Friday, August 31, 2012
GMC Fall 2012 Schedule With Touched by an Angel; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 3, 2012)
Today we bring you the GMC Fall 2012 schedule! They will be adding one new series this fall, the popular '90s drama Touched by an Angel. The series will fit right in with fellow dramas like The Waltons, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and 7th Heaven. The new addition will have a launch marathon on Saturday, September 15 from 7pm-3am and an even longer one the day on Sunday, September 16 from 9am-2am. The series will then settle into its regular weekday timeslots starting Monday, September 17 at 7pm and 8pm. The series will also air on Monday nights at 9 and 10pm in primetime. All of its airings will be replacing a few 7th Heaven airings, but not to worry, that show is still scheduled in its other timeslots (see below). In fact other than these changes for Touched, there are no other schedule changes at all. We still have Family Ties kicking off weekdays 10am-12pm, 7th Heaven at noon, back-to-back hours of Judging Amy from 1-3pm, two episodes of Dr. Quinn from 3-5pm, then a double shot of 7th Heaven from 5-7pm leading into twice as nice Touched from 7-9pm. Primetime will still have a different program each night from 9-11pm: Mondays it is now Touched by an Angel, Tuesdays it is still 7th Heaven, Wednesdays still is Heartland, Thursdays it is The Waltons (which are its only regular airings now), and a movie on Fridays. Late nights will still feature two episodes of sitcom 227 at 11pm, followed by two episodes of the Sherman Hemsley comedy Amen and then two more episodes of 227 at 1am. And finally on Saturdays, it is still Sister, Sister mornings from 9am-1pm then Moesha in the afternoon and evening from 1-7pm.
On the beloved Touched by an Angel, an angel named Monica (Roma Downey) and her supervisor, Tess (Della Reese), are tasked with bringing messages of love from God to troubled people. From the third season on, Monica and Tess are frequently joined by Andrew (John Dye), the angel of death (who first appeared as a recurring character in season two). In the later seasons, they are joined by Valerie Bertinelli, another rookie angel. Many guest stars appeared in the series, including Jasmine Guy, Delta Burke, Bill Cosby, John Ritter and many others. Touched By An Angel ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion in 2003.
As for other stunts, this coming Monday they will have a "Labor" Day marathon! It's a full day of your favorite TV moms in their finest hour, or two, or 13... whatever it takes! If you love babies, or even puppies, you'll want to tune in for GMC's 13 Hours of Labor Day Marathon beginning at 10am ET with Family Ties, then The Waltons, Judging Amy, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and many episodes of 7th Heaven.
View the full GMC Fall 2012 schedule. We will let you know if anything comes later this fall, but so far the only new addition is Touched by an Angel.
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 September 3-7, 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, September 3, 2012
- Thomas Haden Church (Wings) - Watch Thomas on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
- Kelly Ripa (Hope & Faith) - Kelly is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
- Kristen Johnston (The Exes/3rd Rock from the Sun) - Tune in to see Kristen on a repeat of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
- Breckin Meyer (Married to the Kellys/Inside Schwartz) - Breckin appears on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
- Ana Gasteyer (Suburgatory) - Ana visits LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
- Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) - Chris is a guest on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
- Jami Gertz (The Neighbors/Still Standing/Square Pegs) - Jami is interviewed in an encore airing of The Chew Presents ABC's Fall Primetime Preview Special at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
- Reba McEntire (Malibu Country/Reba) - Reba is interviewed in an encore airing of The Chew Presents ABC's Fall Primetime Preview Special at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
- Jamie Foxx (The Jamie Foxx Show) - Catch Jamie on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
- Kathy Griffin (Suddenly Susan) - Kathy visits The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
- Jim Gaffigan (My Boys/Welcome to New York) - Jim appears on a repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
- Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory) - Kunal stops by 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.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) and Jane Leeves (Hot in Cleveland/Frasier) - Two of the stars of Hot in Cleveland appear on a repeat of The Nate Berkus Show, so check your local listings.
- Bob Newhart (The Bob Newhart Show/Newhart/Bob) - Watch the legendary Mr. Newhart, who celebrates 40 years on television, on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
- Ellen Barkin (The New Normal) - Ellen drops by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
- Demi Lovato (Sonny with a Chance) - Demi talks about The X Factor on NBC's Today between 7-9am. She also visits LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings. Finally, she will also be on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
- Big Time Rush - The cast of Big Time Rush are guests on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
- Sofia Vergara (Modern Family/The Knights of Prosperity/Hot Properties) - Sofia is a guest on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
- Yvette Nicole Brown (Community) - Yvette guest co-hosts a repeat of The Nate Berkus Show, so check your local listings.
- Ellen DeGeneres (Ellen) - Catch Ellen on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation) - Adam stops by Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
- Angela Kinsey (The Office) - Angela visits The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
- Jenny McCarthy (Two and a Half Men/Jenny) - Jenny appears on a repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
- Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/The Golden Girls/The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Betty is a guest on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Wanda Sykes (The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda stops by NBC's Today between 7-9am.
- Matthew Perry (Go On/Mr. Sunshine/Friends) - Watch Matthew on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Lizzy Caplan (Party Down/The Class/The Pitts) - Lizzy chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Ellen Barkin (The New Normal) - Ellen talks about The New Normal on NBC's Today between 7-9am.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
New York City Local Stations Fall 2012 Schedules; Charlie Sheen Gets Season 2 of Anger Management
It's that time of year again...fall schedules for New York City stations! I have for you the full Fall 2012 schedules for WABC, WNBC WNYW, WWOR, WPIX, and WLNY. Unfortunately, I couldn't obtain the schedules for WCBS at press time, but WCBS rarely make changes. We cannot cover every market's local schedules, so we will give you an idea what to expect by giving you the #1 market in the country: New York. And of course it helps because I live in the market!
We'll start with WNYW's (Fox5) Fall 2012 schedule. There aren't any new series joining this fall, but there will be a show new to WNYW this fall as Anderson Live moves to WNYW this fall from WPIX, airing weekdays at 12 noon starting Sept. 10. Everything else will not be new, but we do have some time changes. Inside Edition and a second run of TMZ will move from 12 noon to the 1pm hour, as Judge Alex moves an hour later as well, to the 2-3pm hour. Judge Joe Brown will not be airing weekdays on WNYW as it will move to sister station WWOR beginning Sept. 10, but we will have more on that below. Those are the only changes on WNYW, as they are keeping it pretty much the same this fall.
Sister network WWOR (My9) will be making more changes than WNYW in Fall 2012, as usual. New series this fall are sitcom Are We There Yet? weekdays at 11am and Saturdays 7-8pm starting Sept. 17, newsmagazine Dish Nation weekdays at 6pm & 11pm starting Sept. 17, and Burn Notice on Saturdays from 8-10pm starting Sept. 29. Joining the schedule from sister network WNYW will be Judge Joe Brown airing weekdays at 2:00pm & 2:30pm starting Sept. 10. Among the series leaving are South Park, My Name Is Earl, Everybody Hates Chris, Swift Justice, House, The Unit , and Animal Atlas. All of those series are leaving broadcast syndication. Current series moving to new timeslots are House of Payne and Meet the Browns weekdays at 8am & 8:30am starting Sept. 17; another Meet the Browns airing weekdays at 11:30am starting Sept. 17 following Are We There Yet at 11, Law & Order: Criminal Intent moves to 10am starting Sept. 10. Weekdays at 12pm will be a second run of People's Court starting Sept. 10. Divorce Court moves an hour later to 1-2pm leading into Judge Joe Brown at 2. Family Feud moves from 2-3pm to 5-6pm starting Sept. 10 to lead into Dish Nation at 6. The Wendy Williams Show will remain weekdays at 3pm leading into The Jeremy Kyle Show at 4. How I Met Your Mother remains at 6:30pm & 7pm, as does The King of Queens at 7:30pm. In late nights, The King of Queens' second run will move to 10:30pm starting week of Sept. 10, as a second run of Dish Nation follows at 11. Everybody Loves Raymond follows at 11:30pm & 12am. A second House of Payne airs 12:30am, as The Office gets bumped to 1am and dating series Excused is also moved further away to 1:30am. As for weekends, we mentioned Are We There Yet? on Saturdays 7-8pm and Burn Notice Saturdays 8 & 9pm, but you can still expect everything else on weekends including House of Payne, Meet the Browns, King of Queens, How I Met Your Mother, Raymond, The Big Bang Theory and That '70s Show.
Moving on to WPIX's (CW11) Fall 2012 schedule. New series this fall are Rules of Engagement weekdays at 6:30pm starting Sept. 10, Rick Lake weekdays at 4pm starting Sept. 10, Baggage weeknights at 3:30am starting Sept. 17, Bloopers! Saturdays at 5pm & 5:30pm starting Sept. 15, original sitcoms The First Family and Mr. Box Office will air Saturdays in primetime from 8-10pm starting Sept. 15, and Unsealed: Conspiracy Files and Unsealed: Alien Files Sunday nights 1-2am starting Sept. 23. CW Daytime will replace Dr. Drew's Lifechangers with The Bill Cunningham Show, but that series was airing at 1pm in syndication on WPIX and will remain in that time period this fall. Among the series leaving are Dr. Drew's Lifechangers, Anderson, Last Shot With Judge Gunn, America's Court With Judge Ross, Live from Daryl's House, and Ugly Betty. Current series moving to new times are Family Guy's second run moving to 2am, Maury gets a third run to weekdays at 3pm, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia moves to 3am. On weekends, we get the new line-up on Saturdays with two movies starting at 1pm. Bloopers! at 4pm, the news at 6, According to Jim at 6:30pm still, Friends moving to 7-8pm to lead into the original sitcom block of First Family and Mr. Box Office, then the news at 10 leading into Family Guy's new Saturday time period of 11pm-12am, as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia moves to 1am. On Sundays, movies start it off again at 1pm & 3pm leading into Old Christine at 5. The news remains at 6 leading into According to Jim at 6:30pm. The 7pm hour will have Rules of Engagement to lead into the new primetime comedy block of Two and a Half Men from 8-10pm, as a result Seinfeld and Friends will move to 11pm-1am. As mentioned, Unsealed: Conspiracy Files and Unsealed: Alien Files will air at 1am. Sunday nights will now close out with The Honeymooners from 2-4am.
Elsewhere, WABC (ABC7), which is #1 in NY and the most watched station in the nation, will add Katie to weekdays at 3pm following General Hospital at its new time of 2pm starting Sept. 10. On Saturday nights, Private Practice will air late nights at around 12 midnight replacing Brothers & Sisters. And on Sunday nights, Castle will now air at 12am & 1am replacing Grey's Anatomy. For WCBS (CBS2), we do not have any updates, so we apologize for that. Nothing major is likely changing, though, but they did pick-up the rights to Leverage on weekends and CSI: Miami returns to syndication replacing NUMB3RS.
And WNBC (NBC4) will make the most drastic changes of the big three stations, with new series Jeff Probst airing at 2pm starting Sept. 10 and Steve Harvey weekdays at 3pm starting Sept. 4. Among schedule changes, New York Live will now air at 12:30pm, as We the People with Gloria Allred is gone. Syndicated series Nate Berkus Show is also gone. Moving on to WLNY (TV55/10), they are adding new series Trisha Goddard weekdays at 9am & 5pm, Justice for All with Cristina Perez weekdays at 12 noon, Dog the Bounty Hunter weeknights at 3am, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars Saturdays at 1:30am. See their full schedule below.
View the FULL Fall 2012 schedules for WABC, WNYW, WWOR, WPIX, WLNY in New York City! And view the full list of new series coming to local syndication. Stay tuned for updates, if any. From New York, goodnight!
We'll start with WNYW's (Fox5) Fall 2012 schedule. There aren't any new series joining this fall, but there will be a show new to WNYW this fall as Anderson Live moves to WNYW this fall from WPIX, airing weekdays at 12 noon starting Sept. 10. Everything else will not be new, but we do have some time changes. Inside Edition and a second run of TMZ will move from 12 noon to the 1pm hour, as Judge Alex moves an hour later as well, to the 2-3pm hour. Judge Joe Brown will not be airing weekdays on WNYW as it will move to sister station WWOR beginning Sept. 10, but we will have more on that below. Those are the only changes on WNYW, as they are keeping it pretty much the same this fall.
Sister network WWOR (My9) will be making more changes than WNYW in Fall 2012, as usual. New series this fall are sitcom Are We There Yet? weekdays at 11am and Saturdays 7-8pm starting Sept. 17, newsmagazine Dish Nation weekdays at 6pm & 11pm starting Sept. 17, and Burn Notice on Saturdays from 8-10pm starting Sept. 29. Joining the schedule from sister network WNYW will be Judge Joe Brown airing weekdays at 2:00pm & 2:30pm starting Sept. 10. Among the series leaving are South Park, My Name Is Earl, Everybody Hates Chris, Swift Justice, House, The Unit , and Animal Atlas. All of those series are leaving broadcast syndication. Current series moving to new timeslots are House of Payne and Meet the Browns weekdays at 8am & 8:30am starting Sept. 17; another Meet the Browns airing weekdays at 11:30am starting Sept. 17 following Are We There Yet at 11, Law & Order: Criminal Intent moves to 10am starting Sept. 10. Weekdays at 12pm will be a second run of People's Court starting Sept. 10. Divorce Court moves an hour later to 1-2pm leading into Judge Joe Brown at 2. Family Feud moves from 2-3pm to 5-6pm starting Sept. 10 to lead into Dish Nation at 6. The Wendy Williams Show will remain weekdays at 3pm leading into The Jeremy Kyle Show at 4. How I Met Your Mother remains at 6:30pm & 7pm, as does The King of Queens at 7:30pm. In late nights, The King of Queens' second run will move to 10:30pm starting week of Sept. 10, as a second run of Dish Nation follows at 11. Everybody Loves Raymond follows at 11:30pm & 12am. A second House of Payne airs 12:30am, as The Office gets bumped to 1am and dating series Excused is also moved further away to 1:30am. As for weekends, we mentioned Are We There Yet? on Saturdays 7-8pm and Burn Notice Saturdays 8 & 9pm, but you can still expect everything else on weekends including House of Payne, Meet the Browns, King of Queens, How I Met Your Mother, Raymond, The Big Bang Theory and That '70s Show.
Moving on to WPIX's (CW11) Fall 2012 schedule. New series this fall are Rules of Engagement weekdays at 6:30pm starting Sept. 10, Rick Lake weekdays at 4pm starting Sept. 10, Baggage weeknights at 3:30am starting Sept. 17, Bloopers! Saturdays at 5pm & 5:30pm starting Sept. 15, original sitcoms The First Family and Mr. Box Office will air Saturdays in primetime from 8-10pm starting Sept. 15, and Unsealed: Conspiracy Files and Unsealed: Alien Files Sunday nights 1-2am starting Sept. 23. CW Daytime will replace Dr. Drew's Lifechangers with The Bill Cunningham Show, but that series was airing at 1pm in syndication on WPIX and will remain in that time period this fall. Among the series leaving are Dr. Drew's Lifechangers, Anderson, Last Shot With Judge Gunn, America's Court With Judge Ross, Live from Daryl's House, and Ugly Betty. Current series moving to new times are Family Guy's second run moving to 2am, Maury gets a third run to weekdays at 3pm, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia moves to 3am. On weekends, we get the new line-up on Saturdays with two movies starting at 1pm. Bloopers! at 4pm, the news at 6, According to Jim at 6:30pm still, Friends moving to 7-8pm to lead into the original sitcom block of First Family and Mr. Box Office, then the news at 10 leading into Family Guy's new Saturday time period of 11pm-12am, as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia moves to 1am. On Sundays, movies start it off again at 1pm & 3pm leading into Old Christine at 5. The news remains at 6 leading into According to Jim at 6:30pm. The 7pm hour will have Rules of Engagement to lead into the new primetime comedy block of Two and a Half Men from 8-10pm, as a result Seinfeld and Friends will move to 11pm-1am. As mentioned, Unsealed: Conspiracy Files and Unsealed: Alien Files will air at 1am. Sunday nights will now close out with The Honeymooners from 2-4am.
Elsewhere, WABC (ABC7), which is #1 in NY and the most watched station in the nation, will add Katie to weekdays at 3pm following General Hospital at its new time of 2pm starting Sept. 10. On Saturday nights, Private Practice will air late nights at around 12 midnight replacing Brothers & Sisters. And on Sunday nights, Castle will now air at 12am & 1am replacing Grey's Anatomy. For WCBS (CBS2), we do not have any updates, so we apologize for that. Nothing major is likely changing, though, but they did pick-up the rights to Leverage on weekends and CSI: Miami returns to syndication replacing NUMB3RS.
And WNBC (NBC4) will make the most drastic changes of the big three stations, with new series Jeff Probst airing at 2pm starting Sept. 10 and Steve Harvey weekdays at 3pm starting Sept. 4. Among schedule changes, New York Live will now air at 12:30pm, as We the People with Gloria Allred is gone. Syndicated series Nate Berkus Show is also gone. Moving on to WLNY (TV55/10), they are adding new series Trisha Goddard weekdays at 9am & 5pm, Justice for All with Cristina Perez weekdays at 12 noon, Dog the Bounty Hunter weeknights at 3am, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars Saturdays at 1:30am. See their full schedule below.
View the FULL Fall 2012 schedules for WABC, WNYW, WWOR, WPIX, WLNY in New York City! And view the full list of new series coming to local syndication. Stay tuned for updates, if any. From New York, goodnight!
Charlie Sheen is getting "the back 90." Anger Management, the sitcom starring Charlie Sheen and created by Executive Producer Bruce Helford, has received a 90-episode order from FX. As part of its original deal, if Anger Management met a designated average ratings threshold over the airing of eight of the first ten episodes of the series, then it would trigger an automatic, additional 90-episode order from the network. Anger Management is the highest-rated new comedy series on cable in 2012, averaging 4.53 million Total Viewers and 2.5 million Adults 18-49. The series premiere episode of Anger Management (6/28/12) was the most-watched primetime scripted comedy series premiere in cable history.
Production begins September 24, 2012 and the series will then return to the schedule in January 2013 only on FX. In addition, it was recently announced that Emmy(R) and Golden Globe award winning actor Martin Sheen will join the cast of Anger Management in a recurring role, playing "Martin Goodson," Charlie's father. On the show, 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 whose positive outlook but poor choice in men frustrates Charlie (Shawnee Smith), and their 15-year-old daughter (Daniela Bobadilla). Blair, Smith, Bobadilla, Michael Arden, Noureen DeWulf, Derek Richardson and Barry Corbin are series regulars. Michael Boatman guest stars.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
WE tv Fall 2012 Schedule Brings in Roseanne; Bounce TV Coming to Phoenix, Minneapolis, Orlando
This September Roseanne will be coming to WE tv, as we mentioned a while back. The deal is non-exclusive so it will remain on Viacom's TV Land (which renewed the series), as it was on the TV Land Fall line-up. The sitcom also airs on NBCUniversal owned cable network Oxygen. We will let you know if Roseanne will remain on Oxygen when we reveal that schedule to you soon. Back to WE tv, the popular '90s family comedy will launch with a weekend marathon on Saturday, Sept. 22 and Sunday, Sept. 23 from 10am-5pm. Then the Connors will join the regular schedule the following day on Monday, Sept. 24 and will air weekdays from 11am-1pm and in the evenings from 6-8pm. Roseanne will also get the primetime block on Monday nights from 8pm-1am. With the addition of Roseanne, the entire weekday schedule is getting revamped and it is for the better. Hit sitcom The Golden Girls will now air weekdays, instead of just Monday nights in primetime, and air weekdays 10-11am and 5-6pm leading into Roseanne. In between the sitcoms, dramas Ghost Whisperer and Charmed will move to afternoons airing back-to-back episodes each from 1-3pm and 3-5pm. Ghost Whisperer will also remain in late nights at 1am. Original series encores remain as well from 2-5am. Back to primetime, Roseanne is the only addition on Monday nights, everything else remains intact from 8pm-1am, such as CSI: Miami on Tuesdays, original series on Wednesdays and Thursdays and movies on Fridays. WE tv airs paid programming from 5-10am, so their day starts at 10am. It's good to see WE tv dedicate their entire daytime line-up (10am-8pm) to acquired series programming now.
View the full WE tv Fall 2012 schedule with the addition of Roseanne. And remember coming in 2013 on WE tv will be... Will & Grace, so more sitcoms are coming. That's what we like to hear! Stay with us for further updates on WE tv and also stay with us for more Roseanne news (like if it will remain on Oxygen or if it will be coming elsewhere...) soon.
Bounce TV will be launched on Fox Television Stations (FTS) MyNetworkTV sub channels in Phoenix, Minneapolis and Orlando. FTS already carries Bounce TV in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Baltimore and it is the only digital over-the-air network FTS currently airs. With the addition of the three new FTS markets, Bounce TV will be seen in 17 of the top 20 African American DMAs, 80% of African American homes and over 60% of U.S. television households. Bounce TV provides FTS stations entertainment programming designed for African Americans ages 25-54. The lineup includes a mix of theatrical motion pictures, live sporting events, original series, documentaries, specials, inspirational faith-based programs, off-net series and more. Bounce TV, the nation's fastest-growing network for African Americans, will celebrate its first birthday on Sept. 26. The series even had an original sitcom this past summer titled Family Time starring Omar Gooding.
In addition to the seven FTS markets, Bounce TV is also currently available in Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Houston, Cleveland/Akron, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Hartford/New Haven, Norfolk, Dayton, West Palm Beach, Birmingham, Memphis, Louisville and Richmond, VA and other cities with new markets expected to be announced shortly.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
TV One Fall 2012 Has Original Sitcom The Rickey Smiley Show; TBS Premieres New Series Wedding Band in November...On Saturdays
This fall TV One won't be making many schedule changes, but they will premiere a new original sitcom on Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 9pm with a two-episode premiere. The Rickey Smiley Show, as we previously mentioned, is a hilarious and heart-warming multi-camera sitcom starring comedian and radio personality Rickey Smiley, who plays a character loosely based on his own life - a popular, local DJ based in Atlanta, who is a single father to three children. The show's stories are inspired by Rickey's challenges and triumphs raising his children by himself while still trying to have a personal life. In addition to his personal life, the series takes viewers behind-the-scenes of his radio station, which is a hot-bed of office politics, back stabbing, sexual innuendo, social issues, celebrity appearances, music and, of course, humor. The all-star cast includes Ray J (Moesha, One on One), J. Anthony Brown (Like Family), Lil JJ (Just Jordan), Roz Ryan (Amen), Noree Victoria and Demetria McKinney (Tyler Perry's House of Payne).
Stunts airing in September on TV One include a Martin marathon on Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 3) from 7am-9pm. A marathon of Hawthorne will air Sunday, Sept. 9 from 12pm-8pm. On Tuesday, Sept. 18, TV One will present a special marathon of encores of original sitcom Love That Girl 10am-2:30pm, followed by Martin 2:30pm-9pm to lead into the two-episode premiere of original sitcom The Rickey Smiley Show. As far as the regular schedule goes, not many changes to report but Friday nights will now be a set schedule of sitcoms in primetime starting at 8pm with back-to-back episodes of Good Times, The Jeffersons, Amen, That's My Mama, Living Single, Martin, and Half & Half through 3am. TGIF! From 3-6am, there will be a two-hour block of Eve. Previously there were stunts on Friday nights of most of these sitcoms and some others like Flip Wilson and Richard Pryor Show. The rest of the weekday daytime line-up remains intact, see the schedule below.
View the full TV One Fall 2012 schedule. And stay with us for continued updates should anything change or be added to the schedule.
TBS is turning up the volume on comedies with its newest original series, Wedding Band, starring Brian Austin Green (Beverly Hills 90120, Desperate Housewives), Harold Perrineau (Lost, Oz), Peter Cambor (NCIS: Los Angeles, Notes from the Underbelly) and Derek Miller (Secret Girlfriend). The series follows four friends - three single, one married, all with day jobs - who escape their daily stress and responsibilities by playing "weekend rock gods" in Seattle's premier wedding and events band, Mother of the Bride. This hour-long comedy series also stars Melora Hardin (The Office), Jenny Wade (The Good Guys) and Kathryn Fiore (MADtv). TBS's Wedding Band is set to air Saturdays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), beginning Nov. 10 for ten episodes. Airing on Saturday nights is a pretty questionable call. The series had been announced as a series order for awhile now (since May 2011) so perhaps TBS didn't like how the subsequent episodes were coming out? Just a speculation since the night it is airing is very strange.
Delivering equal parts comedy and heart, Wedding Band centers on the bromance between four likable but occasionally reckless young men who can't figure out their own lives. One thing they have figured out, however, is that weddings are the wildest parties in town. After all, the groupies are bridesmaids, the drinks are free and the best part, there's a paycheck waiting at the end of the night. And it's not just weddings. Mother of the Bride also brings the party to bar mitzvahs, high-school reunions and even bachelorette parties. On lead vocals and playing the crowd is perennial bachelor Tommy (Green). Shredding it on guitar is his best friend and married father of two, Eddie (Cambor). Behind Eddie on drums - and everything else in life - is his rock-obsessed brother, Barry (Miller), whose mission is to bring the arena-rock spectacle to black-tie events. New to the band is Stevie (Perrineau), a bassist and session musician who's jammed with all the big rock giants, "from AC to ZZ," but he's never been an official member of a band until Mother of the Bride. Together these four guys provide the soundtracks to other people's lives. But now the band is ready to take things to the next level. That means attracting the attention of top event Roxie Rutherford (Hardin), and her novice associate Rachel (Wade) and keeping Eddie out of trouble with his wife, Ingrid (Fiore).
Monday, August 27, 2012
The Hub Fall 2012 Schedule, Acquires Sliders, Hercules; SAG To Honor Dick Van Dyke With Life Achievement Award
The Hub TV Network has announced some changes to its primetime line-up this Fall. This Labor Day, The Hub TV Network celebrates the holiday with the addition of three popular action-packed series for kids and their parents as well as a chance to win one of six $1,000 back-to-school shopping sprees. On Monday, September 3, the live-action series, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Sliders, and the critically lauded Superman: The Animated Series will premiere on The Hub, joining a special Labor Day marathon and sweepstakes for the popular original series The Aquabats! Super Show! The Labor Day marathon (Monday, September 3, noon-3 p.m. ET) will feature six back-to-back episodes of the outrageous comedy-adventure series that follows the greatest crime-fighting rock band ever assembled.
As for the new acquisitions, Sliders will air at 10pm (encore at 4am) from Mondays-Thursdays and features a young genius (Jerry O'Connell, Crossing Jordan) who invents a teleportation device allowing him and his friends to "slide" between parallel worlds, experiencing places that look familiar to their world, but with sometimes vast differences. The series aired from 1995-2000 on Fox (and then later on Sci-Fi). Then, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys will follow at 11pm (encore at 5am) from Mondays-Thursdays and it is an internationally beloved fantasy-action series that features the mythical hero Hercules (Kevin Sorbo, Andromeda) in a time when only one man dared to challenge the gods with a strength the world had never seen before. This series aired from 1995-99 in first-run syndication on weekends. Both Sliders and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys comes from NBCUniversal and New Media Distribution. As for the other acquisition, it will be in non-primetime: Superman: The Animated Series will air 9am every weekday with encores throughout the week (such as weeknights 6:30pm) and follows the legendary superhero in exciting new stories. The series aired from 1996-2000 on the Kids' WB block starring the voices of Tim Daly (Wings, Private Practice) and Dana Delany (Body of Proof, Desperate Housewives).
So what does this mean for The Wonder Years, Laverne & Shirley and Batman, since they currently air Mon-Thurs from 10pm-12am (with 4-6am encores)? They will be off the weekday line-up. In fact, The Wonder Years and Batman will be off the schedule completely. Laverne & Shirley will air late Friday and Saturday nights at 4:00am following an hour of Happy Days, which returns to the schedule, at 3:00am & 3:30am on Friday and Saturday nights. Mork & Mindy will follow and move to these two nights a week at 4:30am. Back to primetime on weeknights, the sitcoms will remain from 8-10pm (encores 2-4am) but Mork & Mindy will not be on Mondays anymore as a Movie will air instead. Sabrina the Teenage Witch will still be on Tuesdays, The Facts of Life on Wednesdays and ALF on Thursdays. On Sunday nights from 8pm-11pm (and an immediate encore from 11pm-2am), Lois & Clark will remain. That drama has done very well for the cable network and perhaps The Hub is banking on Sliders and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys to do the same. Doogie Howser and Family Ties will follow at 2 and 2:30am on Sunday nights, which will now be their only airings during the week. Sabrina will follow in the 3am hour on Sunday nights.
There you have it, the Fall schedule (so far maybe?) for The Hub. View the entire The Hub Fall 2012 schedule for primetime/late night. And stay with us for further updates, as hopefully Batman and The Wonder Years will return sometime soon (if they still have rights?). At least Happy Days, Mork & Mindy and Laverne & Shirley will get to air twice a week in late night and are not completely removed. Stay with us!
Dick Van Dyke, beloved actor, singer, dancer, writer and comedian, will receive SAG-AFTRA's highest honor – the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. Van Dyke will be presented the performers union's most prestigious accolade, given annually to an actor who fosters the "finest ideals of the acting profession," at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®, which premieres live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013, at 8pm ET/7pm CT/6pm MT/5pm PT. Holder of five Emmys®, a Tony® Award and a Grammy®, Van Dyke at 86 still possesses the zest for life that first propelled him into the limelight more than a half-century ago with the Broadway and film versions of Bye Bye Birdie, the seminal '60s situation comedy The Dick Van Dyke Show and the film classic Mary Poppins. Also, Van Dyke's crime solving physician, Dr. Mark Sloan, was introduced in a 1991 episode of Jake and the Fat Man and became the central character in three TV movies before evolving into the CBS series Diagnosis: Murder.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Summer Week 13 Sitcom Ratings; New Sitcoms On Cable This Week
We're nearing the end of summer and 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 in the summer! Here are our summer ratings:
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of August 13-19)
Summing it up. The repeats of Family Guy-last Sun, The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, 2 Broke Girls, Mike & Molly were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as repeats of How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family) or just plain old terrible (such as repeats of Parks and Recreation, Animal Practice).
Feeling the repeat blues? Look for original sitcoms on cable this summer, with ABC Family's sophomore season of Melissa & Joey at 8pm all-new this Wednesday with its season finale. What an underrated family comedy it is. New comedy Baby Daddy starring Chelsea Kane airs at 8:30pm with its season finale this Wednesday as well. Both continue to deliver on ABC Family. As we mentioned, both series have been renewed for new seasons coming in spring 2013! TBS has episode eight of new sitcom Sullivan & Son this Thursday at 10pm. It's Cheers meets Sanford & Son, if that makes sense. Also on Wednesdays is TV Land's Hot in Cleveland spin-off series The Soul Man starring Cedric the Entertainer at 10pm followed by a new episode of The Exes at 10:30pm. TV Land has moved Retired at 35 to Wednesdays at 11pm. FX had its season finale of Anger Management the previous Thursday at 9:30pm, so look for encores this week if you missed it. All of these are multi-camera comedies, too! New sitcom airings is the perfect way to beat the summer blues!
Summer Week 13 (August 20-26) How the Sitcoms Did
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of August 13-19)
- The Simpsons (Fox) 2 airings - A repeat at 8pm did 3.15 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. A second repeat followed with 3.48 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating.
- The Cleveland Show (Fox) - A repeat at 7:30pm posted 2.11 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, up a tenth from the previous week.
- Bob's Burgers (Fox) - preempted.
- Family Guy (Fox) 2 airings - A repeat at 9pm did 3.76 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, which was up on par with week. A second repeat was even more impressive at 9:30pm doing 3.76 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating.
- American Dad! (Fox) - A repeat at 7pm did 1.75 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, which was on par with the previous week.
Monday Sitcoms
- How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A repeat did 4.18 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, on par with the previous week.
- 2 Broke Girls (CBS) 2 airings - A repeat of this comedy at 8:30pm did 4.76 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, up three tenths from previous week in the key demo. The 9pm repeat followed and posted 5.47 million and a 1.7 rating, up four tenths in 18-49 from the previous week.
- Mike & Molly (CBS) - 5.33 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating for a repeat at 9:30pm, which was up a tenth in 18-49 from the previous week.
Tuesday Sitcoms
- The Middle (ABC) - Tuesday repeats will air for the rest of the summer, in addition to its regular Wednesday airings. The 8pm repeat did 3.09 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, on par with the previous week. OK, but not terrible.
- Last Man Standing (ABC) - A repeat of this sitcom followed with 2.78 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, also on par with previous week.
- Happy Endings (ABC) - A repeat at 9pm did 2.11 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, which was up two tenths week-to-week.
- Don't Trust the B---- In Apartment 23 (ABC) - A repeat at 9:30pm posted 1.7 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, which was on par with previous week.
- Go On (NBC) - A repeat of the pilot following Got Talent did 4.76 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating. Not bad.
- Animal Practice (NBC) - A repeat of this pilot followed at 10:30pm but didn't do as well with 3.55 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating.
- The Middle (ABC) - A repeat at 8pm did 4.06 million and a 1.1 rating, on par with the previous week.
- Suburgatory (ABC) 2 airings - A repeat at 8:30 posted 3.2 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, down a tenth from previous week. A second repeat airing at 9:30pm generated 2.64 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, but down a tenth week-to-week.
- Up All Night (NBC) - preempted.
- Modern Family (ABC) - A repeat at 9pm did 3.51 million and a 1.3 rating, on par with the previous week. I look for it to start going up now as we get closer to the fall.
Thursday Sitcoms
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A repeat at 8 did 7.44 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, down a tenth from the previous week in the key demo.
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - A repeat at 8:30pm did 5.95 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 from the previous week.
- The Office (NBC) - A repeat at 8pm did 2.17 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, which was on par with the previous week.
- Parks and Recreation (NBC) - A repeat at 8:30pm followed with 1.75 million and 0.6 18-49 rating, which was down a tenth from the previous week.
- Raising Hope (Fox) - A Thursday repeat at 8pm did 2.05 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, which tied NBC's competing comedy.
- New Girl (Fox) - A Thursday repeat at 8:30pm did 1.96 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, which isn't great but it beat the regular NBC competing comedy...ouch.
- Whitney (NBC) - preempted.
- Community (NBC) - preempted.
- Rules of Engagement (CBS) - preempted.
Summing it up. The repeats of Family Guy-last Sun, The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, 2 Broke Girls, Mike & Molly were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as repeats of How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family) or just plain old terrible (such as repeats of Parks and Recreation, Animal Practice).
Feeling the repeat blues? Look for original sitcoms on cable this summer, with ABC Family's sophomore season of Melissa & Joey at 8pm all-new this Wednesday with its season finale. What an underrated family comedy it is. New comedy Baby Daddy starring Chelsea Kane airs at 8:30pm with its season finale this Wednesday as well. Both continue to deliver on ABC Family. As we mentioned, both series have been renewed for new seasons coming in spring 2013! TBS has episode eight of new sitcom Sullivan & Son this Thursday at 10pm. It's Cheers meets Sanford & Son, if that makes sense. Also on Wednesdays is TV Land's Hot in Cleveland spin-off series The Soul Man starring Cedric the Entertainer at 10pm followed by a new episode of The Exes at 10:30pm. TV Land has moved Retired at 35 to Wednesdays at 11pm. FX had its season finale of Anger Management the previous Thursday at 9:30pm, so look for encores this week if you missed it. All of these are multi-camera comedies, too! New sitcom airings is the perfect way to beat the summer blues!
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Digital Digest: Hazel Season 4 Coming in December; Revenge - The Complete First Season DVD Review; Once Upon a Time - The Complete First Season Blu-ray Disc Review
Welcome to Digital Digest! This week, we have double reviews, with our reviews of
Revenge - The Complete First Season
and Once Upon a Time - The Complete First Season (Blu-ray). Also, we're going to say farewell to our Click of the Week feature this week (don't worry, we've already got a replacement ready to go next week!) by looking back at some of the best websites we've featured as Click of the Week since it began last year. Let's get going!
Who's the gal who's everybody's pal? Why, it's Hazel, and more of her antics are coming to DVD in December! A pre-order recently appeared on the "new and improved" Shout! Factory website for Hazel - The Complete Fourth Season. The four-disc set is scheduled to be released on December 11 at a $34.93 MSRP.
We've all been trying to figure out "what's up with Bob" on DVD as pre-order listings for The Bob Newhart Show season 5 and season 6 appeared on amazon.com over a year ago, but nothing ever really materialized, and Fox has been very quiet on the meaning behind these pre-order listings... that is, until a few days ago. Recently, James Finn at 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment stated that the final two seasons of the series may be close to being released, but stopped short of giving a solid release date or absolute confirmation. In Mr. Finn's words:
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Blog Blu-ray Review: Once Upon a Time - The Complete First Season (ABC Studios, $79.99)
by Pavan
There is a town in Maine, where every storybook character you've ever known is trapped between two worlds: victims of a powerful curse. Only one knows the truth, and only one can break her spell. Relive the complete first season of ABC's Once Upon A Time, the hit series that boasts unforgettable characters and a tangled web of romance, action and enchantment. Immerse yourself in the magic and mystery of Storybrooke - a sleepy little town where every fairytale character you've ever known is frozen in time and trapped between two worlds, victims of an evil curse. On her 28th birthday, Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) meets Henry (Jared Gilmore), the son she gave up for adoption 10 years ago. Henry believes Emma is the daughter of Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas), prophesied to break a powerful curse. Unconvinced, Emma returns Henry to Storybrooke, where she encounters the enigmatic Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle) and clashes with mayor Regina Mills (Lana Parrilla) - the boy's adoptive mother - who Henry insists is none other than the Evil Queen! Start your epic collection with all 22 captivating episodes, including never-before-seen bonus features, in this spectacular 5-disc boxed set on both DVD or Blu-ray Disc. This review will cover the Blu-ray disc version.
Once Upon a Time stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as The Evil Queen/Regina Mills, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David Nolan, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills, Raphael Sbarge as Jiminy Cricket/Archibald "Archie" Hopper, Jamie Dornan as The Huntsman/Sheriff Graham, and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold. Recurring stars are David Anders as Dr. Whale, Eion Bailey as Pinocchio/August Wayne Booth, Meghan Ory as Red Riding Hood/Ruby, Beverly Mitchell as Granny, Tony Amendola as Geppetto/Marco, Lee Arenberg as Grumpy/Leroy, Jessy Schram as Cinderella/Ashley Boyd, Anastasia Griffith as Kathryn Nolan, Alan Dale as King George, Giancarlo Esposito as Magic Mirror/Sidney Glass, Sebastian Stan as The Mad Hatter/Jefferson and Emilie de Ravin as Belle.
This is a wonderful first season for this brand-new tantalizing tale. The series did very well in its Sundays at 8pm timeslot on ABC and was the top new drama among adults 18-49. The writers of Lost has brought this series to us and this is the only show that has even come close to that show since that series ended. Jennifer Morrison is great and beautiful while Ginnifer Goodwin and Lana Parrilla are superb and have great chemistry. We wish the Emmy's would have recognized this show, especially Robert Carlyle. Every episode has to be seen in order, but I will try to pick the most memorable episodes. WARNING: Don't read the descriptions if you have yet to start the series! In the very first episode, "Pilot," Emma Swan, a bail bondsman, is surprised when Henry, the son that she gave up for adoption 10 years earlier, shows up on her doorstep as he begs Emma to come to his hometown of Storybrooke, Maine, and rescue him from his evil adopted mother, Regina Mills as the boy insists that everyone in the town is a fairy tale character with no memory of who they really are... and Emma soon realizes that Henry's claim may be true. In "The Price of Gold," in Storybrooke, Emma tries to help Ashley Boyd, a young pregnant maid who tries to make a deal with Mr. Gold, meanwhile in the fairy tale world, Cinderella makes a deal with Rumplestiltskin but discovers the price is more than she is willing to pay. In "7:15 A.M.," Regina asks Emma to investigate the Stranger, who has taken an interest in Henry, while Dave and Mary Margret try to reconcile their feelings to each other and in the fairy tale world, James and Snow try to reunite although a kingdom stands in their way. In "Skin Deep," Mary Margaret goes out with Ashley and Ruby for Valentine's Day, and Mr. Gold has something stolen from him, while in the fairytale world Belle is forced to give up everything she knows to keep her village safe... by living with the Beast.
In "Red-Handed," while Emma tries to determine if David murdered his wife Kathryn, she hires Ruby as an assistant when the waitress quits her job to go out into the world and find something to do with her life, meanwhile in the fairy tale world Red and Snow meet as a savage wolf plagues the village where Red lives. In "Hat Trick," Emma searches for a missing Mary Margaret, but is abducted by a man who claims to know the truth about Storybrooke... and Emma, meanwhile in the fairytale world, Regina convinces a sorcerer to take her to Wonderland to recover something that the Queen of Hearts has stolen from her. In "The Stable Boy," Emma closes in on the real murderer to clear Mary Margaret's name, but discovers that someone close to her may have betrayed her, meanwhile in the fairtytale world, Regina chooses true love over power, but her mother Cora has a harsh lesson to teach her. In "The Return," Gold is intrigued by August and tries to determine who he really is, while David tries to apologize to Mary Margaret and Emma gets a break in the case of Kathryn's abduction and in the fairytale world, Baelfire makes a deal with his father Rumpelstiltskin when it becomes clear that his magic powers have corrupted him. In "The Stranger," August offers to show Emma how she can regain Henry by telling her the truth about her life, while Regina attempts to seduce David and Mary Margaret returns into teaching and in the fairytale world, Gepetto is told that he can save Snow and Charming's child, but insists on saving his son Pinocchio as payment for his work. On the great season finale, "A Land Without Magic," when Henry is stricken down by a curse intended for Emma, Emma must work with Regina and Gold to find a cure, meanwhile in the fairytale world Prince Charming makes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to find Snow.
The episodes on this set are all unedited, obviously, with the episodes around 43 minutes. Here are the runtimes for this set:
Disc 1
1. "Pilot" - 43:33
2. "The Thing You Love Most" - 42:33
3. "Snow Falls" - 43:03
4. "The Price of Gold" - 42:48
5. "That Still Small Voice" - 43:04
Disc 2
6. "The Shepherd" - 43:04
7. "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter" - 43:06
8. "Desperate Souls" - 43:18
9. "True North" - 43:05
10. "7:15 A.M." - 43:05
Disc 3
11. "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree" - 42:59
12. "Skin Deep" - 43:03
13. "What Happened to Frederick" - 43:04
14. "Dreamy" - 43:00
Disc 4
15. "Red-Handed" - 43:04
16. "Heart of Darkness" - 42:57
17. "Hat Trick" - 43:03
18. "The Stable Boy" - 43:04
Disc 5
19. "The Return" - 43:03
20. "The Stranger" - 43:04
21. "An Apple Red as Blood" - 43:04
22. "A Land Without Magic" - 42:48
Let's now move on to the packaging for this Blu-ray set! We have a thin outer box holding the Blu-ray case. The cover art for both has the Once Upon a Time logo in the middle with head shots of Rumpelstiltskin, Evil Queen, Emma, Snow White and Prince Charming on top, while below the logo we have a shot of the kingdom with a dark (the spell clouds?) sky. There is a mention of The Complete First Season right above the series logo. The cover of the outer box is actually a hologram, so if you move it a little, the kingdom turns into Storybrooke, Maine. Very cool. The back of both the outer box and case has three episodic photos. We also have info on the series and set as well, with a bonus features box held up by Rumpelstiltskin. The color scheme is like a dark brown. Inside the Blu-ray case we go, we have an insert booklet on the left showcasing other ABC TV DVDs that are coming soon like Private Practice and Body of Proof, and there is also a page telling us about the Once Upon a Time collection of fairy tales book! As far as the discs itself go, 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. Discs three and four are the same way in a second little plastic holder, while disc five is on the right panel itself. All five discs are in a dark blue color set in the woods with the series logo and something in the woods. Disc one has episodes 1-5 and we see Jiminy Cricket in the woods. Disc two has 6-10 and we see a wolf in the woods. Disc three has episodes 11-14 and we see the genie in the woods. Disc four has episodes 15-18 and we see mushrooms in the woods. And disc five has episodes 19-22 and we see the spell cloud coming into the woods. As for the panels, we have nice episodic photos on the panels itself. There is also a disc-by-disc breakdown below the images on the panels listing episode titles per disc.
The menu screen is very cool. Blu-ray menus are so much different I think and it is better than regular DVDs. Background music from the show is playing in the background, as we have artwork of the woods in dark blue (similar to the title card on the series). We have options for Episodes, Bonus Features, Set Up, Season Play and Sneak Peeks. When we select Episodes, on Blu-ray there are no sub-menus, so a pop-up box pops up and you choose the episode with the titles listed. Bonus Features options pops-up all the extras on that disc, including the deleted scenes. The Set Up pop-up has the option for Languages and Subtitles, with audio in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio or English 2.0 Dolby Digital and subtitles in English, Thai, Chinese, Espanol, Portuguese, and French. Season Play is very cool, it is a feature exclusive to the Blu-ray Disc releases. This feature allows you to never have a problem keeping track of where you are (which episode, disc, time stamp) on the season of the show. This feature prevents you from getting lost as to which episode you were on when trying to come back and continue watching an entire season of a show. VERY cool! Sneak Peaks is just on disc five for The Avengers, ABC TV on DVD, and Roger Rabbit. Disc one has auto trailers for ABC TV on DVD, Castle Season 4 and Frankenweenie.
The video is great, as it should be in full HD (1080p widescreen)! This is the Blu-ray version so it is flawless. Everyone should own a Blu-ray player as the video quality is just superb and you feel like you are right inside the show. I have watched all 22 episodes on ABC in HD and it looks even better in Blu-ray! The audio is very good in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. That is the best you can get so you know it will be clear and crisp. Each episode has between 6-8 chapter stops. We also hear the closing theme for the first time, as on ABC there are next week's promos playing over the credits. There is not much else to say!
As for special features, we have a WHOLE lot here. Each disc has special features. We have audio commentary on each disc. On disc one, we have audio commentary for "Pilot" from creators/executive producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. They are very insightful and you'll find out when they came up with the idea for this series! Also on disc one we have "Once Upon a Time Orchestral Suite" (4:05). This is likely just for the Blu-ray! We get the music from the show, as the full soundtrack will be released layer this year. The music plays, while on screen we see the series logo. On disc two, we have audio commentary for the episode "7:15 A.M." from series stars Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas -- Snow White and Prince Charming themselves! On disc three we have audio commentary for the episode "Skin Deep" from writer Jane Epenson and star Robert Carlyle. It would have been cool if Emilie de Ravin was in this as well, but I'm not complaining! On disc four, we have audio commentary for the episode "The Stable Boy," from series creators/executive producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz along with star Lana Parrilla (The Evil Queen). And the final audio commentary is on disc five for the season finale "A Land Without Magic" from Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and series star Jennifer Morrison! So we have five episodes with audio commentary and these five are really great classic episodes!
The rest of the bonus features are on disc five. The first one is exclusive to Blu-ray, titled "Once Upon a Time: Origins." We travel back through the centuries with Josh Dallas to uncover the historical origins of classic fairy tales -- Snow White, Beauty & the Beast, Little Red Riding Hood, Little Mermaid and Rumpelstiltskin. This was REALLY well done and I could this airing on TV at some point as a special. It's only for Blu-ray! Next up we have "Fairy Tales in the Modern World" (20:24) this exciting feature allows viewers to explore the genesis story of Once Upon A Time, as they learn about the creative approach of adapting a world of fairy tales into the wholly original world of the show. Interviewed are Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (series creators/executive producers), Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas, Eion Bailey, Beverly Mitchell, Robert Carlyle, Meghan Ory, Jared Gilmore, Lana Parrilla, Lee Arensberg, Jennifer Morrison, Daniel T. Thomsen (executive story editor), Andrew Chambliss (co-producer), Ian Goldberg (co-producer), Raphael Sbarge, June Espenson (consulting producer), and Daniel H. Goodman (co-executive producer). Then next we have "Building Character" (7:19) where we have from start-to-finish, following the creation, conceptualization, casting, clothing and filming of the beloved character, Belle, played by Emilie de Ravin, from the ground up! Interviewed are Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, Emilie de Ravin, Eduardo Castro (costume designer), and Veronica Collins (casting director). Then next up, "Welcome to Storybrooke" (6:45) where Ginnifer Goodwin takes audiences on a tour of Storybrooke, Maine, both the town on the show and its real inspiration – a small town outside Vancouver called Steveston. Interviewed are Ginnifer Goodwin, Adam Horowitz, Steve Pearlman (executive producer), Edward Kitsis, Mayor Malcolm Brodie (city of Richmond, BC), David Gordon (owner, Pieces Gift Shop), Kelly Krull (owner, Splash Toy Store), Eric Beaupre (production assistant), Trevor Purvis (set dresser), Eva Kollakis (owner, Cannery Cafe), Nick Constantin (owner, Romania Country Bread), Kate Badenhorst (owner, Sara's Ice Crean), Jared Gilmore and Josh Dallas.
We aren't done yet! The next featurette is called "The Story I Remember...Snow White" (4:26). The show's actors share their childhood memories of the beloved fairy tale Snow White, illustrated to original storybook graphics. Interviewed are Ginnifer Goodwin, Beverly Mitchell, Lana Parrilla, Jared Gilmore, Josh Dallas, Jennifer Morrison, Lee Arenberg, and Meghan Ory. Then we have "Fairest Bloopers Of Them All" (2:18), which are of course often hilarious outtakes fans won't want to miss. And finally we have deleted scenes. It isn't many as say Revenge has, but still good stuff! The deleted scenes are around 12 minutes or so: episode #1 (1:08, 0:32, 11:14); episode #2 (0:53), episode #3 (1:02), episode #5 (0:51), episode #8 (0:54), episode #16 (1:28), and episode #18 (3:53). That's nine deleted scenes from seven different episodes, so about a third of the episodes.
I highly do recommend this Blu-ray set for any Once fan or any fair tale fan. This is really a great show and I hope you all buy this Blu-ray disc (or DVD). There are many special features that will keep you glued for many more hours. The quality of Blu-ray sets is just superb and this one is among the best of this year. I'm calling it the entertainment boxed set of the year! Usually every year the Lost sets were that, but now with that show over with, this is the show that will continue this legacy! If you haven't started this show yet, this is the perfect time to do so before the new season premieres Sunday, Sept. 30 at 8/7c on ABC. Catch up now! If you're still on the fence watch the encores the next few weeks on ABC Sundays (with a marathon) on Sunday, Sept. 9. You'll be hooked after that and will have enough time to catch-up before the new season. As Henry would say, "the curse will end. Good will win." You'll have to see if that is true in this first season set, go click below before the magic goes away! It's more than just a book!
(5/5 stars)
To purchase Once Upon a Time - The Complete First Season on Blu-ray, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
To purchase Once Upon a Time - The Complete First Season on DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Once Upon a Time on TV.com
DIGITAL NEWS
Who's the gal who's everybody's pal? Why, it's Hazel, and more of her antics are coming to DVD in December! A pre-order recently appeared on the "new and improved" Shout! Factory website for Hazel - The Complete Fourth Season. The four-disc set is scheduled to be released on December 11 at a $34.93 MSRP.
We've all been trying to figure out "what's up with Bob" on DVD as pre-order listings for The Bob Newhart Show season 5 and season 6 appeared on amazon.com over a year ago, but nothing ever really materialized, and Fox has been very quiet on the meaning behind these pre-order listings... that is, until a few days ago. Recently, James Finn at 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment stated that the final two seasons of the series may be close to being released, but stopped short of giving a solid release date or absolute confirmation. In Mr. Finn's words:
"We are in talks about bringing seasons 5 and 6 out. While I don't have final, final confirmation or a date yet I did want to just let you know that you can turn that frown upside down. Thanks again to all the fans out there for their drive and passion to see this through (and tweets)."
So what exactly does all of that mean? We'll have to wait and see... but it is much more than the studio has said up to this point. Finn also stated something interesting regarding the possibility of Fox properties being released as MOD releases... we may be seeing them, but no specific details.
It seems that "mega DVD sets" have been the big thing lately, and there were many of them announced just this week. First, details about the Cagney & Lacey complete series releases have been given on TVShowsOnDVD.com. While there is still no release date, we get a nice shot of the packaging, pricing, and some of the special features... this should be an excellent set! Another VEI release that the
website gave a few more details on was McMillan and Wife - The Complete Series. The 24 disc set is scheduled for an October 23 release, and will include the entire "series" of another NBC Mystery Movie family with the complete series of Snoop Sisters. Finally, Acorn has The Red Green Show - The High Quantity Collection, a 50 disc set, scheduled for October 16. If you're a fan of any of these series, then this is all excellent news!
It seems that "mega DVD sets" have been the big thing lately, and there were many of them announced just this week. First, details about the Cagney & Lacey complete series releases have been given on TVShowsOnDVD.com. While there is still no release date, we get a nice shot of the packaging, pricing, and some of the special features... this should be an excellent set! Another VEI release that the
website gave a few more details on was McMillan and Wife - The Complete Series. The 24 disc set is scheduled for an October 23 release, and will include the entire "series" of another NBC Mystery Movie family with the complete series of Snoop Sisters. Finally, Acorn has The Red Green Show - The High Quantity Collection, a 50 disc set, scheduled for October 16. If you're a fan of any of these series, then this is all excellent news!
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (August 28) is a light release day, with Warner Home Video bringing us Two and a Half Men - The Complete Ninth Season (see review) and CBS DVD bringing us The Streets of San Francisco - Season 4 (Volume 1 and Volume 2). Review of the latter will be posted next week on the blog. Today on the blog we have a review of Once Upon a Time - The Complete First Season (Blu-ray).
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Blog Feature Review: Revenge - The Complete First Season (ABC Studios, $45.99)
by Pavan
The primetime soap is back and better than ever! Beneath the luxurious lifestyle of the Hamptons, lies a dark, dirty secret and a twisted tale of passion, suspense, and ultimate redemption. Enter the alluring world of the rich and ruthless with ABC's Revenge: The Complete First Season. Wealth, beauty, and power define the residents of New York's most exclusive community, but one woman will stop at nothing to exact revenge from those who ruined her father's life. Witness Emily Thorne's (Emily VanCamp) brilliantly vindictive plot against Victoria Grayson (Madeleine Stowe), the reigning queen of the Hamptons, and all who destroyed her family. However, even the best-laid plans can unravel in the wake of an unexpected love triangle between Emily, the son of her greatest nemesis, and a forgotten face from her past. Experience all 22 episodes of ABC's sensational new series, plus exclusive bonus features that draw you deeper into the mystery. It's riveting entertainment that holds you in its grasp from the very first thrilling episode to the season's final climactic moment!
The first season stars Emily VanCamp as Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke, Madeleine Stowe as Victoria Grayson, Josh Bowman as Daniel Grayson, Henry Czerny as Conrad Grayson, Gabriel Mann as Nolan Ross, Ashley Madekwe as Ashley Davenport, Nick Wechsler as Jack Porter, Connor Paolo as Declan Porter, and Christa B. Allen as Charlotte Grayson. However, there are many recurring stars such as James Tupper as David H. Clarke, Margarita Levieva as Amanda Clarke/Emily Thorne, Amber Valletta as Lydia Davis, Ashton Holmes as Tyler Barrol, Max Martini as Frank Stevens, Emily Alyn Lind as young Amanda Clarke, and Hiroyuki Sanada as Satoshi Takeda. Special guests include Roger Bart as Leo "Mason" Treadwell, CCH Pounder as Warden Sharon Stiles, James Purefoy as Dominik Wright, Veronica Cartwright as Judge Elizabeth Hawthorne, William Devane as Edward "Grandpa" Grayson, Courtney B. Vance as Benjamin Brooks, Merrin Dungey as Barbara Snow, and James Morrison as "the white-haired man."
This is a great first season for this addicting guilty pleasure. The series did very well in its Wednesdays at 10pm timeslot on ABC and garnered a big following from the start. We were all hooked and can't get enough! Emily VanCamp is great and easy on the eyes while Madeline Stowe deserved her Golden Globe nomination. We wish the Emmy's would have recognized this show as well. Every episode has to be seen in order, but I will try to pick the most memorable episodes. WARNING: Don't read the descriptions if you have yet to start the series! In the "Pilot," Emily Thorne has returned to the Hamptons to avenge the wrong committed against her father and with a new identity in place, she picks out her first target and starts her vendetta before knowing she has been recognized. In "Guilt," Lydia comes back to the Hamptons determined to restore her place in society, and intent on finding Emily's secrets, while Daniel learns of his father's affair with Lydia and Tyler's manipulation of his relationship with Emily, as Charlotte rebels against her mother with Declan. In "Charade," Victoria and Conrad celebrate their 25th anniversary with a featured article in the local paper and an intimate family dinner and when their children invite unexpected guests, the dinner turns volatile, while Frank continues to dig into Emily's past in order to win back Victoria's affection but he may have dug a little too deep, as Emily asks Nolan's help to deter Tyler's pesky interference.
In "Duress," Tyler becomes desperate as his options disappear, while Emily looks to take advantage of his panic to remove him as a hindrance to her plans and Conrad and Victoria's divorce looks to become no holds barred as both sides maneuver for advantage. In "Chaos," the splendor of Emily and Daniel's Fire & Ice engagement party quickly turns to terror when her vendetta takes a dark, unexpected turn, putting those she loves and hates in imminent mortal danger, while Jack resolves to find Amanda and Charlotte takes desperate measures to soothe the pain of her family's betrayal. In "Legacy," we flashback to the year 2002 in the Hamptons and we see Emily, who is still Amanda Clarke, is wayward and reckless until Nolan convinces her to read her father's journals and it is then that it all starts sinking in, and Amanda starts staking out the Grayson home, identifying all the Grayson Global players her father described, and piecing together the truth, so her anger builds into determination and focus, as this is where it all begins - the genesis of Amanda's ultimate plan to bring justice to her father. In "Grief," a painful loss forges a stronger bond between Emily and Jack, Victoria forms a new alliance that could seal Conrad's fate, and Charlotte sets out on a vendetta of her own with Declan as her target. And on the shocking season finale, "Reckoning," with the end in sight Emily fearlessly pushes forward, closing in on the final phases of her plan for revenge, while the Graysons continue their downward spiral into the rabbit hole of self-destruction, but a big, explosive event leaves much hanging in the balance, courses are altered and even more is left in question.
Episodes are usually around 43 minutes and unedited, as they should be. Runtimes are below:
Disc 3:
Disc 4:
Disc 5:
The DVD comes in a case held by an outer thin box, similar to other ABC Studios sets earlier this summer. The thin outer box is in a maroon red color and has a very cool shot Emily in her "thorn" black dress and we have headshots of Ashley, Nolan, Jack, Victoria, Daniel and Conrad. The series logo is towards the middle and the complete first season mention is on the bottom. The back of the thin outer box has info on the set and series, with a nice quote from E! Online. We have five very cool episodic photos along with a nice shot of Emily in white. 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 cast photo on the panels itself. There is also a disc-by-disc breakdown below the cast photo 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. Discs three and four are the same way in a second little plastic holder, while disc five is on the right panel itself. All five discs are in the maroon red style with the series logo and a character. Disc one holds episodes 1-5 with an image of Emily (in red!), disc two holds episodes 6-10 with a shot of Victoria & Conrad, disc three holds episodes 11-14 with a shot of Jack & Daniel, disc four holds episodes 15-18 with a shot of Nolan & Ashley and disc five holds episodes 19-22 with a shot of Declan & Charlotte. Each disc has bonus features, but more on that soon! There is also an insert booklet showcasing other ABC TV DVDs that are coming soon like Grey's Anatomy and Castle, along with new upcoming ABC series this fall like Nashville, and it is placed on the left panel.
The menu design is very Hamptons-y! We start off with the infinity logo then we see a wide shot of Emily's house on the Hapmton's beach. We also have background music from the show playing and background sounds from the beach--very cool. Before the main menu, we have auto trailers. On disc one we have trailers for ABC TV DVDs coming this summer, Castle Season 4 and the theatrical movie Frankenweenie. Disc five has trailers for more ABC TV on DVD, The Avengers and Roger Rabbit. 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 five and has the same trailers as the auto trailers on disc five. Set Up gives us the option for subtitles in English, French, Thai, Chines, 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. There is different artwork on each submenu along with different background music from the series. 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 The River. 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 6-8 chapter stops, so it is easy to jump through an episode if you are looking for something in particular. Jump your way through to see all of Emily's nice outfits! We also hear the closing theme for the first time, as on ABC there are next week's promos playing over the credits. In general, nothing out of the ordinary here but it is all perfectly done.
There are special features on this set as well and they are addicting, too! We have bonus features on every disc, so I always like that. On disc one, we have audio commentary for "Pilot" from series creator/executive producer Mike Kelley and series star Emily VanCamp. They are fun and insightful to listen to and Emily seems VERY nice. I wish we have more audio commentaries, as unfortunately this is the only one on this set. Each disc has deleted scenes from the episodes on the particular disc. I like that layout as we don't have to go to one disc to see them all. Disc one has six deleted scenes (episode 101: 1:24 and 0:43; episode 103: 0:39; and episode 104: 0:39, 0:27 and 0:19). Moving on to disc two, we have eleven deleted scenes (episode 106: 0:52; episode 107: 1:13, 1:21, 0:27, 0:57; episode 108: 0:58 and 0:17; episode 109: 0:18, 1:27, and 1:18; and episode 110: 0:57). Disc three has deleted scenes as well with three deleted scenes (episode 111: 1:28; episode 112 0:10 and episode 113 0:55). Disc four has nine more deleted scenes (episode 115: 0:59, 1:51, and 1:01; episode 116: 0:30 and 1:09; episode 117: 1:00, 1:30, 0:23; and episode 118: 2:12). And finally we have another nine more deleted scenes on disc five (episode 120: 2:11; episode 121: 0:31, 0:25, 0:56, 0:45, 0:39; episode 122: 1:05, 0:26 and 0:23). If you're counting at home, we have a total of 38 deleted scenes! WOW!
Moving on to disc five, that is where the bulk of the special features are. We covered the deleted scenes above, so we will cover the rest of the special features. On to the featurettes, we have "Nolan Ross Exposed" (3:03). This is an in-character interview with Nolan Ross (not actor Gabriel Mann!). What the audience think they know about Nolan Ross is only part of the story. In the recently unearthed sit-down interview footage, reporter Sarah Juarez (Stephanie Maura Sanchez) questions Nolan on his past...and gets some answers fans might not expect! A must see! The next featurette is "Roadmap to Reevenge" (13:35), where Revenge is sweet, and set within the rich, beautiful, and elite world of The Hamptons, it's even sweeter. Cast members share how they undertook creating a world where money and desire can make anything possible. Emily VanCamp and the rest of the cast tells us some of the checkpoints on the road to revenge, walking fans through the genesis, pilot, themes, and characters of the show like: Beginnings, Pilot, Rivalries, Find the Heart, Getting Even, Embracing Change, and...Revenge. Interviewed are Mike Kelley (creator/executive producer), Mark B. Perry (co-executive producer/writer), Marty Bowen (executive producer), Jay Beattie (consulting producer/writer), Emily VanCamp, Ashton Holmes, Melissa Lou (producer), Phillip Noyce (pilot executive producer/director), Gabriel Mann, Ashley Madekwe, Henry Czerny, Madeleine Stowe, Hiroyuki Sanada, Liz Tigelaar (consulting producer/writer), Joe Fazzio (writer), Elle Triedman (supervising producer/writer), Nikki Toscano (producer/writer), Connor Paolo, Margarita Levieva, Josh Bowman, Ryan Scott (writer), and Christa B. Allen. Then it is time to go on set with "At Home In 'The Hamptons'" (8:19) where swank parties and lavish houses are as much a part of Revenge as the characters that attend and inhabit them. Viewers can watch as Ashley Madekwe plays tour guide to the not-so-humble abodes – including the plush extravagance of the Grayson's estate as well as the contrasting rustic ambiance of the Stowaway bar, illustrating everything that goes into making things larger-than-life. Along with Madewke, interviewed are Mike Kelley, Emily VanCamp, Madeleine Stowe, Henry Czerny, Bruce Miller (production designer), Christa B. Allen, Gabriel Mann, Nick Wechsler, and Connor Paolo.
And we're still not done! Next we have "Haute Hamptons: Femme Fatale Fashion" (7:46) as they say 'clothes make the woman,' and this exciting bonus feature gives a glimpse into the secrets of styling the show's two leading ladies, Emily VanCamp and Madeleine Stowe. Costume Designer Jill Ohanneson shares key pieces from both of the series' femme fatale's closets as she and the cast discuss what it takes to dress a show for success. Interviewed are Mike Kelley, Jill Ohanneson, Emily VanCamp and Madeleine Stowe. Then we have Bloopers (2:53) where we see all the hilarious flubs and moments from the production fans won't want to miss! And finally we have two music videos! Key music from the show is featured, including Christina Perri's Distance (2:19) and Angus & Julia Stone's For You (4:05). Both are very good!
This is a nicely done set for one of the breakout series of the season. All the episodes are so good and I think season two will be even better! 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 so far! We get great audio/video, menus, packaging and special features. We essentially have everything...featurettes, deleted scenes, audio commentary (though, wish we had more) and bloopers! 38 deleted scenes is amazing and I was shocked to see that many on the DVD. ABC Studios knows how to make good DVDs, especially for their current series. This show is just good fun and has an attractive cast for both men and women, so everyone has a reason to watch. Stowe should have been nominated for an Emmy I think and Emily VanCamp is a must-see and will get even better. I really recommend you order this DVD, if you watched every episode or not. Catch up, start up or recap yourself before the season season premieres on a new night and time - Sundays at 9/8c on ABC beginning Sept. 30! As Emily would say, "let it play!"
(4.5/5 stars)
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Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Revenge on TV.com
The first season stars Emily VanCamp as Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke, Madeleine Stowe as Victoria Grayson, Josh Bowman as Daniel Grayson, Henry Czerny as Conrad Grayson, Gabriel Mann as Nolan Ross, Ashley Madekwe as Ashley Davenport, Nick Wechsler as Jack Porter, Connor Paolo as Declan Porter, and Christa B. Allen as Charlotte Grayson. However, there are many recurring stars such as James Tupper as David H. Clarke, Margarita Levieva as Amanda Clarke/Emily Thorne, Amber Valletta as Lydia Davis, Ashton Holmes as Tyler Barrol, Max Martini as Frank Stevens, Emily Alyn Lind as young Amanda Clarke, and Hiroyuki Sanada as Satoshi Takeda. Special guests include Roger Bart as Leo "Mason" Treadwell, CCH Pounder as Warden Sharon Stiles, James Purefoy as Dominik Wright, Veronica Cartwright as Judge Elizabeth Hawthorne, William Devane as Edward "Grandpa" Grayson, Courtney B. Vance as Benjamin Brooks, Merrin Dungey as Barbara Snow, and James Morrison as "the white-haired man."
This is a great first season for this addicting guilty pleasure. The series did very well in its Wednesdays at 10pm timeslot on ABC and garnered a big following from the start. We were all hooked and can't get enough! Emily VanCamp is great and easy on the eyes while Madeline Stowe deserved her Golden Globe nomination. We wish the Emmy's would have recognized this show as well. Every episode has to be seen in order, but I will try to pick the most memorable episodes. WARNING: Don't read the descriptions if you have yet to start the series! In the "Pilot," Emily Thorne has returned to the Hamptons to avenge the wrong committed against her father and with a new identity in place, she picks out her first target and starts her vendetta before knowing she has been recognized. In "Guilt," Lydia comes back to the Hamptons determined to restore her place in society, and intent on finding Emily's secrets, while Daniel learns of his father's affair with Lydia and Tyler's manipulation of his relationship with Emily, as Charlotte rebels against her mother with Declan. In "Charade," Victoria and Conrad celebrate their 25th anniversary with a featured article in the local paper and an intimate family dinner and when their children invite unexpected guests, the dinner turns volatile, while Frank continues to dig into Emily's past in order to win back Victoria's affection but he may have dug a little too deep, as Emily asks Nolan's help to deter Tyler's pesky interference.
In "Duress," Tyler becomes desperate as his options disappear, while Emily looks to take advantage of his panic to remove him as a hindrance to her plans and Conrad and Victoria's divorce looks to become no holds barred as both sides maneuver for advantage. In "Chaos," the splendor of Emily and Daniel's Fire & Ice engagement party quickly turns to terror when her vendetta takes a dark, unexpected turn, putting those she loves and hates in imminent mortal danger, while Jack resolves to find Amanda and Charlotte takes desperate measures to soothe the pain of her family's betrayal. In "Legacy," we flashback to the year 2002 in the Hamptons and we see Emily, who is still Amanda Clarke, is wayward and reckless until Nolan convinces her to read her father's journals and it is then that it all starts sinking in, and Amanda starts staking out the Grayson home, identifying all the Grayson Global players her father described, and piecing together the truth, so her anger builds into determination and focus, as this is where it all begins - the genesis of Amanda's ultimate plan to bring justice to her father. In "Grief," a painful loss forges a stronger bond between Emily and Jack, Victoria forms a new alliance that could seal Conrad's fate, and Charlotte sets out on a vendetta of her own with Declan as her target. And on the shocking season finale, "Reckoning," with the end in sight Emily fearlessly pushes forward, closing in on the final phases of her plan for revenge, while the Graysons continue their downward spiral into the rabbit hole of self-destruction, but a big, explosive event leaves much hanging in the balance, courses are altered and even more is left in question.
Episodes are usually around 43 minutes and unedited, as they should be. Runtimes are below:
Disc 1:
1. "Pilot" (42:56)
2. "Trust" (43:01)
3. "Betrayal" (42:54)
4. "Duplicity" (42:46)
5. "Guilt" (42:59)
Disc 2:
6. "Intrigue" (42:31)
7. "Charade" (42:59)
8. "Treachery" (43:00)
9. "Suspicion" (42:58)
10. "Loyalty" (42:59)
Disc 3:
11. "Duress" (42:59)
12. "Infamy" (43:00)
13. "Commitment" (43:01)
14. "Perception" (42:58)
15. "Chaos" (42:59)
16. "Scandal" (42:17)
17. "Doubt" (42:58)
18. "Justice" (42:56)
19. "Absolution" (43:03)
20. "Legacy" (42:44)
21. "Grief" (43:01)
22. "Reckoning" (43:00)
The menu design is very Hamptons-y! We start off with the infinity logo then we see a wide shot of Emily's house on the Hapmton's beach. We also have background music from the show playing and background sounds from the beach--very cool. Before the main menu, we have auto trailers. On disc one we have trailers for ABC TV DVDs coming this summer, Castle Season 4 and the theatrical movie Frankenweenie. Disc five has trailers for more ABC TV on DVD, The Avengers and Roger Rabbit. 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 five and has the same trailers as the auto trailers on disc five. Set Up gives us the option for subtitles in English, French, Thai, Chines, 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. There is different artwork on each submenu along with different background music from the series. 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 The River. 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 6-8 chapter stops, so it is easy to jump through an episode if you are looking for something in particular. Jump your way through to see all of Emily's nice outfits! We also hear the closing theme for the first time, as on ABC there are next week's promos playing over the credits. In general, nothing out of the ordinary here but it is all perfectly done.
There are special features on this set as well and they are addicting, too! We have bonus features on every disc, so I always like that. On disc one, we have audio commentary for "Pilot" from series creator/executive producer Mike Kelley and series star Emily VanCamp. They are fun and insightful to listen to and Emily seems VERY nice. I wish we have more audio commentaries, as unfortunately this is the only one on this set. Each disc has deleted scenes from the episodes on the particular disc. I like that layout as we don't have to go to one disc to see them all. Disc one has six deleted scenes (episode 101: 1:24 and 0:43; episode 103: 0:39; and episode 104: 0:39, 0:27 and 0:19). Moving on to disc two, we have eleven deleted scenes (episode 106: 0:52; episode 107: 1:13, 1:21, 0:27, 0:57; episode 108: 0:58 and 0:17; episode 109: 0:18, 1:27, and 1:18; and episode 110: 0:57). Disc three has deleted scenes as well with three deleted scenes (episode 111: 1:28; episode 112 0:10 and episode 113 0:55). Disc four has nine more deleted scenes (episode 115: 0:59, 1:51, and 1:01; episode 116: 0:30 and 1:09; episode 117: 1:00, 1:30, 0:23; and episode 118: 2:12). And finally we have another nine more deleted scenes on disc five (episode 120: 2:11; episode 121: 0:31, 0:25, 0:56, 0:45, 0:39; episode 122: 1:05, 0:26 and 0:23). If you're counting at home, we have a total of 38 deleted scenes! WOW!
Moving on to disc five, that is where the bulk of the special features are. We covered the deleted scenes above, so we will cover the rest of the special features. On to the featurettes, we have "Nolan Ross Exposed" (3:03). This is an in-character interview with Nolan Ross (not actor Gabriel Mann!). What the audience think they know about Nolan Ross is only part of the story. In the recently unearthed sit-down interview footage, reporter Sarah Juarez (Stephanie Maura Sanchez) questions Nolan on his past...and gets some answers fans might not expect! A must see! The next featurette is "Roadmap to Reevenge" (13:35), where Revenge is sweet, and set within the rich, beautiful, and elite world of The Hamptons, it's even sweeter. Cast members share how they undertook creating a world where money and desire can make anything possible. Emily VanCamp and the rest of the cast tells us some of the checkpoints on the road to revenge, walking fans through the genesis, pilot, themes, and characters of the show like: Beginnings, Pilot, Rivalries, Find the Heart, Getting Even, Embracing Change, and...Revenge. Interviewed are Mike Kelley (creator/executive producer), Mark B. Perry (co-executive producer/writer), Marty Bowen (executive producer), Jay Beattie (consulting producer/writer), Emily VanCamp, Ashton Holmes, Melissa Lou (producer), Phillip Noyce (pilot executive producer/director), Gabriel Mann, Ashley Madekwe, Henry Czerny, Madeleine Stowe, Hiroyuki Sanada, Liz Tigelaar (consulting producer/writer), Joe Fazzio (writer), Elle Triedman (supervising producer/writer), Nikki Toscano (producer/writer), Connor Paolo, Margarita Levieva, Josh Bowman, Ryan Scott (writer), and Christa B. Allen. Then it is time to go on set with "At Home In 'The Hamptons'" (8:19) where swank parties and lavish houses are as much a part of Revenge as the characters that attend and inhabit them. Viewers can watch as Ashley Madekwe plays tour guide to the not-so-humble abodes – including the plush extravagance of the Grayson's estate as well as the contrasting rustic ambiance of the Stowaway bar, illustrating everything that goes into making things larger-than-life. Along with Madewke, interviewed are Mike Kelley, Emily VanCamp, Madeleine Stowe, Henry Czerny, Bruce Miller (production designer), Christa B. Allen, Gabriel Mann, Nick Wechsler, and Connor Paolo.
And we're still not done! Next we have "Haute Hamptons: Femme Fatale Fashion" (7:46) as they say 'clothes make the woman,' and this exciting bonus feature gives a glimpse into the secrets of styling the show's two leading ladies, Emily VanCamp and Madeleine Stowe. Costume Designer Jill Ohanneson shares key pieces from both of the series' femme fatale's closets as she and the cast discuss what it takes to dress a show for success. Interviewed are Mike Kelley, Jill Ohanneson, Emily VanCamp and Madeleine Stowe. Then we have Bloopers (2:53) where we see all the hilarious flubs and moments from the production fans won't want to miss! And finally we have two music videos! Key music from the show is featured, including Christina Perri's Distance (2:19) and Angus & Julia Stone's For You (4:05). Both are very good!
This is a nicely done set for one of the breakout series of the season. All the episodes are so good and I think season two will be even better! 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 so far! We get great audio/video, menus, packaging and special features. We essentially have everything...featurettes, deleted scenes, audio commentary (though, wish we had more) and bloopers! 38 deleted scenes is amazing and I was shocked to see that many on the DVD. ABC Studios knows how to make good DVDs, especially for their current series. This show is just good fun and has an attractive cast for both men and women, so everyone has a reason to watch. Stowe should have been nominated for an Emmy I think and Emily VanCamp is a must-see and will get even better. I really recommend you order this DVD, if you watched every episode or not. Catch up, start up or recap yourself before the season season premieres on a new night and time - Sundays at 9/8c on ABC beginning Sept. 30! As Emily would say, "let it play!"
(4.5/5 stars)Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Revenge on TV.com
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Blog Blu-ray Review: Once Upon a Time - The Complete First Season (ABC Studios, $79.99)
by Pavan
There is a town in Maine, where every storybook character you've ever known is trapped between two worlds: victims of a powerful curse. Only one knows the truth, and only one can break her spell. Relive the complete first season of ABC's Once Upon A Time, the hit series that boasts unforgettable characters and a tangled web of romance, action and enchantment. Immerse yourself in the magic and mystery of Storybrooke - a sleepy little town where every fairytale character you've ever known is frozen in time and trapped between two worlds, victims of an evil curse. On her 28th birthday, Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) meets Henry (Jared Gilmore), the son she gave up for adoption 10 years ago. Henry believes Emma is the daughter of Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas), prophesied to break a powerful curse. Unconvinced, Emma returns Henry to Storybrooke, where she encounters the enigmatic Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle) and clashes with mayor Regina Mills (Lana Parrilla) - the boy's adoptive mother - who Henry insists is none other than the Evil Queen! Start your epic collection with all 22 captivating episodes, including never-before-seen bonus features, in this spectacular 5-disc boxed set on both DVD or Blu-ray Disc. This review will cover the Blu-ray disc version.
Once Upon a Time stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as The Evil Queen/Regina Mills, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David Nolan, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills, Raphael Sbarge as Jiminy Cricket/Archibald "Archie" Hopper, Jamie Dornan as The Huntsman/Sheriff Graham, and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold. Recurring stars are David Anders as Dr. Whale, Eion Bailey as Pinocchio/August Wayne Booth, Meghan Ory as Red Riding Hood/Ruby, Beverly Mitchell as Granny, Tony Amendola as Geppetto/Marco, Lee Arenberg as Grumpy/Leroy, Jessy Schram as Cinderella/Ashley Boyd, Anastasia Griffith as Kathryn Nolan, Alan Dale as King George, Giancarlo Esposito as Magic Mirror/Sidney Glass, Sebastian Stan as The Mad Hatter/Jefferson and Emilie de Ravin as Belle.
This is a wonderful first season for this brand-new tantalizing tale. The series did very well in its Sundays at 8pm timeslot on ABC and was the top new drama among adults 18-49. The writers of Lost has brought this series to us and this is the only show that has even come close to that show since that series ended. Jennifer Morrison is great and beautiful while Ginnifer Goodwin and Lana Parrilla are superb and have great chemistry. We wish the Emmy's would have recognized this show, especially Robert Carlyle. Every episode has to be seen in order, but I will try to pick the most memorable episodes. WARNING: Don't read the descriptions if you have yet to start the series! In the very first episode, "Pilot," Emma Swan, a bail bondsman, is surprised when Henry, the son that she gave up for adoption 10 years earlier, shows up on her doorstep as he begs Emma to come to his hometown of Storybrooke, Maine, and rescue him from his evil adopted mother, Regina Mills as the boy insists that everyone in the town is a fairy tale character with no memory of who they really are... and Emma soon realizes that Henry's claim may be true. In "The Price of Gold," in Storybrooke, Emma tries to help Ashley Boyd, a young pregnant maid who tries to make a deal with Mr. Gold, meanwhile in the fairy tale world, Cinderella makes a deal with Rumplestiltskin but discovers the price is more than she is willing to pay. In "7:15 A.M.," Regina asks Emma to investigate the Stranger, who has taken an interest in Henry, while Dave and Mary Margret try to reconcile their feelings to each other and in the fairy tale world, James and Snow try to reunite although a kingdom stands in their way. In "Skin Deep," Mary Margaret goes out with Ashley and Ruby for Valentine's Day, and Mr. Gold has something stolen from him, while in the fairytale world Belle is forced to give up everything she knows to keep her village safe... by living with the Beast.
In "Red-Handed," while Emma tries to determine if David murdered his wife Kathryn, she hires Ruby as an assistant when the waitress quits her job to go out into the world and find something to do with her life, meanwhile in the fairy tale world Red and Snow meet as a savage wolf plagues the village where Red lives. In "Hat Trick," Emma searches for a missing Mary Margaret, but is abducted by a man who claims to know the truth about Storybrooke... and Emma, meanwhile in the fairytale world, Regina convinces a sorcerer to take her to Wonderland to recover something that the Queen of Hearts has stolen from her. In "The Stable Boy," Emma closes in on the real murderer to clear Mary Margaret's name, but discovers that someone close to her may have betrayed her, meanwhile in the fairtytale world, Regina chooses true love over power, but her mother Cora has a harsh lesson to teach her. In "The Return," Gold is intrigued by August and tries to determine who he really is, while David tries to apologize to Mary Margaret and Emma gets a break in the case of Kathryn's abduction and in the fairytale world, Baelfire makes a deal with his father Rumpelstiltskin when it becomes clear that his magic powers have corrupted him. In "The Stranger," August offers to show Emma how she can regain Henry by telling her the truth about her life, while Regina attempts to seduce David and Mary Margaret returns into teaching and in the fairytale world, Gepetto is told that he can save Snow and Charming's child, but insists on saving his son Pinocchio as payment for his work. On the great season finale, "A Land Without Magic," when Henry is stricken down by a curse intended for Emma, Emma must work with Regina and Gold to find a cure, meanwhile in the fairytale world Prince Charming makes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to find Snow.
The episodes on this set are all unedited, obviously, with the episodes around 43 minutes. Here are the runtimes for this set:
Disc 1
1. "Pilot" - 43:33
2. "The Thing You Love Most" - 42:33
3. "Snow Falls" - 43:03
4. "The Price of Gold" - 42:48
5. "That Still Small Voice" - 43:04
Disc 2
6. "The Shepherd" - 43:04
7. "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter" - 43:06
8. "Desperate Souls" - 43:18
9. "True North" - 43:05
10. "7:15 A.M." - 43:05
Disc 3
11. "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree" - 42:59
12. "Skin Deep" - 43:03
13. "What Happened to Frederick" - 43:04
14. "Dreamy" - 43:00
Disc 4
15. "Red-Handed" - 43:04
16. "Heart of Darkness" - 42:57
17. "Hat Trick" - 43:03
18. "The Stable Boy" - 43:04
Disc 5
19. "The Return" - 43:03
20. "The Stranger" - 43:04
21. "An Apple Red as Blood" - 43:04
22. "A Land Without Magic" - 42:48
Let's now move on to the packaging for this Blu-ray set! We have a thin outer box holding the Blu-ray case. The cover art for both has the Once Upon a Time logo in the middle with head shots of Rumpelstiltskin, Evil Queen, Emma, Snow White and Prince Charming on top, while below the logo we have a shot of the kingdom with a dark (the spell clouds?) sky. There is a mention of The Complete First Season right above the series logo. The cover of the outer box is actually a hologram, so if you move it a little, the kingdom turns into Storybrooke, Maine. Very cool. The back of both the outer box and case has three episodic photos. We also have info on the series and set as well, with a bonus features box held up by Rumpelstiltskin. The color scheme is like a dark brown. Inside the Blu-ray case we go, we have an insert booklet on the left showcasing other ABC TV DVDs that are coming soon like Private Practice and Body of Proof, and there is also a page telling us about the Once Upon a Time collection of fairy tales book! As far as the discs itself go, 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. Discs three and four are the same way in a second little plastic holder, while disc five is on the right panel itself. All five discs are in a dark blue color set in the woods with the series logo and something in the woods. Disc one has episodes 1-5 and we see Jiminy Cricket in the woods. Disc two has 6-10 and we see a wolf in the woods. Disc three has episodes 11-14 and we see the genie in the woods. Disc four has episodes 15-18 and we see mushrooms in the woods. And disc five has episodes 19-22 and we see the spell cloud coming into the woods. As for the panels, we have nice episodic photos on the panels itself. There is also a disc-by-disc breakdown below the images on the panels listing episode titles per disc.
The menu screen is very cool. Blu-ray menus are so much different I think and it is better than regular DVDs. Background music from the show is playing in the background, as we have artwork of the woods in dark blue (similar to the title card on the series). We have options for Episodes, Bonus Features, Set Up, Season Play and Sneak Peeks. When we select Episodes, on Blu-ray there are no sub-menus, so a pop-up box pops up and you choose the episode with the titles listed. Bonus Features options pops-up all the extras on that disc, including the deleted scenes. The Set Up pop-up has the option for Languages and Subtitles, with audio in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio or English 2.0 Dolby Digital and subtitles in English, Thai, Chinese, Espanol, Portuguese, and French. Season Play is very cool, it is a feature exclusive to the Blu-ray Disc releases. This feature allows you to never have a problem keeping track of where you are (which episode, disc, time stamp) on the season of the show. This feature prevents you from getting lost as to which episode you were on when trying to come back and continue watching an entire season of a show. VERY cool! Sneak Peaks is just on disc five for The Avengers, ABC TV on DVD, and Roger Rabbit. Disc one has auto trailers for ABC TV on DVD, Castle Season 4 and Frankenweenie.
The video is great, as it should be in full HD (1080p widescreen)! This is the Blu-ray version so it is flawless. Everyone should own a Blu-ray player as the video quality is just superb and you feel like you are right inside the show. I have watched all 22 episodes on ABC in HD and it looks even better in Blu-ray! The audio is very good in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. That is the best you can get so you know it will be clear and crisp. Each episode has between 6-8 chapter stops. We also hear the closing theme for the first time, as on ABC there are next week's promos playing over the credits. There is not much else to say!
As for special features, we have a WHOLE lot here. Each disc has special features. We have audio commentary on each disc. On disc one, we have audio commentary for "Pilot" from creators/executive producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. They are very insightful and you'll find out when they came up with the idea for this series! Also on disc one we have "Once Upon a Time Orchestral Suite" (4:05). This is likely just for the Blu-ray! We get the music from the show, as the full soundtrack will be released layer this year. The music plays, while on screen we see the series logo. On disc two, we have audio commentary for the episode "7:15 A.M." from series stars Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas -- Snow White and Prince Charming themselves! On disc three we have audio commentary for the episode "Skin Deep" from writer Jane Epenson and star Robert Carlyle. It would have been cool if Emilie de Ravin was in this as well, but I'm not complaining! On disc four, we have audio commentary for the episode "The Stable Boy," from series creators/executive producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz along with star Lana Parrilla (The Evil Queen). And the final audio commentary is on disc five for the season finale "A Land Without Magic" from Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and series star Jennifer Morrison! So we have five episodes with audio commentary and these five are really great classic episodes!
The rest of the bonus features are on disc five. The first one is exclusive to Blu-ray, titled "Once Upon a Time: Origins." We travel back through the centuries with Josh Dallas to uncover the historical origins of classic fairy tales -- Snow White, Beauty & the Beast, Little Red Riding Hood, Little Mermaid and Rumpelstiltskin. This was REALLY well done and I could this airing on TV at some point as a special. It's only for Blu-ray! Next up we have "Fairy Tales in the Modern World" (20:24) this exciting feature allows viewers to explore the genesis story of Once Upon A Time, as they learn about the creative approach of adapting a world of fairy tales into the wholly original world of the show. Interviewed are Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (series creators/executive producers), Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas, Eion Bailey, Beverly Mitchell, Robert Carlyle, Meghan Ory, Jared Gilmore, Lana Parrilla, Lee Arensberg, Jennifer Morrison, Daniel T. Thomsen (executive story editor), Andrew Chambliss (co-producer), Ian Goldberg (co-producer), Raphael Sbarge, June Espenson (consulting producer), and Daniel H. Goodman (co-executive producer). Then next we have "Building Character" (7:19) where we have from start-to-finish, following the creation, conceptualization, casting, clothing and filming of the beloved character, Belle, played by Emilie de Ravin, from the ground up! Interviewed are Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, Emilie de Ravin, Eduardo Castro (costume designer), and Veronica Collins (casting director). Then next up, "Welcome to Storybrooke" (6:45) where Ginnifer Goodwin takes audiences on a tour of Storybrooke, Maine, both the town on the show and its real inspiration – a small town outside Vancouver called Steveston. Interviewed are Ginnifer Goodwin, Adam Horowitz, Steve Pearlman (executive producer), Edward Kitsis, Mayor Malcolm Brodie (city of Richmond, BC), David Gordon (owner, Pieces Gift Shop), Kelly Krull (owner, Splash Toy Store), Eric Beaupre (production assistant), Trevor Purvis (set dresser), Eva Kollakis (owner, Cannery Cafe), Nick Constantin (owner, Romania Country Bread), Kate Badenhorst (owner, Sara's Ice Crean), Jared Gilmore and Josh Dallas.
We aren't done yet! The next featurette is called "The Story I Remember...Snow White" (4:26). The show's actors share their childhood memories of the beloved fairy tale Snow White, illustrated to original storybook graphics. Interviewed are Ginnifer Goodwin, Beverly Mitchell, Lana Parrilla, Jared Gilmore, Josh Dallas, Jennifer Morrison, Lee Arenberg, and Meghan Ory. Then we have "Fairest Bloopers Of Them All" (2:18), which are of course often hilarious outtakes fans won't want to miss. And finally we have deleted scenes. It isn't many as say Revenge has, but still good stuff! The deleted scenes are around 12 minutes or so: episode #1 (1:08, 0:32, 11:14); episode #2 (0:53), episode #3 (1:02), episode #5 (0:51), episode #8 (0:54), episode #16 (1:28), and episode #18 (3:53). That's nine deleted scenes from seven different episodes, so about a third of the episodes.
I highly do recommend this Blu-ray set for any Once fan or any fair tale fan. This is really a great show and I hope you all buy this Blu-ray disc (or DVD). There are many special features that will keep you glued for many more hours. The quality of Blu-ray sets is just superb and this one is among the best of this year. I'm calling it the entertainment boxed set of the year! Usually every year the Lost sets were that, but now with that show over with, this is the show that will continue this legacy! If you haven't started this show yet, this is the perfect time to do so before the new season premieres Sunday, Sept. 30 at 8/7c on ABC. Catch up now! If you're still on the fence watch the encores the next few weeks on ABC Sundays (with a marathon) on Sunday, Sept. 9. You'll be hooked after that and will have enough time to catch-up before the new season. As Henry would say, "the curse will end. Good will win." You'll have to see if that is true in this first season set, go click below before the magic goes away! It's more than just a book!
(5/5 stars)To purchase Once Upon a Time - The Complete First Season on Blu-ray, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
To purchase Once Upon a Time - The Complete First Season on DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Once Upon a Time on TV.com
CLICK OF THE WEEK
We've reached that point where we're retiring our Click of the Week feature, but before we do that, we're going to take a look back at our five favorite websites that we've featured. These are in no particular order (it is like comparing apples to oranges since every website has a different purpose), so here are our five favorite ones:
- TV Tropes (www.tvtropes.org) - There are common themes, referred to as "tropes" all throughout television series. How many series out there had a character who just mysteriously disappeared? What about the "standardized sitcom housing?" There are many different themes which appear all throughout the small screen, and TV Tropes summarizes them all. We featured this website on June 9, 2012.
- The Simpsons Archive (www.snpp.org) - The Simpsons has the distinction of being one of the few series out there to actually air in parts of four decades now (although in all fairness, it only began in the late '80s and we're still early in the '10s, so it has only aired a little over twenty years), and a series with that sort of legacy deserves a great and inclusive website. The Simpsons Archive has just what you are looking for when it comes to the series. We featured this website on August 20, 2011.
- TVParty (www.tvparty.com) - The party never ends at TVParty! This website, which is about as old as the internet for a majority of us, features some of the greatest content and commentary on everything related to TV, including things that many of us will experience for the first time ever through this amazing website. We featured this website on September 17, 2011.
- Museum of Broadcast Communications (www.museum.tv) - We have museums across the country for everything, so why not have one for broadcast communications? Well, there are some of them, but this one is literally a museum which lives online. You can read scholarly articles and even watch a few episodes of many classic series on the website, and not just the run of the mill "it's everywhere online" series. When we featured this website, the physical museum itself was still working on getting a new home in Chicago, and we can happily report that as of June, the physical museum has reopened with a ceremony which included John Mahoney and Betty White. We featured this website on November 26, 2011.
- Everything Lucy (everythinglucy.youns.com) - The title of the website says it all. This is the place to find out everything you've ever wanted to know about Lucille Ball, known to the Americans (and even across the globe) as the "Queen of Comedy." On this website, you'll find details on everything she ever did throughout her lifetime. We featured this website on December 3, 2011.
Of course, we have to say narrowing this down to a list of just five websites was difficult. We've featured over ten times that many, and almost all of them are worth a second look. Before we let the sun set on the Click of the Week, we'll still let you know when we find a really good website and occasionally feature more websites, but we'll have a new blog feature here next week which will allow you to think about sitcoms a bit more socially.
That's all for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!
Friday, August 24, 2012
TV Land Adds More Stars to Sitcom Pilots; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 27, 2012)
Elliott Gould and Missi Pyle have joined previously reported stars Ben Falcone, Jay Mohr, Josh Cooke, Ellen Woglom, Geoff Pierson and Kelen Coleman in TV Land's two new sitcom pilots. Falcone will play the lead in the single-camera comedy pilot I'm Not Dead Yet (working title) as Sandy Lazarus, a driving instructor who, after learning he has a potentially fatal heart condition, decides to start speaking his mind and grab life by the horns. This personality change is greeted by shock and skepticism from his wife (Pyle), father (Gould) and children. I'm Not Dead Yet pilot will shoot in September.
TV Land's second pilot, Brothers-in-Law (working title) is a multi-camera sitcom pilot that will star Mohr, Cooke (Better With You), Woglom, Pierson and Coleman. The pilot focuses on the family dynamic between Neil (Cooke) and his wife Cheska (Coleman) as they adjust to Van (Mohr), the eccentric fiancé of Cheska's twin sister Maddie (Woglom). Pierson stars as Tom, the family patriarch, whose instant bond with Van makes Neil jealous and annoyed. On top of that, the sisters constantly encourage Neil and Van to form a friendship, even though the men have absolutely nothing in common. Brothers-in-Law will tape its pilot TONIGHT (August 24) in front of a studio audience at CBS Studio Center.
Both I'm Not Dead Yet and Brothers-in-Law are just pilot orders. We will let you know if TV Land decides to pick any of these to actual series to join their other original sitcoms (Hot in Cleveland, Happily Divorced, The Exes, The Soul Man and Retired at 35).
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 August 27-31, 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, August 27, 2012
- Kate Flannery (The Office) - Watch Kate on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Nicole Ari Parker (Second Time Around) - Nicole appears on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
- Sherri Shepherd (Less Than Perfect/Sherri) - Sherri is a guest on a repeat of The Nate Berkus Show, so check your local listings.
- Tisha Campbell-Martin (Martin/My Wife and Kids/Rita Rocks) - Tisha visits ABC's Good Afternoon America at 2pm.
- Jerry O'Connell (Carpoolers/My Secret Identity) - Jerry guest co-hosts repeats of LIVE! with Kelly on Tuesday and Wednesday, so check your listings.
- Carla Gugino (Spin City/Entourage) - Carla appears on a repeat Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
- Shia LaBeouf (Even Stevens) - Watch Shia on Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.
- Lisa Kudrow (Friends/The Comebacks) - Lisa chats with the ladies of The View in a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Bill Cosby (The Cosby Show/Cosby/The Bill Cosby Show) - Catch the legendary Mr. Cosby on a repeat of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
- Fred Willard (Back to You/Everybody Loves Raymond/Maybe It's Me) - Fred is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
- Lizzy Caplan (Party Down/The Class) - Lizzy stops by Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.
- Billy Bob Thornton (Hearts Afire) - Billy Bob visits LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
- Ashton Kutcher (Two and a Half Men/That '70s Show) - Ashton appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
- Sherri Shepherd (Less Than Perfect/Sherri) - Sherri is a guest on a repeat of The Nate Berkus Show, so check your local listings.
- Holly Robinson Peete (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper/For Your Love) - Tune in to see Holly on a repeat of The Nate Berkus Show, so check your local listings.
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock from the Sun) - Joseph appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
- Craig Ferguson (The Drew Carey Show) - Watch Craig on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Tom Arnold (The Tom Show/Roseanne) - Tom is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
- T.J. Miller (Carpoolers) - T.J. appears on a repeat of Chelsea Lately on E! at 11pm.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Cloo Fall 2012 Schedule Has Cheers 30th Anniversary Marathon; Remembering William Windom and Phyllis Diller
We usually cover Cloo for their Cloo Classics stunts and they will be continuing those this fall! But first, Cloo really doesn't have a set strip schedule, as they air block marathons, so we will do our best to cover everything. From Tuesday, September 4 through Sunday, September 9 from 6am-6am ET, Cloo will present an all-week JAG Farewell marathon, as the long-running drama exits the schedule. JAG was airing Wednesdays and will be replaced by more Monk. On Mondays, there will be All-Day "Cloo Classics" MacGyver Marathons, which started actually on Aug. 13 and will continue in September and October. The rest of the schedule will feature the dramas we are used to like The Dead Zone, Monk, NCIS, House, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: SVU, Burn Notice and The Unit. The sitcom 'Til Death will still air on Sunday mornings from 6-7am. And the biggest highlight for us on the Cloo Fall 2012 schedule is the 30th Anniversary of the classic sitcom Cheers, which Cloo will be airing an all-day marathon on Sunday, September 30 from 6a-6a ET. Cheers (1982-1993, NBC) of course follows the lives of the staff and patrons of the titular Boston bar, where everybody knows your name and drinking buddies are more like family. Starring Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, George Wendt, Shelley Long, Nicholas Colasanto, Kelsey Grammer, Woody Harrelson, Bebe Neuwirth, and Kirstie Alley. Cheers airs on sister network USA Network in filler airings in late nights and early mornings.
View the FULL Cloo Fall 2012 schedule and discuss the farewell marathon of JAG and the 30th anniversary marathon for Cheers! Stay with us for further updates, as hopefully there will be more Cloo Classics stunts with sitcoms!
Actor William Windom, who starred in The Farmer's Daughter and won an Emmy for his role in My World and Welcome to It, has died. He died on August 16 at his home in Woodacre, California, from congestive heart failure. Mr. Windom was 88.
Windom's early television work included episodes of Robert Montgomery Presents, Guestward Ho!, Surfside 6, The Gertrude Berg Show, The Donna Reed Show, The Lucy Show, The Twilight Zone, Gunsmoke and 77 Sunset Strip. His first starring role was in The Farmer's Daughter. The 1963-1966 ABC sitcom, which co-starred Inger Stevens, was about a young Minnesota woman who becomes the housekeeper for a widowed Congressman. In 1967, he appeared as Commodore Matt Decker in the Star Trek episode The Doomsday Machine. He would later reprise the role in a 2004 episode of Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II.
Windom's next starring role was in My World and Welcome to It, which aired on NBC for a single season in 1969-1970. He played John Monroe, a James Thurber-like writer and cartoonist who works for a magazine that closely resembles The New Yorker, called The Manhattanite. Windom won an Emmy Award in 1970 for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series. He continued to make appearances on many television series, including The Name of the Game, The Virginian, Night Gallery, The F.B.I., Mission: Impossible, Mannix and The Streets of San Francisco. In 1979, he starred in the short-lived Brothers and Sisters, a frat-house comedy series that aired on NBC. He had a recurring role on Murder, She Wrote for more than a decade and over 50 episodes as Dr. Seth Hazlitt. His film roles included To Kill a Mockingbird, The Detective and Brewster McCloud. View his extensive list of credits at the IMDB.
Survivors include his wife of 37 years, Patricia Tunder Windom; four children - Rachel, Heather, Hope and Rebel; and four grandchildren. He was a talented and versatile actor. It would be great to his see his two major sitcom starring roles on TV or DVD. The Farmer's Daughter was supposed to be part of Antenna TV's launch in January 2011, but apparently the episode prints were in such poor shape that Sony was unable to remaster them. Hopefully somebody will go to the expense of making them available soon. My World and Welcome to It is another lost gem that would be ideal for DVD. Mr. Windom will be greatly missed.
Me-TV remembers William Windom with an episode of Star Trek on Saturday at 9pm ET/8pm CT. In the classic episode The Doomsday Machine, he played tortured Commodore Matt Decker who tries to thwart a doomsday machine that threatens the Enterprise. The episode was originally broadcast on October 20, 1967.
Actress and comedienne Phyllis Diller, who appeared on television for more than 50 years and starred in the sitcom The Pruitts of Southampton, has died. She died on August 20 at her home in Los Angeles, California. No cause of death has been released. Ms. Diller was 95.
Diller first starred in the 1966-1967 ABC sitcom The Pruitts of Southampton (later retitled The Phyllis Diller Show). She played Phyllis Pruitt in the show about a supposedly incredibly wealthy family living on Long Island in the Hamptons. Gypsy Rose Lee, Richard Deacon, John Astin, Marty Ingels and Paul Lynde were featured in supporting roles. In 1968, she starred in the short-lived NBC variety show The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show. Diller's other sitcom guest appearances included Get Smart, The Good Guys, Love, American Style, The Love Boat, 227, Dream On, Boy Meets World, Blossom, Full House, Cybill, Titus, The Drew Carey Show, Even Stevens, Life with Bonnie and Quintuplets. She made regular appearances on many variety series and game shows, including Rowan and Martin's Laugh In, The Dean Martin Comedy Hour, The Gong Show, The Hollywood Squares and Super Password. She appeared in 23 Bob Hope TV specials. Her voice credits include Mad Monster Party, The New Scooby-Doo Movies, A Bug's Life, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Robot Chicken and Family Guy. Some of her other television drama guest appearances included CHiPs, 7th Heaven, Boston Legal and The Bold and the Beautiful. View her extensive list of credits at the IMDB.
The Archive of American Television conducted an extensive interview with her on March 8, 2000. Survivors include three children from her first marriage. Ms. Diller was a comedy legend and pioneer. She was the queen of one-liners and a true original. We thank her for all the laughs she brought us over the years. She will be deeply missed.
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, November 21
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "The 6:10 to Lubbock" (CBS, 10:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Georgie and Mandy get fed up staying with her parents and reconsider their living situation after a fight with Mandy’s mom, Audrey.
Ghosts - "Man of Your Dreams" (CBS, 10:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Sam learns that one of the ghosts’ powers is to enter the dreams of the livings and influence their decisions. Also, two of the ghosts think they’ve learned the secret to moving on.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 18)
Thursday, November 21
- Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show/My Boys/The Ellen Show/Welcome to New York) - Catch Jim on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Rita Moreno (One Day at a Time/Happily Divorced/9 to 5) - Rita appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Justine Lupe (Nobody Wants This/Cristela), Jackie Tohn (Nobody Wants This/GLOW) and Timothy Simons (HouseBroken/Veep) - Justine, Jackie and Timothy are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Kristin Chenoweth (Trial & Error/Kristin) - Kristin appears on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 10pm on Bravo.
- Maura Tierney (NewsRadio/The Van Dyke Show) - Maura is in the studio to discuss the neww season of Law and Order on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
- Paul Reiser (Mad About You/Red Oaks/Married/My Two Dads) - Paul is telling Drew about his huge return to comedy after thirty years with his standup special, Life, Death and Rice Pudding, and his new movie The Gutter on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- John O'Hurley (Seinfeld/Over the Top/The Mullets) - John will be on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.
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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