Wednesday, October 24, 2012

ABC Celebrates Halloween With Sitcom Episodes; CBS Picks Up Full Seasons of Vegas, Elementary

ABC Comedy Wednesday
ABC starts the Halloween season tonight (Oct. 24) with a night of spooky laughs. There'll be a little something for everyone when ABC celebrates the scariest night of the year with Halloween-themed programming. Haunting highlights (Oct. 24-31) include deliciously spooky recipes featured on The Chew, frightening laughs when the Bird-Kersees feel threatened by trick-or-treating kids on The Neighbors tonight at 8:30/7:30c, an entertaining costume party hosted by Mitch and Cam on Modern Family, and a chilling night of drama on 666 Park Avenue on Sunday, as Olivia puts the finishing touches on the Drake's annual costume gala.

The fun begins TONIGHT with ABC Comedy Wednesday. We've seen three of the four episodes tonight and they are hilarious and great Halloween episodes! On an all-new The Middle at 8/7c, as Halloween approaches, the Hecks get quite the scare when Sue receives her learner's permit, and it's time for Frankie and Mike to teach her how to drive. But when a freaked-out Sue loses her nerve, she ends up running over Axl's foot, which could put an end to his high school football career and his hopes for a scholarship. Meanwhile, Axl looks forward to voting in his first election, and Brick undergoes an unexpected transformation when he eats too much Halloween candy. Then on the new comedy The Neighbors, since arriving on Earth, the aliens - led by the Bird-Kersees - have viewed Halloween as a threat and have set up a barrier at the gates of Hidden Hills to prevent children dressed in costumes from entering the community. The Weavers, on the other hand, are excited about their first Halloween in the suburbs and want to open the gates of the community to celebrate. They do their best to explain the ritual of trick-or-treating to the aliens. Meanwhile, Marty and Debbie's fears are realized when Amber, Max and Abby reject their family costume plans.

Suburgatory - Tessa - Daphne
On TV's #1 comedy Modern Family at 9/8c, Claire has overdone it in Halloweens past and the neighbors definitely don't share her enthusiasm, so this year she's being forced to tone it down and keep it "kid-friendly," and Phil has an idea to hold an open house on Halloween night. Meanwhile, Mitch and Cam host a costume party while contending with Lily wondering who her real mom is, and Gloria's pregnancy hormones are on overdrive, making her even more hotheaded than usual. And then on Suburgatory, when Tessa convinces Dalia and the KKK (Kimantha, Kaitlyn and Kenzie) to come up with feminist inspired Halloween costumes, she finds herself the interest of the infamous East Chatswin witch (aka Paula), played by guest star Rachel Dratch. As it turns out Paula isn't exactly what she seems. Meanwhile George and Noah dress up as each other, and Dallas invites George to be "Ken" to her "Barbie" -- but he declines, not realizing that she is asking him out. And next week on the Tuesday comedies, on Happy Endings, Dave and Alex go apartment hunting, but their inability to commit to a place puts their real estate agent (guest star Rachael Harris) to the ultimate test. Meanwhile, Jane takes negotiations to crazy levels when she helps Penny shop for a car; professional freeloader Max shows a cash-strapped Brad how to spend the perfect Saturday in Chicago with no money at all; and the gang celebrates Halloween dressed as the legendary Jacksons. Rob Corddry guest stars as the Car Czar. And next Tuesday on Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, Halloween is June's favorite holiday, and even more so this year now that she is single! However when she discovers that Chloe plays elaborate Halloween "tricks" every year, June becomes consumed with stopping her before Chloe really hurts someone she might actually care about. Meanwhile due to a deep-rooted childhood fear of Halloween, James throws his annual Halloween "Positivity" Party.


And finally, the Halloween mania concludes on Halloween night with the best of them all, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. In the classic 1966 animated Halloween-themed special, created by late cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, the gang celebrates Halloween with Linus hoping that, finally, he will be visited by The Great Pumpkin, while Charlie Brown is invited to a Halloween party.


CBS has picked up full seasons for two rookie dramas: Tuesday drama Vegas and Thursday drama Elementary. Only the fate of new comedy Partners remains to be seen after the initial 13 episodes, as new drama Made In Jersey was already canned (it was the first new series canceled on any network). As for the other networks, NBC is likely going to give five more scripts to Guys with Kids, while ABC's new dramas 666 Park Avenue and Last Resort is looking to have two more scripts ordered as well. As for actual episode orders, The CW picked-up the back nine for new drama Arrow, so it will have a full season. Fox ordered two more Mindy Project episodes, so now it will be 24 episodes, as that is a vote of confidence since the series has only aired three times to not so great ratings.
Stay with us for any further updates on full season pick-ups and cancelations.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, March 18

Scrubs - "My Angel" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
J.D. ventures into the world of post-divorce dating with Turk’s guidance. Elliot gets creative when sourcing an organ for a beloved elderly patient, while the interns learn about the unspoken rules of the hospital.

Abbott Elementary - "Campaign" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Jacob and Ava team up for an initiative. Meanwhile, Melissa and Janine help Mr. Johnson get ready for the Janitor’s Ball.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "The Cocoon" (BET, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The assisted living family cares for Leah as she falls sick during her pregnancy; Phillip gains new clarity on his major for college.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Voltran" (BET, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Cora encourages the residents to live life to the fullest after experiencing the loss of a close friend; Sandra urges Philip to get out of his comfort zone due to his addiction to his video game.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 16)

Wednesday, March 18

  • Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback/No Good Deed/HouseBroken/Web Therapy/Friends/Mad About You) - Watch Lisa on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - Kerry appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. She also talks about Imperfect Women on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • Riz Ahmed (Bait) - Riz is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Elijah Wood (Wilfred), Sarah Michelle Gellar (The Crazy Ones and Kathryn Newton (Gary Unmarried) - Elijah, Sarah and Kathryn talk about Ready or Not 2: Here I Come on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am. Elijah and Sarah will also be on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm. Kathryn will be on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Linda Cardellini (Dead to Me/Guys Like Us) - Linda talks about DTF St. Louis on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Tony Shalhoub (We Are Men/Stark Raving Mad/Wings) - Tony talks about Antigone (This Play I Read in High School) on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
  • Nia Long (Uncle Buck/The Cleveland Show/The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) - Nia co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD) St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

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03/16 - Color Theories by Julio Torres on HBO; Lifetime's Ripped from the Headlines Spring Slate with Two New Movies
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03/04 - ABC's Scrubs Returns Big; Netflix's Little House on the Prairie Renewed for Season 2
03/03 - Prime Video's Kevin Premieres April 20; Fox Renews Best Medicine
03/02 - Running Point Returns April 23 on Netflix; A Different World Sequel Starts Production
03/01 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 2, 2026)
02/28 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Warner Now Set to Merge with Paramount, Not Netflix; X-Files Reboot Given Greenlight
02/27 - The Comeback Returns for Final Season on March 22; Animal Control Renewed for Season 5; Remembering Lauren Chapin of Father Knows Best and Robert Carradine of Lizzie McGuire
02/26 - AspireTV Gets First Ever Original Sitcom; Sullivan's Crossing Returns for Season 4 in April on The CW
02/25 - Scrubs Returns Tonight, Sneak Peek at Title Sequence; Stranger Things: Tales From '85 Reveals Odessa A'zion as Nikki Baxter
02/24 - Netflix's Wednesday Season 3 Adds to Cast; Wonder Pets: In the City Returns March 20
02/23 - Celebrities for ABC's Celebrity Jeopardy! All-Stars; Hallmark's Mistletoe Murders Renewed for Season 3
02/22 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 23, 2026)
02/21 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Hulu Orders New Adult Animated Comedy From Creator of Bluey; Casting News for Upcoming CBS Comedy Regency
02/20 - ABC Wednesday Comedies Find Valentine's Magic; Netflix Announces Dang!
02/19 - The Golden Girls Coming to MeTV in March; Adult Swim Announces My Two Cars
02/18 - Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special Coming to Disney+; Fox Spring 2026 Schedule and Finale Dates
02/17 - New Animated Comedy from Big Mouth Creators Coming May 22; Scottish Comedy Returns to Hulu February 25