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

Sunday, May 28

The Conners - "Possums, Pregnancy and Patriarchy" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Harris makes a big announcement. Meanwhile, Ben is overwhelmed with family responsibilities.

The Conners - "Hiding In and Moving Out" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Harris takes her anger out on Darlene. Elsewhere, Dan and Louise spend an entire day in bed together.

The Conners - "The Contra Hearings and the Midnight Gambler" (ABC, 10:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Mark fights for a spot in the Lanford High chamber orchestra. Elsewhere, Jackie puts a lottery machine in the Lunch Box.

The Conners - "Road Trip and Guilt Trip" (ABC, 10:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Dan and Jackie take a road trip to a hardware wholesaler in Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Darlene heads out of town and leaves behind a plethora of to-do notes for Becky and Ben.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 22)

Friday, May 26

  • Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/George and Leo/Chicago Sons/Simon/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons) - Watch Jason on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Ali Wong (Big Mouth/American Housewife/Are You There, Chelsea?) - Ali is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) - Chris appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Tom is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Sebastian Maniscalco (How to Be a Bookie) - Sebastian talks about his new film About My Father on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
  • Issa Rae (Insecure) - Issa is a guest on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
  • Bill Bellamy (Mr. Box Office/Men, Women & Dogs/Cousin Skeeter) - Bill appears on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
  • Ming-Na Wen (The Single Guy) and BD Wong (All-American Girl) - Ming-Na and BD talk about Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
  • Hailee Steinfeld (Dickinson) - Hailee and actor Shameik Moore sit down together to talk about their new film, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, in theaters on June 2 on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Leslie Odom Jr. (Love in the Time of Corona/Big Dady) and Nicolette Robinson (Love in the Time of Corona/Perfect Couples) - Leslie and Nicolette chat with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Daniel Wu (American Born Chinese) - Daniel talks about American Born Chinese on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • Kimberly Williams-Paisley (According to Jim) - Kimberly is a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.


New on DVD/Blu-ray (January-June)

Growing Pains - The Complete Series Cheers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Twelve Gimme a Break! - The Complete Series (VEI) Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (VEI)

01/03 - Andy Richter Controls the Universe - The Complete Series (2023 Release)
01/27 - Master of None - Season Three / The Complete Series
02/21 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Nine / The Complete Season Ten
02/28 - Growing Pains - The Complete Series
03/28 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/04 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Fifth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
04/18 - Blondie - The Complete 1957 Television Series (Blu-ray)
04/25 - Cheers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
05/23 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Eleven / The Complete Season Twelve
05/23 - Go On - The Complete Series
05/23 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (Universal)
05/29 - Gimme a Break! - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/29 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/30 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
06/13 - Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series
06/13 - Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

05/28 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 29, 2023)
05/27 - SitcomsOnline Digest: CBS Wins 2022-2023 Ratings Game; Netflix Ends Sharing of Passwords
05/26 - Prime Video Renews Priyanka Chopra Series; Sex and the City 25th Anniversary Event in NYC
05/25 - Brady Bunch House on the Market; The Family Stallone Gets 2nd Season
05/24 - Antenna TV's Father Knows Best Father's Day Fest Marathon; Netflix Gets Glamorous This June
05/23 - CBS Summer 2023 Reality Schedule; Apple TV+ Announces Peanuts Programming
05/22 - More Details on Zoey 102; New Lifetime Movie Series Coming July 8
05/21 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 22, 2023)
05/20 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Showtime Looking to Bring Back Two Old Favorites; Disney+ Removing Content
05/19 - Futurama Triumphantly Returns July 24; Final Season of Physical Drops August 2; Primo Premieres May 19 on Amazon Freevee
05/18 - The CW Upfront 2023-24: Fall 2023 Schedule; Netflix Upfront 2023
05/17 - Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront 2023; Sarah Silverman HBO Special Premieres May 27
05/16 - ABC Upfront 2023-24: Fall 2023 Schedule; FX's Summer 2023 Slate
05/15 - FOX Announces 2023-24 Programming Slate; iCarly Season 3 Premieres June 1
05/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 15, 2023)
05/13 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Night Court Season Finale Brings Back a Familiar Face; Comedy Central Renews Digman! for Second Season
05/12 - NBC Upfront 2023-24: Fall 2023 Schedule; Hulu Orders Deli Boys from Onyx Collective
05/11 - CBS Upfront 2023-24: Fall 2023 Schedule; The CW Summer Lineup Has Comedies
05/10 - Minx Returns in July on STARZ; Never Have I Ever Final Episodes Premieres June 8, Trailer Drops
05/09 - The CW Acquires Son of a Critch; FX's The Bear Returns June 22
05/08 - NBC's Hot Wheels Gets Celeb Judges; Zooey Deschanel's Max Series Premieres May 23
05/07 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 8, 2023)
05/06 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Week of Writers' Strike Already Sees Early Casualties; Fox Cancels Call Me Kat
05/05 - BUZZR's Classic TV Moms Week; Fox's Stars on Mars Celebs Announced
05/04 - Dancing with the Stars Returning to ABC in Fall; Conan O'Brien Producing New Podcast Miniseries
05/03 - Roku 2023 NewFront; Peacock Schedules Kaley Cuoco Series
05/02 - COZI TV's Little House Mother's Day "Ma-A-Thon"; Human Resources Returns June 9 on Netflix
05/01 - Peacock's Twisted Metal Drops in July; IFC Dark Comedy SisterS Launching May 17
04/30 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 1, 2023)
04/29 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Bob ♥ Abishola to Return with Smaller Regular Cast; CBS Developing Comedy Set in 1700s
04/28 - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Returns in June; Apple TV+ Releases Details on Platonic