Saturday, October 26, 2013

Digital Digest: More Alice on DVD; My Mother, The Car Coming to DVD; More Donna Reed Show in the Horizon?

Welcome to Digital Digest! We're hoping to be back with our revamped Saturday feature (which will include all of our news, a look at upcoming releases, and some new features) next week, but until then, we've got a rather busy week of news this week! Let's get going!


DIGITAL NEWS

Warner Archive is back yet again this week with another new release to please classic sitcom fans! On Tuesday, the studio released another season of Alice, with Alice - The Complete Fourth Season. The three-disc, 26 episode collection is the last one to feature Polly Holiday in the role of Flo (she went off to do her own short-lived spinoff), as well as the first (and only) season to feature Diane Ladd in the role of Belle.

Meanwhile, TGG, which has been working with MGM to release some of their classic series lately, had a pleasant surprise as well this week of a series that many never thought would come to DVD. On November 12 (just a few weeks from now), the studio will release My Mother, The Car - The Series. So, notably missing in the title of this release is the word "complete," and there is a possible reason for this. The five disc set will contain 29 of the 30 episodes, and it appears that one episode, "My Son the Ventriloquist," will NOT be included if the information provided on amazon.com is correct (and we should add that it is entirely possible that the information provided COULD be incorrect, and it may just be complete after all). Oddly enough, this episode is available on Hulu, so we're not quite sure what the problem might be. Still, this is almost the complete series, and considering the reputation that the series has in TV history, it is great that we are even seeing most of the episodes.

Could we see more of The Donna Reed Show on DVD? Right now, the short answer to that question seems to be "no," but there has been some banter on the Home Theater Forum message boards suggesting that the final three seasons of the series could be coming to DVD eventually. The series has had an odd history on DVD, with the first three seasons released by Virgil Films, then the fourth and fifth seasons being released by the much more stable MPI. All of the first five seasons are owned by Donna Reed's estate, but rights for the last three seasons are held by Sony. It seems that one particular member on Home Theater Forum (and we should add, this particular member was the first to bring others the information that MPI was working on the fourth and fifth seasons, several months before anything definitive came to light... so we don't doubt his credibility) has found out through contact with Mary Owen (Donna Reed's daughter) that MPI is supposedly in talks with Sony to release those remaining seasons. To be clear, the same member has indicated that Mary Owen is a bit skeptical herself as to whether or not a deal will be worked out, but it is important to remember that Sony has been known to license almost anything to smaller studios, including even Mill Creek. So we're going to watch this closely, and hopefully something will develop from this!

Warner Home Video (not to be confused with Warner Archive) has mostly given up on older TV series, but not Family Matters, it seems! This week, they announced that Family Matters - The Complete Fourth Season will make it to DVD on February 4. The three disc set will contain all 24 episodes of the fourth season of the classic TGIF series.

Finally, with Perry Mason wrapped up on DVD, fans were left to wonder if the TV films from the late '80s and early '90s would follow... and this week, CBS gave us an answer! On December 31 (before the end of this year), we'll see Perry Mason - Movie Collection, Volume 1. The release will contain six (presumably the first six, but we don't know that yet) of the made-for-TV movies starring Raymond Burr. In total, there were 30 of these films, with the first 26 featuring Burr and the final four made after his death.


UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW



Tuesday (October 29) has little to offer, aside from HBO's release of Family Tree - Season One.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Gavin MacLeod (Twitter), "Gavin's career spans over fifty years in TV, Film, and Broadway. This is Gavin's official Twitter page."
Claim to Fame: Starting out with small movie roles, MacLeod came to fame in the TV world in his role in McHale's Navy. Of course, his real fame came years later when he was cast as Murray Slaughter in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, a role that he held for seven seasons. This was followed up with his role as Captain Stubing, a role for which he earned three Golden Globe nominations. This past week, he released his book, This Is Your Captain Speaking: My Fantastic Voyage Through Hollywood, Faith & Life, which talks about his own life and the ups and downs he has faced, all of which seems to have gone well for him in recent years.
Pick of the Tweets: "It's taken 60 years to have a dream come true! Getting free underwear from @fruitoftheloom is as amazing to me as winning an Oscar." (October 23, 2013)

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


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Tuesday, March 25

St. Denis Medical - "Sometimes It's Good to Be Cautious" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Bruce and Alex give conflicting medical advice to a young athlete; Joyce competes with Tiger Woods in her alumni magazine; Matt and Serena (almost) drop an unconscious patient.

Night Court - "A Few Good Hens" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Dan goes up against Julianne to defend the Wheelers and his professional reputation; Abby's love life takes an exciting turn when she meets a handsome man in the courthouse, but there's a catch.

Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Tricks No Retreats" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Curtis surprises Ella with a new gift that brings unexpected results; Calvin struggles with whether he and Laura are ready to walk down the aisle.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Total Knockout" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Jeremy enters a charity boxing match, only to find out his opponent is Leah's wealthy ex; Mr. Brown hires someone huge and unexpected as his trainer; Reginald is on a quest to regain his youth and solicits Philip to give him a new look.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 24)

Tuesday, March 25

  • Adam DeVine (The Righteous Gemstones/Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin/Workaholics/Modern Family) - Catch Adam on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Jenna Ortega (Stuck in the Middle/Richie Rich) - Jenna is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Don Johnson (Kenan) - Don appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Mayan Lopez (Lopez vs Lopez) and Jerry O'Connell (We Are Men/Do Not Disturb/Carpoolers/My Secret Identity) - Mayan and Jerry are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Kimberly Williams-Paisley (According to Jim) - Kimberly tells Sherri about hosting the new season of the hit dating reality show Farmer Wants a Wife on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Tone Bell (Survival of the Thickest/Fam/Disjointed/Truth Be Told/Bad Judge/Whitney) - Tone appears on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:05am.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two

11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

03/25 - Deli Boys Now Streaming All Episodes on Hulu; Heartland Season 18 on UP Faith & Family
03/24 - Peacock April Highlights Include Three's Company; Antenna TV's 50 Years on the Beat Barney Miller Anniversary Marathon
03/23 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 24, 2025)
03/22 - SitcomsOnline Digest: The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* Coming to DVD; American Dad! Moving Back to Fox
03/21 - Big Mouth Final Season; The Four Seasons Premieres in May on Netflix
03/20 - HBO's Brett Goldstein Comedy Special; Disney+ Adds The Simpsons 24/7 Stream
03/19 - Solar Opposites Final Season This Fall; NBC to Move Grosse Pointe Garden Society to Fridays
03/18 - Game Show Network New Shows Launch April 14; NBC Picks Up 3rd Comedy Pilot, While Bobby Moynihan Joins Tracy Morgan Pilot
03/17 - It's True! Ted Lasso Renewed for Season 4; Jane Goodall Returns for Jane Season 3
03/16 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 17, 2025)
03/15 - SitcomsOnline Digest: The Neighborhood Renewed for Eighth and Final Season; NBC Picks Up New Cheerleading Comedy
03/14 - NBC Comedy Pilots Wheeling & Dealing; Hulu's Got to Get Out
03/13 - Prime Video Comedy Series Overcompensating Premiere Date; Eric Stonestreet Joins Dexter: Resurrection
03/12 - Hacks Season 4 Premieres April 10; Nickelodeon Orders Wylde Pak
03/11 - The Neighborhood Renewed for Final Season; Max's The Official Big Bang Theory Podcast
03/10 - Netflix Renews Running Point for Season 2; Apple TV+ Trailer for The Studio
03/09 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 10, 2025)
03/08 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Tracy Morgan to Star in NBC Pilot from Tina Fey and Robert Carlock; Nobody Wants This Returning for Second Season
03/07 - Trailer for Apple TV+ Comedy Government Cheese; Remembering Saved by the Bell and TV Producer Peter Engel
03/06 - The CW Spring Premiere Dates; Henry Winkler Heads to HISTORY Channel
03/05 - Hacks Brings Out the Stars in Season 4; NBC Orders Pilot with Tracy Morgan
03/04 - Apple TV+ Side Quest Launches March 26; Krysten Ritter Joins Dexter: Resurrection
03/03 - HBO's The Rehearsal Returns April 20; Sharon Horgan Signs Deal for HBO Comedy Series
03/02 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 3, 2025)
03/01 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Premiere Date for Mid-Century Modern Set; Roseanne Remastered in High Definition
02/28 - Remembering John Lawlor, Michelle Trachtenberg, Lynne Marie Stewart, Alice Hirson, Isaac Ruiz Jr., and Others We Lost in February
02/27 - Fox Orders Season 2 of Doc; Law & Order: Organized Crime Moves to Peacock in April
02/26 - Peacock's Poker Face Season 2 Premieres This Spring; Bert Kreischer Returns with His Fourth Netflix Special
02/25 - Hulu Sitcom Mid-Century Modern Premiere Date; NBC Renews Happy's Place for Season 2