Thursday, March 07, 2013
Hallmark Shuffles Daytime Schedule Again; CW Reviving Whose Line Is It Anyway?
The Hallmark Channel continues tinkering with their daytime lifestyle block on the schedule. The sitcom reruns are doing fine but their original daytime lifestyle block has struggled. Beginning Monday, March 11, 2013, Home & Family will move from 8-10am to 10am-12pm once again, while Marie and Mad Hungry will move to 12-2pm again instead of 10-12am. The original daytime lifestyle block was airing 8am-12pm but now it will be back to 10am-2pm, so The Golden Girls daytime block is moving back to 8-10am rather than 12-2pm. Hallmark has struggled with the original block since it started with The Martha Stewart Show. Earlier this week they announced another new partnership anchored by an exclusive cable syndication agreement bringing award-winning lifestyle program The Better Show to Hallmark Channel's lineup of daytime lifestyle programming. The Better Show (aka Better TV) currently airs every weekday in more than 160 markets reaching 80 percent of U.S. television households, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia, the country's top four television markets. The Better Show consistently ranks No. 1 in its time period in many markets and, as a result of its continuing success, Meredith recently renewed The Better Show for a seventh season. Beginning this fall, The Better Show will air every weekday on the Hallmark Channel during its daytime programming block, which also includes Home & Family and Marie. Each episode will air on the Hallmark Channel a day following the original nationally syndicated show. It is the first cable network distribution agreement for Meredith Video Studios.
With the addition of The Better Show this Fall, it doesn't look like the daytime lifestyle block is going anywhere anytime soon, despite all this tinkering on the schedule. Back to the current schedule, no other changes will be made, so Happy Days, The Brady Bunch, Frasier, Cheers, and I Love Lucy will remain in their current time periods. Only the daytime block of The Golden Girls is moving earlier, as mentioned. As for stunts, look for an I Love Lucy 24-hour marathon on Saturday, April 20, 2013 starting bright and early at 6am! Stay with us for continued updates on The Hallmark Channel's schedule.
The CW is going for laughs this summer by ordering a new take on the hit improvisational comedy series, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, hosted this time by comedian Aisha Tyler (The Talk). Premiere information will be announced at a later time. The CW's Whose Line Is It Anyway? features the return of original improv stars Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady and Colin Mochrie, who along with a special guest each episode, must put their comedic skills to the test through a series of spontaneous improv games. Prompted only by random ideas supplied by the studio audience and host Aisha Tyler, our four performers must use the little information they have and their wild imaginations to depict different characters and an array of scenes, as well as perform songs. After each round of improvisation, Aisha will dole out points to our four performers and declare a winner at the end of every episode. Based on the wildly successful U.K. format, which also spawned a previous incarnation in the US that ran for eight seasons on ABC, Whose Line Is It Anyway? is executive produced by Dan Patterson, Mark Leveson, Jimmy Mulville, Ryan Stiles and Wayne Brady.
The original Whose Line Is It Anyway? on ABC was hosted by Drew Carey from 1998-2007 and also started as a summer show in August 1998. Last summer, ABC aired a similar series hosted by Fred Willard called Trust Us With Your Life, that had Wayne Brady and Colin Mochrie, but was canceled after 6 episodes. The CW has ordered 10 episodes of this revival of Whose Line Is It Anyway? We'll have premiere date news soon, but can it do better than last summer's Trust Us With Your Life?
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Thursday, September 28
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 25)
Thursday, September 28
- George Clooney (Roseanne/The Facts of Life/ E/R (1984-1985) - Catch George on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC. He joins Drew for the entire show opening up about meeting the love of his life Amal, revealing the sweet thing they still do for each other to this day, their engagement story and more on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Eva Longoria (Telenovela) - Eva appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Hank Azaria (The Simpsons/Brockmire/Free Agents/Herman's Head) - Hank is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Diane Morgan (After Life) - Diane appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Sebastian Maniscalco (How to Be a Bookie) and Baron Vaughn (Grace and Frankie/Corporate) - Sebastian and Baron are guests on repeats of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen on CBS between 12:37-1:37am.
- Garcelle Beauvais (Survival of the Thickest/The Jamie Foxx Show) - E! News has an interview with Garcelle at 11pm on E!.
- Kerry Washington (Unprisoned) - Kerry is a guest on Watch What Happens: Live at 10pm on Bravo.
- Ed Begley Jr. (Young Sheldon/Your Family or Mine/Gary Unmarried/Wednesday 9:30 (8:30 Central)) - Ed talks about his new book To the Temple of Tranquility...And Step On It! A Memoir on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Tiffani Thiessen (Saved by the Bell/Alexa & Katie/Good Morning, Miami/Saved by the Bell: The College Years) - Tiffani discusses her latest cookbook, Here We Go Again: Recipes and Inspiration to Level Up Your Leftovers, on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Sam Jay (Bust Down) - Sam talks about her just-released HBO comedy special, Salute Me or Shoot Me, on Sherri, so check your local listings.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (June-October)
06/13 - Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series
06/13 - Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series
07/18 - South Park - Seasons 21-25 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
07/25 - The Neighborhood - Season Five
07/25 - Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin - Season One
07/25 - Superstore - The Complete Series
08/22 - Back to Life - Season 1 / Season 2
08/29 - Smiling Friends - Season 1 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/05 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Sixth Season
09/12 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Second Season
09/12 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-6 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/26 - Family Matters - The Complete Series
09/26 - Step by Step - The Complete Series
10/10 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Thirteen / The Complete Season Fourteen
10/17 - ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) (Shout! Factory Special Offers)
10/17 - Night Court (2023) - The Complete First Season
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