Saturday, June 30, 2012
Digital Digest: Jack Benny from Shout!; Becker and Dave's World MOD Offerings from CBS; GCB - The Complete First Season DVD Review
Welcome to Digital Digest! It's a light news week this week, but we're here once again for all of your news, a look at Tuesday's releases, and this week, we have a review of GCB - The Complete First Season. Let's get going!
DIGITAL NEWS
In the on-going story of 2011-2012 seasons of continuing sitcoms on DVD, we have one more entry this week from Universal. On September 11, Universal will release Up All Night - Season One on DVD. It isn't available to pre-order just yet, but with only a little over two months until release, it should be available some time soon.
The Jack Benny Program has had several DVD releases over the past decade, but all of those releases have been from low-budget studios and have included (exclusively) public domain material. But on September 11, it appears that Shout! Factory may be bringing us something a little bit better with The Jack Benny Program - The Lost Episodes! We haven't heard anything about this anywhere else, but according to another listing for the item on Movies Unlimited, the set will include 24 episodes of the classic series, not seen since their original airing, with guest stars including Milton Berle, George Burns, Gary Cooper, Frank Sinatra, President Harry S. Truman, John Wayne, and others. The information also suggests that there will be a few special features as well. There is no word on the source for these episodes, but an article appeared in The New York Post in early 2010 indicating that CBS had discovered "roughly 25 episodes" of the classic series in their vault, but was being "stingy" (remember, The New York Post is a paper which likes to sensationalize news) and refusing to let them ever be seen again... but the real news in the article is that the real problem is likely costs for music clearance, something which CBS is not necessarily always eager to pay for on their DVD releases. So, is it possible that these episodes being released by Shout! Factory are indeed these episodes? Perhaps they are some other lost episodes? Or are they just more of the standard public domain releases we've seen in the past? We don't know just yet, although given Shout! Factory's history, it is unlikely that it would be more like the releases we've seen in the past. We'll let you know when we know more. Our appreciation goes to the poster of this message on the website Home Theater Forum for bringing the matter to the attention of others! By the way, if you're hungry for some of the standard public domain Jack Benny fare already out there, check out Mill Creek's 39 episode collection of The Best of Jack Benny... it may be public domain, but it is a much nicer public domain release of the series than the other collections out there.
CBS has been planning a MOD release of Becker - The Fourth Season for a few months now, but we hadn't heard much about it... until now! According to the listing on amazon.com, it will begin shipping this coming Tuesday. But that isn't all for CBS! Another listing popped up on amazon.com recently for Dave's World - The Third Season. No date is given for this yet, but we'll let you know more when we know more.
Speaking of CBS, some people out there may be aware that the studio keeps a syndication bible available online. It isn't really something that is really designed for the general public, but rather as information for TV stations which air series from their library. On the surface, this appears to have little (if anything) to do with DVDs... but it has a lot more to do with them than it sounds. This is because it keeps updated information on when the studio remasters series and individual episodes in high-definition, and over the years, many "DVD-philes" have come to discover that things only get remastered in preparation for DVD (although the database is sometimes not totally up to date, there is evidence to support this; the best example is for the series Dynasty, where CBS has transferred seasons two through five to HD, but skipped the first season, which was released by Fox). So, why are we bringing it up this week? In recent weeks, seasons three through five of The Streets of San Francisco have been added as being remastered or in-progress (and we know both the third and fourth seasons of that series are forth coming), and recently, HD versions of the remaining (unreleased) seasons of Perry Mason and The Lucy Show have been added to the website. So, although we can't draw any definitive conclusions from this, it seems to suggest that releases of these series may be on track for completion. We'll let you know more once we know more!
Finally, an unusual bit of news popped up on TVShowsOnDVD.com regarding Fantasy Island. It suggests that Sony will be releasing Fantasy Island - The Complete Second Season as a MOD title on September 4. This is unusual, though, because this set was already released just a few weeks ago by Shout! Factory as a standard pressed title. We have no clue what is going on with this release, and even Shout! Factory is confused by it as well, as indicated on Twitter by producer Brian Ward. So, is this release really coming? Or is this just some sort of error by Sony? We don't know, but hopefully things will become a bit clearer in the upcoming weeks, and we'll let you know what we find out!
The Jack Benny Program has had several DVD releases over the past decade, but all of those releases have been from low-budget studios and have included (exclusively) public domain material. But on September 11, it appears that Shout! Factory may be bringing us something a little bit better with The Jack Benny Program - The Lost Episodes! We haven't heard anything about this anywhere else, but according to another listing for the item on Movies Unlimited, the set will include 24 episodes of the classic series, not seen since their original airing, with guest stars including Milton Berle, George Burns, Gary Cooper, Frank Sinatra, President Harry S. Truman, John Wayne, and others. The information also suggests that there will be a few special features as well. There is no word on the source for these episodes, but an article appeared in The New York Post in early 2010 indicating that CBS had discovered "roughly 25 episodes" of the classic series in their vault, but was being "stingy" (remember, The New York Post is a paper which likes to sensationalize news) and refusing to let them ever be seen again... but the real news in the article is that the real problem is likely costs for music clearance, something which CBS is not necessarily always eager to pay for on their DVD releases. So, is it possible that these episodes being released by Shout! Factory are indeed these episodes? Perhaps they are some other lost episodes? Or are they just more of the standard public domain releases we've seen in the past? We don't know just yet, although given Shout! Factory's history, it is unlikely that it would be more like the releases we've seen in the past. We'll let you know when we know more. Our appreciation goes to the poster of this message on the website Home Theater Forum for bringing the matter to the attention of others! By the way, if you're hungry for some of the standard public domain Jack Benny fare already out there, check out Mill Creek's 39 episode collection of The Best of Jack Benny... it may be public domain, but it is a much nicer public domain release of the series than the other collections out there.
CBS has been planning a MOD release of Becker - The Fourth Season for a few months now, but we hadn't heard much about it... until now! According to the listing on amazon.com, it will begin shipping this coming Tuesday. But that isn't all for CBS! Another listing popped up on amazon.com recently for Dave's World - The Third Season. No date is given for this yet, but we'll let you know more when we know more.
Speaking of CBS, some people out there may be aware that the studio keeps a syndication bible available online. It isn't really something that is really designed for the general public, but rather as information for TV stations which air series from their library. On the surface, this appears to have little (if anything) to do with DVDs... but it has a lot more to do with them than it sounds. This is because it keeps updated information on when the studio remasters series and individual episodes in high-definition, and over the years, many "DVD-philes" have come to discover that things only get remastered in preparation for DVD (although the database is sometimes not totally up to date, there is evidence to support this; the best example is for the series Dynasty, where CBS has transferred seasons two through five to HD, but skipped the first season, which was released by Fox). So, why are we bringing it up this week? In recent weeks, seasons three through five of The Streets of San Francisco have been added as being remastered or in-progress (and we know both the third and fourth seasons of that series are forth coming), and recently, HD versions of the remaining (unreleased) seasons of Perry Mason and The Lucy Show have been added to the website. So, although we can't draw any definitive conclusions from this, it seems to suggest that releases of these series may be on track for completion. We'll let you know more once we know more!
Finally, an unusual bit of news popped up on TVShowsOnDVD.com regarding Fantasy Island. It suggests that Sony will be releasing Fantasy Island - The Complete Second Season as a MOD title on September 4. This is unusual, though, because this set was already released just a few weeks ago by Shout! Factory as a standard pressed title. We have no clue what is going on with this release, and even Shout! Factory is confused by it as well, as indicated on Twitter by producer Brian Ward. So, is this release really coming? Or is this just some sort of error by Sony? We don't know, but hopefully things will become a bit clearer in the upcoming weeks, and we'll let you know what we find out!
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (July 3) is a moderately busy day for DVD releases, with CBS leading the pack. As we mentioned a little earlier, they'll begin shipping Becker - The Fourth Season exclusively as an amazon.com CreateSpace MOD title on Tuesday, but that is far from the only release from CBS. Other releases for Tuesday (and these are all standard DVD releases available at all retailers) from CBS include Mannix - The Seventh Season, The Streets of San Francisco - Season Three (Volume 1 and Volume 2), and Dynasty - The Sixth Season (Volume 1 and Volume 2). You can read our review of Mannix from last week's Digital Digest, and reviews of The Streets and San Francisco and Dynasty will be coming up in the next few weeks on Digital Digest. Shout! Factory has more of Rocko's Modern Life with Rocko's Modern Life - Season Three. You can read our review of that set here. If you're a fan of The Cosby Show and just don't want the season sets, First Look Entertainment has a value-priced collection of episodes with The Best of The Cosby Show - Volume 2. Finally, Universal releases a special which looks back at the females, going as far back as the days of Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, and Laraine Newman, of NBC's long lived Saturday night program with The Women of SNL.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Blog DVD Review: GCB - The Complete First Season (ABC Studios, $39.99)
by Pavan
Relive all 10 episodes of the addicting GCB on a three-disc set from ABC Studios packed with bonus features in this divinely decadent box set! From Darren Star, creator of Sex And The City, and Robert Harling, comes a deliciously fun, wicked drama that shows a girl can go home again...but only if she's ready to face the sins of her past. Back in high school, original mean girl Amanda Vaughn (Leslie Bibb) mercilessly tormented her less attractive classmates. Twenty years later, after her hubby is busted for a Ponzi scheme – and meets his maker in a particularly scandalous way – a disgraced Amanda is back in Dallas to start life anew under her mother's (Annie Potts) palatial roof. But will the good women of her hometown welcome her with open arms or dole out some kick-ass karmic payback? Let's just say, hell hath no fury like the cosmetically enhanced!
The season stars Leslie Bibb as Amanda Vaughn, Kristin Chenoweth as Carlene Cockburn, Annie Potts as "Gigi" Stopper, Jennifer Aspen as Sharon Peacham, Miriam Shor as Cricket Caruth-Reilly, Marisol Nichols as Heather Cruz, David James Elliott as Ripp Cockburn, Mark Deklin as Blake Reilly and Brad Beyer as Zack Peacham. However, there are many recurring stars such as Tyler Jacob Moore as Pastor John Tudor, Eric Winter as Luke Lourd, and Bruce Boxleitner as Burl Lourd. Other guest stars include Tom Everett Scott as Andrew Remington, Kevin Alejandro as Danny, Grant Bowler as Mason Massey, Sheryl Crow as Herself, Sandra Bernhard as Debbie Horowitz and Donna Mills as Bitsy Lourd. The series aired for 10 episodes this past season and didn't deliver in the ratings as it could have. It was consistent though and everyone thought ABC would still bring it back for a second season. However, ABC canceled the series in May. I think ABC should have brought it back as a mid-season entry for another 10 episodes or even as a summer series. It is good fun and great looking stars, especially Leslie Bibb!
Anyway, as for this set, there are many memorable episodes in this comedic and Texan series. All ten episodes have to be seen in pretty much order as they are all connected but it is less serialized than most shows. The series starts off with the episode "Pilot," where Amanda, the mean girl in high school, returns home after a divorce scandal and death and Amanda has to turn to her mother, Gigi, for help, but the thing is that Amanda is not anymore the girl she was 20 years ago and wants a new start, but soon finds out that its not easy to escape your past. In "A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing," when Carlene's Uncle Burl returns with his wife, Gigi throws them a homecoming party, while Blake recruits Amanda to consult for Cricket and Blake's denim line, while Pastor Tudor counsels Sharon and Zack, and Heather is after Burl's 500 acres of land for her client, Andrew. In "Forbidden Fruit," with a little help from her new love interest, Heather is able to get Sheryl Crow to perform at the annual church fundraiser, while Amanda and Carlene find a new reason not to get along. In "Pride Comes Before a Fall," Amanda helps Pastor Tudor set up the annual musical, however things don't go as planned when old high school behavior comes out to play. On the very fun season finale "Revelation," Carlene and the rest of the ladies run into danger when they go to Juarez for a groundbreaking ceremony, while Amanda's suspicions about Luke lead to a discovery about Ripp.
Episodes are usually around 43 minutes and unedited, as they should be. Runtimes are below:
Disc 3:
The DVD comes in a case held by an outer thin box. The thin outer box is in white and pink with a very cool shot of the six female leads and the series logo is on top and the complete first season mention above that. The back of the thin outer box has info on the set and series, with a nice quote from Zap2it.com. We have seven very cool episodic photos. There is also a 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, both cover and back, so everything is the exact same. Inside the case we have more episodic images on the panels itself. There is also a disc-by-disc breakdown below the photos on the panels listing episode titles per disc. As for the discs themselves, disc one is on a little plastic holder that you can flip like a page in a book. Disc two is on the back of that little plastic holder, while disc three is on the right panel itself. All three discs are in grey with the series logo and a character. Disc one holds episodes 1-4 with an image of Amanda, disc two holds episodes 5-7 with a shot of Carlene and disc three holds episodes 8-10 with a shot of Gigi, Sharon, Heather and Cricket. There is also an insert booklet showcasing other ABC TV DVDs that are coming soon like Once Upon a Time and Revenge, and it is placed on the left panel.
The menu design is heavenly! We start off with the church doors openings with a ray of sunlight then we are zoomed to the colored windows of the church where there are different images. We also have church background music from the show playing. Before the main menu, we have auto trailers. On disc one we have trailers for Castle Season 4, ABC TV DVDs coming this summer, and the theatrical movie Odd Life of Timothy Green. Disc three has trailers for more ABC TV on DVD. Back to the main menu, the options are: Play All, Episode Selection, Bonus Features, Set Up and Sneak Peeks. Sneak Peeks is only on disc three and has the same trailers as the auto trailer on disc three. Set Up gives us the option for subtitles in English, French, Espanol, and Portuguese. You can also register your DVD here. Bonus Features lists what is available on that particular disc, while Episode Selection gives us an episode number and title. All this is sort of similar to other recent ABC TV DVDs like Scandal.
Video and audio quality are both outstanding, similar to other recent ABC TV DVDs we have reviewed like Missing. We have Digital Dolby 5.1 surround sound and it is perfect. For the video, we are in widescreen (1.78:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions. It is excellent quality but that is expected for newer/current series. As I keep saying, if anything goes wrong with audio/video for current series, then there is a major problem. Each episode has anywhere between 6-9 chapter stops, so it is easy to jump through an episode if you are looking for something in particular. Not sure why there is such a different amount of chapter stops per episode, but anything to find sexy scenes with Leslie Bibb! In general, nothing out of the ordinary here but it is all perfectly done.
There are some special features on this set as well and I think the best set so far for the ABC TV DVDs this summer! We have features on every disc. Discs one and two only have deleted scenes and audio commentaries, but this is great! Disc one has five deleted scenes for about 5 1/2 minutes worth: (episode 101: 0:25, 0:36, and 2:42; episode 102: 1:35; and episode 103: 0:20). Also on disc one we have audio commentary for the "Pilot" from Robert Harling (creator/executive producer/writer), Leslie Bibb and Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts (executive producers), as we get cool facts and insight. Leslie Bibb sounds so fun! Moving on to disc two, we have three deleted scenes for about 2:45: (episode 105: 0:42, episode 106: 1:30, and episode 107: 0:29). Then we have audio commentary for "Sex Is Divine" from Leslie Bibb, Brad Beyer and Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts.
Moving on to disc three, that is where the bulk of the special features are. First, we have two more deleted scenes for about 2:00: (episode 109: 1:25 and episode 110: 0:35). So in all, we had eight of the ten episodes with deleted scenes...pretty good! We have one final audio commentary here, too, this time for "Pride Comes Before A Fall" from Robert Harling, Leslie Bibb, Mark Deklin and Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts. Bibb, Berg and Harberts did all three! On to the featurettes, we have "Living Large" (9:24). Stars along with production designer Denny Dugally, take viewers along for an exclusive tour of the world of GCB, showcasing how the Texas spirit is vividly. Interviewed are Annie Potts, Miriam Shor, Marisol Nichols, Leslie Bibb, Robert Harling, Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts, Denny Dugally, Jennifer Aspen, and Kristin Chenoweth. The next featurette is "Bigger in Texas" (9:48), where fans can watch the transformations the actresses go through from hair to makeup, and more. Also, costume designer Robert Blackman describes each of the GCB's Dallas style with a show-and-tell that highlights each character's unique look. Interviewed are Robert Harling, Kristin Chenoweth, Marisol Nichols, Jennifer Aspen, Miriam Shor, Leslie Bibb, Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts, Annie Potts, Lauran Irion, Michael Reitz (department head, hair), Victor Nelli, Jr. (executive producer), Mark Deklin, Brad Beyer, David James Elliott, and Aaron Kaplan (executive producer). Then it is time to go to church with "Preaching to the Choir" (6:46) where fans will enjoy a visit to the set and a conversation with Kristin Chenoweth, Miriam Shor and the rest of the cast as they sing and share insight as to why music is so important to the series. Along with Chenoweth and Shor, interviewed are Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts, Robert Harling, Marisol Nichols, Tyler Jacob Moore, Victor Nelli Jr., and Mark Deklin. And we're still not done! Next we have "GCB Most Likely To..." (5:52) as this piece offers fans the opportunity to get to know the cast in this irreverent collection of thoughts from the team behind the show...from "Best Dressed" to "Class Clown," fans will see what the cast really thinks of one another. Interviewed are Kristin Chenoweth, Jennifer Aspen, Leslie Bibb, Marisol Nichols, Brad Beyer, Robert Harling, Tyler Jacob Moore, Miriam Shor, David James Elliott, Lauran Irion and Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts. And finally we have Bloopers (3:34) where we see all the flubs and also some quotes from scriptures! Fitting!
This is a nicely done set for a series that surprisingly ended. It's a quick turnaround like for other ABC TV DVDs that came out in May and June! The series just aired its series finale on May 6 and this DVD was released on June 12! Unfortunately ABC canceled it at their upfront in May, so it will not be returning and I was kind of shocked. As for the DVD, it is well done and similar to previous ABC TV DVDs this summer but I think it has the best special features. We get great audio/video, menus, packaging and special features. I think the special features are above average for something with only 10 episodes. We essentially have everything...featurettes, deleted scenes, audio commentaries and bloopers! ABC Studios knows how to make good DVDs, especially for their current series. Even though this show is done, you should still watch it and see all the zany antics. It's not offending at all, as some think it is without even watching. It's all in fun and they do a great job of it. This show was just good fun and had an attractive cast. Chenoweth could have been nominated for an Emmy eventually and Leslie Bibb is must-see and I hope ABC puts her on an existing show this coming season. I really recommend you order this DVD. It is very well done! I'm sure girls will want it to see Mark Deklin or Eric Winter and the guys for Leslie Bibb. And remember, you can always go back home!
The season stars Leslie Bibb as Amanda Vaughn, Kristin Chenoweth as Carlene Cockburn, Annie Potts as "Gigi" Stopper, Jennifer Aspen as Sharon Peacham, Miriam Shor as Cricket Caruth-Reilly, Marisol Nichols as Heather Cruz, David James Elliott as Ripp Cockburn, Mark Deklin as Blake Reilly and Brad Beyer as Zack Peacham. However, there are many recurring stars such as Tyler Jacob Moore as Pastor John Tudor, Eric Winter as Luke Lourd, and Bruce Boxleitner as Burl Lourd. Other guest stars include Tom Everett Scott as Andrew Remington, Kevin Alejandro as Danny, Grant Bowler as Mason Massey, Sheryl Crow as Herself, Sandra Bernhard as Debbie Horowitz and Donna Mills as Bitsy Lourd. The series aired for 10 episodes this past season and didn't deliver in the ratings as it could have. It was consistent though and everyone thought ABC would still bring it back for a second season. However, ABC canceled the series in May. I think ABC should have brought it back as a mid-season entry for another 10 episodes or even as a summer series. It is good fun and great looking stars, especially Leslie Bibb!
Anyway, as for this set, there are many memorable episodes in this comedic and Texan series. All ten episodes have to be seen in pretty much order as they are all connected but it is less serialized than most shows. The series starts off with the episode "Pilot," where Amanda, the mean girl in high school, returns home after a divorce scandal and death and Amanda has to turn to her mother, Gigi, for help, but the thing is that Amanda is not anymore the girl she was 20 years ago and wants a new start, but soon finds out that its not easy to escape your past. In "A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing," when Carlene's Uncle Burl returns with his wife, Gigi throws them a homecoming party, while Blake recruits Amanda to consult for Cricket and Blake's denim line, while Pastor Tudor counsels Sharon and Zack, and Heather is after Burl's 500 acres of land for her client, Andrew. In "Forbidden Fruit," with a little help from her new love interest, Heather is able to get Sheryl Crow to perform at the annual church fundraiser, while Amanda and Carlene find a new reason not to get along. In "Pride Comes Before a Fall," Amanda helps Pastor Tudor set up the annual musical, however things don't go as planned when old high school behavior comes out to play. On the very fun season finale "Revelation," Carlene and the rest of the ladies run into danger when they go to Juarez for a groundbreaking ceremony, while Amanda's suspicions about Luke lead to a discovery about Ripp.
Episodes are usually around 43 minutes and unedited, as they should be. Runtimes are below:
Disc 1:
1. "Pilot" (42:56)
2. "Hell Hath No Fury" (42:34)
3. "Love is Patient" (43:03)
4. "A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing" (43:03)
Disc 2:
5. "Forbidden Fruit" (43:04)
6. "Turn the Other Cheek" (42:49)
7. "Sex is Devine" (43:02)
Disc 3:
8. "Pride Comes Before a Fall" (42:57)
9. "Adam & Eve's Rib" (43:01)
10. "Revelation" (43:02)
The menu design is heavenly! We start off with the church doors openings with a ray of sunlight then we are zoomed to the colored windows of the church where there are different images. We also have church background music from the show playing. Before the main menu, we have auto trailers. On disc one we have trailers for Castle Season 4, ABC TV DVDs coming this summer, and the theatrical movie Odd Life of Timothy Green. Disc three has trailers for more ABC TV on DVD. Back to the main menu, the options are: Play All, Episode Selection, Bonus Features, Set Up and Sneak Peeks. Sneak Peeks is only on disc three and has the same trailers as the auto trailer on disc three. Set Up gives us the option for subtitles in English, French, Espanol, and Portuguese. You can also register your DVD here. Bonus Features lists what is available on that particular disc, while Episode Selection gives us an episode number and title. All this is sort of similar to other recent ABC TV DVDs like Scandal.
Video and audio quality are both outstanding, similar to other recent ABC TV DVDs we have reviewed like Missing. We have Digital Dolby 5.1 surround sound and it is perfect. For the video, we are in widescreen (1.78:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions. It is excellent quality but that is expected for newer/current series. As I keep saying, if anything goes wrong with audio/video for current series, then there is a major problem. Each episode has anywhere between 6-9 chapter stops, so it is easy to jump through an episode if you are looking for something in particular. Not sure why there is such a different amount of chapter stops per episode, but anything to find sexy scenes with Leslie Bibb! In general, nothing out of the ordinary here but it is all perfectly done.
There are some special features on this set as well and I think the best set so far for the ABC TV DVDs this summer! We have features on every disc. Discs one and two only have deleted scenes and audio commentaries, but this is great! Disc one has five deleted scenes for about 5 1/2 minutes worth: (episode 101: 0:25, 0:36, and 2:42; episode 102: 1:35; and episode 103: 0:20). Also on disc one we have audio commentary for the "Pilot" from Robert Harling (creator/executive producer/writer), Leslie Bibb and Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts (executive producers), as we get cool facts and insight. Leslie Bibb sounds so fun! Moving on to disc two, we have three deleted scenes for about 2:45: (episode 105: 0:42, episode 106: 1:30, and episode 107: 0:29). Then we have audio commentary for "Sex Is Divine" from Leslie Bibb, Brad Beyer and Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts.
Moving on to disc three, that is where the bulk of the special features are. First, we have two more deleted scenes for about 2:00: (episode 109: 1:25 and episode 110: 0:35). So in all, we had eight of the ten episodes with deleted scenes...pretty good! We have one final audio commentary here, too, this time for "Pride Comes Before A Fall" from Robert Harling, Leslie Bibb, Mark Deklin and Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts. Bibb, Berg and Harberts did all three! On to the featurettes, we have "Living Large" (9:24). Stars along with production designer Denny Dugally, take viewers along for an exclusive tour of the world of GCB, showcasing how the Texas spirit is vividly. Interviewed are Annie Potts, Miriam Shor, Marisol Nichols, Leslie Bibb, Robert Harling, Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts, Denny Dugally, Jennifer Aspen, and Kristin Chenoweth. The next featurette is "Bigger in Texas" (9:48), where fans can watch the transformations the actresses go through from hair to makeup, and more. Also, costume designer Robert Blackman describes each of the GCB's Dallas style with a show-and-tell that highlights each character's unique look. Interviewed are Robert Harling, Kristin Chenoweth, Marisol Nichols, Jennifer Aspen, Miriam Shor, Leslie Bibb, Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts, Annie Potts, Lauran Irion, Michael Reitz (department head, hair), Victor Nelli, Jr. (executive producer), Mark Deklin, Brad Beyer, David James Elliott, and Aaron Kaplan (executive producer). Then it is time to go to church with "Preaching to the Choir" (6:46) where fans will enjoy a visit to the set and a conversation with Kristin Chenoweth, Miriam Shor and the rest of the cast as they sing and share insight as to why music is so important to the series. Along with Chenoweth and Shor, interviewed are Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts, Robert Harling, Marisol Nichols, Tyler Jacob Moore, Victor Nelli Jr., and Mark Deklin. And we're still not done! Next we have "GCB Most Likely To..." (5:52) as this piece offers fans the opportunity to get to know the cast in this irreverent collection of thoughts from the team behind the show...from "Best Dressed" to "Class Clown," fans will see what the cast really thinks of one another. Interviewed are Kristin Chenoweth, Jennifer Aspen, Leslie Bibb, Marisol Nichols, Brad Beyer, Robert Harling, Tyler Jacob Moore, Miriam Shor, David James Elliott, Lauran Irion and Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts. And finally we have Bloopers (3:34) where we see all the flubs and also some quotes from scriptures! Fitting!
This is a nicely done set for a series that surprisingly ended. It's a quick turnaround like for other ABC TV DVDs that came out in May and June! The series just aired its series finale on May 6 and this DVD was released on June 12! Unfortunately ABC canceled it at their upfront in May, so it will not be returning and I was kind of shocked. As for the DVD, it is well done and similar to previous ABC TV DVDs this summer but I think it has the best special features. We get great audio/video, menus, packaging and special features. I think the special features are above average for something with only 10 episodes. We essentially have everything...featurettes, deleted scenes, audio commentaries and bloopers! ABC Studios knows how to make good DVDs, especially for their current series. Even though this show is done, you should still watch it and see all the zany antics. It's not offending at all, as some think it is without even watching. It's all in fun and they do a great job of it. This show was just good fun and had an attractive cast. Chenoweth could have been nominated for an Emmy eventually and Leslie Bibb is must-see and I hope ABC puts her on an existing show this coming season. I really recommend you order this DVD. It is very well done! I'm sure girls will want it to see Mark Deklin or Eric Winter and the guys for Leslie Bibb. And remember, you can always go back home!
(4.5/5 stars)
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CLICK OF THE WEEK
Game Show Central (www.gscentral.com) - We've decided to go in for a little bit of fun and games for the summer this week, and present a few game show websites as the Click of the Week over the next few weeks. This week, we visit Game Show Central. The website is another one of those older websites out there (having been in existence for over a decade), and although edits and updates have been a bit sparse in recent years, it is still an excellent resource for fans of game shows, particularly fans of The Price is Right, Wheel of Fortune, and Press You Luck.
We start with The Price is Right. The website has a very thorough directory, with photos and rules of game play, of all (well, updated through late 2010 at least) pricing games on the series, even the ones which were retired almost immediately. You can also get a glimpse into other variations of the series around the world. The Wheel of Fortune section is a bit less extensive, but it includes a timeline of the series along with plenty of video clips. The strongest feature of the website, though, is the section dedicated to Press Your Luck. The section looks back at all variations of the series, gives a complete history of the series, and gives us a look into some of the memorable contestants of the series (something which the series had quite a few of), including Michael Larson, the unemployed ice cream truck driver who really won big bucks by memorizing the lighting pattern on the show... only to have his winnings stolen (he wisely decided to store the money in his own home in one dollar bills) once he went home. It would be nice to see this website revived a bit, and updated more often, but what stands here is still an excellent website, our Click of the Week.
We start with The Price is Right. The website has a very thorough directory, with photos and rules of game play, of all (well, updated through late 2010 at least) pricing games on the series, even the ones which were retired almost immediately. You can also get a glimpse into other variations of the series around the world. The Wheel of Fortune section is a bit less extensive, but it includes a timeline of the series along with plenty of video clips. The strongest feature of the website, though, is the section dedicated to Press Your Luck. The section looks back at all variations of the series, gives a complete history of the series, and gives us a look into some of the memorable contestants of the series (something which the series had quite a few of), including Michael Larson, the unemployed ice cream truck driver who really won big bucks by memorizing the lighting pattern on the show... only to have his winnings stolen (he wisely decided to store the money in his own home in one dollar bills) once he went home. It would be nice to see this website revived a bit, and updated more often, but what stands here is still an excellent website, our Click of the Week.
That's it for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!
Friday, June 29, 2012
The CW Fall 2012 Premiere Dates; Baby Daddy Grows in Ratings; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 2, 2012)
The CW Network will strategically roll-out its 2012-13 season this October with the premieres of three new series, returning favorites on new nights and one final season of Upper East Side drama. The CW's new season will begin on Tuesday, October 2 as Rachel Bilson returns to Bluebell, Alabama as Dr. Zoë Hart in the second season premiere of Hart of Dixie at 8:00pm ET. The following week on Tuesday, October 16, new drama Emily Owens, M.D., starring Mamie Gummer as a surgical intern who discovers, much to her dismay, that working in a hospital feels an awful lot like high school, takes up residency in the 9:00pm timeslot. The CW's newly revamped Wednesday kicks off on October 3 with The Winchester boys and the season premiere of Supernatural at 9:00pm. The following week on Wednesday, October 10, The CW presents one of the most anticipated shows of the season, Arrow at 8:00pm ET, starring Stephen Amell as the popular DC Comics character. On Monday, October 8, the most famous zip code in America, 90210 at 8:00pm, returns with a brand new season, followed by the final season of OMFG drama on Gossip Girl at 9:00pm.
The Thursday line-up will also begin on one night, The CW's top-rated series, The Vampire Diaries, returns for another season of bloody-good drama on October 11 at 8:00pm, followed by the romantic new series Beauty and the Beast at 9:00pm, starring Kristin Kreuk as a homicide detective and Jay Ryan as a doctor with a very dark side. And finally, Maggie Q returns to action as Nikita, Friday, October 19 at 9:00pm following America's Next Top Model: College Edition, which premieres on August 24, as previously announced.
Week two of ABC Family's new original sitcom grew from its premiere! Bucking the typical trend new series experience, ABC Family's Baby Daddy increased over its series debut by 4% in Total Viewers (1.72 million vs. 1.65 million), by 1% in Adults 18-49 (946,000 viewers vs. 935,000 viewers), by 8% in Viewers 12-34 (910,000 viewers vs. 843,000 viewers), and edged slightly higher in Females 12-34 (681,000 viewers vs. 679,000 viewers). Impressively, Baby Daddy ranked as Wednesday's #1 cable telecast in primetime in Women 18-34 (679,000 viewers). We're really not that surprised because it is a perfect fit for the cable network and we are lacking a comedy today in the same vein as Boy Meets World, Step by Step and Saved by the Bell. In addition, Baby Daddy ranked as cable's #1 telecast in the half-hour in Adults 18-34, Women 18-34 and Women 18-49, and was the #1 scripted cable telecast in Adults 18-49! The hit new sitcom soared over its established Melissa & Joey lead-in by double-digit percentages across all target demos, including by 21% in Total Viewers (1.72 million vs. 1.42 million), by 15% in Adults 18-34 (598,000 viewers vs. 520,000 viewers), by 13% in Adults 18-49 (946,000 viewers vs. 840,000 viewers) and by 29% in Viewers 12-34 (910,000 viewers vs. 707,000 viewers). The series retained 100% of its premiere's 0.7 adults 18-49 rating.
Speaking of Melissa & Joey, at 8pm, it was cable's #1 telecast in Adults 18-34 (520,000 viewers), Women 18-34 (414,000 viewers), Adults 18-49 (840,000 viewers and a 0.7 adults 18-49 rating) and Women 18-49 (605,000 viewers). Season 2 to date, Melissa & Joey exceeds its season 1 average by impressive margins, including by 28% in Women 18-34 (396,000 viewers vs. 310,000 viewers), by 19% in Women 18-49 (587,000 viewers vs. 495,000 viewers) and by 15% in Females 12-34 (523,000 viewers vs. 456,000 viewers).
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 July 2-6, 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, July 2, 2012
- Jada Pinkett Smith (A Different World) - Watch Jada on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
- Charlie Sheen (Anger Management/Two and a Half Men) - Charlie appears on a repeat of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
- Steve Carell (The Office) - Steve is a guest on a repeat of Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at 11pm.
- Lisa Kudrow (Friends/The Comeback) - Lisa chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/The Golden Girls/The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Betty appears on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Sally Field (Gidget/The Flying Nun) - Sally talks about The Amazing Spider-Man on NBC's Today between 7-9am. She will also be on LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
- Michael Strahan (Brothers) - Michael guest co-hosts LIVE! with Kelly on Monday and Tuesday, so check your listings.
- Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie) - Edie is a guest on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
- Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) - Margaret appears on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
- Ana Gasteyer (Suburgatory) - Ana guest co-hosts a repeat of Anderson, so check your local listings.
- Sally Field (Gidget/The Flying Nun) - Catch Sally on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
- Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) - Will appears on a repeat of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
- Cedric the Entertainer (The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric visits Tavis Smiley on PBS, but check listings for time.
- Niecy Nash (The Soul Man/The Cleveland Show/Reno 911!) - Niecy stops by Tavis Smiley on PBS, but check listings for time.
- Jennifer Aniston (Friends) - Jennifer is a guest on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
- Keke Palmer (True Jackson, VP) - Keke chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- John Travolta (Welcome Back, Kotter) - John stops by LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
- Debra Messing (Will & Grace) - Debra appears on a repeat of Anderson, so check your local listings.
- Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy/American Dad!) - Watch Seth on a repeat of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC. He's also on a repeat of Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at 11pm.
- Jaime King (Gary Unmarried/Kitchen Confidential) - Jaime appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
- Chris Rock (Everybody Hates Chris) - Chris is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
- Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/The Golden Girls/The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Tune in to see Betty on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
- Ken Marino (Party Down/Men Behaving Badly) - Ken appears on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
- Marilu Henner (Taxi) - Marilu is a guest on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Lisa Kudrow (Friends/The Comeback) - Lisa will be on NBC's Today between 10-11am.
- Kim Coles (Living Single) - Kim appears on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
- Kathy Griffin (Suddenly Susan) - Kathy is a guest on a repeat of Anderson, so check your local listings.
- Louis C.K. (Louie) - Catch Louis on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
- Billy Bob Thornton (Hearts Afire) - Billy Bob appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
- Jenny McCarthy (Two and a Half Men/Jenny) - Jenny is a guest on a repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
- Kelly Ripa (Hope & Faith) - Watch Kelly on a repeat of The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation) - Adam appears on a repeat of The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney is a guest on a repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
- Megan Mullally (Will & Grace/Breaking In) - Tune in to see Megan on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
- Mark Feuerstein (Good Morning, Miami/Fired Up) - Mark guest co-hosts LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
- Kristen Johnston (The Exes/3rd Rock from the Sun) - Kristen appears on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
TBS Renews Men at Work for Season 2; Remembering Don Grady and Doris Singleton
TBS has renewed its popular new sitcom Men at Work for a second season. Currently airing Thursdays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), the comedy ranks as one of basic cable's Top 5 new series with adults 18-49 for the quarter. TBS has ordered 10 episodes for the second season, which is slated to launch in 2013. 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 comes to TBS from Sony Pictures Television and Fanfare. The multi-camera comedy is executive-produced by Breckin Meyer, along with Fanfare's Jamie Tarses and Julia Franz. In its first season thus far, Men at Work has averaged more than 2.7 million viewers in Live + 7, with 1 million adults 18-34 and 1.8 million adults 18-49. The comedy ranks as one of basic cable's Top 5 new series among adults 18-49 in Q2 2012. The season finale for Men at Work is set to air July 12. The following Thursday, TBS will launch its newest original sitcom, Sullivan & Son, starring comedian Steve Byrne and executive produced by Vince Vaughn, Peter Billingsley and showrunner Rob Long.
Actor, musician and composer Don Grady, best known as Robbie Douglas on My Three Sons, has died. Grady died after a long battle with cancer on June 27 in Thousand Oaks, California. Mr. Grady was 68.
Grady was born Don Louis Agrati in San Francisco, California on June 8, 1944. He was one of the original Mousketeers on The Mickey Mouse Club at the age of 13. Some of his early television appearances included The Ann Sothern Show, The Restless Gun, The Rifleman, Wagon Train, Have Gun -- Will Travel, The Eleventh Hour, The Lucy Show, Mr. Novak, To Rome with Love, and The F.B.I.. In 1960, he landed the role of the middle brother Robbie Douglas on My Three Sons. His character married his longtime classmate/girlfriend, Katie Miller (played by Tina Cole), near the end of the 1967-68 season. The next season she gave birth to triplets named Robert, Steven, and Charles. Grady was written out of the show after the eleventh season. He appeared in approximately 356 of the 380 episodes of the long-running sitcom. In 1970-1971, he appeared in two episodes of Love, American Style. His final credited acting appearances were in two episodes of Simon & Simon in 1983-1984.
Following My Three Sons, he pursued a career in music as a composer. He worked on the film Switch, wrote the theme music for The Phil Donahue Show, and did the music for EFX, a multimedia stage show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV, which starred Michael Crawford, David Cassidy, Tommy Tune, and Rick Springfield. Grady also composed for productions on Lifetime and the Discovery Channel. In 2008, he released an album called Boomer: JazRokPop, a collection of songs written for and about the baby boomer generation.
Grady's survivors include his mother, Mary B.; wife, Virginia "Ginny" Lewsader; two children, Joey and Tessa; and a sister, Marilou Reichel. His sister, actress Lani O'Grady, died in 2001. He was great on My Three Sons. It was good, clean entertainment. He seemed to be very fan friendly and will be greatly missed.
My Three Sons can be seen on Me-TV weekdays at 7:30AM ET/PT. Share your memories of Don Grady on our My Three Sons message board.
Actress Doris Singleton, who appeared as Lucy Ricardo's near-sighted neighbor and frenemy Carolyn Appleby on I Love Lucy, has died. Singleton died on June 26 in her Los Angeles, California home from unknown causes. Ms. Singleton was 92.
Singleton first met and worked with Lucille Ball when she appeared on the radio show My Favorite Husband in 1948. Her early television guest appearances included The Adventures of Superman, The Loretta Young Show, The Bob Cummings Show, The Great Gildersleeve, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. In 1953, she first appeared on I Love Lucy as a character named Lillian Appleby. Her name was changed to Carolyn in later episodes. She appeared in a total of 10 episodes of the series. Some of her many other sitcom guest apperances included The People's Choice, Blondie, The Danny Thomas Show, Peck's Bad Girl, The Ann Sothern Show, Pete and Gladys, McKeever & the Colonel, Hazel, The Munsters, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Lucy Show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Family Affair, Hogan's Heroes, All in the Family, and Here's Lucy. In 1960-61, she had a regular role as Susie on the CBS sitcom Angel. She had two recurring roles on My Three Sons. She first played Helen Morrison, the mother of Meredith MacRae's Sally character who married Mike Douglas in the 1964-65 season. In 1970-71, she played Margaret Williams, the mother of Polly (played by Ronne Troup) who married Chip Douglas.
The Archive of American Television conducted an interview with her on April 21, 2005. Singleton was widowed and childless. Her husband of over 60 years, comedy writer Charles Isaacs, died in 2002. She was such a talented and funny actress and will be deeply missed. Share your memories of Doris Singleton on our I Love Lucy message board.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Antenna TV Adds Barney Miller, Benson to Fall 2012 Schedule; Charlie Sheen Chooses Top 24 Two and a Half Men Episodes for FX Marathon
We already have some Fall 2012 scheduling news for Antenna TV! They will showcase two more all-time favorite sitcoms to their line-up with the airings this fall of '70s classic Barney Miller and '80s staple Benson. Antenna TV, which airs on 65 affiliates across the U.S. reaching 60% of TV households, adds both programs to the network's Sunday night schedule starting Sunday, September 9, 2012.
Barney Miller, with Hal Linden heading up an ensemble cast, originally aired on ABC from 1975 to 1982 and will air on Antenna TV Sundays at 8-9pm ET/5-6pm PT. Benson, with Robert Guillaume in the lead role, aired from 1979 to 1986 on ABC, as a spin-off from Soap. Antenna TV will air the series as back-to-back hours on Sunday nights, with Soap continuing to air at 11pm-12am ET/8-9pm PT and Benson following at midnight-1am ET/9pm-10pm PT.
The rest of the Antenna TV Fall 2012 schedule will be announced later this summer, as part of our annual Fall cable schedule barrage starting in mid to late July. Will there be any more new additions, time slot changes, or more airings of Barney Miller/Benson? Stay tuned! The Antenna TV schedule will continue to include vintage favorites such as Leave It To Beaver, Father Knows Best, Good Times, Three's Company and All In The Family.
Charlie Sheen fondly recalls his former series Two and a Half Men by selecting his 24 favorite episodes for special 12-hour Men marathon tomorrow (Thursday, June 28) from 9:00AM-9:00PM on FX. The Two and a Half Men marathon will lead into the launch of FX's highly anticipated summer comedy block which kicks off with two back-to-back episodes of Sheen's new sitcom Anger Management at 9:00PM and 9:30PM. Afterwards, the laughs continue with the season two premiere of Wilfred at 10:00PM, the season three premiere of Louie at 10:30PM, and the debut of Brand X with Russell Brand at 11:00PM (All times are ET/PT.)
In Anger Management, Sheen stars as Charlie Goodson, a non-traditional therapist specializing in anger management. He has a successful private practice, holding sessions with his group of primary patient regulars each week, as well as performing pro bono counseling for an inmate group at a state prison. Charlie thrives on the chaos in his life while still battling his own anger issues. His life is complicated by his relationships with his own therapist/best friend (Selma Blair), an ex-wife (Shawnee Smith) whose positive outlook but poor choice in men frustrates Charlie, and their 13-year-old daughter who has OCD (Daniela Bobadilla). Michael Arden, Derek Richardson, Noureen DeWulf, and Barry Corbin also co-star. Bruce Helford serves as Executive Producer/Showrunner. Joe Roth, Mark Burg, Dave Caplan and Vince Totino are Executive Producers. Anger Management is produced by Lionsgate Television and distributed by Debmar-Mercury.
View the episode info for the top 24 Two and a Half Men episodes picked by Charlie Sheen!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
GMC Launches 7th Heaven, 4th of July Marathons; WLNY In New York Revamps Schedule, Adds I Love Lucy Marathon
We hinted way back that GMC has acquired 7th Heaven but now we finally have a launch date! The series will launch with a weekend marathon starting Saturday, July 7, 2012 at 7pm, part of their week of marathons during the 4th of July week! The marathon airs 7pm-5am on July 7 and continues on Sunday, July 8 from 9am-7pm, part of "7th Heaven Summer." The week-long marathons of shows start on Saturday, June 30 with Moesha from 10am-1am. On Sunday, July 1, it's a day of GMC movies with The Greatest Stories Ever Told like The Ten Commandments, Jeremiah, Jesus and Solomon. On Monday, July 2, go back into the Heartland from 10am-11pm. Tuesday, July 3 will feature Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman from 10am-11pm. On the 4th of July itself, it's a marathon of Candid Camera from 10am-11pm. The marathons continue on Thursday, July 5 with The Waltons from 10am-11pm. And on Friday, July 6 we have a marathon of Family Ties from 10am-9pm leading into the GMC premiere of the '80s TV movie The Brady Brides. Leading into the 7th Heaven premiere on Saturday, July 7 will be Sister, Sister from 10am-7pm.
We do not know yet what the regular schedule will look like for 7th Heaven following the 7th Heaven Summer stunt. Stay with us for that soon, but for now read up on the details of the show: The intricacies of growing up, relationships, current events, moral issues, family and friends, are woven into this warmhearted, entertaining family show. The Camden family, headed by Rev. Eric Camden and stay-at-home mom Annie, are busy navigating the ups and downs of life with seven children, who range in age from toddler to adults with families of their own. The friends, neighbors, and love interests of the various family members play a role in the plot lines, which focus on addressing real-life issues. Stars Stephen Collins, Jessica Biel, Barry Watson, David Gallagher, with Catherine Hicks and Beverly Mitchell.
Moving on to some local broadcast news, we mentioned last week that WLNY (now owned by WCBS) in New York has picked-up the broadcast rights to Mike & Molly and 2 Broke Girls beginning in 2014 and 2015, respectively, but now we have some more WLNY news as their schedule is about to change! When CBS bought the station in April they highlighted the addition of three hours of live local newscasts each weekday, including the tri-state area's first one-hour 9:00 PM news program. WLNY will launch weekday 7:00-9:00 AM and 9:00-10:00 PM local news programs starting Monday, July 2. The 9:00 PM newscast will feature WCBS2 anchors Chris Wragge and Dana Tyler, weathercaster Lonnie Quinn and sports anchor Otis Livingston as well as WLNY's Richard Rose, who will report nightly from the WCBS2-WLNY news bureau on Long Island. The on-air team for the station's morning show will be Caroline Bermudez, John Elliott, and Lisa Kerney and the two-hour show will be called Live from the Couch. In addition to his role on the 9:00 PM newscasts, Rose will continue to host the weekly Sunday morning public affairs show Exit 10/55, which premiered in April.
So what will the new schedule look like? It will begin on Monday, July 2 and will be an all-day schedule, something WLNY has never done. The line-up begins with the addition of the syndicated talk show Better TV at 6am to lead into their local two-hour morning show Live from the Couch, as mentioned above. At 9am will be back-to-back episodes of America's Court With Judge Ross, which comes from 11am. At 10am, court series Eye for An Eye will air in the hour. The court shows continue in the 11am hour with the addition of back-to-back Judge Hatchett, which had been out of the New York line-up this past season. Another new court show addition will follow at 12 noon with Last Shot With Judge Gunn. And the court room block ends with an encore of America's Court With Judge Ross from 1-2pm. Next at 2pm will be America's Funniest Home Videos, which was airing at noon before. At 3pm, Cold Case Files remains, but 4pm now has back-to-back Cheaters replacing Matlock, which is now gone from weekdays. [Insert the end of the Matlock opening theme music here, if you know what I mean.] Anyway, at 5pm, back-to-back episodes of Frasier remain on the schedule. The Doctors, which also airs on WCBS, will get a second run on WLNY by airing weeknights at 6pm, as Dr. Phil gets pushed to 7pm, replacing Ellen DeGeneres Show as that show can no longer air on this station. In primetime, Law & Order: Criminal Intent will air at 8pm leading into to the new WLNY News at 9. Judge Judy will continue to air in the 10pm hour, leading into an encore of WCBS' Entertainment Tonight at 11pm. Inside Edition remains at 11:30pm. Another Law & Order: Criminal Intent will air at 12 midnight leading into the late movie at 1am. And that's how their schedule looks!
One more piece of note, and it is a notable item for us! WLNY will dig into the CBS library and air a 4th of July marathon of the '50s sitcom classic I Love Lucy on Wednesday, July 4 from 9am-9pm right after the morning news and leading into the 9pm news. Let's hope more cool marathons like this air in the future and possibly some join the regular schedule...at least we know for sure some new sitcoms are coming in 2014 and 2015. Stay with us for further updates!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Antenna TV's 4th of July Gidget Marathon; Nick at Nite Adds All That, Kenan & Kel, Drops Brady Bunch
Celebrate the 4th of July with Gidget as she celebrates Independence Day with life, liberty and the pursuit of boys. Antenna TV, which airs on 65 affiliates across the U.S. reaching 60% of TV households, will air a "Gidget Independence Day" marathon beginning at 7am ET on Wednesday, July 4, 2012 and running through 7am ET on Thursday, July 5. The 24-hour marathon will feature all 32 episodes from the 1965-66 series starring Sally Field from 11am-3am ET, as well as feature films, Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961) at 7am & 3am ET and Gidget Goes to Rome (1963) at 9am & 5am ET. The films do not star Sally Field, as the Hawaiian one stars Deborah Walley and the Rome one stars Cindy Carol. Both films were sequels to the original 1959 film starring Sandra Dee. All three films were before the TV series. After the TV series ended, there were two ABC TV movies - Gidget Grows Up (1969) and Gidget Gets Married (1972) - and a new syndicated series - The New Gidget (1985), which was spun-off of the TV movie Gidget's Summer Reunion (1985) - but Antenna TV will not be airing any of those.
The 1965-66 series only lasted one season on ABC but it has still popped-up in syndication, often paired with Sally Field's other comedy, The Flying Nun. In fact Antenna TV airs both series every Saturday afternoons from 1-3pm ET.
In a last minute schedule change, Nick at Nite has added All That and Kenan & Kel to its line-up beginning tonight. The two classic '90s Nickelodeon comedies will air in the 8pm hour to try and give a better lead-in to Nick at Nite's new original telenovela Hollywood Heights, which airs weeknights at 9pm. The original series has struggled in the ratings thus far and Nick at Nite is trying to give it a more compatible lead-in than Friends, which was airing in the 8pm hour. Friends was airing 8-9pm and 11pm-12am, but now it will air in a two-hour block from 11pm-1am. This means George Lopez is out of the midnight hour and only air approx. 4am & 4:30am. Yes, Dear remains in the 10pm hour out of Hollywood Heights. Also of note, Nick at Nite will remove the '70s classic sitcom The Brady Bunch effective tonight after a month of airing and replace it with The Nanny, which returns to weeknights on Nick at Nite during the 5am hour.
Stay tuned for further updates, as I just don't see George Lopez being out of primetime for long.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Summer Week 4 Sitcom Ratings; New Sitcoms On Cable This Week
Summer has now started. We will be back with our normal weekly ratings report with the first four nights numbers and analysis in the fall, but we still will have our regular how the sitcoms did all summer long! Here are our summer ratings:
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of June 11-17)
Summing it up. Repeats of The Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls-Thurs were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as repeats of Modern Family, Two and a Half Men) or just plain old terrible (such as repeats of Whitney, How To Be A Gentleman, Community).
Feeling the repeat blues? Look for original sitcoms on cable this summer, with ABC Family's sophomore season of Melissa & Joey at 8pm this Wednesday. What an underrated family comedy it is. New comedy Baby Daddy starring Chelsea Kane airs episode two at 8:30pm this Wednesday! Pretty funny show, so tune in! TBS airs Men at Work Thursdays at 10pm, with Sullivan & Son coming in late July. Also on Wednesdays is TV Land's Hot in Cleveland spin-off series The Soul Man starring Cedric the Entertainer at 10pm followed by new episodes of The Exes at 10:30pm. TV Land will also air season two of Retired at 35 on Tuesdays starting this Tuesday, June 26 at 10pm. FX and Charlie Sheen will come together in a new sitcom titled Anger Management airing Thursdays at 9pm starting this Thursday, June 28. Even on digital TV, Bounce TV airs new comedy Family Time starring Omar Gooding Mondays at 9pm. All of these are multi-camera comedies, too! New sitcom airings is the perfect way to beat the summer blues!
Summer Week 4 (June 18-24) How the Sitcoms Did
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of June 11-17)
- The Simpsons (Fox) - A repeat at 8 did 2.88 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, on par week-to-week again.
- The Cleveland Show (Fox) - A repeat at 7:30 just did 2.11 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, but it was again on par with previous week.
- Bob's Burgers (Fox) - A repeat at 8:30 did 2.67 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating and again on par with previous week.
- Family Guy (Fox) - A summer repeat at 9 did 3.57 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, up two tenths from previous week.
- American Dad! (Fox) 2 airings - A repeat followed at 9:30 doing 3.31 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, also up two tenths from previous week. A repeat earlier in the night at 7 did just 1.7 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, down a tenth week-to-week.
Monday Sitcoms
- How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A repeat did 4.1 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, but down three tenths from previous week. Up and down it goes.
- 2 Broke Girls (CBS) - A repeat of this comedy did 4.4 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, also down two tenths from previous week.
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) 2 airings - A repeat did 5.76 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, down two tenths from previous week. This show is not doing as well as it should. A special 10:30pm repeat did 5.05 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating, but lost half a point from its lead-in.
- Mike & Molly (CBS) - 5.29 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating for a repeat was down two tenths from previous week.
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A special 10pm repeat (CBS' answer to derail Glass House premiere on ABC) did a solid 6.66 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating. Easily the top show on CBS for the night.
Tuesday Sitcoms
- Last Man Standing (ABC) - preempted for NBA Finals.
- New Girl (Fox) - Repeats return in August but on Thursdays.
- The Middle (ABC) - A repeat at 8 did 3.98 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, on par again with previous week.
- Suburgatory (ABC) - A repeat at 8:30 posted 3.3 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, on par week-to-week. Full retention from lead-in again.
- Up All Night (NBC) - preempted for a low-rated Bieber special.
- Modern Family (ABC) - A repeat did 4.62 million and a 1.5 rating, up a tenth from previous week.
- Happy Endings (ABC) - preempted
- Don't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23 (ABC) - preempted.
Thursday Sitcoms
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A repeat at 8 did 8.38 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, up a tenth from the previous week. Consistent and great for summer.
- 2 Broke Girls (CBS) - A repeat did 7.14 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, up three tenth from previous week. It has built each week in this slot. Good sign.
- The Office (NBC) - preempted.
- Parks and Recreation (NBC) - preempted.
- Whitney (NBC) - A repeat at 8pm did a prelim 2.5 million and a prelim 0.518-49 rating, down a tenth from previous week's prelim ratings. Not good.
- Community (NBC) - A repeat of this did no better with a prelim 1.8 million and a prelim 0.4 18-49 rating, also down a tenth from previous week's prelim ratings.
- Rules of Engagement (CBS) - A Saturday repeat at 8 did just a prelim 1.75 million and a prelim 0.5 18-49 rating, but up two tenths from previous week's prelim ratings.
- How to Be a Gentleman (CBS) - A new burn-off episode at 8:30 did a prelim 1.56 million and a prelim 0.3 18-49 rating, on par with previous week's prelim ratings. Really really bad!
Summing it up. Repeats of The Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls-Thurs were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as repeats of Modern Family, Two and a Half Men) or just plain old terrible (such as repeats of Whitney, How To Be A Gentleman, Community).
Feeling the repeat blues? Look for original sitcoms on cable this summer, with ABC Family's sophomore season of Melissa & Joey at 8pm this Wednesday. What an underrated family comedy it is. New comedy Baby Daddy starring Chelsea Kane airs episode two at 8:30pm this Wednesday! Pretty funny show, so tune in! TBS airs Men at Work Thursdays at 10pm, with Sullivan & Son coming in late July. Also on Wednesdays is TV Land's Hot in Cleveland spin-off series The Soul Man starring Cedric the Entertainer at 10pm followed by new episodes of The Exes at 10:30pm. TV Land will also air season two of Retired at 35 on Tuesdays starting this Tuesday, June 26 at 10pm. FX and Charlie Sheen will come together in a new sitcom titled Anger Management airing Thursdays at 9pm starting this Thursday, June 28. Even on digital TV, Bounce TV airs new comedy Family Time starring Omar Gooding Mondays at 9pm. All of these are multi-camera comedies, too! New sitcom airings is the perfect way to beat the summer blues!
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Digital Digest: Missing - The Complete First Season DVD Review; Mannix - The Seventh Season DVD Review
Welcome back to this week's edition of Digital Digest! Summer is here, but we're not slacking off. In addition to our regular news, we have another double feature for our reviews this week, with reviews of Missing - The Complete First Season and Mannix - The Seventh Season. Let's get going!
DIGITAL NEWS
The big announcement this week has been "Blu," as Warner Home Video has announced that once again, they'll be releasing the series Friends... but this time on Blu-ray! On November 13, the entire series will come out in one big chunk as an ultimate 21-disc Blu-ray set, with every single episode presented in high definition. The set includes over 20 hours of special features, three of which have never been presented on any previous release.
We've got more news this week, which brings us closer (but not quite all the way) to completing the 2011-2012 seasons of ongoing series on home media. We start with the Universal series, as we have more definitive details on those. Universal treats us with a double feature on September 4 with releases of The Office - Season Eight (DVD, DVD/Blu-ray/Digital Download Combo Pack) and Parks and Recreation - Season Four (just on DVD, sorry!). The Blu-ray release of The Office, as suggested above, is not JUST a Blu-ray release this time, but includes the DVD and an Ultraviolet digital download this time. It seems, though, that Universal has chosen to place the DVD and Blu-ray versions on the same discs utilizing double-sided discs, a standard which Universal seemed to have abandoned some time ago (but obviously it isn't gone for good, it appears). While it is already available to preorder, there is still no date for 30 Rock - Season Six, but most likely we'll see it just before the final season begins (since it will be a midseason replacement in the 2012-2013 season).
TVShowsOnDVD.com has come across some release dates for some series from 20th Century Fox, courtesy of listing dates provided on Amazon.ca (Amazon's Canadian outlet). We should stress that these dates are unofficial, and subject to change... but generally speaking, Canadian release dates are the same as release dates in the United States. On September 18, you can find Modern Family - Season Three (DVD/Blu-ray) in retailers. How I Met Your Mother - Season Seven is scheduled for another "legendary" release on October 2. Moving over to Fox animated series, Family Guy - Volume Ten is set for a September 25 release. Surprisingly, they are not trying a Blu-ray release for this set... at least not yet. And moving all the way into December, Fox has The Simpsons - The Fifteenth Season (leaving the series with seven seasons still not yet released... the pacing of this series seriously needs to be picked up a bit) on December 4, and Futurama - Volume Seven on December 18. Both releases will be on both DVD and Blu-ray.
Amazon.com announced some new additions to their Amazon Prime streaming service last week, this time coming from the MGM library. While the announcement for the deal mostly discusses movies, it does include some TV series from the MGM library. The only series which we could find that are included in this deal so far, though, are thirtysomething and series from the Stargate franchise. Hopefully as this deal "develops" over time, we'll see more MGM TV series appear on the service for unlimited streaming, such as Green Acres, Cagney & Lacey, Fame, and more. Those series are, in fact, already available to purchase as streaming video from the website, but are NOT included in the "all you can watch" Amazon Prime plan (which costs about $80 a year, unless you are eligible for one of their discounted flavors of the service). We'll let you know if more comes out of this.
Finally, we have been covering a lot of news lately about the in-demand actress Christine Lakin, including our recent story with the actress on her latest endeavor Worst Audition Ever. You'll be able to see much more of her coming up starting July 16 on Hulu, with her own webseries mockumentary, Lovin' Lakin. The "mockumentary" focuses on her rise from child star to a working actress in Hollywood, where she provides insight on how to make it there. There is an intro trailer available now where fans can preview the comedic webseries, which will feature guests including Kristen Bell, Patrick Duffy, Kristin Chenowith, and Seth MacFarlane. We will have much more on this webseries in the coming weeks!
TVShowsOnDVD.com has come across some release dates for some series from 20th Century Fox, courtesy of listing dates provided on Amazon.ca (Amazon's Canadian outlet). We should stress that these dates are unofficial, and subject to change... but generally speaking, Canadian release dates are the same as release dates in the United States. On September 18, you can find Modern Family - Season Three (DVD/Blu-ray) in retailers. How I Met Your Mother - Season Seven is scheduled for another "legendary" release on October 2. Moving over to Fox animated series, Family Guy - Volume Ten is set for a September 25 release. Surprisingly, they are not trying a Blu-ray release for this set... at least not yet. And moving all the way into December, Fox has The Simpsons - The Fifteenth Season (leaving the series with seven seasons still not yet released... the pacing of this series seriously needs to be picked up a bit) on December 4, and Futurama - Volume Seven on December 18. Both releases will be on both DVD and Blu-ray.
Amazon.com announced some new additions to their Amazon Prime streaming service last week, this time coming from the MGM library. While the announcement for the deal mostly discusses movies, it does include some TV series from the MGM library. The only series which we could find that are included in this deal so far, though, are thirtysomething and series from the Stargate franchise. Hopefully as this deal "develops" over time, we'll see more MGM TV series appear on the service for unlimited streaming, such as Green Acres, Cagney & Lacey, Fame, and more. Those series are, in fact, already available to purchase as streaming video from the website, but are NOT included in the "all you can watch" Amazon Prime plan (which costs about $80 a year, unless you are eligible for one of their discounted flavors of the service). We'll let you know if more comes out of this.
Finally, we have been covering a lot of news lately about the in-demand actress Christine Lakin, including our recent story with the actress on her latest endeavor Worst Audition Ever. You'll be able to see much more of her coming up starting July 16 on Hulu, with her own webseries mockumentary, Lovin' Lakin. The "mockumentary" focuses on her rise from child star to a working actress in Hollywood, where she provides insight on how to make it there. There is an intro trailer available now where fans can preview the comedic webseries, which will feature guests including Kristen Bell, Patrick Duffy, Kristin Chenowith, and Seth MacFarlane. We will have much more on this webseries in the coming weeks!
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (June 26) brings to DVD the Warner Archive release of Night Court - The Complete Sixth Season. It isn't available to order yet, but it will be on Tuesday morning. Also, Lionsgate has Meet the Browns - Season 6 (Episodes 101-120). We will have a review of this set soon.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Blog DVD Review: Missing - The Complete First Season (ABC Studios, $39.99)
by Pavan
How far would you go to save the one you love most? Emmy Award Nominee Ashley Judd stars in Missing, ABC's thrilling series that aired this past season, bursting with international intrigue and a full season of brilliant twists and turns. After Becca Winstone's son disappears while overseas for a summer internship, she takes it upon herself to travel to Europe to track him down. It soon becomes clear that Becca is no ordinary woman, but a former CIA agent deactivated after the devastating death of her husband. If she wants to find her son alive, Becca will have to rely on old friends...and old enemies...thus reopening old wounds. Her resourcefulness, skill and determination will be put to the test – but a mother's love knows no limits. ABC's inspiring, action-packed drama grabs you from the very first minute and never lets go. This season one DVD set includes exclusive bonus features, plus interviews with star Ashley Judd and the show's creators, all on a three-disc DVD set.
The season stars Ashley Judd as Rebecca "Becca" Winstone, Sean Bean as Paul Winstone, Cliff Curtis, Adriano Giannini as as Agent Dax Miller, Nick Eversman as Michael Winstone, Tereza Voriskova as Oksana, and Adriano Giannini as Giancarlo Rossi. However, there are many recurring stars such as Aunjanue Ellis as Mary, Laura Donnelly as Violet Heath and Keith Carradine as Martin Newman. Other guest stars include Karel Roden as Victor Asimov and Nikola Navratil as Maxim Asimov. The series aired for 10 episodes this past season and didn't deliver in the ratings in the key 18-49 demo despite a decent total viewer count. Thus, ABC canceled the series in May. The series is being shopped to other networks to try to continue. I think ABC should have brought it back as a summer series. It is good fun.
Anyway, as for this set, there are many memorable episodes in this suspenseful juicy series. All ten episodes have to be seen in pretty much order as they are all connected. The series starts off with the episode "Pilot," where Becca Winstone's son Michael Winstone goes to Europe for an architecture program, but when Michael doesn't call home in over a week, Becca Winstone goes to Rome and she finds out that he was kidnapped, so as she was a former CIA Agent, she is going for a hunt. In "Ice Queen," with Becca still on the hunt to find Michael, her best friend, Mary, complicates matters with her surprise arrival in Europe, while Michael struggles to uncover answers behind his kidnapping. In "Tell Me No Lies," Becca is reunited with her CIA mentor, Martin Newman, and they join Dax Miller in trying to find the assassin who killed Paul, also Michael gets a severe warning about what happens if he tries to escape. In "Measure of a Man," Becca is forced to recall details of a traumatic former case in order to prove her innocence now, while Michael goes to new lengths to protect himself and Oksana. On the finale, "Rain on the Evil and on the Good," in a last-ditch effort to save her son, Becca faces her inner demons, while Suspect Zero tries to finish his sale.
Episodes are usually around 42 minutes and unedited, as they should be. Most series on ABC are 43 or so usually, but this one probably just ran short. Runtimes are below:
Disc 3:
The DVD comes in a case held by an outer thin box. The thin outer box is in black with a very cool shot of Becca Winstone on the bottom and has a nice shot of Paris on top with the series logo in the middle and the complete first season mention below that. The back of the thin outer box has info on the set and series, with a nice quote from Keck from TV Guide. We have a nice shot of Becca leaving an explosion along with four cool episodic photos. There is also a 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, both cover and back, so everything is the exact same. Inside the case we have a nice shot of Becca on the left panel and like five episodic images on the right panel. There is also a disc-by-disc breakdown below the photos on the panels listing episode titles per disc. As for the discs themselves, disc one is on a little plastic holder that you can flip like a page in a book. Disc two is on the back of that little plastic holder, while disc three is on the right panel itself. All three discs are in the black and red design with the series logo and a character. Disc one holds episodes 1-4 with an image of Becca, disc two holds episodes 5-7 with a shot of Paul and disc three holds episodes 8-10 with a shot of Michael. There is also an insert booklet showcasing other ABC TV DVDs that are coming soon like Once Upon a Time and Revenge, and it is placed on the left panel.
The menu design is well designed! We have different pictures and we have background music from the show playing. Before the main menu, we have auto trailers. On disc one we have trailers for ABC TV DVDs coming this summer and fall, Castle Season 4, and the theatrical movie The Avengers. Disc three has trailers for more ABC TV on DVD and the upcoming Odd Life of Timothy Green. Back to the main menu, the options are: Play All, Episode Selection, Bonus Features, Set Up and Sneak Peeks. Sneak Peeks is only on disc three and has the same trailers as the auto trailers on disc three. Set Up gives us the option for subtitles in English, French, Espanol, and Portuguese. You can also register your DVD here. Bonus Features is just on disc three and lists what is available, while Episode Selection gives us an episode number and title. All this is sort of similar to other recent ABC TV DVDs like The River.
Video and audio quality are both outstanding, similar to other recent ABC TV DVDs we have reviewed like Scandal. We have Digital Dolby 5.1 surround sound and it is perfect. For the video, we are in widescreen (1.78:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions. It is excellent quality but that is expected for newer/current series. As I keep saying, if anything goes wrong with audio/video for current series, then there is a major problem. Each episode has 8 or 9 chapter stops, so it is easy to jump through an episode if you are looking for something in particular. Nothing out of the ordinary here but it is all perfectly done.
There are some special features on this set as well! They are all on disc three. First up, another is the featurette "Missing: In Action" (16:01). Viewers get a look at the genesis and production of this international project. It's a very good and informative featurette and has interviews with Ashley Judd, Greg Poirier (creator/executive producer), Gina Matthews (executive producer), Grant Scharbo (executive producer), Nick Eversman, Nikola Navratil, and Lukus Katakaliois (stand-by props). Then we have a second featurette, the best one on the set, and this one is called "On Location: Inside Istanbul" (32:35). On this one, we will get to see firsthand what it takes to shoot an international television production when the cast and crew show how they broke language barriers and borders on location in Turkey for 12 days to wrap-up the season. Interviewed are Grant Scharbo, Nick Eversman, Gideon Amir (unit production manager), Greg Poirier, Miro Gabor (second unit director of photography), James Strong (director), Dale Wyatt (dialogue coach), Tereza Voriskora, Lukus Katakaliois, Kenny Bates (co-producer), Frauk Ozerten (producer, Istanbul), Cliff Curtis, Keith Carradine, and Rudolph Urba (flight coordinator). And finally we even have some Deleted Scenes that run about 6 and a half minutes total! Now fans can delve further into the mystery with seven never-before-seen deleted scenes that include: Standard Delivery (from episode 110, 0:40), Red Tape (from episode 101, 1:07), No Escape (from episode 106, 0:32), No Better Adventure (from episode 106, 0:32), Close Call (from episode 109, 0:34), Lock Up (from episode 110, 1:50) and Cornered (from episode 110, 0:25).
This is a nicely done set for a series that ended. It's a quick turnaround like for other ABC TV DVDs that came out in May and June! The series just aired its series finale on May 17 and this DVD was released on June 12! Unfortunately ABC canceled it at their upfront in May, so it will not be returning. Hopefully someone can revive it. As for the DVD, it is well done and similar to previous ABC TV DVDs. We get great audio/video, menus, packaging and special features. I think the special features are adequate for something with only 10 episodes. The Istanbul featurette is superb and well produced. Really liked that one. And we got deleted scenes, too! All that was missing really were audio commentaries though, like The River DVD had. ABC Studios knows how to make good DVDs, especially for their current series. Even though this show is done, you should still "see what you've been missing" (pun intended). If you only watched the pilot or one more episode, you need to watch them all because like more series, it got better. That is why I don't understand viewers these days. They only try one or two episodes and then give up. If it was like that in the old days, then shows like Cheers and Family Ties would have been long gone. This show was just good fun. Nothing Emmy worthy, but it has plenty of action and network TV is missing that right now. What other show on network TV films internationally actually? So see what you've been missing and try Missing...it's only 10 episodes and there is a satisfying ending to this "chapter."
(4/5 stars)
The season stars Ashley Judd as Rebecca "Becca" Winstone, Sean Bean as Paul Winstone, Cliff Curtis, Adriano Giannini as as Agent Dax Miller, Nick Eversman as Michael Winstone, Tereza Voriskova as Oksana, and Adriano Giannini as Giancarlo Rossi. However, there are many recurring stars such as Aunjanue Ellis as Mary, Laura Donnelly as Violet Heath and Keith Carradine as Martin Newman. Other guest stars include Karel Roden as Victor Asimov and Nikola Navratil as Maxim Asimov. The series aired for 10 episodes this past season and didn't deliver in the ratings in the key 18-49 demo despite a decent total viewer count. Thus, ABC canceled the series in May. The series is being shopped to other networks to try to continue. I think ABC should have brought it back as a summer series. It is good fun.
Anyway, as for this set, there are many memorable episodes in this suspenseful juicy series. All ten episodes have to be seen in pretty much order as they are all connected. The series starts off with the episode "Pilot," where Becca Winstone's son Michael Winstone goes to Europe for an architecture program, but when Michael doesn't call home in over a week, Becca Winstone goes to Rome and she finds out that he was kidnapped, so as she was a former CIA Agent, she is going for a hunt. In "Ice Queen," with Becca still on the hunt to find Michael, her best friend, Mary, complicates matters with her surprise arrival in Europe, while Michael struggles to uncover answers behind his kidnapping. In "Tell Me No Lies," Becca is reunited with her CIA mentor, Martin Newman, and they join Dax Miller in trying to find the assassin who killed Paul, also Michael gets a severe warning about what happens if he tries to escape. In "Measure of a Man," Becca is forced to recall details of a traumatic former case in order to prove her innocence now, while Michael goes to new lengths to protect himself and Oksana. On the finale, "Rain on the Evil and on the Good," in a last-ditch effort to save her son, Becca faces her inner demons, while Suspect Zero tries to finish his sale.
Episodes are usually around 42 minutes and unedited, as they should be. Most series on ABC are 43 or so usually, but this one probably just ran short. Runtimes are below:
Disc 1:
1. "Pilot" (41:28)
2. "The Hard Drive" (42:26)
3. "Ice Queen" (42:30)
4. "Tell Me No Lies" (41:36)
Disc 2:
5. "The Three Bears" (42:13)
6. "A Busy Solitude" (42:27)
7. "Measure of a Man" (42:36)
Disc 3:
8. "Answers" (41:58)
9. "Promise" (41:33)
10. "Rain on the Evil and on the Good" (43:03)
The menu design is well designed! We have different pictures and we have background music from the show playing. Before the main menu, we have auto trailers. On disc one we have trailers for ABC TV DVDs coming this summer and fall, Castle Season 4, and the theatrical movie The Avengers. Disc three has trailers for more ABC TV on DVD and the upcoming Odd Life of Timothy Green. Back to the main menu, the options are: Play All, Episode Selection, Bonus Features, Set Up and Sneak Peeks. Sneak Peeks is only on disc three and has the same trailers as the auto trailers on disc three. Set Up gives us the option for subtitles in English, French, Espanol, and Portuguese. You can also register your DVD here. Bonus Features is just on disc three and lists what is available, while Episode Selection gives us an episode number and title. All this is sort of similar to other recent ABC TV DVDs like The River.
Video and audio quality are both outstanding, similar to other recent ABC TV DVDs we have reviewed like Scandal. We have Digital Dolby 5.1 surround sound and it is perfect. For the video, we are in widescreen (1.78:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions. It is excellent quality but that is expected for newer/current series. As I keep saying, if anything goes wrong with audio/video for current series, then there is a major problem. Each episode has 8 or 9 chapter stops, so it is easy to jump through an episode if you are looking for something in particular. Nothing out of the ordinary here but it is all perfectly done.
There are some special features on this set as well! They are all on disc three. First up, another is the featurette "Missing: In Action" (16:01). Viewers get a look at the genesis and production of this international project. It's a very good and informative featurette and has interviews with Ashley Judd, Greg Poirier (creator/executive producer), Gina Matthews (executive producer), Grant Scharbo (executive producer), Nick Eversman, Nikola Navratil, and Lukus Katakaliois (stand-by props). Then we have a second featurette, the best one on the set, and this one is called "On Location: Inside Istanbul" (32:35). On this one, we will get to see firsthand what it takes to shoot an international television production when the cast and crew show how they broke language barriers and borders on location in Turkey for 12 days to wrap-up the season. Interviewed are Grant Scharbo, Nick Eversman, Gideon Amir (unit production manager), Greg Poirier, Miro Gabor (second unit director of photography), James Strong (director), Dale Wyatt (dialogue coach), Tereza Voriskora, Lukus Katakaliois, Kenny Bates (co-producer), Frauk Ozerten (producer, Istanbul), Cliff Curtis, Keith Carradine, and Rudolph Urba (flight coordinator). And finally we even have some Deleted Scenes that run about 6 and a half minutes total! Now fans can delve further into the mystery with seven never-before-seen deleted scenes that include: Standard Delivery (from episode 110, 0:40), Red Tape (from episode 101, 1:07), No Escape (from episode 106, 0:32), No Better Adventure (from episode 106, 0:32), Close Call (from episode 109, 0:34), Lock Up (from episode 110, 1:50) and Cornered (from episode 110, 0:25).
This is a nicely done set for a series that ended. It's a quick turnaround like for other ABC TV DVDs that came out in May and June! The series just aired its series finale on May 17 and this DVD was released on June 12! Unfortunately ABC canceled it at their upfront in May, so it will not be returning. Hopefully someone can revive it. As for the DVD, it is well done and similar to previous ABC TV DVDs. We get great audio/video, menus, packaging and special features. I think the special features are adequate for something with only 10 episodes. The Istanbul featurette is superb and well produced. Really liked that one. And we got deleted scenes, too! All that was missing really were audio commentaries though, like The River DVD had. ABC Studios knows how to make good DVDs, especially for their current series. Even though this show is done, you should still "see what you've been missing" (pun intended). If you only watched the pilot or one more episode, you need to watch them all because like more series, it got better. That is why I don't understand viewers these days. They only try one or two episodes and then give up. If it was like that in the old days, then shows like Cheers and Family Ties would have been long gone. This show was just good fun. Nothing Emmy worthy, but it has plenty of action and network TV is missing that right now. What other show on network TV films internationally actually? So see what you've been missing and try Missing...it's only 10 episodes and there is a satisfying ending to this "chapter."
(4/5 stars)
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BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Blog DVD Review: Mannix - The Seventh Season (CBS DVD, $49.99)
by skees53
This is another fine release of the series, and it is especially great to see some of these rare episodes reappear for the first time. This is one of those series which seems to stay consistent over the seasons, without the series showing weakness as it ages. There is only one season remaining of the series, and just like the first season, none of the episodes from that season have ever appeared in syndication packages... so it will be even more exciting to see that one when it comes (which I think it will, it is just a matter of time). For now, though, I think fans will appreciate this DVD set. If you've never seen the series before (and I think by now, most fans have), it would probably appeal quite a bit to fans of other private eye series of the era (which were actually somewhat falling out of favor by this time, only to be revived just a few short years later with series like Magnum, P.I. and Simon & Simon), as well as action series such as Mission: Impossible.
(4/5 stars)
Joe Mannix is the straight-talking, straight-shooting private eye who was a fixture on television in the late '60s and early '70s, and now, we get more of him on DVD with the release of Mannix - The Seventh Season! The six-disc set from CBS DVD brings 24 more episodes of the classic series not only to DVD for the first time, but also to many fans for the first time. Yes, many diehard fans of the series who did not watch the series during the original airing will be seeing something "new" with this DVD set, as there are 16 episodes (that would be 2/3 of the episodes) included in this set which have not been included in American syndication packages.
The season begins with "The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress," where Mannix has to determine if a woman with clairvoyant visions is a fraud or can actually prevent a future murder. Joan Van Ark guest stars. In "A Way to Dusty's Death," Mannix gets mixed up with a corrupt police chief while searching for a friend's missing son. Mannix is rescued by an escaped convict when his plane crashes in "Climb a Deadly Mountain," but the guards want that prisoner (and anybody he meets along the way) dead. Mannix follows the trail of clues after a newspaper columnist is shot in front of his own daughter in "Little Lost Girl." Mannix takes down a gang in "The Gang's All Here," so now the rest of the gang wants to take down Mannix. In "Desert Run," a pilot goes missing and Mannix is begged by his wife to find him... but things get muddied up when he finds the pilot had two wives. A relaxing fishing trip leads Mannix to a house of professional hit men in "Silent Target." In "A World Without Sundays," a mobster's girlfriend and a retired football star are entangled in the murder of a young woman's roommate.
Mannix has to find out who wants to murder an opera star (and try not to fall in love with her in the meantime) in "Sing a Song of Murder." Finding jewels can help Mannix find an assault suspect in "Search in the Dark." In "The Deadly Madonna," a legendary actress (played by Anne Baxter) is about to make a comeback, that is if she isn't murdered first. Mannix is kidnapped at the airport in San Francisco in "Cry Danger." Plane crash survivors are a target for murder in "All the Dead were Strangers," and Mannix must find out why. In the two-part episode "Race Against TIme," Mannix has to get a Latin American revolutionary in and out of America for critical heart surgery... without getting him killed by factors other than his heart. Mannix tries to remember what leads to a near death situation (don't worry, Mannix can be shot infinitely many times without dying!) in "The Dark Hours."
In "A Night Full of Darkness," Mannix is out to find out if an investigation of a mob boss caused the assault that killed Lt. Malcolm's new bride. Mannix has to prove the innocence of an accused gunman in "Walk a Double Line." In "The Girl From Nowhere," Mannix wants to find the identity of an unknown little girl who was a murder victim. Lucille Benson (you may not know the name, but you definitely know her face when you see her) guest stars in this episode. A psychiatrist supposedly commits suicide in "A Rage to Kill," but was it really suicide? Sergeant Reardon (Claude Akins) is identified as the suspect in the murder of a loan shark in "Mask for a Charade," and Mannix has to prove that wrong. A boxer is killed by a hit-and-run driver in "A Question of Murder," and his dying words identify the killer... and now a young boy who idolized the boxer seeks Mannix's help in proving it was murder. In "Trap for a Pigeon," Mannix gets entangled with the mob when he retrieves a stolen briefcase for a lawyer. The season ends with "The Ragged Edge," where Mannix goes deep undercover as a heroin addict to expose corruption on the police force. Linda Evans guest stars in this episode, and as an interesting side note, pay attention to the house where most of this episode is set... you'll see very clearly that they've invaded the house from The Brady Bunch!
The episodes on the set all seem to be unedited (as far as I can tell), with runtimes are as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress" (49:34)
2. "A Way to Dusty Death" (48:58)
3. "Climb a Deadly Mountain" (49:36)
4. "Little Girl Lost" (49:38)
Disc 2:
5. "The Gang's All Here" (49:56)
6. "Desert Run" (49:33)
7. "Silent Target" (49:32)
8. "A World Without Sundays" (49:44)
Disc 3:
9. "Sing a Song of Murder" (49:46)
10. "Search in the Dark" (49:43)
11. "A Deadly Madonna" (49:45)
12. "Cry Danger" (49:46)
Disc 4:
13. "All the Dead Were Strangers" (49:47)
14. "Race Against Time (Part 1)" (49:39)
15. "Race Against Time (Part 2)" (49:44)
16. "The Dark Hours" (49:46)
Disc 5:
17. "A Night Full of Darkness" (49:44)
18. "Walk a Double Line" (49:46)
19. "The Girl From Nowhere" (49:47)
20. "A Rage to Kill" (49:43)
Disc 6:
21. "Mask for a Charade" (49:47)
22. "A Question of Murder" (49:45)
23. "Trap for a Pigeon" (49:48)
24. "The Ragged Edge" (49:47)
The season begins with "The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress," where Mannix has to determine if a woman with clairvoyant visions is a fraud or can actually prevent a future murder. Joan Van Ark guest stars. In "A Way to Dusty's Death," Mannix gets mixed up with a corrupt police chief while searching for a friend's missing son. Mannix is rescued by an escaped convict when his plane crashes in "Climb a Deadly Mountain," but the guards want that prisoner (and anybody he meets along the way) dead. Mannix follows the trail of clues after a newspaper columnist is shot in front of his own daughter in "Little Lost Girl." Mannix takes down a gang in "The Gang's All Here," so now the rest of the gang wants to take down Mannix. In "Desert Run," a pilot goes missing and Mannix is begged by his wife to find him... but things get muddied up when he finds the pilot had two wives. A relaxing fishing trip leads Mannix to a house of professional hit men in "Silent Target." In "A World Without Sundays," a mobster's girlfriend and a retired football star are entangled in the murder of a young woman's roommate.
Mannix has to find out who wants to murder an opera star (and try not to fall in love with her in the meantime) in "Sing a Song of Murder." Finding jewels can help Mannix find an assault suspect in "Search in the Dark." In "The Deadly Madonna," a legendary actress (played by Anne Baxter) is about to make a comeback, that is if she isn't murdered first. Mannix is kidnapped at the airport in San Francisco in "Cry Danger." Plane crash survivors are a target for murder in "All the Dead were Strangers," and Mannix must find out why. In the two-part episode "Race Against TIme," Mannix has to get a Latin American revolutionary in and out of America for critical heart surgery... without getting him killed by factors other than his heart. Mannix tries to remember what leads to a near death situation (don't worry, Mannix can be shot infinitely many times without dying!) in "The Dark Hours."
In "A Night Full of Darkness," Mannix is out to find out if an investigation of a mob boss caused the assault that killed Lt. Malcolm's new bride. Mannix has to prove the innocence of an accused gunman in "Walk a Double Line." In "The Girl From Nowhere," Mannix wants to find the identity of an unknown little girl who was a murder victim. Lucille Benson (you may not know the name, but you definitely know her face when you see her) guest stars in this episode. A psychiatrist supposedly commits suicide in "A Rage to Kill," but was it really suicide? Sergeant Reardon (Claude Akins) is identified as the suspect in the murder of a loan shark in "Mask for a Charade," and Mannix has to prove that wrong. A boxer is killed by a hit-and-run driver in "A Question of Murder," and his dying words identify the killer... and now a young boy who idolized the boxer seeks Mannix's help in proving it was murder. In "Trap for a Pigeon," Mannix gets entangled with the mob when he retrieves a stolen briefcase for a lawyer. The season ends with "The Ragged Edge," where Mannix goes deep undercover as a heroin addict to expose corruption on the police force. Linda Evans guest stars in this episode, and as an interesting side note, pay attention to the house where most of this episode is set... you'll see very clearly that they've invaded the house from The Brady Bunch!
The episodes on the set all seem to be unedited (as far as I can tell), with runtimes are as follows:
Disc 1:
1. "The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress" (49:34)
2. "A Way to Dusty Death" (48:58)
3. "Climb a Deadly Mountain" (49:36)
4. "Little Girl Lost" (49:38)
Disc 2:
5. "The Gang's All Here" (49:56)
6. "Desert Run" (49:33)
7. "Silent Target" (49:32)
8. "A World Without Sundays" (49:44)
Disc 3:
9. "Sing a Song of Murder" (49:46)
10. "Search in the Dark" (49:43)
11. "A Deadly Madonna" (49:45)
12. "Cry Danger" (49:46)
Disc 4:
13. "All the Dead Were Strangers" (49:47)
14. "Race Against Time (Part 1)" (49:39)
15. "Race Against Time (Part 2)" (49:44)
16. "The Dark Hours" (49:46)
Disc 5:
17. "A Night Full of Darkness" (49:44)
18. "Walk a Double Line" (49:46)
19. "The Girl From Nowhere" (49:47)
20. "A Rage to Kill" (49:43)
Disc 6:
21. "Mask for a Charade" (49:47)
22. "A Question of Murder" (49:45)
23. "Trap for a Pigeon" (49:48)
24. "The Ragged Edge" (49:47)
The packaging for the set is basically just like all of the previous releases. The cover art has a photo of Mannix, along with the series title and seven bullets to indicate the seventh season. On the back, there are a few episode snapshots, a photo of Mannix and his secretary Peggy, and a very brief description of the series. Inside the case are the six discs, which have just basic gray artwork with the series logo and a few "bullet holes" on each disc. Each disc contains four episodes. Imprinted inside the case is a listing of episodes, along with descriptions and original airdates.
The menus on the set are very nicely done, as they have been on all of the previous releases. The main menu begins with an intro similar to the opening credits, while the theme song plays in the background. After that, there are clips from the episodes playing on the top half of the screen with a listing of the episodes on the bottom of the screen, along with options for Play All and Subtitles. Once you select an episode, it plays immediately. There are chapters at all of the appropriate places.
Like a majority of the CBS DVD releases, the video and audio quality of the episodes on this set is absolutely pristine. The series has looked pretty good when shown in syndication, but the episodes presented on this set look great, with few problems aside from the expected occasional grain on screen. The audio is presented in mono, but is very loud and clear. Each episode on the set contains English subtitles for those who require them.
The menus on the set are very nicely done, as they have been on all of the previous releases. The main menu begins with an intro similar to the opening credits, while the theme song plays in the background. After that, there are clips from the episodes playing on the top half of the screen with a listing of the episodes on the bottom of the screen, along with options for Play All and Subtitles. Once you select an episode, it plays immediately. There are chapters at all of the appropriate places.
Like a majority of the CBS DVD releases, the video and audio quality of the episodes on this set is absolutely pristine. The series has looked pretty good when shown in syndication, but the episodes presented on this set look great, with few problems aside from the expected occasional grain on screen. The audio is presented in mono, but is very loud and clear. Each episode on the set contains English subtitles for those who require them.
There are no special features on this set, just as has been the case with previous sets. It would be nice if Mike Connors could be included in the special features, but he has been in somewhat of a dispute with CBS over these DVDs in the first place... so it would be unexpected to see any on any sets of the series (although he did do some stuff for the release of the first season).
This is another fine release of the series, and it is especially great to see some of these rare episodes reappear for the first time. This is one of those series which seems to stay consistent over the seasons, without the series showing weakness as it ages. There is only one season remaining of the series, and just like the first season, none of the episodes from that season have ever appeared in syndication packages... so it will be even more exciting to see that one when it comes (which I think it will, it is just a matter of time). For now, though, I think fans will appreciate this DVD set. If you've never seen the series before (and I think by now, most fans have), it would probably appeal quite a bit to fans of other private eye series of the era (which were actually somewhat falling out of favor by this time, only to be revived just a few short years later with series like Magnum, P.I. and Simon & Simon), as well as action series such as Mission: Impossible.
(4/5 stars)
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CLICK OF THE WEEK
Ultimate Dallas (www.ultimatedallas.com) - Last week, TNT introduced a "new" series to many fans with their debut of Dallas, but fans of vintage television know that this series is hardly new, and is in fact a continuation of something which began on CBS over three decades ago (and when it ran there, it stayed on the air for nearly a decade and a half). In fact, both series continue to feature Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy as J.R. and Bobby, the Ewing brothers. Ultimate Dallas is the definitive website for the series (and is being regularly updated as the new series progressing), dating back to the 1997.
If you need to know something about the series, this website has everything that you'll ever need to know about it. Beginning with the episode guide, you'll find complete information about every episode of the original series, every reunion movie, and even every episode of the current TNT series. You'll even find an overview of all of the cliffhangers and reviews of the original series from critics here. If you are interested in the characters, you'll find complete biographies of every character of any level of importance, a Ewing family tree, famous J.R. quotes, and details of all of the women that J.R. ever slept with (particularly, his secretaries!). There are many other features on the website which we haven't even scratched the surface of here, so we suggest heading on over to the site to check out our Click of the Week.
If you need to know something about the series, this website has everything that you'll ever need to know about it. Beginning with the episode guide, you'll find complete information about every episode of the original series, every reunion movie, and even every episode of the current TNT series. You'll even find an overview of all of the cliffhangers and reviews of the original series from critics here. If you are interested in the characters, you'll find complete biographies of every character of any level of importance, a Ewing family tree, famous J.R. quotes, and details of all of the women that J.R. ever slept with (particularly, his secretaries!). There are many other features on the website which we haven't even scratched the surface of here, so we suggest heading on over to the site to check out our Click of the Week.
That's it for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!
Friday, June 22, 2012
Baby Daddy and The Soul Man Premieres Deliver in Ratings; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 25, 2012)
We got two solid series premieres for cable sitcoms on Wednesday night on ABC Family and TV Land! Rounding out ABC Family's comedy Wednesday, newest original series Baby Daddy launched as the network's #2 comedy premiere on record (only to the hit Melissa & Joey) in Total Viewers with 1.7 million viewers, Adults 18-34 (619,000 viewers), Women 18-34 (492,000 viewers), Adults 18-49 (935,000 viewers and a 0.7 18-49 rating) and Women 18-49 (732,000 viewers), even surging by 13% over its Melissa & Joey lead-in in Total Viewers and towering over year-ago time period averages by triple-digit percent margins across target demos. Impressively, Baby Daddy ranked as Wednesday's #1 cable telecast in primetime in Females 12-34 (679,000 viewers) and was the #2 cable telecast for the entire day in Women 18-34, right behind fellow ABC Family sitcom Melissa & Joey.
Speaking of Melissa & Joey, it was supplying a solid launch pad for Baby Daddy (Wednesdays at 8:30pm), as an all-new Melissa & Joey (Wednesdays at 8:00pm) delivered a series high in Women 18-34 (510,000 viewers), and set season two highs in Total Viewers (1.5 million), Adults 18-34 (626,000 viewers), Adults 18-49 (937,000 viewers and a 0.7 18-49 rating), Women 18-49 (730,000 viewers), Viewers 12-34 (798,000 viewers) and Females 12-34 (646,000 viewers), ranking as Wednesday's #1 cable telecast in Women 18-34.
Moving on TV Land, marking another milestone in TV Land's history, the network's newest original sitcom, The Soul Man, was the cable network's second highest rated series premiere among its target audience of Adults 25-54 and Women 25-54, second only to the series launch of Hot in Cleveland in June 2010. The Soul Man premiered Wednesday night at 10 p.m. and stars Cedric "The Entertainer" and Niecy Nash. The premiere telecast of The Soul Man (June 20, 2012 at 10 p.m. ET/PT) posted a 1.0 Adults 25-54 rating and one million viewers among Adults 25-54, and averaged over 1.9 million total viewers. It also delivered a 0.6 Adults 18-49 rating. The season two premiere of The Exes (June 20, 2012 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT) followed and scored a 0.7 Adults 25-54 rating and 707,000 viewers among A25-54, a +25% increase in rating and delivery over the first season premiere. The second season premiere averaged over 1.2 million total viewers, holding much of its lead-in's ratings. It also delivered a 0.4 Adults 18-49 rating. Among Women 25-54, The Soul Man earned a 1.29 rating and The Exes posted a 0.92 rating.
Additionally, TV Land aired two encores of The Soul Man (11 p.m. and 1 a.m.) and The Exes (11:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m.) on the same night, which, combined with the premiere telecast, attracted over 3.5 million total viewers for The Soul Man and 2.6 million total viewers for The Exes.
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 June 25-29, 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, June 25, 2012
- Jimmie Walker (Good Times) - Watch Jimmie on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Louis C.K. (Louie) - Louis appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Mila Kunis (That '70s Show) - Mila visits Conan at 11pm on TBS. Ted opens in theaters on June 29.
- Julie Bowen (Modern Family) - Julie is a guest on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
- Charlie Sheen (Anger Management/Two and a Half Men) - Charlie drops by ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am.
- Tom Arnold (Roseanne/The Tom Show) - Tom joins the Chew Crew on The Chew on ABC at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
- Matt LeBlanc (Episodes/Friends) - Catch Matt on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Louis C.K. (Louie) - Louis continues to make the rounds on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
- Breckin Meyer (Married to the Kellys/Inside Schwartz) - Breckin visits The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
- Charlie Sheen (Anger Management/Two and a Half Men) - Charlie stops by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
- Charlie Sheen, Shawnee Smith (Becker, Brett Butler (Grace Under Fire) - Charlie, Shawnee and Brett give us the scoop on their new FX sitcom, Anger Management, on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations. Shawnee and Brett will also be on ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am.
- Patrick Duffy (Step by Step) - Patrick appears on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
- Kristen Johnston (The Exes/3rd Rock from the Sun) - Kristen is a guest on Tavis Smiley on PBS, but check listings for time.
- Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy/American Dad!) - Seth drops by Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at 11pm.
- David Alan Grier (Life with Bonnie/DAG) - David joins the Chew Crew on The Chew on ABC at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
- Cedric the Entertainer (The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Danny DeVito (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia/Taxi) - Danny visits Anderson, so check your local listings.
- Mila Kunis (That '70s Show) - Watch Mila on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Matt LeBlanc (Episodes/Friends) - Matt continues to make the rounds on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
- Lisa Kudrow (Friends/The Comeback) - Lisa stops by The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
- Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy/American Dad!) - Seth is a guest on on LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
- Michael Strahan (Brothers) - Michael guest co-hosts LIVE! with Kelly Wednesday-Friday, so check your listings.
- Tiffani Thiessen (Saved by the Bell) - Tiffani appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Romeo Miller (Romeo!The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
- Jimmie Walker (Good Times) - Jimmie talks about his new memoir, Dyn-o-mite!: Good Times, Bad Times, Our Times--A Memoir, on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
- Denis Leary (The Job) - Catch Denis on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
- Joel McHale (Community) - Joel is a guest on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
- Marissa Jaret Winokur (Retired at 35) - Marissa dishes on her TV Land sitcom, Retired at 35, on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
- Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy/American Dad!) - Watch Seth on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
- Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) - Jim chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly) - Melissa is a guest on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Monday, December 23
The Neighborhood - "Welcome to the Vote" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Dave gathers everyone for a lengthy ballot-palooza party to discuss the merits of every candidate and prop on each of their election ballots. Also, Gemma is determined to run a tight ship as their local precinct captain when polls open at Walcott Academy.
Poppa's House - "Sleepover" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Dr. Ivy Reed joins Poppa’s family for dinner, she begins scrutinizing Nina and Junior’s relationship for potential catastrophe. Junior spends the night at his dad’s house while Nina and Ivy devise a plan over a bottle of wine.
Bob Hearts Abishola - "Black Ice" (The CW, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
On Valentine's Day, when it comes to showing affection, Bob and Abishola have to find a way to meet each other in the middle.
Bob Hearts Abishola - "Where's Your Other Wives, Tunde?" (The CW, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Dottie, Auntie Olu and Uncle Tunde must find a way to reconcile when they're forced to eat dinner together; Bob and Abishola have differing opinions on the progress of their relationship.
The Conners - "Rage Against the Machine" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Dan gets injured while covering D.J.'s vending machine route, the decision to sue the company could cost D.J. his job; Jackie is appalled when Becky seeks life coaching from her nemesis.
The Conners - "Smoking Penguins and Santa on Santa Action" (The CW, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Dan is disappointed when everyone but Becky forgets about his birthday; Darlene faces another issue; Dan excludes Jackie from the family Christmas Santa photo for mistreating Louise.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 23)
Monday, December 23
- John Mulaney (Mulaney) - Watch John on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Linda Cardellini (No Good Deed/Dead to Me/Guys Like Us) - Linda is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Sabrina Carpenter (Girl Meets World) - Sabrina appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Nathan Lane (Only Murders in the Building/Modern Family/Charlie Lawrence/Encore! Encore!/One of the Boys) - Nathan is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Rosemarie DeWitt (United States of Tara) - Rosemarie appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Brandon Kyle Goodman (Human Resources) - Brandon is a guest on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Ilana Glazer (Broad City) - Ilana appears on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Megan Hilty (Sean Saves the World) - Megan appears on a repeat of Sherri, so check your local listings.
- James Van Der Beek (Friends with Better Lives/Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - James chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Tony Shalhoub (We Are Men/Stark Raving Mad/Wings) - NBC's Today has The 70 Club with Tony in the 9am hour.
- Jennifer Love Hewitt (Shaky Ground) - Jennifer talks about Lifetime's The Holiday Junkie on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Alexa PenaVega (Ruby & the Rockits) - Alexa talks about Great American Family's Love at the Kettle on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
09/10 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-7
09/10 - The Ropers - The Complete Series (VEI)
09/10 - Ted - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/17 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - Video Scrapbook
09/17 - Top Cat - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/24 - Friends - The Complete Series (4K UHD)
09/24 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Seventh Season (DVD) / The Complete Series (DVD) (Blu-ray)
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)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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