Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Leave it to Beaver Marathon on Antenna TV; Episodic Reviews: Suburgatory - "Apocalypse Meow" and "Stray Dogs" and How to Live with Your Parents - "How to Live with the Academy Awards Party" - All Airing Tonight on ABC

We just mentioned a few Leave it to Beaver news items recently, including about the sitcom leaving Antenna TV and moving to MeTV and also the passing of Frank Bank (Lumpy Rutherford). Now, we have news on a "farewell" marathon on Antenna TV, since the sitcom is leaving the network. Transform your Sunday into "Sonday" and spend Sunday, April 28 with America's favorite sons, Wally and the Beaver Cleaver. Antenna TV, which airs on 74 affiliates across the U.S., reaching 63% of TV households, will air a 40 episode/20 hour Leave it to Beaver marathon on Sunday, April 28 beginning at 9am ET and lasting through 5am ET. Here are a list of episodes in order of airing: Beaver's Hero, The Boat Builders, Beaver Becomes a Hero, Beaver's Freckles, Beaver Play Hooky, The Garage Painters, Beaver's Pigeons, The Haunted House, Beaver and Gilbert, The Bus Ride, A Horse Named Dick, Beaver Says Goodbye, Beaver's Newspaper, Friendship, Dance Contest, The Cookie Fund, Forgotten Party, Beaver the Athlete, Found Money, Most Interesting Character, Wally's Play, Beaver Finds a Wallet, Baby Picture, Pet Fair, Wally's Election, School Sweater, Beaver Makes a Loan, Larry's Club, Wally and Alma, Beaver's Big Contest, Beaver Won't Eat, Wally's Glamour Girl, Wally the Lifeguard, Beaver's IQ, Eddie's Double Cross, Miss Lander's Fiancée, Chuckie's New Shoes, Ward's Millions, Teacher's Daughter and Beaver and Kenneth. Stay with us for continued updates on all things Leave it to Beaver!




On the next...Suburgatory:
By: Pavan

ABC's Comedy Wednesday sitcom starring Jane Levy and Jeremy Sisto, airs Wednesday nights at 8:30pm and we have just watched the two-episode season finale that airs tonight (April 17), starting at a special time of 8pm ET. In the first episode airing tonight, "Apocalypse Meow," Dallas (Cheryl Hines) offers to help George (Jeremy Sisto) tell Tessa (Jane Levy) that he's sold their house and that they're combining residences, but it doesn't go as planned. The rift between Dalia (Carly Chaikin) and Tessa widens as Dalia goes out of her way to make Tessa miserable and Tessa seeks break-up revenge. Meanwhile, Noah (Alan Tudyk) obsesses over Carmen (guest star Bunnie Rivera) even though she's dating his therapist (guest star Todd Louiso). On the season finale, "Stray Dogs," Sheila (Ana Gasteyer) launches a chastity campaign in Chatswin and convinces Mr. Wolfe (Rex Lee) to throw a Chastity Ball at the high school, assuming that Lisa (Allie Grant) will be crowned queen of the ball. Meanwhile George (Jeremy Sisto) buys a house for Dallas (Cheryl Hines) and receives a visit from her ex-husband (guest star Jay Mohr), and Tessa (Jane Levy) sets up residence in her bathroom stall at school.

The 2-episode season finale continues where we left off last week. Things are getting interesting and soapy between Dalia and Tessa after Tessa finds out that Dalia was the reason why she and Ryan broke up. The first half-hour sets-up the finale with George selling the house but he still hasn't told Tessa. Dallas offers to help tell her, but will she actually do it and Tessa finds out another way? There's also a nice scene between Dalia and "Daddy" Altman (aka George), while Tessa and Dallas indulge in pasta before Tessa tells how she really feels about Dalia. I'm still not 100% sure why Dalia is trying to mess everything up for Tessa, but we have an all-out cat fight in the episode and it is pretty physical. Not quite campy like Dynasty or Desperate Housewives, but maybe a bit more realistic. In other plotlines, Lisa has a hilarious one about "meow mixes." It's hilarious. The plotline about Noah trying to get revenge on Dr. Bob over the Carmen thing is getting old and needs to end, I think. Either put them together or just stop it. The first half-hour ends with Tessa saying she's "outta here"...you'll have to see why.



In the second half-hour, Tessa is looking for places to stay. She can't find anyone to stay with, so she ends up staying temporarily in the school bathroom. The other plotlines for this episode are the Chastity Ball hosted by Sheila (but her expectations are not met) and of course Dallas and George preparing to move into their new house. There is so much that happens during the rest of the finale that it is best I not say. The finale is well-written and has so many "oh my god" moments. We have a lot of cliffhangers, surprise returns (I'll tell you one person who returns: Dallas' ex-husband and he tries to start a cat fight of his own) and a stray dog. I can't really say what a stray dog has to do with all this, but it will make sense when you watch the finale tonight. Does Dalia want her father back or does she want Daddy Altman instead? And why is she trying to make Tessa's life a living hell? Is it because she wants George all to herself? I don't know, but that Dalia is one interesting and complex character. We have a nice moment between Tessa and Ryan as well, but will it last? It's a great finale for a great show. I can't wait for next season, which I'm about 95% sure will happen. Tune in tonight for great storylines and writing. First episode: B+, Second episode: A-




On the next...How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life):
By: Skees

ABC's Comedy Wednesday sitcom starring Sarah Chalke, Elizabeth Perkins and Brad Garrett and airs Wednesday nights at 9:30pm and we have just watched the next episode that airs tonight (April 17). In the episode airing tonight, "How To Live With The Academy Awards Party," the family celebrate their favorite holiday - the Oscars. Polly (Sarah Chalke) invites an old classmate over for the event and tries to impress him (guest star Reid Scott). Meanwhile, Max (Brad Garrett) thinks that Elaine (Elizabeth Perkins) has too close a relationship with her brother (guest star)Joe Wengert, and tensions explode at the party.

In this episode we get to enjoy a very special holiday episode... or at least something that Max and Elaine consider to be a holiday, the Oscars. With the big Oscar party coming up, Polly decides to reinvent her life, quite literally, when she has the opportunity to be with an old classmate whom she only remembers through a rear-view mirror. Only now, he seems to have found great success in life. It seems that we have yet another dating episode of the series (and perhaps a series of mishaps), and honestly, I often find such episodes to be a bit too predictable. But I actually didn't mind this one, and thought that it was a rather enjoyable episode. Essentially, for Polly to get what she wants, she decides to pretend to be somebody that she isn't, and the family is rather supportive of that. But there was a bit of suspense in the episode, wondering if/when she'll be caught and what the outcome of being caught would be. As much as I enjoyed that element of suspense, I actually found the end result to be predictable, but it was still an enjoyable plot nonetheless.



While I enjoyed the main plot of the episode, I do feel that the B-plots were rather weak. The first one involves the relationship between Max and Elaine's brother, where there is clearly some animosity, but the story doesn't really seem to be fully developed. We're told that it is about taking sides, but it didn't seem to be much to explain why anybody was taking sides. We tend to expect a bit more of an explanation in modern sitcoms. Meanwhile, over at Julian's place, Natalie is having a pretty miserable time (something that seems to be a regular thing no matter what Natalie is doing), but once again, this doesn't all quite make sense either, as this isn't fully explained either. Regardless, I found this to be another decent episode of a series that I'm hoping we'll see quite a bit more of. A-


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, April 15

Scrubs - "My Celebration" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
A chaotic day at Sacred Heart forces the doctors and interns to face burnout, life-changing decisions, and their relationships with one another.

Abbott Elementary - "Night Out" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Janine and Gregory have a night out. Meanwhile, Melissa, Barbara and Mr. Johnson have a movie night.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 13)

Wednesday, April 15

  • Bob Odenkirk (The Larry Sanders Show) - Watch Bob on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Paul Walter Hauser (The Afterparty) - Paul appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Zendaya (K.C. Undercover/Shake It Up) - Zendaya is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Zoe Lister-Jones (Slip/Life in Pieces/Friends with Better Lives/Whitney) - Andy Cohen interviews Zoe on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 10pm on Bravo. She also talks about Peacock's The Miniature Wife on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Ramy Youssef (#1 Happy Family USA/Ramy/See Dad Run) - Ramy is a guest on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
  • Kimberly Williams-Paisley (According to Jim) - Kimberly talks about 9-1-1: Nashville on Live with Kelly and Mark (check your local listings) and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
  • Blair Underwood (Fatherhood/The New Adventures of Old Christine) - Blair talks about A Soldier's Wife: My Mother, the Marvelous Mrs. Marilyn A. Underwood on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) and Amy Sedaris (No Activity/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/Strangers with Candy) - Aubrey, Amy and John Waters talk about Kevin with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Terry talks about Terry's Many Hats on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
  • Jennie Garth (Mystery Girls/What I Like About You) - Jennie shares her new book, I Choose Me: Chasing Joy, Finding Purpose & Embracing Reinvention, and opens up about a deeper emotional truth hiding behind what people thought they knew about her, reinventing herself, and leading a movement of women who are choosing themselves on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • Andie MacDowell (Four Weddings and a Funeral/Cuckoo) - NBC's Today catches up with Andie in the 9am hour.
  • Lena Dunham (Girls) - Lena talks about her new memoir Famesick on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle/The Louie Show) - Bryan talks about coming back for the Malcolm in the Middle reboot, his daughter starring in The Pitt and some of his most iconic roles over the years on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.


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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03/26 - Great Entertainment Television to Honor Chuck Norris; ABC's R.J. Decker Gets Time Slot Upgrade
03/25 - Netflix Announces Details of Nobody Wants This Season 3; Paramount+ Renews School Spirits for Season 4
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03/23 - The Roast of Kevin Hart LIVE on Netflix; HBO Renews Late-Night Series
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03/20 - TBS Orders Season 13 of Impractical Jokers; HBO's Josh Johnson Comedy Special
03/19 - Netflix Casts Scooby-Doo Live-Action Series; Darren Star's Next Comedy Series Uncorked
03/18 - Saturday Night Live UK to Launch This Weekend; Hulu Renews Paradise for Season 3
03/17 - Netflix Renews Free Bert for Season 2; The Neighborhood: A Farewell Special in April
03/16 - Color Theories by Julio Torres on HBO; Lifetime's Ripped from the Headlines Spring Slate with Two New Movies
03/15 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 16, 2026)