FX Acquires Kelsey Grammer/Martin Lawrence Sitcom; Charlie's Angels Every Episode Marathon on Universal HD

Thursday, June 20, 2013

FX Acquires Kelsey Grammer/Martin Lawrence Sitcom; Charlie's Angels Every Episode Marathon on Universal HD

FX has closed a 10/90 deal (10 episode test run, if it does well the back-90 episodes get picked-up) with Lionsgate Television and Lionsgate's Debmar-Mercury for the new untitled sitcom starring comedy legends Martin Lawrence and Kelsey Grammer. Prolific comedy veterans Bob Boyett and Robert Horn, whose half-hour credits collectively include Family Matters, Perfect Strangers, Full House, Living Single and Designing Women, will executive produce and write the Lionsgate Television-produced show. Executive producers also include Kelsey Grammer, Martin Lawrence, Brian Sher, Stella Bulochnikov, Michael Green and Sam Maydew. The new sitcom marks the much-anticipated return to television of both Lawrence and Grammer, who play two Chicago lawyers from vastly different backgrounds who unexpectedly meet in court on the worst day of their lives. Brought together by fate and greed, they develop a partnership and friendship, forcing each other to find the balance between the ethical and the unscrupulous in both their professional and personal lives.

FX has ordered 10 episodes of the sitcom and, as is standard with the 10/90 model, if the series meets designated ratings thresholds over its first 10-episode run, the network will trigger an additional 90-episode order. The 10/90 model is a unique syndication model crafted by Debmar-Mercury for multiple sitcoms, including FX's own Anger Management and the upcoming FX George Lopez series Saint George, Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Meet The Browns, and Revolution's and Ice Cube's Are We There Yet? The Martin-Grammer sitcom will air exclusively on FX until the off-network episodes start airing in broadcast syndication in fall 2017. We will have MUCH more information on this series soon, including the title, other members of the cast and when it will premiere with its 10-episode test run. Stay tuned.

Hello, Angels! From Monday, July 1 through Friday, July 5 from 6:00am-4:00am ET each day, Universal HD will air the classic '70s drama Charlie's Angels "From the Beginning" with a marathon that will consist of all 116 episodes. This marathon will even feature the two-hour movie that started off the series as the pilot episode. What better way to spend your 4th of July week than with the Angels. No beach and bikini's needed since we have these Angels! Now is your chance to relive, discover or catch-up on every single episode of this iconic series starring Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith, Cheryl Ladd, Shelley Hack, Tanya Roberts, David Doyle, and John Forsythe as the voice of Charles Townsend. Universal HD airs the drama in HD and the series airs in various late night and early morning slots, along with a Friday primetime airing at 9pm and alternate Thursday marathons from 10am-7pm.

Stay with us for more information and also we will have more news on Charlie's Angels soon as it will be part of a special classic marathon on sister network Cloo soon. We will announce when and what the marathon is soon! For now, enjoy five days of non-stop Angels action on Universal HD!

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Friday, July 3

The Dick Van Dyke Show - Now in Living Color! - (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
CBS will honor the memory of legendary actor, producer, director, writer, comedian and Emmy Award winner Carl Reiner with THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW – NOW IN LIVING COLOR! A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO CARL REINER, featuring two colorized back-to-back classic episodes of the beloved 1960s series, Friday, July 3 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. As series creator and co-star, Carl Reiner personally supervised the original colorization of the episodes.

The special features “Coast to Coast Big Mouth,” which ranked #8 on TV Guide’s list of the “100 Greatest TV Episodes of All-Time,” and “October Eve,” which Mr. Reiner considered to be one of the series’ funniest episodes. Both were written by Bill Persky and Sam Denoff.

In “Coast to Coast Big Mouth,” Laura Petrie blurts out a top secret on a national television quiz show, revealing that comedian Alan Brady wears a toupee. The episode, which was the show’s fifth and final season premiere, was originally broadcast on Sept. 15, 1965. “Coast to Coast Big Mouth” won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 1966.

In “October Eve,” a painting of Laura returns to haunt her when, despite her having posed fully clothed, the artist (played by Carl Reiner) takes the liberty of “undraping” her. The episode was first presented on April 8, 1964, during season three.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 29)

Friday, July 3

Kevin Hart (The Big House/Undeclared) - Watch Kevin on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12:35am on ABC.
Tina Fey (30 Rock) - Tina appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Laura Dern (Enlightened) - Laura is a guest on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Mark Duplass (Togetherness/The Mindy Project/The League) - Mark appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly/Samantha Who?) - Melissa guest hosts a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Brett Gelman (Camping/Fleabag/Love/Married/Go On) - Brett appears on a repeat of A Little Late with Lilly Singh at 1:35am on NBC.
Tika Sumpter (mixed-ish/The Game) - Tika talks about the season finale of mixed-ish and her latest project helping new moms on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Peter Gallagher (Grace and Frankie/The Secret Lives of Men) - Peter talks about Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist and Grace and Frankie on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.