Saturday, August 31, 2013

Digital Digest: Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman DVD News; Scandal - The Complete Second Season DVD Review

Welcome to Digital Digest! It's Labor Day weekend, but we're here just like we are every other weekend with your news and our regular features, including a review of Scandal - The Complete Second Season. Let's get started!


DIGITAL NEWS

Mill Creek announced a new partnership with Sony to release certain series on DVDs this week, but it really isn't anything new... at all. While the deal will include several classic sitcoms including Bewitched, The Jeffersons, Charlie's Angels, and more, it appears that the arrangement will exclusively be re-releases of products that Sony has already released. But, of course, it is possible that this arrangement could be expanded in the future and we'll see more.

Not every Sony series has been abandoned, however, and studios like Shout! Factory continue to bring us some of their classic series. The latest announcement brings something huge to DVD with Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman - The Complete Series. The 38 (yes, 38) disc set brings the entire series to DVD  on December 3, although it is not yet clear how "complete" this release will be. The runtime listed on amazon.com (which is not always correct, for what it is worth) says 8100 minutes, which would suggest roughly 350 episodes, or maybe fewer episodes and some special features. There were 325 episodes of the series under the Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman title and an additional 130 under the Forever Fernwood title. We won't speculate one way or the other what the situation is, but we'll definitely follow up when we do know.

MPI has been rather quiet in regards to releases in recent months, but it appears that a few "best of" DVDs will be coming from the studio in October. On October 22, the studio will release "best of" collections for The Doris Day Show, Family Affair, and The Mothers-in-Law.

Finally, it isn't too late to enter our contest to win a copy of the limited edition release of Mama's Family - The Complete Series. Complete contest details, including how to enter and rules, can be found here.


UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (September 3) has plenty of great releases. First up, Universal has the final season of The Office in The Office - Season Nine (DVD/Blu-ray), as well as the release of Parks and Recreation - Season Five on DVD. Meanwhile, ABC has their release of Scandal - The Complete Second Season, which we review in today's Digital Digest. Of course, the biggest release for next week (perhaps one of the biggest of the year) doesn't exactly "come out" on Tuesday, but is set to begin shipping next week, and that one is StarVista Entertainment's Mama's Family - The Complete Series. We are eagerly anticipating this set, and hope to have a review as soon as possible.

BLOG FEATURE REVIEW



Blog DVD Review: Scandal - The Complete Second Season ABC Studios, $45.99)
by Pavan 

Scandal is back for a second season and it's better than ever, people! Experience every breathless, jaw-dropping moment as Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) and her team of "gladiators in suits" turn up the heat and raise the stakes in Scandal: The Complete Second Season. For Olivia Pope and Associates, cleaning up other people's messes takes a shattering personal toll. Season 2 blows the lid off Quinn's identity, exposes Huck's dark past, and uncovers Olivia's darkest secret - something so shocking and enormous that it threatens the entire nation. From boardrooms to bedrooms, relive all 22 episodes of Scandal's explosive second season - plus exclusive, never-before-seen bonus features in this riveting 5-disc set.

The second season stars Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope, Columbus Short as Harrison Wright, Guillermo Diaz as Huck, Darby Stanchfield as Abby Whelan, Katie Lowes as Quinn Perkins, Tony Goldwyn as President Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III, Bellamy Young as Mellie Grant, Joshua Malina as David Rosen and Jeff Perry as White House Chief of Staff Cyrus Beene. However, there are many recurring stars such as Scott Foley as Jake Ballard, Kate Burton as Vice President Sally Langston, Dan Bucatinsky as James Novak, Brenda Song as Alissa, Norm Lewis as Senator Edison Davis, Gregg Henry as Hollis Doyle, Debra Mooney as Supreme Court Justice Verna Thornton and Matt Letscher as Billy Chambers. The series aired for the last seven weeks of the season and delivered solid and steady rating. Guest stars include Kurt Fuller as Grayden Osborne, Eric Mabius, Lisa Edelstein, and Andrea Bowen. The series has always generated buzz and acclaim, with trending topics on Twitter during every episode, but this second season exploded in the ratings (especially after the eighth episode of the season) and became the #1 drama on television at 10pm. We mentioned back on our first season review that look for a bright future for this acclaimed series that will keep getting better. And we were right!

Anyway, as for this set, there are many memorable episodes in this suspenseful juicy series. All 22-episodes are a must see and is easy to watch. It's just so good and there is nothing like it on television. You'll be hooked. So catch up or start today as season three will start October 3 at 10|9c on Thursday nights! The season starts off with the episode "White Hat's Off," where Quinn's true identity is revealed and as the Pope & Associates team digs deeper into her past they find that she may be their biggest scandal yet, while Cyrus and First Lady Mellie put President Grant in a compromising position during a live television interview and a Rhode Island Congressman requires Olivia's help. In "Defiance," Harrison leads the team on the case of billionaire's son who is worried about his father's mental state, while Olivia works with a senator who had an affair with a 21 year old and is now resigning from his position and Cyrus and Mellie plan a birthday gala for President Grant, as the Pope & Associates team digs deeper into an investigation into rigged voting machines. The series really exploded during the episode "Happy Birthday, Mr. President," as President Grant is rushed to the hospital following the attempt on his life, as a series of flashbacks reveals more about Olivia's time in the White House and her relationship with the president, while despite Olivia's best efforts to retain the office of president for President Grant, Vice President Langston is inaugurated as president to serve until President Grant recovers. In the powerful episode "One for the Dog," while Huck is being held in an underground location and being tortured after being framed for shooting the president, the president is still in a coma, but to save Fitz's presidency Mellie forges his signature saying he is awake and ready to head back to office, but Acting President Sally Langston isn't buying it, so Olivia does what she does best and manages the crisis.

In "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot," 10 months after discovering the truth behind Defiance, Fitz is still struggling to figure out whom he can actually trust, while Olivia is trying to move on with her life, and she meets a handsome stranger, Jake Ballard (Scott Foley), who sparks her interest, but when Fitz and Olivia are forced to be in the same room again, real sparks fly and things get heated. In "Snake in the Garden," Hollis Doyle calls Olivia in when his daughter is kidnapped under suspicious circumstances, while Olivia and Jake continue their relationship whilst Quinn and Huck's friendship strengthens, but problems at the White House spring up as Cyrus fights to be back in the president's corner whilst Mellie confronts Fitz and the mole is exposed and taken care of, though all is not as one might expect. In the amazing episode "Seven Fifty-Two," secrets from Huck's life before Pope and Associates are revealed, as Olivia and Fitz engage in an emotionally charged conversation, unaware of the fact that someone could be watching, and Olivia's team comes together to help one of their own, while Cyrus is becoming increasingly skeptical of Jake, and Mellie makes a decision that could bring down the White House. In "Any Questions?" Cyrus is at the center of a big scandal at the White House, while Olivia is betrayed by someone close to her and Fitz announces his re-election campaign. And in the juicy and thrilling season finale, "White's Hat Back On," as they get closer to uncovering the mole's identity, Olivia and her team find themselves in an increasingly dangerous situation as the latest White House scandal pushes Cyrus over the edge, while David is instrumental in uncovering the identity of the mole and a secret about Olivia's life hits the media.

Episodes are usually around 43 minutes and unedited (with a few extended episodes at 45, 46, and 50 minutes each), as they should be. Runtimes are below:

Disc 1:
1. "White Hat's Off" (43:00)
2. "The Other Woman" (43:01)
3. "Hunting Season" (43:00)
4. "Beltway Unbuckled" (42:58)
5. "All Roads Lead to Fitz" (43:02)

Disc 2:
6. "Spies Like Us" (42:59)
7. "Defiance" (43:01)
8. "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" (43:00)
9. "Blown Away" (43:00)
10. "One for the Dog" (43:00)

Disc 3:
11. "A Criminal, a Whore, an Idiot and a Liar" (43:01)
12. "Truth or Consequences" (43:01)
13. "Nobody Likes Babies" (45:00)
14. "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" (43:01)

Disc 4:
15. "Boom Goes the Dynamite" (43:01)
16. "Top of the Hour" (43:01)
17. "Snake in the Garden" (43:00)
18. "Molly, You In Danger, Girl" (43:01)
19. "Seven Fifty-Two" (46:01)

Disc 5:
20. "A Woman Scorned" (43:00)
21. "Any Questions?" (43:01)
22. "White Hat's Back On" (43:00) (EXTENDED FINALE also available: 50:25)

The DVD once again comes in a case held by an outer thin box. The thin outer box is in black with another nice facial shot of Olivia Pope with what appears to be President Grant looking at her and the series logo at the bottom and the complete second season mention is on the top. The back of the thin outer box has info on the set and series, with nice quotes from TVLine and EW. We have a nice cast photo as well. There is also a box showcasing the bonus features as well. When we remove the outer box, we get to the case. The case has the same artwork as the thin box, both cover and back, so everything is the exact same. Inside the case we have a cool cutouts of each cast member on the panels itself. There is also a disc-by-disc breakdown below the photos on the panels listing episode titles per disc. As for the discs themselves, disc one is on a little plastic holder that you can flip like a page in a book, while disc two is on back side of that holder. Same goes true for discs three and four, but disc five is on the right panel itself, though. Each disc is in the black design with the series logo in red and has character artwork. Disc one holds episodes 1-5 and has the same shot of Olivia as the cover art. Disc two holds episodes 6-10 and has artwork of both Fitz and Olivia. Disc three holds episodes 11-14 and has artwork of Cyrus and Mellie. Disc four holds episodes 15-19 and has artwork of Huck and Quinn. And finally disc five holds episodes 20-22 plus the bonus features and has artwork of Harrison, Abby and David Rosen. There is no insert booklet showcasing other ABC TV DVDs that are coming soon as we had for the season one set.

The menu design is once again great! We first have a shot of the White House, then we see clips from the series playing in the background as we have background music from the show playing (with the trademark camera snapshot sounds mixed in). Before the main menu, we have auto trailers on disc one for Revenge Season 2, ABC TV dramas on DVD, Castle Season 5 and Once Upon a Time Season 2. Back to the main menu, the options are: Play All, Episode Selection, Bonus Features, Set Up and Sneak Peeks. Sneak Peeks is only on disc five and has different trailers (ABC Image promo and Lone Ranger). Set Up gives us the option for subtitles in English, French, Espanol, and Portuguese. You can also register your DVD here. Bonus Features is just on disc five and lists what is available, while Episode Selection gives us an episode number and title. This is pretty much similar to the first season set.

Video and audio quality are both outstanding, similar to the first season and other recent ABC TV DVDs we have reviewed like Revenge. We have Digital Dolby 5.1 surround sound and it is perfect. For the video, we are in widescreen (1.78:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions. It is excellent quality but that is expected for newer/current series. As I keep saying, if anything goes wrong with audio/video for current series, then there is a major problem. Each episode has 7 chapter stops, so it is easy to jump through an episode if you are looking for something in particular, like any steamy scene between Olivia and the President--viewer discretion advised, indeed! This is not Blu-ray, but it is still excellent!

There are some special features on this set as well! They are all on disc five. First up, we have an Extended Finale for "White Hat's Back On" (50:25) and this is actually listed inside the Episode Selection menu rather than Bonus Features. Yes, we get seven more minutes of footage from the season finale! It is even more amazing and a must-see! The rest of the extras are listed inside Bonus Features. The first one is the featurette "A Closer Look: President Grant's Assassination Attempt" (4:50). We get an inside peek at how one of season two's most pivotal scenes was shot (pun intended!). This is the episode that skyrocketed the series into a top series status. It's a very good and informative featurette and has interviews with Shonda Rhimes (creator/executive producer), Betsy Beers (executive producer), Oliver Bokelberg (director), Don Ruffin (stunt supervisor), Rajeev Dassani (visual effects supervisor), Tony Goldwyn, and Bellamy Young. Then we have a second featurette and this one is called "Being Huck" (8:02). In this inspiring piece, spend the day with Huck himself (Guillermo Diaz) and get to know the man behind the eclectic yet oddball character. This is probably the better featurette because it is longer and has more feedback. Interviewed are Guillermo Diaz, Shonda Rhimes, Kerry Washington, Betsy Beers, and Darby Stanchfield. Next up we have A LOT of deleted scenes. 38 of them, in fact. We didn't have any for the first season but now we have many on this set. Here are the episodes and timings: #201 (1:31), #202 (0:50), #204 (0:25, 0:55), #205 (0:44), #206 (0:47), #207 (0:16), #209 (1:08, 0:28, 0:41), #210 ((0:29), #211 (0:33, 1:39, 1:11), #212 (0:59), #213 (0:38, 0:43, 0:46, 0:42, 1:01, 0:30, 1:00, 0:41, 0:37), #215 (1:00), #217 (0:34, 0:16), #218 (0:55), #219 (0:36, 2:27, 0:41, 1:33, 1:07), #220 (0:25, 0:39, 0:56) and #221 (0:18, 0:37). And finally we have season two "Outtakes" (4:40). We didn't have any bloopers for the first season set, but we have some here! Fans will laugh out loud at these funny, unseen uncensored moments from the set of this hit series. They are sure having fun!

This is a nicely done set for an even better show. You have a month to watch, catch-up, or refresh yourself on all 22 episodes and be ready for season three, which begins Thursday, Oct. 3 on ABC. The series just gets better and better, and juicer and juicer. Kerry Washington and guest star Dan Bucatinsky have been nominated for Emmy's and they should win them, especially Kerry. As for the DVD, it is well done and similar to the first set and previous ABC TV DVDs. We get great audio/video, menus, packaging and special features. I think the features are better than the first season with deleted scenes and bloopers added, along with the extended finale. The featurettes could have been better as we only have two, while the first set had three. I still wish this series had audio commentaries though. That's my only real gripe, but that is not a big deal. ABC Studios knows how to make good DVDs, especially for their current series. If you haven't watched this series yet, you're crazy. Everyone should be watching this show for great television. If you need to catch-up, you need to do it right now. It is very well written and acted. So as Hollis Doyle would say "Git!" and click below to buy this DVD. It's pure electric and so fast-paced! Suit up!

(4/5 stars)

To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Scandal on TV.com


FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Scott Baio (Twitter), "Actor and my wife & I have a foundation for special needs children and to raise awareness to expanded newborn screening."
Claim to Fame: We all know the answer to this. While he is probably now famous just for being Scott Baio, his original claim to fame came when he played Chachi on Happy Days, and later Charles on the '80s series Charles in Charge. But he isn't out of the game at all, as he continues his sitcom tradition in his Nick@Nite series, See Dad Run.
Why You Should Follow Him: He is the quintessential sitcom actor of the '80s... is there really any other reason needed? But in case there is, you'll find that he does use Twitter somewhat actively (not multiple times per day, but enough to keep his fans happy) and he only seems to use it for positive things that everybody can enjoy. On top of that, he runs a great foundation (as his tagline suggests) focused on a certain childhood birth defect known as GA-1, with The Bailey Baio Angel Foundation, and he keeps his fans up-to-date on the happenings of that organization.
Pick of the Tweets: "Subway commercial for a "spicy Italian lover" combo. My kid says "ooooh I'm a spicy Italian lover"! #Trouble" (July 21, 2013)

That's all for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!

Friday, August 30, 2013

Part 1 of Melissa & Joey Summer Finale Hits Season High; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 2, 2013)

Doris Roberts on Melissa & Joey

The first part of the two-part Melissa & Joey summer finale on Wednesday spiked to a season high in the ratings across target female demos and set a 6-week high in Adults 18-34, Adults 18-49 and Viewers 12-34. The sitcom is Cable TV's #1 series at 8:00PM season to date in target demos. To further elaborate, Melissa & Joey climbed to season highs in Women 18-34 (326,000/1.0 rating), Women 18-49 (466,000/0.7 rating) and Females 12-34 (398,000/0.9 rating), and to 6-week highs in Adults 18-34 (412,000/0.6 rating), Adults 18-49 (617,000/0.5 rating) and Viewers 12-34 (496,000/0.5 rating). Season to date, Melissa & Joey is cable TV's #1 program in the time period across Adults 18-34 (508,000/0.8 rating), Women 18-34 (367,000/1.1 rating), Women 18-49 (567,000/0.9 rating), Viewers 12-34 (639,000/0.7 rating) and Females 12-34 (480,000/1.1 rating). Based on a full week of viewing, Melissa & Joey spikes by 50% in Total Viewers (1.408 million vs. 941,000), by 62% in Adults 18-34 (551,000 vs. 341,000), by 61% in Adults 18-49 (887,000 vs. 572,000) and by 56% in Viewers 12-34 (699,000 vs. 449,000). The second part of the summer finale continues Wednesday, Sept. 4 at 8|7c with guest star Doris Roberts returning.

At 8:30 p.m., fellow sitcom Baby Daddy hit a 4-week high in Adults 18-34 (368,000/0.5 A18-34 rating), Women 18-34 (276,000/0.8 rating) and Females 12-34 (370,000/0.8 rating), and set a 3-week high in Women 18-49 (395,000/0.6 rating). Season to date, Baby Daddy ranks as cable TV's #1 telecast in the half hour in Women 18-34 (390,000/1.2 rating) and Females 12-34 (534,000/1.2 rating), and is the #1 original cable TV program in Adults 18-34 (524,000/0.8 rating), Women 18-49 (564,000/0.9 rating) and Viewers 12-34 (691,000/0.8 rating). Season to date, based on Live + 7 ratings, Baby Daddy surges by 52% in Total Viewers (1.351 million vs. 890,000), by 80% in Adults 18-34 (577,000 vs. 320,000), by 61% in Adults 18-49 (843,000 vs. 523,000) and by 70% in Viewers 12-34 (760,000 vs. 448,000). The summer finale airs Wednesday, Sept. 4 at 8:30|7:30c.


It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars, so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of Sept. 2-6, 2013, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVRs (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Molly Ringwald

Sunday, September 1, 2013

  • Molly Ringwald (The Facts of Life/Townies) - Molly is featured on Oprah: Where Are They Now? at 10pm ET/PT on OWN. Former teen queen Molly Ringwald charmed us in the 80's classic films Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles. Today, we catch up with her, all grown up, at the Grammy museum in Los Angeles where she reveals her jazz roots and surprising new career as a singer. She talks about why she thinks American teens related to her, what it was like growing up in front of the camera and dealing with fame at an early age.
Monday, September 2, 2013
  • Angela Kinsey (The Office) - Watch Angela on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Kevin Hart (The Big House/Undeclared) - Kevin appears on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
  • Eve (Eve) - Eve is a guest on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
  • Lisa Kudrow (Friends/The Comeback/Web Therapy) - Lisa visits LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
  • Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) - Selena stops by LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
  • Ross Lynch (Austin & Ally) - Ross and his band R5 perform on ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
  • Michael Strahan (Brothers) - Catch Michael on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
  • Demi Lovato (Sonny with a Chance) - Demi is a guest on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC. She will also be on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
  • Cedric the Entertainer (The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric visits ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am. He will also be on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
  • Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) - Will and his son Jaden are guests on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
  • Ashton Kutcher (Two and a Half Men/That '70s Show) and Josh Gad (1600 Penn/Back to You - The stars of Jobs are guests on a repeat of Larry King Now at 2/5PM PT/ET on Ora TV & Hulu.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
  • Christina Applegate (Up All Night/Samantha Who?/Married with Children) - Watch Christina on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Rob Corddry (The Winner/Ben and Kate) - Rob appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Marilu Henner (Taxi) - Marilu is a guest on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
  • Charlie Sheen (Anger Management/Two and a Half Men) - Charlie reveals the truth about his health on a repeat of The Dr. Oz Show, so check your local listings.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Valerie talks about Hot in Cleveland on NBC's Today between 7-9am and also in the 10am hour.
  • Mary Tyler Moore, Valerie Harper and Betty White - A Katie Exclusive (Repeat, check your local listings): Mary Tyler Moore, Valerie Harper and Betty White back together. Katie visits the set of Hot in Cleveland for an exclusive reunion with the cast members of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Friends for 40 years, these women have now banded together to support Valerie in her courageous battle with cancer. Plus, the ladies dish on all the untold stories from the show that made TV history.
  • The exciting new cast of Dancing with the Stars will be revealed live during ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am. Some sitcom stars are rumored to be part of the new season.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
  • Queen Latifah (Living Single) - Catch Queen Latifah on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia is a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Jerry O'Connell (We Are Men/Carpoolers/My Secret Identity) - Jerry visits Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Sara Gilbert (Roseanne/The Big Bang Theory) - Sara drops by The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Arsenio Hall (Arsenio) - Arsenio guests on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
  • David Alan Grier (Life with Bonnie/DAG) - David appears on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
  • Maria Canals-Barrera (Wizards of Waverly Place) - Maria discusses a Wizards of Waverly Place reunion on a repeat of Home & Family at 10am on Hallmark Channel.
  • Kathy Griffin (Suddenly Susan) - Kathy guest co-hosts a repeat of Anderson Live, so check your local listings.
Friday, September 6, 2013
  • Arsenio Hall (Arsenio) - Watch Arsenio on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Jim O'Heir (Parks and Recreation) - Jim stops by Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Tom Lennon (Sean Saves the World/Reno 911!) - Tom visits The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Gabourey Sidibe (The Big C) - Gabourey appears on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
  • Kirstie Alley (Kirstie/Veronica's Closet/Cheers) - Kirstie is a guest on a repeat of The Dr. Oz Show, so check your local listings.
  • The Cast of Sullivan & Son - The cast of the TBS sitcom are guests on a repeat of Home & Family at 10am on Hallmark Channel.
  • Melissa Joan Hart (Melissa & Joey/Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) - Melissa chats on The Ricki Lake Show, so check your local listings.
Leave us comments on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us to let us know what you think of this Friday feature! We do listen!

Thursday, August 29, 2013

New York City Local Stations Fall 2013 Schedules; MeTV Network Says "West is Best" Batman

It's that time of year again...fall schedules for New York City stations! We have for you the full Fall 2013 schedules for WABC, WNBC WNYW, WWOR, WPIX, and WLNY. Unfortunately, I couldn't obtain the full line-up for WLNY at press time, but we have all the details on the new additions for WLNY below. We cannot cover every market's local schedules, so we will give you an idea what to expect by giving you the #1 market in the country: New York. And of course it helps because I live in the market!

We'll start with WNYW's (Fox5) Fall 2013 schedule. The main story is the launch of Modern Family. The sitcom makes its off-network debut on Monday, Sept. 23 and will air weekdays at 7:00pm & 7:30pm on WNYW. The other new additions to the schedule will be first-run series. New talker Bethenny will launch Sept. 9 and air weekdays at 11am, while TMZ's one-hour spin-off series TMZ Live will launch Sept. 9 at 1pm. Everything else is pretty much set for WNYW, but King of the Hill will be leaving, while The Simpsons will be moving to sister station WWOR. The Big Bang Theory will remain on WNYW at 11pm, but its other 7:30pm airing moves to WWOR at that same time. Other changes include both airings of The Office will now be on WNYW, at 12:30am & 1am following an hour of 30 Rock. That's about it, with everything else being just minor changes, like King of Queens weekend airings moving to WNYW.

Sister network WWOR (My9) will be making some changes as well. New series will be Law & Order: SVU airing weekdays at 10am starting Sept. 23 replacing Law & Order: Criminal Intent. On weekends, Glee joins the Sunday line-up airing Sundays at 6pm & 7pm beginning Sept. 29. WWOR will also air weekend airings of Modern Family, airing it Sundays at 10pm & 10:30pm, following a two-hour block of Big Bang Theory from 8-10pm. Joining the schedule from sister network WNYW will be The Simpsons airing weekdays at 6:30pm & 7:00pm starting Sept. 23, The Big Bang Theory weekdays at 7:30pm starting Sept. 23 and an encore of Bethenny weekdays at 3pm. Among the series leaving are Everybody Loves Raymond, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order, That '70s Show , and Jeremy Kyle. Current series moving to new timeslots include How I Met Your Mother and The King of Queens weekdays from 11pm-1am starting Sept. 23.

Moving on to WPIX's (CW11) Fall 2013 schedule. New series this fall are The Test weekdays at 3pm starting Sept. 9, Arsenio Hall weekdays at 11pm starting Sept. 9 and SAF3 Sundays at 5pm starting Sept. 22. One of the biggest news for WPIX this fall is the return of Everybody Loves Raymond starting Sept. 9. The sitcom will air weekdays at 6pm & 12:30am, paired with Seinfeld both times. Among the series leaving are According to Jim. Current series moving to new times include Seinfeld moving to 6:30pm & 12am, Friends moving to 1am & 3:30am, and Family Guy moving to 1:30am. On weekends, we have comedies mainly in the evening and late night. Everybody Loves Raymond will air Saturdays at 5pm & 6:30pm, Family Guy will air Saturdays 7-8pm and Sundays 1-2am, while Rules of Engagement will air Saturdays 8-9pm into Two and a Half Men from 9-10pm. We also mentioned beginning Sept. 14, classic sitcom The Honeymooners will air every weekend at 11pm & 11:30pm after the PIX11 News at 10.

Elsewhere, WABC (ABC7), which is #1 in NY and the most watched station in the nation, will not be making any changes at all except replacing Scrubs (weekdays 1:30am and Saturdays at 2am) with rotating series from Live Well TV: Deals, Sweet Retreats, Food Rush, My Family Recipe, Live Big with Ali V and Mirror, Mirror. Everything else is exactly the same. For WCBS (CBS2), they are adding Queen Latifah and the new talk show will air weekdays at 9am, bumping The Doctors off of WCBS. The Doctors will remain on sister station WLNY at 6pm.
And WNBC (NBC4) will not be adding anything new, but canceled talk show Jeff Probst at 2pm is gone and as of now WNBC will air Steve Harvey talk show repeats into a new airing at 3pm. Moving on to WLNY (TV 10/55), they are adding new series The Middle weeknights at 12am & 12:30am, Community weeknights at 1am & 1:30am, Queen Latifah weeknights at 7pm, Paternity Court weekdays at 1pm & 1:30pm, Cops Reloaded weekdays at 3pm & 3:30pm, and OK! TV weeknights at 11:30pm. Among the series leaving are Frasier, Inside Edition, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Eye for an Eye and America's Funniest Home Videos. No word on when The Cleveland Show will air in New York, but no sign of it right now.

View the FULL Fall 2013 schedules for WNYW, WWOR, WPIX, in New York City! And view the full list of new series coming to local syndication. Stay tuned for updates, if any. From New York, goodnight!




Holy campaigns, Batman! There's been so much talk about the cast of the upcoming Batman film starring Ben Affleck as Batman, that The MeTV Network just had to chime in. MeTV believes that it's always best to stick with a classic - and Adam West is pure memorable entertainment. Join MeTV in their quest for West - sign their petition and leave a comment to show your support for putting Adam West in the new Batman film. MeTV hopes to present this petition and comments to the man himself! Sign the petition today and maybe Adam West himself will see it and have a chuckle, old chum! And don't forget to tune in to Batman on MeTV every Saturday at 7PM & 7:30PM! Same bat time, same bat channel!

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Hallmark Channel Fall 2013 Schedule with Home Improvement; TV Land's Historic Mary Tyler Moore Reunion on Hot in Cleveland - Sept. 4

Home Improvement

We gave you a "preview" of Hallmark Channel Fall 2013, but now we have some details on the actual schedule. We mentioned that Home Improvement will launch on the network with a Labor Day marathon on Monday, Sept. 2 from 10am-8pm...but now that's not happening. Instead on Labor Day, Hallmark will air a Waltons movie marathon from 10am-10pm. Six movies will air. Back to Home Improvement, the sitcom wasn't going to actually join the regular schedule until October, but now it will join the line-up beginning Tuesday, Sept. 3. It will air weekdays from 12pm-2pm, replacing the encore of Home & Family. The rest of the schedule won't have many changes with I Love Lucy from 5am-8am, The Golden Girls from 8am-10am, the two-hour original series Home & Family from 10am-12pm, the aforementioned Home Improvement from 12pm-2pm, The Waltons from 2pm-6pm, with Little House on the Prairie from 6-8pm. The primetime movie will air from 8-10pm into Frasier from 10pm-12am still. In late night, The Golden Girls remains from 12-2am, into Cheers (2-3am) & Frasier (3-5am).

On weekends, I Love Lucy still leads off from 5-9am, followed by The Golden Girls from 9am-12pm into movies from 12pm-8pm. Primetime has original series/movies from 8pm-12am. In late night, Frasier airs in the 12am hour into The Golden Girls from 1-3am, before more Frasier airs from 3-5am. Back to weekdays, the daytime talk show Better TV, now co-hosted by Rebecca Budig, will premiere on Hallmark on Monday, Sept. 30 at 12 noon and 1pm. What does that mean for Home Improvement in October? Because we like to tease, you'll have to stay with us and we'll let you know.


The Mary Tyler Moore Show Reunion on Hot in Cleveland

TV Land's historic reunion of the female cast of The Mary Tyler Moore Show on the network's original sitcom, Hot in Cleveland, is here! Next Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at 10pm ET/PT, TV Land brings together Mary Tyler Moore, Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman, Georgia Engel and Hot in Cleveland regular Betty White for an unprecedented reunion of one of the most revered TV casts of all time. This is the first time in over 30 years that the five former castmates have gotten together for a sitcom. In the episode, Elka (White), Melanie (Valerie Bertinelli) Joy (Jane Leeves) and Victoria (Wendie Malick) are getting ready for their "birthdates" – their annual birthday tradition of setting each other up for dates – but choose to shake things up a bit this year. Elka and Mamie Sue (Engel) decide they want to get their bowling team back together, aptly named GLOB: the Gorgeous Ladies of Bowling. The team, which includes Elka, Mamie Sue, Diane (Moore), Peg (Leachman) and Angie (Harper), had a falling out decades ago after their championship season went to their heads. Meanwhile, Victoria meets with the indie director she idolizes (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and is surprised to find that he has a very unique trait; Joy can't believe that her date (George Hamilton) has a more "mature" taste in women; and Melanie is psyched that her set-up is a plastic surgeon...until she isn't anymore. The season finale of Hot in Cleveland airs right after this amazing reunion at 10:30pm ET/PT – with special guest star Craig Ferguson.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

TBS Fall 2013 Schedule Part 2, Acquires Full House for Late Fall; Brady Bunch Labor Day Marathon on WLNY in New York

Full House

As promised, we are giving you TBS' October 2013 schedule. There aren't many changes from September but the biggest change is that According to Jim is expiring and will leave after its Sept. 30 airing. Effective Tuesday, Oct. 1, Wipeout will move up from 12:30pm to 12pm, as well as the animated comedies: The Cleveland Show will shift a half-hour earlier to 1:00pm, while the American Dad! hour will now be 1:30-2:30pm. So what does that leave for 2:30pm? The return of Cougar Town after a brief hiatus in September. Cougar Town will lead into the Friends block from 3-5pm. On Saturdays, According to Jim was airing at 9:30am but now it will be replaced by a movie. TBS' schedule is a little all over the place in early October due to the MLB Playoffs, but come week of Oct. 21, they will be back to normal. That's about all the changes for October. But beyond October, TBS will have a new addition to its line-up in late Fall. They have acquired the rights to the '90s sitcom Full House, as it returns to TBS after over a decade! Series creator Jeff Franklin hinted about this on Twitter...but now we have a little bit more info. We can't reveal much yet, but come late Fall (early December or so), the hit family comedy will air on TBS and will be shared with Nick at Nite. The series is expiring on ABC Family, thus that is how it is coming to TBS. The series aired on TBS from 1998-2002. Come on back for details on the return of Full House on TBS in the coming months.

For now, view the TBS September and October 2013 schedules, so you can get ready for Fall 2013!


The Brady Bunch Marathon on WLNY

This Labor Day, WLNY 10/55 in New York will give us another classic sitcom marathon. This time, it's The Brady Bunch. Groovy! Last year on Labor Day we got to see a marathon of The Andy Griffith Show, but now this year we get more hip with the Brady clan. WLNY asks, "What's Your Favorite Brady Moment?" Was it when Marcia was whacked in the face by a football ("oh my nose!")? Or how about that groovy mustache Peter wore for a date? Or when Jan felt threatened by how swell Marcia is (Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!)? Yep, it's The Brady Bunch marathon this Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 2, 2013) from 9am-9pm. And my, how times have changed! No twerking for the Bradys (as compared to this week's VMA's) when they performed the "classic" It's A Sunshine Day on the "Amateur Night" episode. See all that and more! WLNY's last marathon was for its second I Love Lucy marathon on the 4th of July. The other marathons they have aired in the last year were Happy Days for Memorial Day, I Dream of Jeannie for President's Day, The Odd Couple for New Year's, Taxi for Thanksgiving, The Munsters for Halloween, and The Andy Griffith Show for last Labor Day.

Monday, August 26, 2013

BET Fall 2013 Schedule; ABC Family Producing 3 Sitcom Pilots, Including One with Tori Spelling

BET

Starting Monday, September 30, BET will be making a few changes to its schedule. Starting at 8am, the hour will now be more Family Matters replacing Moesha. Currently from 9am-11am right now we have an hour each of The Parkers and Family Matters, but now that will be replaced by a movie beginning on Sept. 30. The 11am movie will remain, so that means there will be two morning movies now. The 11am movie will usually run through 1:30pm. My Wife & Kids is returning to the regular BET schedule and will air at 1:30pm & 2pm, replacing The Parkers. At times, Moesha will fill in from 2-3pm if the morning movies runs through 2pm. Then the afternoon Family Matters remains on the schedule airing on most days from 2:30pm-4pm with three airings. The afternoon movie will remain at 4pm leading into 106 & Park at 6. So what about The Parkers? It is off the line-up for now, but sister network Centric will have a weekend marathon on Sept. 28 and 29 from 11am-11pm. Will the series move to Centric? We will let you know soon when we give you Centric's fall schedule! In primetime, it's a mix of movies, originals, The Game encores leading into Scandal Wednesdays and The Soul Man season two encores starting Thursday, Oct. 3. That's sister network TV Land's original sitcom starring Cedric the Entertainer, and like BET did with season one, they will air encore the second season of the sitcom every Thursday from 8-9pm. The season finale of The Game will be Tuesday, Sept. 3 at 10.

Elsewhere on BET, The Wendy Williams Show season 5 begins on Sept. 16 at midnight. The late movie rounds the weeknight schedule out at 1am. On weekends, it is a mix of stunts and movies. Some stunts include a block of The Jamie Foxx Show on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 8-10am and Moesha on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 8am-4pm. That's all for now, but come on back soon for the Centric Fall 2013 schedule!


ABC Family

ABC Family will produce three new comedy pilots, Mystery Girls, Work Mom and Young & Hungry. These orders join the pick-ups announced earlier this year including the back-order greenlight of dramas The Fosters and Twisted, the third seasons of drama Switched at Birth and sitcom Baby Daddy and the fourth season of Melissa & Joey. These three pilots have a long way to go still, as pilots still need to be shot and then if it's good, ABC Family could pick them up to series. Mystery Girls, a single-camera pilot starring Tori Spelling, follows a former starlet who is roped into solving crimes with her former mystery TV show costar when a witness to a crime will only speak to the infamous 'Mystery Girls.' Tori Spelling and Maggie Malina (Single Ladies) will serve as executive producers. The story is by Shepard Boucher and Tori Spelling. The pilot was written by Shepard Boucher.

Work Mom is a half-hour workplace comedy following Heather, who finally gets promoted at her digital marketing firm and winds up hiring her recently unemployed mother. Her vivacious mother, Eden, mixes up the office in a way no one could have predicted. The pilot was written by Grant Levy and Dominik Rothbard (Bunheads). And two worlds collide in Young & Hungry when Nick, a well-off young tech entrepreneur, hires Gabi, a feisty young food blogger, to be his personal chef. Executive producers are Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum (Two and a Half Men), Ashley Tisdale, Jessica Rhoades and CBS Television Studios. The pilot was written by David Holden (Accidentally on Purpose). Stay with us for any further information on these if they are ordered to series to join Baby Daddy and Melissa & Joey.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Summer Week 13 Sitcom Ratings; New Sitcoms On TV This Summer

We're nearing the end of summer, but there are still sitcom airings, new and repeats. We will be back with our normal weekly ratings report with the first four nights numbers and analysis in the fall, but we still will have our regular how the sitcoms did all summer long! Here are our summer ratings:

Summer Week 13 (August 19-25) How the Network Sitcoms Did

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of August 12-18)
  • The Simpsons (Fox)  - preempted.
  • The Cleveland Show (Fox) - preempted.
  • Bob's Burgers (Fox) - preempted.
  • Family Guy (Fox) - preempted.
  • American Dad (Fox) - preempted.
Monday Sitcoms
  • How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A repeat at 8pm did 3.67 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week.
  • Raising Hope (Fox) 2 airings - A repeat at 8pm did 1.8 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, on par in 18-49 with previous week. The 8:30pm repeat did 1.47 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, also on par in 18-49 with previous week.
  • 2 Broke Girls (CBS) - A repeat at 9pm did 4.16 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week.
  • New Girl (Fox) - A repeat at 9 did only 1.48 million and just a 0.7 18-49 rating, but up a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. It just doesn't repeat well for an anchor at all. 
  • Mike & Molly (CBS) 2 airings - A special 8:30 repeat did 3.91 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating, on par in 18-49 with previous week in the slot. The regular 9:30pm encore did 4.59 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, down two tenths in 18-49 week-to-week. 
  • The Mindy Project (Fox) - A repeat on Fox did 1.41 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating at 9:30pm, up a tenth in 18-49 from previous week, like its lead-in.
Tuesday Sitcoms
  • None.
Wednesday Sitcoms
  • The Middle (ABC) - A summer repeat did 3.44 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, down a tenth in 18-49 from previous week.
  • Last Man Standing (ABC) - A repeat at 8:30pm did 3.43 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, on par in 18-49 with previous week.
  • Modern Family (ABC) - At 9pm, a summer repeat did 3.35 million and a 1.0 rating, also on par in 18-49 with previous week as we get closer to the fall season.
  • The Neighbors (ABC) - A summer repeat did 2.34 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating at 9:30pm, again on par in 18-49 with previous week. Extra exposure for the fall when it moves to Fridays following Last Man Standing.
Thursday Sitcoms
  • The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A repeat at 8 did 7.38 million and a 2.0 rating, up a solid four tenths in 18-49 from previous week and the clear leader in sitcoms for the week.
  • Two and a Half Men (CBS) - A repeat at 8:30pm did 6.86 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, up a solid four tenths in 18-49 from previous week. 
  • Parks and Recreation (NBC) - preempted.
  • New Girl (Fox) - A repeat at 9pm did 1.42 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, up a tenth in 18-49 from previous week. 
  • The Mindy Project (Fox) - A repeat at 9:30pm did 1.42 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, on par in 18-49 with previous week and held 100% from its lead-in.
Friday Sitcoms
  • Last Man Standing (ABC) - An 8pm repeat did a prelim 3.43 million and a prelim 0.6 18-49 rating, on par with previous week's prelim 18-49 rating.
  • The Neighbors (ABC) - An 8:30pm repeat did a prelim 2.44 million and a prelim 0.5 18-49 rating, up a tenth in 18-49 from previous week's prelim 18-49 rating.
Saturday Sitcoms
  • None.
Airing tonight (Sunday) are repeats of Fox Animation Domination from 7-10pm.

Summing it up. Repeats of The Big Bang Theory & Two and a Half Men was impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as repeats of Modern Family, Mike & Molly) or just plain old terrible (such as repeats of New Girl and The Mindy Project).



Feeling the repeat blues? Look for original sitcoms on TV this summer. Some highlights include: On cable, Melissa & Joey and Baby Daddy are all-new this Wednesday beginning at 8pm. TV Land has all-new episodes of the summer season of Hot in Cleveland this Wednesday at 10pm, followed by the season finales of The Exes at 10:30pm and the season finale of The Soul Man at 11pm only on TV Land. BET has a new episode of The Game on Tuesday at 10pm. TBS airs an all-new episode of Sullivan & Son Thursday at 10. Nick at Nite has the Scott Baio sitcom See Dad Run every Sunday at 8pm but a repeat is tonight, while Wendell & Vinnie is all-new tonight at 8:30pm. New episodes of Sam & Cat and The Haunted Hathaways air every Saturday beginning at 8pm on Nick! FX's Charlie Sheen sitcom Anger Management airs Thursdays at 9:30pm and is brand new this week. New sitcom airings are the perfect way to beat the summer blues! Look for our daily rundown of what sitcoms are airing each night every day at the bottom of the blog story so you don't miss anything!

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Digital Digest: Mama's Family Complete Series Limited Edition DVD Contest; The Adventures of Superboy - The Complete Third Season DVD Review


Welcome to Digital Digest! This week, we've got all of our regular features along with a review of The Adventures of Superboy - The Complete Third Season. Let's get going!


DIGITAL NEWS

This week has been a slow news week, and the only "new" item announced this week is really just an old item. But it is definitely a favorite of many fans out there! It appears that on October 15, Fox will be releasing Arrested Development - The Three Original Series, a set that compiles all of the first three seasons of the series (i.e. the ones that aired on Fox) in on set. No word yet on when we'll see DVDs of the Netflix episodes (we undoubtedly will, I'm sure), but we'll let you know when we know more about that.

Although it may be a slow news week, we've got something big for one of our fans! As most of you know, StarVista Entertainment is releasing Mama's Family - The Complete Series on DVD soon. You can purchase the DVD set for $199.95 (a great value considering the content!), and you can also purchase one of 500 limited edition sets autographed by Vicki Lawrence for $299.95. Or better yet, you could enter our contest where we are giving away a prize of the limited edition set! Complete contest details, including how to enter and rules, can be found here. We will have a review of this set (which we anticipate will be one of our favorite ones ever) in the upcoming weeks.


UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW

Tuesday (August 27) is not a very busy release date, but ABC has Grey's Anatomy - The Complete Ninth Season. A full review will be posted for this set soon.


BLOG FEATURE REVIEW



Blog DVD Review: The Adventures of Superboy - The Complete Third Season (Warner Archive, $29.95)
by Pavan 

Rocketed from a distant planet to a bold new destiny on Earth...it's Superboy on DVD! There was a six and a half year wait for Superboy on DVD between seasons one and two, now we only had to wait about six month for this third season from Warner Archive! The Boy of Steel's third season ushered in more changes as the show redefined itself for a new decade. Most prominently, the show was now named The Adventures of Superboy, linking Superman's TV past to Superboy's TV future. Leaving Shuster U behind, Clark (Gerard Christopher) and Lana (Stacy Haiduk) take on internships at The Bureau of Extra-Normal Matters in Capitol City, a government agency dedicated to investigating aliens and the paranormal (years before anyone put their "X" on a file!). Working alongside fellow bureau member Matt Ritter (Peter Jay Fernandez) and under bureau chief C. Dennis Jackson (Robert Levine), Clark and Lana delve ever deep into the unknown as the show ups the action and style to cook up a comic-flavored confection of SciFi Noir. Fans will want to keep their eyes peeled for a pair of special guest stars in this 26-Episode, 3-Disc Collection - Stuart Whitman as Jonathan Kent and Ron Ely as...Superman!

The series was a half-hour weekly series that aired in first-run syndication for four seasons. I remember watching it on Saturday afternoons on WWOR locally, and I just loved it. As I mentioned before in past reviews, I have not seen this series in such a long time so most of it seems so new to me. Some memorable episodes include the two-part season premiere "The Bride of Bizarro," as Clark and Lana begin their internship at the Bureau for Extra-Normal Matters, Bizarro returns from deep space to announce on a talk show that he wants a mate. In the second part, after Luthor threatens to create explosive Bizarro duplicates of everyone in the city if Superboy doesn't appear at his lair by midnight, Bizarro once again agrees to kill Superboy in exchange for a Bizarro-bride. In "Carnival," a carnival appears out of thin air, and its owner steals the spirits of some of the carnival-goers, and tests Superboy to break his moral spirit. In "Superboy...Lost," when Superboy tries to intercept a meteor that is approaching Earth, he is injured, resulting in amnesia. Before there was Wife Swap on TV, there was this episode called "Body Swap," where Superboy is tricked into swapping bodies with Lex Luthor, which causes confusion for everyone involved in their lives. In the two-part episode "Rebirth," Clark decides to give up being Superboy and using his powers after a man dies, supposedly as a result of Superboy's actions. And in the conclusion, Lana sets out to clear Superboy's name, so he can be vindicated of the town's condemnation. And on the two-part season finale "The Road to Hell," Superboy is taken to an alternate world where he as a child is living in the jungle and must be saved from being captured, while a run-in with an alternate Lex Luthor creates complications.

The episodes appear to be unedited. Most episodes are just over 21:30. Last season, most episodes ran a bit longer (in the 21:50s) because they had a preview of next week's episode before the closing credits. We don't get those on this set, so maybe they stopped doing that originally? Runtimes are as follows:

Disc 1:
1. "The Bride of Bizarro, Part 1" (21:33)
2. "The Bride of Bizarro, Part 2" (21:33)
3. "The Lair" (21:33)
4. "Neila" (21:34)
5. "Roads Not Taken, Part 1" (21:31)
6. "Roads Not Taken, Part 2" (21:35)
7. "The Sons of Icarus" (21:33)
8. "Carnival" (21:31)

Disc 2:
9. "Test of Time" (21:31)
10. "Mindscape" (21:38)
11. "Superboy... Lost" (21:37)
12. "Special Effects" (21:35)
13. "Neila and the Beast" (21:38)
14. "The Golem" (21:33)
15. "A Day in the Double Life" (21:32)
16. "Body Swap" (21:32)
17. "Rebirth, Part 1" (21:35)

Disc 3:
18. "Rebirth, Part 2" (21:36)
19. "Werewolf" (21:38)
20. "People vs. Metallo" (21:36)
21. "Jackson and Hyde" (21:36)
22. "Mine Games" (21:31)
23. "Wish for Armageddon" (21:33)
24. "Standoff" (21:34)
25. "The Road to Hell, Part 1" (21:34)
26. "The Road to Hell, Part 2" (21:33)

The packaging feels like a Superman type release. The cover is styled like a comic book--a nice shot of Superboy in the middle with the Superboy logo on top and a light brown/tan comic book style background -- all similar to the previous seasons. The back of the case has another shot of Superboy, with synopsis of the series and set. We also have four episodic photos and credits are listed below them. We just have a case holding three discs. There is no artwork on the panels but the discs have artwork. Each disc has the same shot of Superboy from the cover art and the same brown/tan style background. Discs one and two are on a little plastic holder that you can flip like a page in a book, with disc one on the front, and two disc on the back. Disc three is on the right panel itself. Disc one holds episodes 1-8, disc two holds episodes 9-17, and disc three holds episodes 18-26.

The main menu has the light comic book style brown/tan background and the same photo of Superboy from the cover art. We have the choice of Play All or choose an episode title right on the main menu, similar to all Warner Archive releases. There are no subtitles and there are five chapter stops per episode.

The video is decent, but not spectacular, as expected. The audio is crisp and not too low. If you have the first two seasons on DVD, it is just about the same as that in audio and video. As mentioned, each episode runs about 21:30. The episodes are unedited because this series was aired in first-run syndication, so no need to worry about edits here, I think. Less than 22 minutes is not a problem here. As I mentioned, chapter stops are available and we get five of them per episode. We also have the Viacom logo after the closing credits. The one that says "Viacom" out loud. Be scared ! And each two-part episode has a "to be continued..." tag at the end of part one and a "previously on" tag after the opening credits in part two.

The first season set was loaded with special features because it was a Warner Home Video set, but on this set and the previous set we have nothing. That was expected though since this is a Warner Archive made on-demand set. View our first season set review for details on the special features that were on there. Nothing here, but oh well...we get the episodes at least!

I'm so glad Warner Archive decided to continue this series on DVD after Warner Home Video abandoned it after one season. The DVDs are pressed versions right now, so hurry before and get your copy before they turn into DVD-R's. We have just one more season left and I'm sure Warner Archive will give it to us, so continue or start your collection by getting the first three seasons. I thought I'd never see it again on DVD, so thank you Warner Archive. It was fun to watch. This is a great show for fans of the Superman franchise. It's different and focuses on Clark as a boy, so you'll want to see what happens! Found by a Kansas family and raised as Clark Kent, he learned he possessed the strength of steel, the speed of light, and the desire to help all mankind. He is Superboy!

(3.5/5 stars)

To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com

Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Superboy on TV.com


FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Allison Janney (Twitter)
Claim to Fame: Janney got her start in screen acting with a lot of small parts in movies and roles on two soap operas (As the World Turns and Guiding Light), but now her first major role in primetime television was on the NBC series The West Wing. While she has had many guest starring roles in sitcoms, she wasn't cast as a regular in any sitcom until the 2011 series Mr. Sunshine (which didn't go over so well). But now, she is getting a second chance at sitcom fame with the Chuck Lorre created series Mom.
Why You Should Follow Her: To be honest, I never fully knew who Allison Janney was until recently. I knew her name and recognized her face, but since I never really watched any of the series that she played in before, I wasn't exactly familiar with her. Of course, as CBS has been heavily promoting their fall lineup and her series Mom, I began to find out more about her, and realized that she is an accomplished actress than is loved by many, which makes me anxious to know more about her and to see her new series. With that being said, her Twitter activity has been very much lacking. Even though she has over 30,000 followers on her verified account, she has only had 23 Tweets, and despite the fact that she has interacted with her fans three times the past two weeks, she went nearly 3 1/2 years without Tweeting before that. So, we're hopeful that she actually is back up and running on Twitter, and fans can enjoy following her!
Pick of the Tweets: "Thanks to @Larakate and the twitter help page I am finally up and tweeting.... Here we go..." (August 13, 2013)

That's all for this week. Until next time, keep it digital!

Friday, August 23, 2013

The Honeymooners Weekends on WPIX This Fall; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 26, 2013)

The Honeymooners

New York, we've got some classic TV sitcom news for you! From the Gotham Bus Company depot to the Raccoon Lodge, PIX11 is New York's home for The Honeymooners, with viewers ringing in the New Year with The Honeymooners Marathon on PIX11 for decades. Now New Yorkers can also spend the weekend with their favorite Brooklyn residents when The Honeymooners join PIX11's weekend lineup this fall. Beginning Saturday, September 14, The Honeymooners will air on PIX11 on Saturday and Sunday nights at 11 and 11:30pm. Don't miss any of the hamana-hamana-hamana hijinks of Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason), Ed Norton (Art Carney), Alice Kramden (Audrey Meadows) and Trixie Norton (Joyce Randolph) every weekend on PIX11 beginning September 14! You can find the sitcom on WPIX CW-11 in New York City and WPIX is also available on satellite in other markets.

Stay with us next week for our annual look at the fall schedules for NYC local stations. What will WNYW, WWOR, WPIX, WLNY and the big three (WABC, WCBS, WNBC) do this Fall? We'll have all the answers here first, so come on back for that!


It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars, so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of Aug. 26-30, 2013, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVRs (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, August 26, 2013

  • Sherri Shepherd (Less Than Perfect/Sherri) - Watch Sherri on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Ashton Kutcher (Two and a Half Men/That '70s Show) - Ashton appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Jennifer Aniston (Friends) - Tune in to see Jennifer on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
  • Michael Urie (Partners) - Michael is a guest on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
  • J.B. Smoove (Curb Your Enthusiasm/'Til Death) - Catch J.B. on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family/The Class) - Jesse guest co-hosts a repeat of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Ted Danson (Cheers/Becker) - Ted appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
  • NeNe Leakes (The New Normal) - NeNe is a guest on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
  • Matt LeBlanc (Episodes/Friends) - Watch Matt on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) - Selena is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Melissa Joan Hart (Melissa & Joey/Sabrina, the Teenage Witch) and Joey Lawrence (Melissa & Joey/Brotherly Love) - Melissa and Joey are guests on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
  • Casey Wilson (Happy Enginds) - Casey appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
  • Marilu Henner (Taxi) - Tune in to see Marilu on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
  • Holly Robinson Peete (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper/For Your Love) - Holly shares her family's experience with autism in recognition of National Autism Awareness Month on a repeat of Home & Family at Hallmark Channel at 10am.
  • Rainn Wilson (The Office) - Rainn talks about the end of The Office on a repeat of The Jeff Probst Show, so check your local listings.
  • Yvette Nicole Brown (Community) - Yvette is a guest on a repeat of The Jeff Probst Show, so check your local listings.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
  • Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm) - Catch Larry on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/The Golden Girls/The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Betty appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Scott Foley (The Goodwin Games/A.U.S.A.) - Scott is a guest on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
  • Steve Carell (The Office) - Steve guests on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
  • David Alan Grier (Less Than Perfect/DAG) - David appears on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
  • Jennifer Aniston (Friends) - Jennifer is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
  • Chelsea Handler (Are You There, Chelsea?) - Chelsea stops by on a repeat of Katie, so check your local listings.
  • Melissa Peterman (Baby Daddy/Reba) - Melissa appears on a repeat of The Jeff Probst Show, so check your local listings.
Friday, August 30, 2013
  • Steve Carell (The Office) - Watch Steve on a repeat of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Doogie Howser, M.D.) - Neil appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) - Margaret guest co-hosts a repeat of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) - Selena guests on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
  • Mila Kunis (That '70s Show) - Tune in to see Mila on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
  • Gabourey Sidibe (The Big C) - Gabourey appears on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
  • Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle) - Bryan is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
  • Cedric the Entertainer (The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) and Niecy Nash (The Soul Man/Reno 911!) - Cedric and Niecy dish about the The Soul Man on a repeat of Katie, so check your local listings.
  • Sherri Shepherd (Less Than Perfect/Sherri) - Sherri discusses her struggle with diabetes and the importance of a healthy diet on a repeat of Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am.
  • Jessica Walter (Retired at 35/Arrested Development) - Jessica appears on a repeat of Anderson Live, so check your local listings.
Leave us comments on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us to let us know what you think of this Friday feature! We do listen!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

2013 Network Fall Preview Specials; OWN Orders More Love Thy Neighbor, Schedules For Better or Worse

It's almost that time of year again...the start of the new TV season! So let's get ready for that with annual network preview specials to inform us on what is new and returning! See our Fall 2012 preview from last year.

First up we will look at ABC. ABC's Fall 2013 preview special is titled ABC Fall Preview Special Presented by The Chew. Once again ABC will air two versions -- one in primetime and one for local ABC affiliates. The primetime version will be one-hour and air on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 7pm ET. The special showcases the new fall Primetime lineup, including the brand new Tuesday line-up of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Goldbergs, Trophy Wife and Lucky 7. The special will also feature the other new fall series Back in the Game, Super Fun Night, Betrayal and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. The preview show will be hosted by The Chew's entertaining and style expert Clinton Kelly from Walt Disney Studios in California. Celebrity chefs Mario Batali, Michael Symon, and Carla Hall, along with wellness enthusiast Daphne Oz will each feature a new series. A half-hour version will be airing on ABC Affiliates beginning Sept. 14, so check your local listings (WABC in NYC hasn't scheduled it yet). The primetime version will be reaired on ABC on Monday, Sept. 2 at 1pm ET/12pm PT and on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 3:30pm ET/3pm PT. The special also airs on ABC-owned cable networks as well, as ABC Family will air it on Monday, Sept. 16 at 11:59pm. And as of now, it isn't on abc.com but it is still early.

Next is CBS. The CBS Fall 2013 preview special, simply titled CBS Fall Preview Sneak Peek will be a primetime special previewing CBS's new fall lineup on Thursday, Sept. 12 from 8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT nationally on the CBS Television Network following an encore of The Big Bang Theory and leading into the final Thursday broadcast of Big Brother. The preview will feature sneak peeks of the five new additions to CBS's primetime schedule this fall: the drama series Hostages, and the comedy series Mom, The Crazy Ones, The Millers and We Are Men. CBS.com doesn't usually post the preview, so you'll have to watch it on-air or if you miss that, your local CBS might air it on a weekend in the daytime -- but that is not confirmed.

Moving on to NBC, the NBC Fall 2013 preview special (titled once again The NBC Primetime Preview Show) will start airing on their cable owned networks & local NBC affiliates (such as USA, Syfy, Bravo, UniHD, Chiller, mun2, MSNBC, CNBC, Oxygen, Sleuth, Xfinity, E! Entertainment Television, mun2, NBC2Go, on-demand and broadband) as of Aug. 24 and will continue to run through Oct. 6 (in NYC it is on next on WNBC Sat Sept. 1 at 7pm). The preview also will be made available to NBC affiliates and the network's owned television stations websites. In addition, American Airlines will feature the show in its in-flight programming. The special will be hosted by Sean Hayes and the cast of NBC's new comedy Sean Saves the World. The entertainment special will focus on NBC's new shows for the fall, including the dramas The Blacklist, Ironside and Dracula, along with the new comedies Welcome to the Family, The Michael J. Fox Show and Sean Saves the World.

Onto Fox, the Fox Fall 2013 preview special starts airing on local Fox affiliates soon on weekends and is simply titled Fox Fall Preview Special. It will only run on local Fox affiliates again and not on Fox in primetime. No information is available as of this writing on who is hosting and what the special features, but it will of course feature their new programs: Dads, Sleepy Hollow, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Enlisted, Almost Human, and MasterChef Junior. No idea yet also if it will be on fox.com, but check your local Fox listings for on-air showtimes.

And finally we conclude with The CW. The CW's Fall 2013 TV preview special is called The CW Fall First Look is airing on local CW affiliates as of last weekend (such as NY's WPIX on Sun. Sept 8 at 12:30am and Saturday, Sept. 14 at 3:30pm)! No word if it will also air nationally on The CW, but it didn't last year. Series featured will be Reign, The Tomorrow People, and The Originals. The affiliate special is a half-hour. No word yet on if you can watch the affiliate special online yet.


Love Thy Neighbor

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced that it has ordered an additional 26 episodes of the network's popular comedy from Tyler Perry Love Thy Neighbor (Wednesdays at 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.) bringing the total season order to 52 episodes. The current cycle will had its two-episode finale last night, with the new episodes premiering in January 2014. As previously announced, Tyler Perry's sitcom For Better or Worse will take over the timeslot beginning Wednesday, September 18 with two back-to-back half hour episodes at 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. For Better or Worse moves to OWN with all new episodes for season three. It previously aired on TBS in originals. Back to Love Thy Neighbor, it is set at a family-run diner, where feisty matriarch Hattie Mae Love (Patrice Lovely) has her hands full not only managing her customers but also her family drama. Since its debut on May 29, the series is averaging over 1 million total viewers, a 0.88 W25-54 rating and is Wednesday night's #1 original series on all of television for African American viewers.

In addition, the network has ordered an additional four episodes of the Tyler Perry drama The Haves and the Have Nots on top of the 16 additional episodes ordered in June. This brings the total order for The Haves and the Have Nots to 36 episodes for its first season. The series continues to break ratings records each week with its most recent broadcast on Tuesday, August 20 scoring its highest rated episode to-date in the network's key demo of women 25-54 (1.76 rating). Back to Tyler Perry's popular sitcom For Better or Worse, the series follows three couples as they navigate the ups-and-downs of dating and marriage. It makes its OWN debut with the premiere of its third season on Wednesday, September 18 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (two back-to-back half-hour episodes). In the season premiere, Leslie Norris (Crystle Stewart, Miss USA 2008), rushes to the hospital on her wedding day after finding out Joseph Jetson (Jason Olive, Raising Helen) has been in a serious accident, leaving her pending nuptials to fiancé Chris (Eddie Cibrian, CSI: Miami) in question.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Lifetime September 2013 Schedule; TBS Orders Third Seasons of Sullivan & Son, Men at Work, and Books Ground Floor for November

Lifetime

Lifetime has announced its September schedule and there aren't many changes. Will & Grace is missing from the schedule starting Sept. 3, but as we announced a few years ago, it is coming to WE tv this fall. We'll have more on that soon, but WE tv doesn't have exclusive rights. After a movie marathon on Labor Day (Sept. 2), Lifetime's daily schedule kicks-off on Sept. 3 with back-to-back episodes of The New Adventures of Old Christine at 8am & 8:30am. Then from 9am-12pm, it's three hours of Frasier. At 12pm and 12:30pm, Lifetime will air two episodes of How I Met Your Mother. From 1pm-4pm, Grey's Anatomy is back to three episodes a day. Then at 4pm & 5pm, Wife Swap is back-to-back leading into the rotating block of shows from 6-8pm. On Mondays, Trading Spouses will air, while on Tuesdays encores of original reality series will air. On Wednesdays, Lifetime will air Unsolved Mysteries, while on Thursdays they air more Wife Swap. And on Fridays, marathons of Hoarders will air from 6pm-3am. In primetime, we have a mix of movies and original series, and the same goes true in late night with encores of those. On weekends, it is all original series originals or encores and movies. Except on Saturdays at 11am we have Unsolved Mysteries and in the late night from 4-5am an hour of Old Christine.

Highlights wise, we have original series finales and premieres. The season finale of Dance Moms is Sept. 10 at 8pm, with a reunion special the following week. The second season of Lifetime's popular series, Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition is set to come back on Tuesday, Sept. 3 at 9pm. Another reality series will have its season finale as well, as Double Divas concludes its season on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 10pm. Project Runway won't conclude its season until Thursday, Oct. 14 from 9-10:30pm. Struggling reality series Supermarket Superstars will have its finale on Thursday, Sept. 26 from 10:30-11:30pm. Scripted series wise, red-hot freshman drama Devious Maids has its season finale on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 10pm. The back half of the fifth season of Drop Dead Diva will return on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 9pm leading into the new drama The Witches of East End at 10pm. And finally, original movies will air Saturdays at 8pm, as in September the stars include Kelly Rutherford, Natasha Henstridge, Peyton List, Gail O'Grady, Julie Benz, Jamie Luner, Bruce Thomas and Max Carver. Stay with us for continued updates on Lifetime and if Will & Grace returns to Lifetime.


Sullivan & Son

TBS has ordered third seasons of its hit original sitcoms Sullivan & Son, starring popular comedian Steve Byrne, and Men at Work, starring Danny Masterson, Michael Cassidy, Adam Busch, Meredith Hagner and James Lesure. TBS has also ordered a second season of the hit series Deal With It, from Howie Mandel's Alevy Productions. TBS has ordered 13 episodes of Sullivan & Son, which airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) and is set to wrap up its second season Aug. 22. The series is averaging 2.4 million viewers in Live + 7 delivery this summer, including 1.3 million adults 18-49. Season three of Sullivan & Son is slated to launch in summer 2014. TBS has also ordered 10 episodes for the third season of its popular workplace sitcom Men at Work. This past spring, the second season of the series averaged 1.9 million viewers and 1.2 million adults 18-49. The third season of Men at Work is slated to launch in early 2014. And TBS has renewed Deal With It with a 10-episode order for season two. Hosted by Theo Von (Primetime in No Time, Last Comic Standing), season one of the series has averaged 2.3 million viewers in Live + 7 delivery, including 1.2 million adults 18-49. From Howie Mandel's Alevy Productions, the second season is slated to launch in 2014.

Men at Work

TBS's renewals come as the network prepares to launch three new series during the second half of 2013. Beginning Tuesday, Oct. 22, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), D.L. Hughley and Michael Ian Black will headline the new game show Trust Me, I'm a Game Show Host. TBS will expand its late-night lineup with the The Pete Holmes Show, which will follow Conan Monday-Thursday at midnight (ET/PT), beginning Oct. 28. And in November, TBS will launch Ground Floor, the new sitcom created by Emmy(R) nominees Bill Lawrence (Cougar Town, Scrubs) and Greg Malins (2 Broke Girls, How I Met Your Mother), and starring Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect), Briga Heelan (Cougar Town) and John C. McGinley (Scrubs). Ground Floor is set to premiere Thursday, Nov. 14, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT).

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

INSP Fall 2013 Schedule; Darren Star TV Land Sitcom Fast-Tracked

INSP

This Fall, INSP will be adding some more dramas to its schedule. Coming to the network this fall will be JAG, Christy, Robin Hood and Lark Rise to Candleford. The fun begins on Sunday, Sept. 29 with a JAG marathon from 12pm-2am ET. The series was airing on the Universal-owned networks, but the contract expired and now INSP has the series. The new line-up will then begin the following day on Monday, Sept. 30 at 11am. Kicking it off will be The Big Valley from 11am-1pm every Mon-Thurs, as the series moves down an hour (it was airing 12-2pm). Sitcoms Happy Days and The Brady Bunch will therefore be removed from the schedule beginning on Sept. 30 and won't be found anywhere on the line-up. The High Chaparral will remain Mon-Thurs at 1pm. The Virginian will air in this block from 11am-2pm on Fridays. Then each weekday will have a different drama from 2-8pm now, as six-hour blocks of the same show will air. On Mondays it will be Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, while on Tuesdays it is Matlock. Wednesdays will feature Little House on the Prairie, while Thursdays it is family time with The Waltons. And on Fridays, new acquisition JAG will get the marathon treatment. In INSP primetime from 8pm-12am, the line-up starts off with The Waltons at 8 every weeknight, followed by newbie JAG at 9pm. At 10pm and 11pm, Matlock makes his case with back-to-back episodes every weeknight. In late night from 12-2am, we have a rotating block of shows. Monday and Tuesday nights will feature JAG, while Wednesday and Thursday nights will showcase Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. And on Fridays, new addition Robin Hood will close the work week out.

Onto weekends, Saddle-Up Saturdays will continue. Airing from 1pm-12am, westerns rule the day with The Virginian from 1pm-4pm, The High Chaparral from 4-6pm, and The Big Valley from 6-8pm. Then in primetime, it's more westerns with The Virginian again from 8-11pm leading into Bonanza at 11pm. In late night, JAG will air from 12-2am once again. On Sundays, different marathons will air from 12pm-5pm (such as The Waltons, Matlock, Little House and Dr. Quinn). Then the new Sunday line-up begins with the Kellie Martin drama Christy airing at 5pm, followed by Lark Rise to Candleford at 6pm and Robin Hood at 7pm. JAG airs in primetime at 8pm & 9pm, into movies from 10pm-2am. Before the new series launch, they will get marathons. We mentioned JAG's launch marathon already, but the others will also get marathons. Lark Rise to Candleford gets the first taste on Sunday, Sept. 15 from 6pm-2am. The following week (Sunday, Sept. 22), Robin Hood gets the marathon from 6pm-2am. We mentioned JAG on Sept. 29, but on Sunday, Oct. 6 from 5pm-2am, Christy gets its launch marathon.

That's all for INSP this fall. We hope Happy Days and The Brady Bunch return to the schedule at some point, but at least they are available to watch on other networks if you receive those. Stay with us for continued updates on all things INSP!


TV Land

TV Land has fast-tracked a project to be written by writer, producer and creator Darren Star of Sex and the City. This single camera comedy, which is based on the novel "Younger" by Pamela Redmond Satran, will follow the story of a suddenly-single New Jersey housewife and mother in her early 40s who, unable to restart her career, decides to lie about her age and successfully passes herself off as a twenty-something. Armed with a makeover and new resume, she wins a coveted position at the city's hottest publishing company. Pretending to be "younger" doesn't hurt in the bar scene, either, as guys line up like never before. Between Sex and the City, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place, he has created some of the most iconic and beloved shows in the history of television. The series has been fast-tracked, but has not been picked-up to pilot just yet. If and when it does that, it would then have to be picked-up to series for us to see it on television. So it's a long way to go, but fast-tracking a project is a good thing.

TV Land also recently announced a pilot for a multi-camera sitcom, Jennifer Falls, starring Jaime Pressly. The network's current line-up of original sitcoms airs Wednesdays at 10pm ET/PT and includes the hit series Hot in Cleveland, The Exes and The Soul Man. The series have received several awards and accolades including two 2013 Creative Arts Emmy(R) nominations: one for Hot in Cleveland and the other for The Exes. All of these series star pop culture icons and fan favorites including Betty White, Valerie Bertinelli, Wendie Malick, Jane Leeves, Kristen Johnston, Donald Faison, Wayne Knight, David Alan Basche, Kelly Stables, Cedric "The Entertainer," Niecy Nash and Wesley Jonathan. This December, TV Land will debut its newest original series, Kirstie, which stars Kirstie Alley, Michael Richards, Rhea Perlman and Eric Petersen.

Monday, August 19, 2013

The Hub September 2013 Schedule; Adam West to Narrate ReelzChannel TV Series

The Hub

The Hub this September won't be making many changes and the sitcoms and TV series airing will continue to air. Monday-Thursday from 10pm-12am will remain classic sitcoms (with an encore from 2-4am). Every Monday in September will be Happy Days, while every Tuesday in September in this block will be its spin-off Laverne & Shirley. Another Happy Days spin-off will air in the block on Wednesday, this time the Robin Williams sitcom Mork & Mindy. And on Thursdays, it's everyone's favorite alien from Melmac - ALF! On Fridays, Sept. 6 and Sept. 13, Family Game Night will air at 10pm leading into two episodes of the '90s drama Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. At 1am another '90s drama will air, as Hercules: The Legendary Journey airs. After game show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader airs from 2-3am, it's time for some sitcoms from 3-5am, with an hour of Happy Days, followed by an episode each of its spin-offs Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy. And the day closes with Honey, I Shrunk The Kids: The TV Show at 5am. Starting Sept. 20, there will be some changes to the Friday schedule. 10pm will still be Family Game Night airings, but this time the 11pm-1am block will be Hercules: The Legendary Journey instead. Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman moves to 1am & 2am, as Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader is off the line-up. The sitcom block from 3-5am will remain as is (an hour of Happy Days, followed by an episode each of its spin-offs Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy), but at 5am we have the return of Sliders to the schedule.

On Saturdays after a movie at 10, R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series and Goosebumps airs in the 12am hour. Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman follows at 1am & 2am, leading into Hercules: The Legendary Journey at 3am. An episode each of sitcoms Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy air in the 4am hour, while the 5am hour will be original series encores of Scrabble Showdown and Pictureka! On Sundays, it's sitcom night with back-to-back episodes of sitcoms from 10pm-1am, with an hour each of ALF, Happy Days, and Laverne & Shirley, followed by an immediate encore of all three hours from 1am-4am. Animated series will air from 4-6am (G.I. Joe Renegades, Dennis and Gnasher, Cosmic Quantum Ray and In the Night Garden). Back to weeknights, from 8-10pm leading into the sitcom blocks will be movies. The week of Sept. 2 will be "The Totally Hubular 80's Movie Week" with The Hub premieres of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Big Top Pee-Wee and Troop Beverly Hills. Thursday will have an encore of Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, while Friday has a second play of Big Top Pee-Wee. The week concludes on Saturday with an encore of Troop Beverly Hills at 8 into Muppets From Space at 10 (which encores the next night at 8pm).

That's all for The Hub in September. There are no signs of Who's the Boss?, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Family Ties, Doogie Howser M.D. or Facts of Life returning. Besides the Friday night change beginning Sept. 20, there are not many changes to the schedule in primetime and late night (where they air TV series/sitcoms). We will let you know should anything change in October and if there will be any new acquisitions. Personally, we're waiting for them to acquire Step by Step, Perfect Strangers and Family Matters already. That's just our preference. Stay with us for continued updates!


ReelzChannel

Holy narration, Batman! ReelzChannel has announced the premiere of its new original reality series FanAddicts! on Wednesday, August 28, 2013, which goes inside the world's most incredible movie memorabilia collections and introduces viewers to the unforgettable fans who will stop at nothing to obtain a new item. Despite their homes, storage lockers and garages overflowing, these fans persist in a never-ending quest for more rare collectibles from their favorite movies. Classic Batman Adam West is the voice of the series taking viewers inside the lives of these obsessed aficionados. The FanAddicts! premiere features two back-to-back episodes starting at 10pm ET/PT with FanAddicts!: Harry Potter followed by FanAddicts!: Superman at 10:30pm ET/PT. Reelz is excited to have classic Batman Adam West as the voice of the series given he is the ultimate kitsch superhero and makes for a perfect pairing with beguiling, guilty pleasure TV.

Let's hope an episode focuses on Batman as well! Our old chum Adam West is 84 (and will be 85 next month) and still very much active. His voice was on an episode of Futurama earlier this month as Adam West, with the Boy Wonder, Burt Ward also guest voicing. Adam also continues to voice on Family Guy as Mayor Adam West.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Tuesday, March 19

Night Court - "The Duke's a Hazard" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Gurgs' royal boyfriend pays a surprise visit, she questions their compatibility; Dan defends his family's honor after he discovers a feud that dates back centuries.

Extended Family - "The Consequences of Being Irish" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Jim learns of Trey's St. Patrick's Day fundraiser plans, he offers his expertise in an effort to save Trey and the Celtics from embarrassment.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 18)

Tuesday, March 19

  • Tracy Morgan (The Last O.G./30 Rock/The Tracy Morgan Show) - Catch Tracy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Leslie Bibb (Palm Royale/God's Favorite Idiot/American Housewife/The Odd Couple/About a Boy) - Leslie appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Brendan Hunt (Ted Lasso), Marc Maron (GLOW/Maron) and Zainab Johnson (Upload) - Brendan, Marc and Zainab are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Hilary Swank (Camp Wilder) - NBC's Today catches up with Hilary in the 10am hour.
  • The cast of Girls5eva) - Busy Philipps, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Paula Pell and Sara Bareilles are guests on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family/The Class) - Jesse talks about his podcast Dinner's On Me on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Annie Potts (Young Sheldon/Over the Top/Love & War/Designing Women/Goodtime Girls) - Annie talks about her legendary career and new film, Ghostbuster: Frozen Empire, on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Joe Manganiello (How I Met Your Mother) - Joe stops by Tamron hall to chat about hosting the new Deal or No Deal Island, so check your local listings.


New on DVD/Blu-ray (November-March)

Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Father Knows Best - The Complete Series The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

11/07 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/14 - Leave it to Beaver - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/05 - Father Knows Best - The Complete Series
12/05 - The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/12 - The Dick Van Dyke Show - The Complete Series
12/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
12/12 - That Girl - The Complete Series
12/15 - Letterkenny - Season 11
12/19 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series
12/22 - Three's Company - The Official 40th Anniversary Collection (includes The Ropers and Three's a Crowd)
01/09 - South Park - Seasons 11-15 (Blu-ray)
01/16 - Ghosts (UK) - Season Five
02/13 - Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/27 - The Really Loud House - Season One
03/12 - Ghosts (UK) - The Complete Series
03/12 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
03/12 - Rick and Morty - Season 7 (Blu-ray Steelbook) (Blu-ray) (DVD)

That Girl - The Complete Series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Official Restored Complete Series

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


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02/21 - SNL Loads Up for Next 3 Weeks; Tig Notaro Prime Video Special
02/20 - Brittany Snow to Star Opposite Malin Akerman in Starz Series; Dennis Quaid Joining Paramount+
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