Thursday, June 21, 2012

TBS, Local Syndication Acquire 2 Broke Girls in 2015, Locals Get Mike & Molly in 2014; Review of Worst Audition Ever's New York Show

2 Broke Girls
TBS has acquired the off-network rights to 2 Broke Girls, the breakout freshman hit comedy created by Emmy(R) winner/executive producer Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City) and white-hot comedian Whitney Cummings. Television's #1 new series of the 2011-12 season with adults 18-49 and the #1 new comedy among total viewers, 2 Broke Girls is distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television and is set to join the TBS lineup in 2015. It is being reported that TBS has paid a record $1.7 million per episode for the series, beating the $1.5 million per episode they bought for The Big Bang Theory and USA Network's $1.5 million per episode signing of Modern Family (which starts in 2013).
2 Broke Girls will return for its second season this fall on CBS. The series is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with MPK Productions and Warner Bros. Television. TBS' deal for 2 Broke Girls adds another outstanding contemporary comedy to a slate that includes Cougar Town, which is making the move to the network as an original series in 2013, and acquired hit The Big Bang Theory, which is currently dominating the charts as basic cable's #1 sitcom. TBS' roster also includes the original sitcom Men at Work, which premiered in May; Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse, returning with new episodes July 13; Sullivan & Son, premiering July 19; and one-hour comedy Wedding Band, set to premiere later this year.

And cable is not all for 2 Broke Girls. It has already been sold for local broadcast syndication as well with another comedy! Warner Bros. Domestic Television's Mike & Molly and 2 Broke Girls have both been sold to the CBS Television Stations and Weigel for off-network debuts in fall 2014 and 2015, respectively. The CBS Television Stations will serve as the primary launch group, taking the show for their stations in New York (WLNY), Los Angeles (KCAL), Philadelphia (WPSG), Dallas (KTXA), San Francisco (KBCW), Boston (WSBK), Atlanta (WUPA), Detroit (WKBD), Seattle (KSTW), Tampa (WTOG), Miami (WBFS), Pittsburgh (WPCW) and Sacramento, Calif. (KMAX). In addition, both series also have been bought by the Weigel station group for its stations in Chicago (WCIU) and Milwaukee (WDJT-WMLW). As of now, both have already been cleared in 35% of the country. Stay tuned for more clearances as we get closer to Fall 2014 for Mike & Molly and Fall 2015 for 2 Broke Girls. A cable deal is expected to be reached for Mike & Molly by next week...so stay tuned for that announcement. What network do you think will make a run for that? TBS like 2 Broke Girls and Big Bang? FX like Two and a Half Men? ABC Family like The Middle? USA Network like Modern Family? Or a dark horse? Tweet us or Facebook us!

Worst Audition Ever

Finally, we leave you today with a review of the live evening comedy show Worst Audition Ever! As we reported last week, the show hit New York City for the first time on Monday (June 18) and we had the honor to be in attendance to see this vibrant show at Joe's Pub. The evening benefited The Actors Fund, so it was for a great organization. Creator/producer Christine Lakin along with producers Alec Ledd, Daniel A. Miles and Corri English have already found success with the show in Los Angeles but doing a New York style show is completely different. The New York show certainly had a New York style to it with all the worst auditions being theater-themed, which New York of course is famous for. The producers did a fabulous job in making the theme very obvious. There were six performers telling their worst auditions ever and each one was completely different from the other. That made the night more interesting, intriguing and of course funny! As we mentioned last week, performing were John West, Jenna Leigh Green, Tyler Maynard, Jena Friedman, Cheryl Stern and Kevin Duda. There were plenty of sitcom references for us sitcom lovers as well...from Saved by the Bell (John West learned to kiss for an audition by watching Zach Morris!) to Sabrina the Teenage Witch (Jenna Leigh Green of course played Libby on the show). I think there was a M*A*S*H reference somewhere in there, too. Wow! As for the audition stories, I think Tyler Maynard stole the show with his hilarious story of one night in New York working at a hotel and being in P. Diddy's "crew" for the night. I don't want to give anything more away, but that one really got the audience dying of laughter. Jenna Leigh Green shared a comical story of auditioning for Wicked as Nessarose. Other worst audition stories from the night included Cheryl Stern in La Cage aux Folles starring Kelsey Grammer and how she had to re-audition for the part when Kelsey left...and didn't get the part! John West shared his story of auditioning for the very first time when he was 12 in Tennessee and learned about homosexuals. Some of his wording in his story was really amusing (rated TV MA, ha). The night was hosted by theater veteran Daniel Reichard and directed by Kristin Hanngi, who was celebrating her birthday on that night!

Worst Audition Ever is a must see. It has the perfect set-up and it is simple. Sometimes simplicity is all that is needed to make a show work well. It makes for a good night of laughs and fun. If you've ever gone to a sitcom taping you know what I mean. While this isn't scripted like sitcoms, it's the inside stories of how auditions work and how sometimes they don't work out that make this very cool. And sometimes they come out hysterical and sharing them to others makes it even better. Painfully true, mutually hilarious and completely cathartic is really the perfect way to describe these worst auditions ever. The New York version was the first time I got to see the show live, and I have to say, I wish I was in attendance for the Los Angeles shows over the last year. Hearing these inside stories is very cool and you just want to hear them all. It's like a TV series you can't miss from the beginning like Lost. Yes this live show doesn't have the storylines being connected for each show, but once you see a few you, you want to go back and see them all and want to see the upcoming ones as well. Thankfully there are some worst auditions on their website for everyone to sample and hopefully the New York show auditions are put up soon for you to see. A TV version of Worst Audition Ever is in the works, so if and when that happens, we'll get to see even more actors/directors telling these inside stories. I see success if it happens and whoever airs it will be lucky to have it. Christine Lakin and company have created this very unique idea and this can go on for many years to come. It's got branding written all over it! When the next evening of comedy is scheduled (in LA, NY or perhaps even another city?), make sure you attend and feel the show in person. It's a great atmosphere (you get to talk with the performers/producers in person after show!) and of course the audition stories are off-the-wall. I'm already dying to know who is coming up next to share their worst audition ever!
Read our story from last week for complete information on Worst Audition Ever. Stay with us for any further news on the show and don't forget to visit their website.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Tuesday, December 5

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 4)

Tuesday, December 5

  • Bill Burr (F Is for Family/Townies) - Catch Bill on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Elizabeth Banks (30 Rock/Scrubs) - Elizabeth appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Emma Stone (The Curse) and Ramy Youssef (Ramy/See Dad Run) - Emma and Ramy talk about Poor Things on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • Kenan Thompson (Kenan/Kenan & Kel) - Kenan chats about When I Was Your Age on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Jane Seymour (B Positive/The Kominsky Method/Let's Get Physical/Modern Men) - Jane talks about Acorn TV's Harry Wild on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings. She will also be on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
  • Issa Rae (Insecure, Aida Osman (Rap Sh!t and KaMillion (Rap Sh!t) - Issa talks about her starring role in the upcoming film, American Fiction, and introduces Sherri to the stars of her show, Rap Sh!t, Aida Osman and KaMillion, on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Mark-Paul Gosselaar (mixed-ish/Truth Be Told/Saved by the Bell/Saved by the Bell: The College Years) - Mark-Paul appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.


New on DVD/Blu-ray (September-December)

Family Matters - The Complete Series Step by Step - The Complete Series ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

09/05 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Sixth Season
09/12 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Second Season
09/12 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-6 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/26 - Family Matters - The Complete Series
09/26 - Step by Step - The Complete Series
10/10 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Thirteen / The Complete Season Fourteen
10/17 - ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) (Shout! Factory Special Offers)
10/17 - Night Court (2023) - The Complete First Season
11/07 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/14 - Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series

That Girl - The Complete Series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series

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