SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

It's a new week and our second week of looking at the fall 2013 schedules for cable TV and digital TV. Today we will take a look at WGN America's fall 2013 schedule. The newest addition to its schedule will be the off-network debut of Parks & Recreation. We announced already that the comedy was coming, but now we have the airtimes! Parks & Recreation will air in primetime on Monday nights at 9:00pm & 9:30pm and also Mon-Sat nights at 12:30am & 1:00am to add to WGN America's late night comedy block. There will be no other new additions to the schedule, but most of the other comedies will remain including How I Met Your Mother, Rules of Engagement, 30 Rock, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Futurama, 'Til Death and Dharma & Greg - all airing after 11pm. Two series will be leaving the schedule, though. Scrubs and The New Adventures of Old Christine will depart, as Scrubs was a staple for many years. While the comedy airings are all in late night, some primetime blocks will remain from 8-10pm including How I Met Your Mother on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays; Rules of Engagement on Wednesdays, and now Parks & Recreation joins Mondays but 9-10pm only.

There will more drama airings of their older series as well, as Matlock, In the Heat of the Night and Walker Texas Ranger now will also air on Saturday mornings beginning at 11am. Their weekday airings remain untouched, but Walker will now just be twice on weekdays rather than three times, as Law & Order: Criminal Intent gets a second hour on weekdays. View the full WGN America Fall 2013 schedule beginning this September. Discuss what you think on that link as well!

ABC concluded the TCA summer 2013 press tour yesterday (well PBS still is left, but we are not covering PBS). Paul Lee, president, ABC Entertainment Group, announced the premiere dates for new midseason series Resurrection and The Quest, along with spring premiere dates for key returning series, now structured into split seasons to allow for fewer or no preemptions or repeats. New drama Resurrection will premiere on Sunday, March 9 at 10:00 pm ET (a week after the Oscars), taking over the timeslot for Betrayal when that show's season concludes. New alternative series The Quest will debut on Thursday, January 2 with a special two-hour premiere from 8:00-10:00 pm, ET, moving into the timeslot held by Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, following its winter finale. Once Upon a Time in Wonderland will return with its second half of its 13 episodes after The Quest finishes its run, but there is no announced date yet. Continuing the network's commitment to the split season strategy announced at this year's Upfront presentation, key returning series Grey's Anatomy, Nashville, Once Upon a Time, Revenge and Scandal will return in the spring, following their winter finales, with all new episodes that will run with few or no repeats to their season finales in May. The returning series' winter finale dates will be announced at a later time, but the spring returns have been announced with Nashville returning from its winter hiatus on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Grey's Anatomy and Scandal will return on Thursday, Feb. 27 and the ABC Sunday stapes Once Upon a Time and Revenge will return on Sunday, March 9 a week after the Oscars and leading into the new premiere of the aforementioned Resurrection.

ABC also announced their own "Shark Week." ABC's hit series Shark Tank, fresh from a TCA Award win for Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming and a 2013 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Reality Program, is eating up ABC's primetime schedule with a special "Shark Tank Week," beginning Sunday, September 8 at 8:00pm. "Shark Tank Week" will conclude on Friday, September 13 at 9:00 pm, gearing up for the Season 5 premiere the following week, on Friday, September 20 at 9:00pm ET on ABC. The Sharks thoughtfully fished out six episodes from the past four seasons. Night one will have Mark Cuban's favorite episode. Night two will have Lori Greiner's favorite episode. Tuesday will have Robert Herjavec's pick, while day four it is Barbara Corcoran turn. Day five will feature Daymond John's pick and the "Shark Tank Week" concludes wonderfully with Mr. Wonderful's (Kevin O'Leary) pick. Shark Tank became a ratings force this past season, regularly finishing as Friday night's No. 1 program on the major networks among Adults 18-49. In addition, the series grew 17% year over year to deliver its highest-rated season ever.

The panels for ABC started with the syndicated series Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, which now has Cedric the Entertainer hosting. A panel for the new comedy Trophy Wife followed. The executive session with Paul Lee was up next into the Once Upon a Time in Wonderland panel. Super Fun Night was the last panel before lunch, as then critics got to see a screening of the Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot during lunch! Then it was back to more panels, with upcoming Sunday drama Betrayal leading it off. Throwback comedy The Goldbergs was next in all of its 1980's glory. Another new Tuesday series was next with Lucky 7 holding its panel. New ABC Comedy Wednesday comedy Back in the Game followed leading into the highly anticipated panel for Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. And finally the night concluded with the All-Star Cocktail Reception.


Finally, The Television Critics Association (TCA) has announced the winners for its 2013 TCA Awards. Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, stars of Comedy Central's hit series Key & Peele, hosted the annual invitation-only event, held at the Beverly Hilton hotel on Saturday night in conjunction with the TCA's summer press tour. The non-televised ceremony bestowed awards in 12 categories to recipients in comedy, drama, reality, miniseries, news and youth programming. Members of the TCA, a media organization of more than 220 professional TV critics and journalists from the United States and Canada, voted AMC's celebrated Breaking Bad this season's Program of the Year and honored FX's freshman drama, The Americans, with the award for Outstanding New Program. Cable series continues to dominate awards shows, however CBS' The Big Bang Theory and NBC's Parks and Recreation both were award-winners, tying for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy.
Below is the complete list of the 2013 Television Critics Association winners.

Individual Achievement in Drama
Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black, BBC America)

Individual Achievement in Comedy
Louis C.K. (Louie, FX)

Outstanding Achievement in News and Information
The Central Park Five (PBS)

Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming
Shark Tank (ABC)

Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming
Bunheads (ABC Family)

Outstanding New Program
The Americans (FX)

Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials
Behind the Candelabra (HBO)

Outstanding Achievement in Drama
Game of Thrones (HBO)

Outstanding Achievement in Comedy
(Tie) The Big Bang Theory (CBS) AND Parks & Recreation (NBC)

Career Achievement Award
Barbara Walters (ABC)

Heritage Award
All in the Family (CBS)

Program of the Year
Breaking Bad (AMC)

View the full list of nominated programs to see who these winners beat out.