20)

Wednesday, July 22

Colman Domingo (The Four Seasons) - Colman guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Arsenio Hall (Arsenio) - Arsenio appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
John Leguizamo (The Brothers Garcia) - John is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Tracee Ellis Ross (black-ish/Girlfriends) - Tracee drops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also talks about Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 9am hour.
Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Tamron Hall has a repeat of a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE with Terry and Rebecca King-Crews revealing for the first time Rebecca's health battle, so check your local listings.
Patricia Clarkson (Davis Rules) - Patricia talks about Ransom Canyon on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Pamela Adlon (King of the Hill/Better Things/The Facts of Life) - Pamela dishes on Hulu's King of the Hill on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Kevin Sussman (Stuart Fails to Save the Universe/The Big Bang Theory) - Kevin talks about Stuart Fails to Save the Universe on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory/8 Simple Rules/Ladies Man) - Kaley talks about her new miniseries Vanished on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Valerie appears on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Jack Whitehall (The 'Burbs) - Jack tells Drew about starring alongside Keke Palmer in new murder comedy The 'Burbs on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.