Monday, March 25, 2013

Home Improvement Coming to Hallmark Channel in Fall 2013; ABC Family Orders 3rd Season of Baby Daddy



Hallmark Channel has announced that the network has acquired the rights to the popular 1990s sitcom, Home Improvement from Disney-ABC Domestic Television. The off-network comedy series will drive the network's sitcom block with all 203 episodes from the series (seasons one through eight) joining the schedule in September 2013. The classic family comedy joins reruns of Emmy nominated drama, The Good Wife, which begins airing in January 2014, and reruns of award-winning comedy, The Middle, airing March 2014, as the network accelerates its strategy to assemble a "dream team" of programs comprised of acquired hits and original scripted fare.

Currently, Home Improvement airs on both TV Land and TBS. However, TV Land's rights to the series is expiring at the end of August and it looks like Hallmark will be picking their rights up. TV Land is airing the sitcom in the 5am hour right now. TBS will also be losing the rights to the series. Right now they only air the sitcom on Sunday mornings at 7am and after April 28 it is missing from the schedule completely (replaced by an extra Friends rerun). Both Nick at Nite/TV Land and TBS signed a six-year deal for the sitcom back in 2007 (announced in 2004) and that is expiring at the end of this August, 2013. It'll be interesting to see if Hallmark Channel will have exclusive rights or if another network will also pick it up to share with Hallmark. Or maybe either TV Land or TBS will renew it, but that seems unlikely, especially TBS. We'll certainly keep you in the loop.

Based on the stand-up comedy of Tim Allen, Home Improvement made its network debut on ABC in September 1991 and was one of the highest-rated sitcoms for almost the entire decade. This popular family comedy starred Tim Allen, Patricia Richardson, Earl Hindman, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Zachery Ty Bryan, Taran Noah Smith, Richard Karn and Debbe Dunning as the "Tool Time" Girl. Pamela Anderson (pictured) had a recurring role in the first two seasons as the "Tool Time" Girl. The series was a family viewing favorite and appealed to all age groups. The universal themes of family, parenting, the battle of the sexes - and of course, man's need for "more power" - come to play throughout the episodes of Home Improvement. The show's writing and performances have allowed it to address serious issues in a humorous way, from mid-life crises and career concerns, to health challenges and the ups and downs of adolescent relationships. The final episode aired on May 25, 1999 with a 90-minute finale, which was the fourth highest-rated comedy series finale of the 1990s, behind Cheers, The Cosby Show, and Seinfeld. The show was honored with an abundance of awards, including Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, People's Choice Awards, Nickelodeon Awards and Kid's Choice Awards. America's favorite tool-man, Tim Allen, won the People's Choice Award for "Favorite Actor in a Television Comedy Series" for eight consecutive years. Stay with us in the coming months for more details on the sitcom joining Hallmark Channel, including of course premiere date and what times it will air.




ABC Family announced the network has green-lit a third season of its hit original comedy series, Baby Daddy. The order came just as production wrapped on the second season of the series, which premieres on ABC Family, Wednesday, May 29 at 8:30pm ET/PT, after an all-new episode of comedy Melissa & Joey, as we previously announced. The sitcom was an immediate success when it launched last summer and based on the creative strength they saw during production on Season Two, and how the episodes, storylines and characters are developing, they decided to double down on this hit show and keep it in production for additional episodes. Baby Daddy premiered to ratings success in its first season as the #1 new cable comedy of Summer 2012 in key female demos, winning its time period across ABC Family's core Adult 18-34, Adult 18-49 and Millennial demos. Together with Melissa & Joey (its lead-in), Baby Daddy has made ABC Family summer's cable comedy destination on Wednesday nights.

Before we get to season three, we still have season two launching this summer. ABC Family also announced that it has cast Leslie Jordan (The Help, Will & Grace) to guest star on the original comedy series. Jordan will guest star in the holiday episode as a world-weary elf from the local mall who becomes Ben (Jean-Luc Bilodeau) and Danny's (Derek Theler) boss when they get jobs at Santa's Workshop. He gives them a hard time as they desperately search to find Emma the perfect gift for Christmas. The episode will air later this year (closer to the holiday season). The series stars Jean-Luc Bilodeau, Derek Theler, Tahj Mowry, with Melissa Peterman and Chelsea Kane. The multi-camera comedy shoots in front of a live studio audience in Los Angeles.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Sunday, October 1

The Simpsons - "Homer's Crossing" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
eeling worthless at work, Homer volunteers to be a school crossing guard; when Homer's safety squad receives too much funding, the crossing guards become a force to be feared.

Krapopolis - "Wife Swamp" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Tyrannis returns from a quest with a girlfriend; Hippocampus, Stupendous, and Schlub fight and then befriend a species of wolves.

Bob's Burgers - "Fight at the Not Okay Chore-ral" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
When Linda and Bob suggest the kids do chores, the family ends up in a showdown.

Family Guy - "Fertilized Megg" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Meg agrees to be Bruce and Jeffery's surrogate, causing a pregnant Meg to annoy her family; when the couple fails to pick up the baby, the Griffins must take care of their new family member.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 25)

Friday, September 29

  • Amy Poehler (Duncanville/Parks and Recreation) - Watch Amy on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Lea Michele (The Mayor) - Lea is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Nathan Lane (Only Murders in the Building/Modern Family/Charlie Lawrence/Encore! Encore!/One of the Boys) - Nathan appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) and Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite) - Margaret and Maria are guests on repeats of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen on CBS between 12:37-1:37am.
  • Patton Oswalt (A.P. Bio/The Goldbergs/The King of Queens) - Patton will be on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.


New on DVD/Blu-ray (June-October)

Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series Family Matters - The Complete Series Step by Step - The Complete Series ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition)

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


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

09/30 - SitcomsOnline Digest: WGA Strike Officially Over; ABC Cancels Home Economics
09/29 - Lifetime Announces New Thrillers; Big Mouth Season 7 Trailer
09/28 - New Season of Wolf Like Me on Peacock; Max Original Animated Series Debuts October 19
09/27 - Moonlighting Coming to Hulu; Showtime Announces Date for The Curse
09/26 - Rick and Morty Season 7 Trailer; Fox's Krapopolis Debuts Well
09/25 - Laff Fall 2023 Schedule with Last Man Standing and Man with a Plan; Upload Returns October 20
09/24 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 25, 2023)
09/23 - SitcomsOnline Digest: An End on the Horizon for WGA Strike?; Hallmark Ready for Christmas
09/22 - The Santa Clauses Season 2 Launches November 8; CBS Alters Fall Schedule
09/21 - Penn & Teller: Fool Us Gets New Return Date; Netflix's Unicorn Academy Premieres November 2
09/20 - Paramount+ Announces Colin from Accounts; The Really Loud House Gets Halloween Movie
09/19 - The Simpsons Season 34 Streams October 11 on Disney+; Good Burger 2 Set for Holiday Season
09/18 - Hulu's Huluween and Disney+'s Hallowstream Line-Up; Shining Vale Returns October 13 on STARZ
09/17 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 18, 2023)
09/16 - SitcomsOnline Digest: ABC Cancels Wonder Years Reboot; Byron Allen Makes $10 Billion Offer to Buy ABC
09/15 - Antenna TV's Bewitched Halloween Marathon; Rewind TV's Sabrina the Teenage Witch-O-Ween Marathon
09/14 - Dancing with the Stars Season 32 Cast; BUZZR Celebrates 40 Years of Press Your Luck
09/13 - TBS Acquires Modern Family; The Frasier Awards on COZI TV
09/12 - Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen Gets CBS Late Night Run; Unsolved Mysteries: Behind the Legacy Special
09/11 - Matt Rife Gets Netflix Special; Star Trek Day and Kid Cudi Join Forces
09/10 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 11, 2023)
09/09 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Warner Bros. Television Suspends Deals with Top Creators; Fran Drescher Re-Elected President of SAG-AFTRA
09/08 - CBS Announces Hosts of Game Show; New Goosebumps Premieres Friday the 13th This October on Disney+ and Hulu
09/07 - MeTV Presents Svengoolie's Halloween BOOnanza!; The CW Moving Fall Comedies to Thursdays
09/06 - CBS to Air NCIS: Sydney This Fall; Fox Makes Fall Change
09/05 - TBS and TNT September Stunts Include Big Bang Theory Batman Day Marathon; Netflix UK Produced Series Updates
09/04 - TV Marathons on Labor Day 2023 Include Three's Company
09/03 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 4, 2023)
09/02 - SitcomsOnline Digest: No Third Season for How I Met Your Father; Spectrum Dispute with Disney Could Spell End of Cable
09/01 - September Is Anniversary Month on Hulu; Freeform's 31 Nights of Halloween Returns for Its 25th Anniversary
08/31 - Max's Original Comedy Series Starstruck Season 3 and Our Flag Means Death Season 2 Premiere Dates; AXS TV Announces Fall Programming Lineup
08/30 - The Partridge Family Coming to AXS TV Starting Oct. 2; CBS to Air A Tribute to Bob Barker Special Aug. 31, Marathon of Match Game Episodes to Air Sept. 2 on Game Show Network