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

Monday, December 15

St. Denis Medical - "A Waste of Time and Marble" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
With the threat of a nurse walkout, Alex is caught between her colleagues and Joyce; Ron and Bruce go above and beyond to help an unexpected patient.

The Paper - "Churnalism" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Ned takes over Esmeralda's advertorials and assigns the staff to test products themselves, but Esmeralda retaliates and covers one of Ned's stories and finds a scandal; Ken turns Adam into a lab rat; Oscar and Adelola compare pain tolerances.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 15)

Monday, December 15

  • Simu Liu (Kim's Convenience) - Watch Simu on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. He also talks about The Copenhagen Test on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 10am hour.
  • Paul Rudd (The Shrink Next Door/Living with Yourself/Wild Oats) - Paul appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite/Benched) - Maria is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - Andy Cohen interviews Kerry on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 11pm on Bravo.
  • Odessa A'zion (I Love LA/Fam) - Odessa talks about Marty Supreme on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
  • Patti LaBelle (Out All Night) - Patti treats us to an EXCLUSIVE festive performance of It’s The Most Wonderful Time of The Year on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • Kate Hudson (Running Point) - Kate talks about Song Sung Blue on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
  • Rosie Perez (Human Resources/Search Party) - Rosie co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Hank Azaria (The Simpsons/Brockmire/Free Agents/Herman's Head) - Hank and The EZ Street Band stop by for a chat and performance on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Ana Gasteyer (American Auto/People of Earth/Lady Dynamite/Suburgatory) - NBC's Today catches up with Ana in the 10am hour.
  • Connie Britton (SMILF/Lost at Home/The Fighting Fitzgeralds/Spin City) - Connie tells Sherri about starring in The Family McMullen, the sequel to The Brothers McMullen, on a repeat of Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Ashley Park (Emily in Paris/Only Murders in the Building/Girls5eva/Nightcap) - Ashley talks about the highly-anticipated fifth season of Emily in Paris on Netflix on a repeat of Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Glen Powell (Chad Powers/Scream Queens) - Glen talks about The Running Man on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • William H. Macy (Sports Night) - William talks about Netflix's Train Dreams on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Andy Richter (Andy Barker, P.I./Quintuplets/Andy Richter Controls the Universe) - Andy talks about ABC's Dancing with the Stars on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, 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)

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series (DVD)
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two (DVD)
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season (DVD)
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2 (DVD)
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (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)
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)

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


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