Monday, July 29, 2013

ABC Family Fall 2013 Schedule with The Middle; TCA Summer 2013 Press Tour: Cable Day 3 and NBC

The Middle

Welcome to the 2013 edition of our annual look at the fall schedules for cable and digital TV! We are launching this schedule barrage with ABC Family! As we all know, they will be adding reruns of The Middle to its line-up. Now we know when and what times! The network will launch the comedy on Monday, September 16, 2013 with a marathon from 11am-7pm. It will regularly air weekdays from 5-7pm during family time (though at times, the 6pm hour could be preempted for a long movie or original encore). On weekends, it will air in the mornings from 7-8am. The Middle will also be coming to local broadcast syndication on Sept. 16, so check your local listings (such as in NY on WPIX) and in March 2014 The Hallmark Channel will also run the series. The series premiered in fall 2009 on ABC (Wednesdays at 8PM) and is currently entering its fifth season on ABC. The Middle stars Patricia Heaton as Frankie, Neil Flynn as Mike, Charlie McDermott as Axl, Eden Sher as Sue, Atticus Shaffer as Brick and Chris Kattan as Bob. It is created and is executive produced by Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline.

Elsewhere on ABC Family September 2013, there will be many other schedule changes during the day starting Sept. 16. A couple sitcoms will return (8 Simple Rules and 10 Things I Hate About You), while one (Full House) will be off the schedule. Boy Meets World will move to afternoons, as the series moves out of the mornings and to 2-4pm, replacing Reba. That sitcom will slide into the 4pm hour and will be leading into The Middle. The afternoon staple That '70s Show will now move to mornings from 7:30am-9:30am, since Reba/The Middle will air late afternoon/early evening. AFV is off the line-up completely, as it was airing at 6pm. Leading off at 8am will be an episode of the ABC Family original sitcom 10 Things I Hate About You. This could be airing just temporary, since the series didn't have many episodes. After the 700 Club programming, Gilmore Girls remains at 11am. At noon, an hour of Reba will be added replacing Full House, while from 1-2pm the John Ritter comedy 8 Simple Rules returns to the schedule, also replacing Full House, as that series will be off the line-up.

In primetime, there will be no original series to start the fall, but more news on original series will come soon. Movies will air from 7-11pm each weeknight until then starting Sept. 16. Melissa & Joey and Baby Daddy will have their mid-season finales on Wednesday, Sept. 4 from 8-9pm and will return likely in early 2014 or late 2013 for the remaining episodes of their season. A Melissa & Joey Labor Day marathon will air on Sept. 2 from 12pm-4:30pm and a mini-marathon on finale day on Sept. 4 from 6-8pm. Baby Daddy will have a marathon on Sept. 4 from 12-6pm. Other September original finales are The Vineyard on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 9 and Spell-Mageddon on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 9. In late night, 700 Club is at 11 leading into The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air at 12 midnight. Starting Sept. 30, Fresh Prince will expand to two-hours airing from 12-2am. That's all for now, stay tuned if anything changes in October and any news on original series. We know that Pretty Little Liars will have its annual Halloween special in October, so stay tuned for a date on that along with the premiere of the spin-off series Ravenswood.

View the full ABC Family September 2013 schedule with The Middle.


The TCA Summer 2013 press tour continued this weekend, so we will give you a recap of what you missed. On Friday it was the third and final day for the cable portion, while on Saturday it was the first day of broadcast with NBC up first. For cable, NickMom announced that this fall they will premiere Instant Mom, its first original scripted comedy series, starring and produced by Tia Mowry-Hardrict (Sister, Sister). The half-hour, multi-camera series features Mowry-Hardrict as Stephanie, a party girl who trades in Cosmos for carpools when she marries Charlie (Michael Boatman, Spin City), who already has three kids. The series is picked up for 13 episodes and will premiere in the primetime NickMom block on the Nick Jr. channel, with encore episodes airing on Nick at Nite. No official premiere date and time has been announced just yet. Moving on to Lifetime, the witching hour is coming...get ready to meet the Beauchamps, the Witches of East End... Lifetime's newest drama, Witches of East End, featuring an all-star-cast headlined by Emmy Award-winner Julia Ormond (Temple Grandin, Mad Men), Mädchen Amick (Mad Men, Damages), Jenna Dewan Tatum (American Horror Story) and Rachel Boston (In Plain Sight) as a family of witches living in the secluded seaside town of East Haven, will cast its spell beginning Sunday, October 6, at 10:00pm ET/PT following the season finale of Devious Maids in late September. Also set to star are Eric Winter (The Mentalist), Daniel DiTomasso (CSI), Jason George (Mistresses, Grey's Anatomy) and Oscar and Golden Globe Award nominee Virginia Madsen (Sideways, Anna Nicole).

Onto NBC, in ramping up its commitment to long-form and event limited series programming along the lines of A.D.: After the Bible, which was announced last month (but won't premiere until the 2014-15 season), NBC is in early development on a handful of new projects, including a behind-the-scenes look at Hillary Rodham Clinton, an updated retelling of Rosemary's Baby, Stephen King's Tommyknockers and Plymouth, based on the epic story of the Mayflower's landing in America. The four-hour miniseries titled Hillary, based on the life of former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, stars Diane Lane and will be written and directed by Oscar nominee Courtney Hunt. Rosemary's Baby is a four-hour updated retelling of the bestselling novel by Ira Levin that was later adapted as a feature film about devil worship and the complex relationship between a young husband and wife. Stephen King's Tommyknockers is based on the renown author's chilling 1987 novel about how the residents of a small Maine town deal with what they believe is an alien spacecraft that has landed nearby. Limited series Plymouth, which examines the challenges and drama of the Pilgrims' journey across the Atlantic and the difficulties of settling in a new country, will be executive produced by Mark Burnett and Anne Thomopolous of Mark Burnett Productions, and Gina Matthews and Grant Sharbo. And finally for NBC, NBC Sports Group announced a new documentary on former Olympic figure skaters Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding featuring an exclusive interview of Kerrigan that will air during its Sochi Winter Olympics coverage.

Yesterday had a full day for Reelz TV, but we aren't covering it. CBS will continue the broadcast portion today, so come on back for a recap tomorrow on the blog for any notable highlights.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, February 12

Animal Control - "Bagged Birds and Alley Dogs" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Frank spends the day with influencer and park benefactor Roman Park ahead of the grand opening of their annex kennel; friction arises within the newly combined precincts when Emily assigns Templeton, Shred and Patel to work together.

Going Dutch - "The Canuck Stops Here" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Capt. Maggie invites her idol, Gen.Martin, to the base in hopes of pitching herself as a mentee; things get complicated when the Colonel and Gen. Martin develop an immediate attraction toward each other.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 9)

Thursday, February 12

  • Tyler Perry (House of Payne/Love Thy Neighbor) - Catch Tyler on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite/Benched) - Maria is a guest on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Constance Zimmer (Entourage/Good Morning, Miami) - Constance talks about the new season of Netflix's The Lincoln Lawyer on Live with Kelly and Mark and on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - It's a pizza palooza with Valerie, Joe Isidori and Sunny Anderson on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. It's a Drew Crew game night and Drew, Valerie, Sunny Anderson and Mikel Welch are playing Pictionary with Ross hosting.
  • Trinity Jo-Li Bliss (Best Foot Forward) - Trinity is a guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:45am.


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

02/11 - The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins Gets Post Saturday Night Live Encore; Chris Fleming HBO Special
02/10 - Celebrity Jeopardy! All Stars Premiere Shifting by Two Weeks; Virgin River Season 7 Trailer
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02/08 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 9, 2026)
02/07 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Roku Adds New Channels for Bernie Mac, Blossom, and Cougar Town; Catchy Comedy Introduces Catchy Loves Lucy
02/06 - Rooster Premieres March 8 on HBO; MGM+ Comedy American Classic Trailer
02/05 - NBC Unveils Trailer and Guest Stars for The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins; Adult Swim's Anime Series Rooster Fighter Premieres March 14
02/04 - Netflix Renews A Man on the Inside for Season 3; Apple TV Premiere Date for Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed
02/03 - NBC Renews St. Denis Medical and Happy's Place for Season 3; Pilot Orders for Comedy Projects on NBC
02/02 - Remembering Demond Wilson of Sanford and Son, Catherine O'Hara of Schitt's Creek, Yvonne Lime of Father Knows Best, and TV Director Bruce Bilson
02/01 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 2, 2026)
01/31 - SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC Orders Pair of Comedy Pilots; Final Episode Airdate Announced for The Late Show
01/30 - Jury Duty Returns March 20 on Prime Video; Katt Williams 4th Netflix Special
01/29 - Season 4 of Ted Lasso Premieres This Summer; Shrinking Renewed for Season 4 as Season 3 Premieres
01/28 - Nikki Glaser's New Hulu Special Premieres April 24; HBO Announces Late-Night Series
01/27 - Trailer for The Muppet Show Special Event; New Evolution of The Handmaid's Tale Series
01/26 - FETV Acquires '70s S.W.A.T. Series; Paramount+ Releases Date for Can You Keep a Secret? Comedy Series
01/25 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 26, 2026)
01/24 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Kenan and Kel Back Together for Upcoming Movie; Amazon Barbershop Series Adds to Cast
01/23 - CBS Renews 10 More Series for 2026-27; Shifting Gears and Abbott Elementary Return Big in January
01/22 - Dancing with the Stars Live Tour Starts TODAY; Beef Returns April 16
01/21 - Prime Video's Bait Premieres March 25; Production Underway on Season 2 of Arctic-set Comedy North of North
01/20 - Baywatch Casting Call for Reboot on Fox; Mike Epps Netflix Special Trailer
01/19 - MGM+ Comedy Series American Classic; Taylor Tomlinson Returns to Netflix
01/18 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 19, 2026)
01/17 - SitcomsOnline Digest: The Rockford Files Reboot at NBC; Daniel Stern Fired From ABC Comedy Pilot
01/16 - Ted Season 2 Trailer Released; Remembering T.K. Carter of Punky Brewster, TV Director Tom Cherones, and Others We Recently Lost
01/15 - The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins Gets Special Preview; ABC Midseason Changes for Monday and Tuesday Night Lineups
01/14 - NBC Orders Pilots, Including The Rockford Files; The CW to Premiere Celebrity Series
01/13 - 83rd Golden Globe Winners; Tubi's Upcoming YA Film Slate
01/12 - Peacock's The 'Burbs Trailer; The Jeff Foxworthy Show Launch Back on COZI TV
01/11 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 12, 2026)