SitcomsOnline.com News Blog: May 2012

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Network Notes Includes Fox Thursday Sitcom Repeats in August; Remembering Television Producer Lee Rich

It's time for another round of network notes! First on CBS, after canceled sitcom How To Be A Gentleman concludes its burn-off, CBS will air burn-off episodes of canceled drama NYC 22 on Saturday nights starting July 7. CBS only aired four episodes of the drama on Sunday nights at 10pm, and will now the remaining nine episodes will air this summer on Saturdays at 8pm and 9pm most weeks through August 18. CBS planned on airing these episodes this summer in the Sunday at 10pm slot, but now will likely go with repeats of dramas instead, as CSI: Miami repeats have already been scheduled for last Sunday (May 27) and June 3. See the schedule for NYC 22.
On ABC, the schedule update is for two summer series from ABC News. First, the previously announced Final Witness for Tuesdays at 10 starting July 10, is being moved to Wednesdays at 10 starting June 27 for 7 episodes. ABC had not announced anything in that time period after the initial Apartment 23 and Modern Family repeats and then two special Duets airings (June 13 and 20). Airing now in the Tuesday at 10 slot where Final Witness was going to air will now be the reality medical series NY Med. This series follows the doctors of NY Presbyterian Hospital, similar to Boston Med in summer 2010. NY Med will air Tuesdays at 10 starting July 10 for likely 8 episodes. See the full information on both of these schedule changes.
Moving on to NBC, America's Got Talent will air its last Monday episode on July 2. The reality staple will move to Wednesdays at 9pm starting July 11 and Tuesdays will expand to two-hours to 8-10pm. In addition, a special three-night event will air Monday, June 25 8-9pm; Tuesday, June 26 9-10pm and Wednesday, June 27 9-11pm. And finally on Fox, they will have Hell's Kitchen and MasterChef on Mondays and Tuesday from 8-10pm starting next week, but the two shows will be cut to one night by end of July. Hell's Kitchen will air back-to-back on Monday nights starting July 30 and MasterChef will air back-to-back on Tuesday nights starting July 31. For both shows, it will be an encore leading into a new episode. And finally, after the Thursday reality series (which premiere next week) conclude, Fox will go with comedy encores of Raising Hope and New Girl in the 8pm hour starting August 2, as Take Me Out concludes July 26. Glee repeats will air at 9pm beginning July 19, as The Choice will conclude July 12.

Television and film producer Lee Rich, co-founder of Lorimar Productions who produced series including The Waltons, Eight is Enough and Dallas, has died. He died on May 24 of lung cancer at his home in Los Angeles. Mr. Rich was 93.

Rich's career began in advertising for Benton & Bowles as ad agency middleman between product company sponsors and television producers. He was involved with The Andy Griffith Show, Make Room for Daddy, The Edge of Night, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and The Dick Van Dyke Show. In 1965, he formed his own production company, Mirisch-Rich Productions. They produced The Rat Patrol and the short-lived sitcom Hey, Landlord. In 1969, he co-founded Lormiar Productions with Merv Adelson and Irwin Molasky. Rich served as an executive producer for The Waltons, Eight is Enough, Dallas and Flamingo Road. During his time at Lorimar, he received five Emmy nominations and won the 1973 Outstanding Drama Series for The Waltons. He also brought us TV movies including The Homecoming, The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (which served as the pilot for The Waltons), Sybil and Helter Skelter. After leaving Lorimar in 1986, Rich joined MGM/UA Communications as Chairman/CEO for two years. He later helped produce films including Passenger 57, Just Cause, Gloria and The Score.

The Archive of American Television has an extensive interview with him from 1999. Rich is survived by his longtime partner, actress Pippa Scott; five children, Michael Henes, Jessica Rich, Miranda Rich Tollman, Blair Rich and Anthony Rich; and seven grandchildren. We thank him for bringing us many quality hours of television. He will be missed.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Castle on TNT Delayed; Nick at Nite Adds Friends Marathon, Schedule Change, and Pilot Episode Week for Hollywood Heights

We announced in late April the TNT start date for reruns of Castle was Thursday, June 7. As of late last week, TNT has delayed the start date for reruns of that popular comedic crime drama. No word yet on when Castle will air on TNT now, but The Mentalist reruns will continue to air on Thursday nights at 9pm and 10pm. In the meantime, viewers can watch Castle reruns on ABC on Mondays at 10pm for the next two weeks (June 4 and 11) before it goes on hiatus until late August. The series will return with brand new episodes on ABC this fall for its fifth season.
Castle is a comedic/romantic crime drama starring Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Desperate Housewives) and Stana Katic (Quantum of Solace, TNT's The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice). Also as part of TNT's TV Everywhere rollout, Castle will also be available for online viewing through mobile phones, tablets, computers and other devices as soon s it starts airing on TNT. They will only be allowed to air the first two seasons for now but will be able to air more than just the first two seasons by Fall 2013. The series also heads to weekend broadcast syndication this fall, so check your local listings for times and station as we get closer to the fall! Stay with us for a new premiere date for Castle on TNT!

Nick at Nite will premiere its new original primetime series a bit earlier than planned! Nick at Nite adds sizzle to summer weeknights with the original primetime drama Hollywood Heights, kicking off with a special preview beginning Monday, June 11 at 9:00 p.m. The debut episode will also encore every night at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT) through Friday, June 15, with the series still premiering on Monday, June 18 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT) and new episodes airing every weeknight thereafter, as we previously announced. Adapted for a U.S. audience from the wildly popular Mexican telenovela Alcanzar una Estrella, Hollywood Heights follows the journey of a teenage girl whose life changes drastically when she becomes a star and wins the love of her rock and roll idol, and both are tested by setbacks, heartbreak and deception. The first season of the 80-episode series, co-produced with Televisa in association with Sony Pictures Television, will air weeknights at 9 p.m. through October 2012. The special preview week (June 11-15) will have back-to-back episodes of Friends as a lead-in from 8-9pm at a special time. As a result, Yes, Dear will air 10-11pm, while another hour of Friends will follow at 11 leading into a block of George Lopez from 12-2am. This means That '70s Show will not air this week, but the sitcom will be joining sister network TV Land's schedule this coming Friday anyway, so perhaps it will be slowly phased out from Nick. This new schedule will likely remain week of June 18, too, but we don't have that confirmed yet.
Nick at Nite also has a Friends week coming up from Monday, June 4 to Friday, June 8 from 8pm-5am ET/PT each night to help promote the premiere of Hollywood Heights the week after. Nick at Nite also has a Father's Day event planned on Sunday, June 17 with My Wife & Kids even making an appearance with George Lopez, Yes Dear and Friends.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Leverage Reruns on ION Begin July 1; Men at Work Premiere Scores on TBS

As we mentioned before, ION Television has gotten the rerun rights to the TNT drama Leverage, but now we have the launch date and timeslots! The drama will start Sunday, July 1, 2012 on ION Television with an 11-episode block from 4pm-3am! The series will continue to air every Sunday in the same period as well. All episodes will air in order and there will be no encores, so make sure you watch all eleven hours every Sunday night. As of now, no other timeslots are announced. Maybe the timings will change come July 15. Because the series will enter its fifth season on TNT starting July 15 at 8pm. As soon as we know, we will let you know, but as of now, July 1 and July 8 are full Sunday's of Leverage on ION Television! The series replaces a block of Flashpoint on Sunday nights.
Leverage follows a five-person team: a thief, a grifter, a hacker, a retrieval specialist, and their leader, former insurance investigator Nathan Ford (Academy Award Winner(R) Timothy Hutton), who use their skills to right corporate and governmental injustices inflicted on ordinary citizens.

TBS's all-new comedy series Men at Work scored 2.649 million viewers for its premiere on Thursday. 1.63 million were in adults 18-49 and 851,000 were in adults 18-34, according to cable fast national data. The premiere of Men at Work also drew 14% more adults 18-34 and 7% more adults 18-49 than the prior four weeks of The Big Bang Theory reruns in the Thursday 10 p.m. (ET/PT) timeslot. And it garnered more men 18-34 (395,000) than any previous TBS original sitcom premiere. TBS's second episode of Men at Work followed at 10:30 p.m. (ET/PT), averaging 2.29 million viewers in Live + Same Day delivery, with 778,000 viewers in adults 18-34 and 1.433 million in adults 18-49.
Created by Breckin Meyer (Road Trip, TNT's Franklin & Bash), Men at Work centers on four buddies who work together at a magazine. Danny Masterson (That '70s Show) plays the recently dumped Milo, whose friends are determined to help him get back in the dating game. James Lesure (Las Vegas) is Gibbs, a photographer and successful ladies man. Michael Cassidy (The O.C) plays Tyler, a features writer who brings a dose of style and sophistication to the group. And Adam Busch (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is Neal, a somewhat nerdy ad salesman and the only one in the group with a steady girlfriend (Meredith Hagner - Royal Pains). Men at Work airs each Thursday at 10 p.m. (ET/PT). Fans can stay up to speed on the latest Men at Work news through the show's website and Twitter.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Memorial Day 2012 TV Marathons Includes Saved by the Bell on MTV2, The Parkers on BET, and More!

Happy Memorial Day! As we pay tribute to our troops every year on this day, let's have some fun as well watching TV marathons on the tube on this day off! If you're not going outside in the heat (the NY metro area will be close to 90 degrees today), then there are plenty of TV options for you on this day! Are you headed to the shore or would you rather watch some good TV marathons like Saved by the Bell? It's certainly all right! So bring out your lawn chair, throw some burgers on the BBQ, and watch some television!
Among the marathons today are the marathons we have previously mentioned, such as the Antenna TV Movie Heroes marathon from 5am-2am. We also told you about the Andy Griffith Show marathon on TV Land from 10:30am-2pm. We also mentioned a drama marathon of The Waltons starting at noon on INSP! Other cool sitcom marathons on this day is MTV2's Saved by the Bell marathon from 12pm-8pm! TV One has a marathon of Martin marathon from 11am-5am, but technically that is every Monday anyway. BET will air The Parkers marathon from 8am-7:30pm. Get your Mo'Nique on! Oxygen has a morning marathon of Living Single from 6am-10am. Comedy Central has a marathon of the animated comedy South Park from 9am-11pm! MeTV Network will honor the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces this Memorial Day beginning at 7pm ET. The Memorial Day Marathon will feature some of the best episodes from M*A*S*H, Combat! and Twelve O'Clock High. And ION just loves Criminal Minds as they have yet another marathon of the drama from 1pm-3am.

Other marathons include a marathon of the classic '80s animated series Smurfs on Boomerang from 6:30am-6pm, a Perry Mason marathon on Hallmark Movie Channel from 6am-6am, and TV Guide Channel will air multiple episodes of Early Edition & The Guardian starting at 10am through 2am (with a movie break at 6 & 9pm). GMC will have a Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman marathon from 12pm-11pm. GSN will showcase a Family Feud marathon from 7pm-12am. Watch the Law & Order marathon on TNT from 10am-8pm, while on USA Network you can watch the long-running series NCIS with a marathon starting at 6am through 9pm. Showoff your sexiness with the Sex and the City marathon on from 12pm-8pm. Spike TV will go the Band of Brothers marathon route from 9am-9pm. and Universal HD will show us The Unit with a 24-hour marathon beginning at 6am. And if you STILL get SOAPnet, they have a One Tree Hill marathon from 10am-7pm. Nathan & Haley, Always & Forever!

If you like movies on TV, watch Lifetime, Centric, ReelzChannel TV, TBS, AMC, Syfyf and as mentioned earlier, Antenna TV. Reality TV wise, A&E has a Storage Wars marathon, History has a Pawn Stars marathon starting at 8am, TLC has a Cake Boss marathon beginning at 6am, and Discovery has a Deadliest Catch marathon from 9am-10pm.
For the full times of these marathons and much more marathons we didn't cover (like American Ninja Warrior on G4 and Top Gear on BBC America), check out the full list from our pals at TV Tango!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Final Week of 2011-12 TV Ratings and Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did

2011-12 Week 36 TV Ratings (final three nights of the season average, Mon-Wed):

Households: #1. Fox 7.9 rating/12.6 share; #2. ABC 7.2/11.6; #3. CBS 4.5/7.2; #4. NBC 3.9/6.3; #5. The CW 0.4/0.7
Total Viewers: #1. Fox 13.51 million; #2. ABC 10.94 million; #3. CBS 6.75 million; #4. NBC 6.43 million; #5. The CW 0.64 million.
Adults 18-49: #1. Fox. 4.2 rating/12.0 share; #2. ABC 2.6/7.3; #3. NBC 2.1/5.9; #4. CBS 1.5/4.3; #5 . The CW 0.3/0.8

Week 36 (May 21-27) Analysis: Week 36 is the final week of the season but it is only the first three days of the week, so really there is only 35 1/2 weeks during a TV season. For the final three nights of the season, Fox had the commanding lead thanks to American Idol. ABC was in second place across the board lead by its finales of Dancing and Modern Family. CBS was mainly in repeats , with only one hour of new programming only, so it had to settle for a distant third in HH/viewers but fourth in adults 18-49. NBC was fourth in HH/viewers, even losing to repeats on CBS, but they did beat them in adults 18-49. As for last week, week 35, Fox beat CBS by a tenth for the 18-49 crown again, while CBS again took home HH/total viewers. ABC was second in HH/viewers, but third in 18-49 (only a tenth behind CBS for second), while Fox was third in HH/viewers. And that left NBC fourth across the board again. NBC did finish the 2011-12 season in third place in 18-49 thanks to the Super Bowl. Without it, they would be down two tenths and back in fourth. Thanks to that bonus they were in third, but in all likelihood, barring a huge hit, they will be back in fourth next season. Fox won the season in adults 18-49, followed by CBS, NBC and ABC.

On Monday, it was NBC edging ABC by a tenth and Fox by two tenths. First, on ABC, Dancing with the Stars: The Finals started it off from 8-9pm doing a first place 16.84 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, up three tenths from previous week when it aired 8-9:30pm. From 9-11pm, The Bachelorette did a solid 7.53 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, off just two tenths from previous week's 90-minute premiere. For CBS, How I Met Your Mother was a repeat for some reason (the second year in a row CBS has done repeats the last week of the season) and did 4.06 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating. A repeat of 2 Broke Girls followed doing 4.62 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, building from its lead-in. A repeat of Two and a Half Men followed at 9 with 7.23 million and a 2.0 rating, the best of the block as usual even though it seems below normal for a repeat. A repeat of Mike & Molly was next and did 6.29 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, which is serviceable. At 10, Hawaii Five-0 was preempted for a new Clash of the Commercials special doing 5.96 million and only a 1.3 18-49 rating, which is down from last season's special. Fox started off the night with a House retrospective special doing 6.27 million and a 2.1 rating, up two tenths from the season finale of Bones the previous week. Then at 9, it was the series finale of House doing 8.72 million and a 2.9 rating, up seven tenths from previous week. Not bad, but no where near what the series has done in the past. NBC started it off with America's Got Talent at 8 and did 9.66 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating, which was down four tenths from previous week's two-hour premiere. Then from 9-11pm, NBC premiered the summer series America Ninja Warrior doing a solid 6.2 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating. It did better than the way more expensive Smash finale. The CW aired a repeat of One Tree Hill and did just 0.57 million and a 0.3 18-49 rating. Another repeat airing followed with 0.53 million and a 0.2 rating. Probably one of the last network airings of this series ever, if not the last one.

On Tuesday, it was Fox with the win. NCIS: LA at 8 started it off at a special time with a repeat doing 7.51 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating. Then two hour of repeats of NCIS at a special time did 9.17 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating at 9 and 9.34 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating at 10. ABC aired an encore of the previous night's Dancing with the Stars: The Finals at 8 and did 8.83 million and a 1.3 18-49, which beat the one-hour of Cougar Town the previous week. From 9-11pm, the live Dancing with the Stars: The Finale did 17.75 million and a 3.3 18-49 rating, up eleven tenths from previous week, as we crowned Donald Driver the season 14 champion. The lowest rated finale for this show, but still solid enough. Fox aired part one of the American Idol finale and it did 14.85 million and a 4.4 18-49 rating, great numbers but no where near what it was doing in the past. It's almost back to earth. At 9, the season finale of Glee did 7.46 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, up four tenths from previous week. This show is no longer a big hit already. NBC was next with the an encore of America's Got Talent at 8 doing 5.24 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating in an hour of many repeats except for Idol. An all-new episode followed at 9 and did 9.44 million and a 3.3 18-49 rating, down a tenth from previous week's two-hour Tuesday premiere. At 10, a 20th Anniversary of Dateline special did 4.98 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, on par with previous week's Fashion Star finale. Yet NBC is bringing that reality series back? The CW had a repeat of of Hart of Dixie doing only 730,000 viewers and a 0.2 18-49 rating, in its new time period next fall. Then at 9pm, a new episode of LA Complex did just 450,000 viewers and a 0.2 18-49 rating, on par with the previous week. What a disaster!

Wednesday it was all Fox with the Idol finale. First, CBS started the night off with two comedy repeats. The Big Bang Theory aired at 8 doing 5.63 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, up five tenths from previous week's comedy encore. At 8:30, a repeat of Two and a Half Men did 4.38 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, only up a tenth from previous week's comedy encore despite a higher lead-in. Then at 9, a repeat of Criminal Minds did 6.41 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating. Another repeat followed at 10 doing a similar 6.25 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating. ABC was all-new for its Laugh On comedy block, as the season finale of The Middle started it off doing 6.52 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week as it could be better but spring has hampered it a bit. A Modern Family encore at 8:30pm did 6.0 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, up three tenths from previous week's Suburgatory season finale. The mega hit Modern Family was next at 9pm with its season finale and it did 10.07 million and a 4.1 18-49 rating, which was up two tenths from previous week. At 9:30pm, the season finale of the hilarious Don't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23 did 5.6 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, up a solid five tenths from previous week. At 10pm the addicting Revenge season finale did 7.85 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, up four tenths from previous week. WOW! What a finale! The series moves to Sundays at 9 next fall and I expect a solid upswing for this promising series. Fox aired American Idol season finale from 8-10:06pm doing 21.49 million and a 6.4 18-49 rating, of course up from previous week by a large amount but its lowest rated finale since season one. NBC opened the night with a new Betty White's Off Their Rockers doing 5.39 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week. Another all-new episode followed at 8:30pm and did a similar 5.28 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, down a tenth from previous week. Will return next season in mid-season again. At 9pm, a repeat of Law & Order: SVU at 9pm did 3.66 million and a 0.9 18-49, up a tenth from previous week. And at 10pm, the season finale of Law & Order: SVU did 7.16 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, up three tenths from previous week. The CW had a repeat of Top Model start it off at 8pm doing 740,000 viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating, down a tenth week-to-week. A new America's Next Top Model followed at 9 and did just 830,000 viewers and a 0.4 18-49 rating, down a tenth from previous week.

Starting from Thursday on, the summer season started! So we won't do an analysis, but stay tuned all summer to see how your favorite network sitcoms are doing--repeat or not!

Week 36 How the Sitcoms Did

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for Week 35 -- May 14-20)

The Simpsons (Fox) - The season finale at 8pm did 4.82 million and just a 2.1 18-49 rating, which is below normal but up two tenths from previous week. Not good. Lowest rated finale ever it seems for this show. At 7pm, a repeat did 2.36 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, which was up a tenth from previous week.
The Cleveland Show (Fox) - The season finale at 7:30pm did 3.01 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. Way too low.
Bob's Burgers (Fox) - The season finale at 8:30pm did 3.57 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, which is not too good and down a tenth from previous week despite its lead-in going up. This show really should not be back.
Family Guy (Fox) - The one-hour season finale did 5.35 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating, for the best of the block and up two tenths from previous week. Lowest rated finale for this show ever.
American Dad! (Fox) - preempted.

Monday Sitcoms

How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A repeat (yes in sweeps) did 4.06 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating. Seems low.
2 Broke Girls (CBS) - A repeat of this comedy did 4.62 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, growing from its lead-in. Will it be ready at 9pm to anchor the night? I don't think total viewers will be as strong as Men.
Two and a Half Men (CBS) - A repeat did 7.23 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating. This show usually repeats better. We shall see how it does this summer.
Mike & Molly (CBS) - 6.29 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating for a repeat is OK.

Tuesday Sitcoms

Last Man Standing (ABC) - preempted.
Cougar Town (ABC) - preempted, one-hour finale this Tuesday.
New Girl (Fox) - preempted.

Wednesday Sitcoms

The Middle (ABC) - The season finale did 6.52 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, up a tenth from previous week. Should bounce back to high 2's/low 3's in fall.
The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A special repeat did 5.63 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating at 8. Solid!
Suburgatory (ABC) - preempted.
Two and a Half Men (CBS) - A special repeat at 8:30pm did just 4.38 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating. Losing steam from its lead-in. Weird.
Modern Family (ABC) - The season finale of this mega hit did 10.07 million and a 4.1 18-49 rating, up two tenths from previous week's season low.
Don't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23 (ABC) - The season finale did 5.6 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, up five tenths from previous week. Pretty impressive against the final half-hour of Idol finale.

Thursday Sitcoms

The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A repeat at 8 did 8.27 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, off two tenths from previous week. Should stay above a 2 all summer.
Rules of Engagement (CBS) - A repeat did 6.12 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating.
Community (NBC) - preempted.
30 Rock (NBC) - preempted
The Office (NBC) 2 airings - A repeat at 8 did just 2.26 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating. Another repeat followed at 8:30 doing an embarrassing 1.86 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating.
Parks and Recreation (NBC) - preempted.

Friday Sitcoms

None.

Saturday Sitcoms

How to Be a Gentleman (CBS) 2 episodes - Two burn-off airings did nothing.

Airing tonight (Sunday) are no comedies.

Summing it up. Airings of Modern Family, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as The Middle, Don't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23) or just plain old terrible (such as The Office).

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Digital Digest: Harry O and Spenser: For Hire DVDs Potentially in the Works; Rookie Blue - The Complete Second Season DVD Review

Happy Memorial Day weekend, and welcome to Digital Digest! You could spend your weekend having a cookout in the sweltering heat or watching a bunch of cars going in circles a couple hundred times, but whether or not you do, you can start here, where we have all of your regular features (including a LOT of news, it has been an incredibly busy week), along with a review of Rookie Blue - The Complete Second Season (DVD/Blu-ray). Let's get going.

DIGITAL NEWS

As we've mentioned before, Warner Archive maintains a Facebook page where they regularly keep fans updated on everything that is "in the works." In the past week, a fan asked about the series Harry O, a classic crime drama starring David Janssen which aired on ABC for two seasons between 1974 and 1976, to which Warner Archive proudly responded with the following:

"We're working on Season One of HARRY O right now. Hopefully we should have it ready in the next few months. Season Two will follow shortly thereafter."

So there you have it! Not only is the first season of the classic series in the works, but in fact, both seasons appear to be on the way! It is also interesting to note that this classic series also featured Farrah Fawcett-Majors as the title character's next-door neighbor and on-again/off-again girlfriend, and the series was actually cancelled in 1976 by Fred Silverman in favor of a little series called Charlie's Angels, which (again) featured Farrah Fawcett-Majors.

Interestingly enough, in the same post, the same person asked about the classic '80s series Spenser: For Hire, which was one of many crime/detective series starring Robert Urich (and let's not forget, even when he was on Soap, he was heavily involved in a case of crime/detective work!). As it turns out, this series is not in the works for Warner Archive, but the reasoning behind that is even better news for fans:

"SPENSER is being considered for mass-merchant release, but if that doesn't pan out, we'll be happy to take up the cause for his liberation."

So, it looks as if the series may not only be coming to DVD, but it may even be coming out as a mass-merchant release! And if it doesn't pan out, it sounds like Warner Archive will potentially take over. However, given the interest in '80s detective series, this one feels like one which would really work as a general retail release, so we're hoping to see some movement in this direction for this series. We'll let you know when we know more.

Mill Creek also maintains a Facebook page where they give some solid hints of "coming attractions." While they haven't been giving quite as solid hints lately, some of their latest information has hinted that more Heathcliff DVDs are coming, but it'll be a while, perhaps in early 2013. We hope to have more information to follow up on this in the near future.

A poster on the website Home Theater Forum brought out some details of some upcoming releases from Timeless Media Group (which was recently acquired by Shout! Factory), and it appears that TMG has a LOT coming up from MGM's vast library of series... though sadly none are sitcoms, and most are (as is common for TMG) westerns. The series included in the deal, per the information provided by the poster (and remember, this is not confirmed news, although the particular poster has developed a reputation for providing only reputable information) are:

Bearcats!
Tombstone Territory
West Point
Harbor Command
Science Fiction Theatre
Stoney Burke
MacKenzie's Raiders
Lee Marvin Presents The Lawbreakers
Target

Hopefully, we'll learn more about these acquisitions (and get some further confirmation) in the near future. We'll let you know when we do.

A few weeks ago, Cagney & Lacey series creator Barney Rosenzweig finally released details of the upcoming release of the series on DVD. It appears that the truly complete series will only be made available in a limited run of 3000 sets. By truly complete, this means that this particular set will include every episode of the series from every season, along with all of the special features. These sets will even be autographed by Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly, and will be available sometime this summer. Later in the fall, a general release will be available, at a lower price. However, this set will not contain the first season, which was much different than the rest of the series (in fact, Sharon Gless' role of Cagney was played by Meg Foster in the first season).

We've talked about international DVDs here several times, as sometimes you can obtain releases of series from the US which have never even been released, which you can watch if you import them to the US and have a region-free DVD player (note, most DVDs which you buy off the shelf at the store are NOT region-free, at least not straight out of the box). It has been almost a decade since Fox released Malcolm in the Middle - The Complete First Season, and there is little to no hope that we'll ever see future seasons in the United States. Fox stated shortly after the release that it was in fact a successful release, but music rights issues prohibited future releases (and considering that the series is not quite as popular now as it was when it was still airing new episodes, Fox perhaps shot themselves in the foot by missing that golden opportunity). However, in the United Kingdom, the releases are actually about to finally START, as Fabulous Films is set to release a region 2 version of the first season on June 4. That isn't a huge deal for Americans right now, as the region 1 version is still apparently in print and readily available, but this indicates that the studio has some commitment to the series, and there is hope that we may even see some future releases of the series, even if it does come from the UK.

We mentioned a few weeks ago that Inception Media Group would be The Real McCoys - Season One in July, but apparently, we really missed out on the details of the deal that Inception Media Group made with distributor SFM and publicly announced nearly a year ago, news that even posters on our own message boards mentioned (but we failed to notice). The deal includes several SFM properties, including The Colgate Comedy Hour, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (which they have already released the first volume of), and of course, The Real McCoys. There is no word on what other series may be included, but SFM has an interesting array of some of the more "rare" series from the '50s and '60s.

Finally, we have news of new additions to the online service Hulu. The service has recently added the first season of the classic series My Favorite Martian to the online streaming service, and it is available to watch for free! We haven't seen much in regards to new additions of classic series lately, so this is a very welcome addition to the service.

UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (May 29) is another day without any sitcom releases, but there are a few releases of interest to us, including Rookie Blue - The Complete Second Season (DVD/Blu-ray). We have a review of the DVD version of Rookie Blue today in Digital Digest. Additionally, Warner debuts a classic western series (a much anticipated one) with Maverick - The Complete First Season.

BLOG FEATURE REVIEW

Blog DVD Review: Rookie Blue - The Complete Second Season (Entertainment One, $44.98)

by Pavan

The hit ABC summer primetime cop show Rookie Blue returns for another season on DVD and Blu-ray with the complete second season! We're reviewing the DVD, like we did for the first season. After seven months on the beat, these five rookies have kicked in doors, taken down criminals, kept people safe, and saved each other in the process. Now they'll do it all over again in season two...only better. The drama is produced in Canada and is a Canadian production and also airs on Global in Canada.

Serve, Protect. Don't Screw Up. And this show doesn't screw up at all. Not since NYPD Blue has there been a cop drama like this (OK maybe Detroit 1-8-7 was gritty like that show). It has a twist of danger, sex and high-stakes drama. The Division 15 at Metropolitan Police are good at their job from the rookies, the officers, detectives and the sergeant. The series stars Missy Peregrym as Andy McNally, Enuka Okuma as Traci Nash, Gregory Smith as Dov Epstein, Travis Milne as Chris Diaz, Charlotte Sullivan as Gail Peck, Eric Johnson as Luke Callaghan, Matt Gordon as Oliver Shaw, Noam Jenkins as Jerry Barber, Melanie Nicholls-King as Noelle Williams, Lyriq Bent as Sergeant Frank Best, and Ben Bass as Sam Swarek. Camille Sullivan recurs as Detective Jo Rosat.

The second season has 13 episodes, like the first season. We get all 13 of those season two episodes on this DVD! Among the memorable episodes is the season premiere "Butterflies," where Andy's world explodes by a seemingly senseless act of violence during a concert shooting and when she sets out to unravel the details, she comes into direct conflict with Luke's former partner, Detective Jo Rosati, a new detective with Division 15. In "Might Have Been," Andy and Gail participate in a drug bust by going undercover as cocktail waitresses but things don't go smoothly. In "Stung," Division 15 sets up a sting operation to catch suspects with outstanding warrants. The last three episodes of the season are must see. In "A Little Faith," Andy, Dov and Traci participate in an undercover training exercise which results in some unplanned situations and choices, as Andy and Traci run into Swarek and almost blow their covers to save a girl's life. In "On The Double," while undercover, Swarek finds himself in a life threatening situation when he and Andy can't stay apart. In "God's Good Grace," Swarek's gone missing and Andy tries to find clues that will help her and the rookies locate him before it's too late, while investigating this case will implicate one officer and threaten Andy's job. We get all 13 unedited episodes on this DVD. Runtimes for each episode follow:

Disc One

1. Butterflies (41:50)

2. Might Have Been (41:49)

3. Bad Mood Rising (43:00)

4. Heart and Sparks (41:02)

Disc Two

5. Stung (42:20)

6. In Plain View (42:22)

7. The One That Got Away (41:15)

8. Monster (43:01)

Disc Three

9. Brotherhood (40:22)

10. Best Laid Plans (42:59)

11. A Little Faith (42:55)

12. On the Double (41:29)

Disc Four

13. God's Good Grace (42:59)

The DVD comes in a case held by an outer thin box. The thin outer box is in blue (fitting!) and has the series logo on top, followed by a cast photo of the five rookies and the complete second season mention. The back of the thin outer box has info on the set and series, with a nice quote from the L.A. Times. We have a nice cast photo of the rookies as well, along with five episodic images (one includes Andy in a cocktail dress!). There is a little box showcasing the bonus features as well. When we remove the outer box, we get to the case. The case has the same artwork as the thin box, so everything is the exact same, unlike last time for season one. Inside the case we have nice artwork of a Metropolitan Police badge on the panels itself. There is also a disc-by-disc breakdown on the right panel listing episode episode title per disc and bonus features. The discs themselves are on two little plastic holders that you can flip like a page in a book, similar to the first season. Each disc is in the blue design with the series logo and the Metropolitan Police badge in the background. Disc one holds episodes 1-4, disc two holds episodes 5-8, disc three holds episodes 9-12 and disc four has episode 13 and all the bonus features. There is also an Entertainment One booklet showcasing other DVDs, and it is placed on the left panel. Most of this section is very similar to the first season DVD.

The menu design is great and has moving video clips playing in the background while we listen to the closing music from the show. The series logo is also placed on the main menu, with episode numbers/titles listed right on the main menu below the video clip that is playing. The only sub-menu is for Set-up, where we can choose either English 5.1 Digital Dolby audio or 2.0 Stereo. English SDH subtitles can also be turned on. Special Features option is on disc four only. Auto trailer appear on disc one before the main menu for series like Haven, Sanctuary, Hell on Wheels, Titanic.

Video and audio quality are both outstanding once again. This is a DVD review, so I'm sure the Blu-ray version looks even better. This set is superb. You can turn on the 5.1 surround sound and watch the series in great audio quality as well. Each episode has 7 chapter stops, so it is easy to jump through an episode if you are looking for something in particular like McNally in the cocktail dress in the second episode of the season or the steamy scenes between McNally and Swarek during the last two episodes of the season.

There are some special features on this set as well! They are all on disc four and are decently produced again. However, we don't have as much as we did last time. All of the special features on this set are seven making-of featurettes. These are all done while they are filming the episodes. I think that is very cool, as we get reactions right away. First up, we have "Season 2: Every Day Is Still A First" (3:48). These are not actual sit-down interviews, so this makes it more spontaneous having it done right on the set when filming. The rest of them are: "Shots Fired: Inside the Season Premiere" (3:48), "Horsing Around" (3:28), "Cops on Coffee" (3:13), "Travis Talk" (3:13), "Disorderly Conduct" (1:41) and "Split Screen Behind-the-Scenes Footage" (12:30). The latter is actually showing us the way it looks on the set compared to what we really see in the finished product. Wow, that finished product looks really good compared to what it actually looks. That was a very unique special feature!

I think Entertainment One did a good job with this set again. The episodes just get better and better. The last three episodes of the season are a must-see. The menus, packaging and bonus features are all good as well. I just think the special features were dropped in quantity this time. But what we had here was certainly unique. This is a summer series, so we only have 13 episodes each season. Wish it was more, but quality over quantity, right? ABC/Global will air 13 more episodes this summer, as the third season premiere was this past Thursday at 10/9 central. Watch every Thursday all summer-long! But if you need to catch-up, start or just to have this in your collection, then click the order link below! Don't screw up!

(4/5 stars)

To purchase Rookie Blue - The Complete Second Season on DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:

Amazon.com

To purchase Rookie Blue - The Complete Second Season on Blu-ray, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:

Amazon.com

Friday, May 25, 2012

TV Land Orders 2 Sitcom Pilots, Guest Stars for The Soul Man; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 28, 2012)

TV Land has ordered cast-contingent pilots for two new original sitcoms. The first, I'm Not Dead Yet, is a single-camera comedy from Ben Silverman's multimedia entertainment studio Electus. The sitcom is about a man who finds out that he has a rare heart condition that could cause him to die at any moment, and so he decides to finally start speaking his mind and live life to the fullest. The second, Brothers-in-Law, is executive produced by Scott Stuber (Whitney, Role Models) and revolves around the family dynamic between a husband and the eccentric fiancé of his wife's twin sister. Although the men have nothing in common, the sisters constantly force them to bond. It is a multi-camera comedy. I'm Not Dead Yet, adapted from the DBS produced Israeli format Zanzuri, is written by Jon Sherman (Frasier) with Electus's Jimmy Fox co-executive producing alongside executive producer Ben Silverman (The Office, Ugly Betty). Brothers-in-Law is written and executive produced by Bill Martin and Mike Schiff (3rd Rock From The Sun), who will also serve as showrunners, and produced by Quan Phang (Whitney).
The Soul Man

As of now, these are just pilot orders and are cast-contingent. In other TV Land news, they have officially announced the annual TV Land Presents: AFI Life Achievement Award and it will be presented to Academy Award®-winner Shirley MacLaine by fellow Academy Award®-winner Meryl Streep, her co-star in Postcards From The Edge. The event will celebrate MacLaine's extraordinary life and all her endeavors, from movies and television to Broadway, writing books and beyond. The ceremony tapes Thursday, June 7 in Los Angeles and will air on TV Land on Sunday, June 24 at 9PM ET. And finally, TV Land has announced that Tamar and Trina Braxton (Braxton Family Values), Anthony Anderson (Law & Order, Hang Time), Sherri Shepherd (The View), Robert Forster (Jackie Brown) and Kim Coles (Living Single) will guest star on the first season of TV Land's new sitcom The Soul Man, starring Cedric "The Entertainer" and Niecy Nash, premiering Wednesday, June 20 at 10pm ET/PT on TV Land. Anthony Anderson has been tapped to appear this season as Sweet Brown, Boyce's (Cedric) old music-writing partner. Brown visits St. Louis to help Boyce get over his writer’s block for an upcoming sermon, but ends up pulling Boyce back into his old R&B star habits. Shepherd will guest star as Sherie, Lolli's (Nash) cousin who is always up to no good. Trina and Tamar Braxton will play Rose and Catherine Pinkney, sisters who audition for the church choir only to find out that they are both dating Stamps (Wesley Johnathan), Boyce's handsome younger brother. Kim Coles makes an appearance as Wanda, a church-going woman who stops by Lolli's salon hoping to get a special shampoo that all the ladies are raving about. Finally, Robert Forster will guest star as Father Ignatius, the head of a St. Louis clergy organization that seems to closely resemble the mob.

It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars, so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of May 28-June 1, 2012, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, May 28, 2012

Adam Pally (Happy Endings) - Watch Adam on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) - Jim stops by LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
Ellie Kemper (The Office) - Ellie visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
Jaleel White (Family Matters/Grown Ups) - Jaleel appears on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) - Tune in to see Amy on a repeat of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Rachael Harris (Notes from the Underbelly/Fat Actress) - Catch Rachael on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) - Margaret is a guest on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Robin Williams (Mork & Mindy) - Watch Robin on a repeat of The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
Alan Alda (M*A*S*H) - Alan visits The Colbert Report at 11:30pm on Comedy Central.
John Krasinski (The Office) - John appears on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Jenny Slate (Bored to Death/Brothers) - Jenny is a guest on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Melissa Joan Hart (Melissa & Joey/Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) - Melissa drops by LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
Sarah Hyland (Modern Family) - Tune in to see Sarah on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
Jackée Harry (Let's Stay Together/227/Sister, Sister) - Jackée joins the Chew Crew on The Chew on ABC at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
Joey Lawrence (Melissa & Joey/Brotherly Love/Gimme a Break) - Joey stops by Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) - Catch Jim on a repeat of The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS. He will also be on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at 11pm.
Tony Hale (Arrested Development) - Tony appears on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
Cedric the Entertainer (The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric talks about his movie, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, on NBC's Today between 10-11am.
Ellie Kemper (The Office) - Ellie is a guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
Mindy Cohn (The Facts of Life) and Kim Fields (The Facts of Life/Living Single) - Mindy and Kim reunite on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Jim Gaffigan (My Boys/Welcome to New York) - Watch Jim on a repeat of The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm) - Jeff visits The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) - Margaret chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Joey Lawrence (Melissa & Joey/Brotherly Love/Gimme a Break) - Joey drops by LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
Steve Harvey (The Steve Harvey Show) - Steve appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.

Leave us comments on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us to let us know what you think of this Friday feature! We do listen!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

2012-13 New Sitcoms Preview

Today we preview the new sitcoms that made the 2012-13 broadcast network schedules. Series descriptions, cast lists, video previews and related links are provided below. There will be a total of nine new sitcoms on the fall schedule. Three are traditional multi-camera sitcoms. Six are single-camera comedies. Seven additional sitcoms have been ordered for mid-season. Six are single-camera comedies. One is a multi-camera series from CBS.

ABC is adding four new sitcoms to their schedule, with two (one single-camera and one multi-camera) for the fall and two single-camera series for mid-season in January. Top-rated CBS adds only one multi-camera sitcom in the fall to their strong Monday block. A second multi-camera sitcom has been ordered for mid-season. Fox adds two new single-camera comedies to their Tuesday lineup. They have a third single-camera comedy ordered for mid-season. NBC goes for the laughs with seven new comedies (all single-camera except one): four for the fall and three for mid-season. The CW, once again, will be the only broadcast network without any sitcoms on the schedule.

Some familiar faces returning to sitcoms this season include Jami Gertz, Reba McEntire, Sara Rue, Kyle Bornheimer, Leah Remini, Sarah Chalke, Brad Garrett, Lucy Punch, Mindy Kaling, Matthew Perry, Tyler Labine, Kym Whitley, Anthony Anderson, Tempestt Bledsoe, Jenna Elfman and Jeffrey Tambor.

ABC

ABC Fall Schedule

New Fall: The Neighbors, Malibu Country (November)
New Mid-Season: How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) (Single-Camera Comedy) (Tuesdays at 8:00pm in January), The Family Tools (Single-Camera Comedy) (Tuesdays at 8:30pm in January)
Returning Fall: Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, Happy Endings, Last Man Standing (November), The Middle, Modern Family, Suburgatory

The Neighbors - Wednesdays at 9:30PM EST/PST on ABC (Single-Camera)

How well do you know your neighbors?

Meet the Weavers, Debbie (Jami Gertz) and Marty (Lenny Venito). Marty, in hopes of providing a better life for his wife and three kids, recently bought a home in Hidden Hills, a gated New Jersey townhome community with its own golf course. Hidden Hills is so exclusive that a house hasn't come on the market in 10 years. But one finally did and the Weavers got it!

It's clear from day one that the residents of Hidden Hills are a little different. For starters, their new neighbors all have pro-athlete names like Reggie Jackson (Tim Jo), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Toks Olagundoye), Dick Butkis (Ian Patrick) and Larry Bird (Simon Templeman). Over dinner, Marty and his family discover that their neighbors receive nourishment through their eyes by reading books, rather than eating. The Weavers soon learn that the entire community is comprised of aliens from Zabvron, where the men bear children and everyone cries green goo from their ears.

The Zabvronians have been stationed on Earth for the past 10 years, disguised as humans, awaiting instructions from home, and the Weavers are the first humans they've had the opportunity to know. As it turns out, the pressures of marriage and parenthood are not exclusive to planet Earth. Two worlds will collide with hilarious consequences as everyone discovers they can "totally relate" and learn a lot from each other.

The Neighbors stars Jami Gertz (Entourage, Modern Family, Still Standing, Ally McBeal) as Debbie Weaver, Lenny Venito (Bored to Death, Men in Black III, Person of Interest, Curb Your Enthusiasm) as Marty Weaver, Simon Templeman as Larry Bird, Toks Olagundoye as Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Clara Mamet as Amber Weaver, Tim Jo (Glory Daze) as Reggie Jackson, Ian Patrick (Wanderlust) as Dick Butkis, Max Charles (The Three Stooges, The Amazing Spider-Man) as Max Weaver, Isabella Cramp as Abby Weaver.

Guest starring are Mitch Rouse as Real Estate Agent and Doug Jones as Alien. Co-Starring are Bruce Green as Angry Man and Mary K. DeVault as Angry Woman.

The Neighbors was written by Dan Fogelman (Cars, Tangled, and Crazy, Stupid, Love) who is also an executive producer with Aaron Kaplan, Jeff Morton (Modern Family) and Chris Koch (Workaholics, Modern Family). The Neighbors was directed by Chris Koch and is from ABC Studios.

Cast:

Jami Gertz as Debbie Weaver
Lenny Venito as Marty Weaver
Simon Templeman as Larry Bird
Toks Olagundoye as Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Clara Mamet as Amber Weaver
Tim Jo as Reggie Jackson
Ian Patrick as Dick Butkis
Max Charles as Max Weaver
Isabella Cramp as Abby Weaver

Preview:

Links: