TVGN Acquires Cheers to Launch June 15; Tracy Morgan to Star in FX Comedy Pilot

Thursday, June 06, 2013

TVGN Acquires Cheers to Launch June 15; Tracy Morgan to Star in FX Comedy Pilot

One of television's most acclaimed comedies of all-time joins TVGN's (TV Guide Network) daytime line-up this summer with daily weekday episodes. That sitcom is Cheers and it will air beginning Monday, June 17, 2013 and air from 11:00AM-1:00PM ET/PT and 5:00–7:00PM ET/PT. To locate TVGN on cable or satellite, viewers can visit www.tvgn.tv for a channel finder. Leading up to the premiere, TVGN will air a one-hour original special The Cast of Cheers: Where Are They Now? on Monday, June 10 at 9:00PM ET/PT. The special catches up with the all-star cast including Ted Danson, John Ratzenberger, Shelley Long, Kristie Alley, Rhea Pearlman and many more, to see what they have been up to since they left their barstools behind. For a preview of The Cast of Cheers: Where Are They Now?, view the video clip below.

Back to the TVGN schedule, Cheers will replace an hour of Cybill and originals from 11am-1pm, while the 5-7pm block is replacing an hour each of Designing Women and Who's the Boss? The schedule will now be Ugly Betty still from 9-11am, Cheers from 11am-1pm, specials at 1pm, Designing Women from 2pm-4pm, Who's the Boss? 4-5pm, Cheers from 5-7pm, and more Who's the Boss? from 7-8pm. As of now, it looks like Cybill and Early Edition will be off the schedule. The network will add same day runs of Young & the Restless soon to weekdays at 7pm but first the special The Young & the Restless On-Set: inFANity will premiere Monday, June 17 at 9pm. Stay with us for updates.

Cheers will actually launch with a marathon prior to its June 17 regular schedule debut. On Saturday, June 15 from 12:00 Noon–8:00PM ET/PT, viewers can tune-in for "Cliff Notes," an eight-hour marathon of back-to-back fan favorite episodes hosted by John Ratzenberger, who of course played the role of Cliff Clavin on Cheers. John reminisces about his time on the long-running sitcom with insider stories and fun facts about the show. If you don't know, Cheers focuses on the colorful staff and off-beat patrons of a friendly Boston bar owned by a former Red Sox pitcher where "everybody knows your name." The sitcom starred Ted Danson as Sam Malone, Shelley Long as Diane Chambers, Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe, Nick Colasanto as Coach, Rhea Perlman as Carla Tortelli, George Wendt as Norm, John Ratzenberger as Cliff, Woody Harrelson as Woody and Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Frasier Crane. The sitcom will continue to air on the other networks it airs on (Hallmark Channel, ReelzChannel TV and USA Network).

Tracy Morgan

Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan has closed a deal to star in the FX Networks comedy series pilot, Death Pact, from Rob Long and Tad Safran. Production of the single-camera, half-hour pilot episode will take place this summer in New York or New Jersey. Death Pact was co-created by Rob Long (Sullivan & Son, Cheers) and Tad Safran (The Long Weekend), who also serve as Executive Producers/Writers. Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum (Two and a Half Men and the new CBS comedy We Are Men) of the Tannenbaum Company are Executive Producers. Death Pact is produced by FX Productions. In Death Pact, Morgan stars as a formerly lazy, pot-dealing assistant high school coach, who returns to his hometown as a decorated war hero. He runs across three down-on-their-luck friends and former students and sucks them into his new radical self-help philosophy, which involves harsh consequences for failure. Stay with us for continued updates and if this series gets picked-up to series or not. Right now it is just a pilot.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Thursday, November 21

Young Sheldon - "The Sin of Greed and a Chimichanga from Chi-Chi’s" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The University makes George Sr. a lucrative job offer in the hopes of recruiting Sheldon. Also, Georgie gets a job working for Meemaw’s new boyfriend, and Mary is determined to rid her home of greed.

The Unicorn - "Turkeys and Traditions" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Wade and the girls tackle hosting a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for friends and extended family. Also, Ben attempts to make a fried turkey for the very first time. Annie Mumolo guest stars as Aunt Allison, Wade’s opinionated and passive-aggressive sister-in-law who’s visiting for Thanksgiving.

Mom - "Hot Butter and Toxic Narcissism" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Christy regrets fleeing the scene after hitting a parked car. Also, Bonnie’s therapist, Trevor (Rainn Wilson), offers tools to help her better communicate with Adam.

Carol's Second Act - "Sick and Retired" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Carol’s dear friend Phyllis (guest star Jane Kaczmarek) is admitted to the hospital, and Carol jealously witnesses what retirement would have looked like for her. Also, Daniel takes credit for Caleb’s excellent diagnosis and is bothered when Caleb doesn’t seem to mind.

Superstore - "Curbside Pickup" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
As part of a new corporate initiative Dina is spearheading, Jonah, Cheyenne and other overworked employees have to rush items directly to shoppers’ cars. Amy’s brother, Eric (George Salazar), visits the store, and Amy thinks she sees a spark with Mateo. Garrett is impressed by a customer’s high-tech purchase.

Perfect Harmony - "Thanks-taking" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Jax convinces Arthur to join the choir's progressive Thanksgiving dinner and snoop in various choir members' homes to find a missing item. Meanwhile, Adams invites her handsome contractor to dinner as a set-up for Ginny, but he has something else in mind.

The Good Place - "The Answer" (NBC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
In an attempt to plan a better future, Chidi considers his past.

Will & Grace - "The Grief Panda" (NBC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
In the aftermath of Will (Eric McCormack) and McCoy breaking up, Grace (Debra Messing) and Jack (Sean Hayes) hire the Grief Panda to help Will process his pain. With Karen (Megan Mullally) completely occupied with her new baseball team, Grace believes that she has to fire Karen in order to set her free.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 18)

Thursday, November 21

Lena Waithe (Master of None) - Catch Lena on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Trevor Noah at 11pm.
Tom Papa (Come to Papa) and Fortune Feimster (The Mindy Project) - Tom and Fortune are panelists on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central.
Fred Armisen (Los Espookys/Forever) - Fred is a guest on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Jamie Lee Curtis (Scream Queens/Anything But Love) - Jamie Lee chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. She also talks about Knives Out on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
Randall Park (Fresh Off the Boat) - Randall visits The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family) - Eric is a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Kat Dennings (2 Broke Girls/Raising Dad) - Kat stops by The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Jackée Harry (Tyler Perry's The Paynes/In the Cut/The First Family/Sister, Sister/227) - Jackée appears on The Real, so check your local listings. She also talks about OWN's Carole's Christmas on Access Daily, so check your local listings.
Tisha Campbell (Dr. Ken/Rita Rocks/My Wife and Kids/Martin) - Tisha guest co-hosts The Real, so check your local listings.
Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney drops by The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Lil Rel Howery (Rel/The Carmichael Show) - Lil Rel is a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Sean Hayes (Will & Grace/The Millers/Sean Saves the World) - Sean talks about Will & Grace on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
Craig Bierko (Unhitched/Madman of the People/Sydney) - Craig wlll be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET.
Soleil Moon Frye (Punky Brewster/Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) - Soleil talks about Lifetime's Staging Christmas on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
Peter Porte (Baby Daddy) - Peter talks about Cherished Memories: A Gift to Remember 2 on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
Niecy Nash (The Soul Man/Getting On/Reno 911!) - Niecy appears on a repeat of LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.