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

Friday, April 19

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 15)

Friday, April 19

  • Joey King (Bent) - Watch Joey on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Esther Povitsky (Dollface/Alone Together) and Haley Joel Osment (Future Man/Alpha House/The Jeff Foxworthy Show/Thunder Alley) - Esther and Haley Joel are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Christine Taylor (Search Party/Arrested Development/Hey Dude and David Lascher (Sabrina the Teenage Witch/Blossom/Hey Dude) - Drew is handing the show over to Hey Dude…The 90s Called! Podcast Hosts Christine Taylor and David Lascher to interview her show for a special Drew's Download edition of the show. Christine and Drew reminisce on filming The Wedding Singer together and reveals which role she auditioned for but Drew got instead. Plus, they have a big surprise in store when they reunite Drew with a former castmate on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Michaela Watkins (Dinner with the Parents/Search Party/The Unicorn/Casual/Trophy Wife) and Daniel Thrasher (Dinner with the Parents) - Michaela and Daniel talk about Amazon Freevee's Dinner with the Parents on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Lauren Ash (Not Dead Yet/Superstore/Super Fun Night) - Lauren talks about ABC's Not Dead Yet on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • DulcĂ© Sloan (The Great North) - DulcĂ© shares easy Mother’s Day craft gift ideas on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
  • Alison Brie (Community/GLOW) - Alison is a guest on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.


New on DVD/Blu-ray

Father Knows Best - The Complete Series Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series Check It Out! - The Complete Series

12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
12/15 - Letterkenny - Season 11
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series
12/22 - Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection (includes The Ropers and Three's a Crowd)
01/09 - South Park - Seasons 11-15 (Blu-ray)
01/16 - Ghosts (UK) - Season Five
02/13 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/27 - The Really Loud House - Season One
03/12 - Ghosts (UK) - The Complete Series
03/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
03/12 - Rick and Morty - Season 7 (Blu-ray Steelbook) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/03 - Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series (VEI)
04/08 - Check It Out! - The Complete Series (VEI)

The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) That Girl - The Complete Series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

04/19 - Nikki Glaser Gets HBO Special; Peacock and UK Channel 4's We Are Lady Parts Season 2
04/18 - Acapulco Returns May 1; Iliza Shlesinger Heads to Prime Video
04/17 - 31st SAG Awards Airs on Netflix Next February; Prime Video Orders Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Spinoff with Host Travis Kelce
04/16 - ABC Renews The Rookie for Season 7; CBS Orders New Soap Opera The Gates
04/15 - Paramount+ Announces Final Season of Animated Star Trek Comedy; Lifetime May 2024 Movies
04/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 15, 2024)
04/13 - SitcomsOnline Digest: The Talk Coming to an End at CBS; CBS Renews The Neighborhood
04/12 - Netflix Orders Tom Segura Comedy Series; Surprise! S.W.A.T. Gets Uncanceled...Again
04/11 - Max's Velma Returns April 25; Eva Longoria Apple TV+ Series Premieres in June
04/10 - CBS Renews NCIS and The Neighborhood; Max's Pretty Little Liars Returns May 9
04/09 - CBS 2023-24 Season Finale Dates; Hacks Star Gets Max Comedy Special
04/08 - Letterman's My Next Guest Returns April 30; Jack McBrayer HGTV Series Premieres May 3
04/07 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 8, 2024)
04/06 - SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC Cancels Quantum Leap; Airdate Set for Final Pat Sajak Wheel of Fortune Episode
04/05 - Hulu Spring and Summer 2024 Slate; Netflix Orders Tyler Perry Drama; Remembering Joe Flaherty
04/04 - Apple TV+ The Big Door Prize Returns April 24; ABC Renews Will Trent for Season 3
04/03 - Sony Pictures and Game Show Network Upfront; ABC Renews Grey's Anatomy and 9-1-1 for 2024-25
04/02 - Adult Swim's Smiling Friends Returns May 12; Stallone Drama Returning for Season 2
04/01 - Selena Gomez Gets New Food Network Series; Orphan Black Gets New Series
03/31 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of April 1, 2024)
03/30 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Patricia Richardson on Potential Home Improvement Reboot; Paramount+ Removes Several Nickelodeon Series
03/29 - Hulu Launches on Disney+; Under the Bridge Premieres April 17
03/28 - Netflix's Good Times Animated Comedy Trailer; Too Close for Comfort and Check It Out! Complete Series on DVD
03/27 - The Upshaws Part 5 This April; Max Orders Noah Wyle Medical Drama
03/26 - Apple TV+ Orders Star-Studded Comedy; Elizabeth Banks Joins New Peacock Series
03/25 - Disney Channel Orders Wizards of Waverly Place Revival; Paramount+ Animated Comedy Ark: The Animated Series
03/24 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 25, 2024)
03/23 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Netflix Sets Premiere Date for Good Times Animated Reboot; NBC Renews Several Popular Series
03/22 - NBC Renews Nearly All Chicago and Law & Order Series; Goosebumps Season 2 Cast Update
03/21 - Hallmark Renews The Way Home; You Final Season Sets Cast
03/20 - Community Arrives on Peacock April 1, Movie Coming Soon; Hulu Premieres New Comedy Dinosaur April 5
03/19 - NBC Summer 2024 Schedule; Starz Drama Rounds Out All-Star Cast