SitcomsOnline Digest: Betas Debuts on Amazon Prime; Hill Street Blues and Here's Lucy Complete Series DVD Releases

Saturday, November 23, 2013

SitcomsOnline Digest: Betas Debuts on Amazon Prime; Hill Street Blues and Here's Lucy Complete Series DVD Releases

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, Amazon Prime is back in the news with their latest series, and we've also got news about upcoming complete series releases (including one series that was abandoned by a studio several years ago). Let's get started!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Last week, we told you about the debut of the new Amazon Prime comedy Alpha House (a new episode is available this week, by the way), and this week, another comedy debuted on Amazon Prime with Betas (for the record, there won't be a comedy with the word Gamma in the title coming next week), a series about making it big in the mobile app development world. The first three episodes are available to everybody for free right now, and new episodes will be released each week for Amazon Prime members. (PC Magazine)
Carol Burnett is in the spotlight this weekend on PBS. In October, the actress won the Mark Twain Prize for Humor, and the award ceremony featuring celebrities including Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Martin Short, and Vicki Lawrence will be broadcast by PBS on Sunday night. Most stations will air it at 8 PM ET/PT, but check local listings due to variations in PBS scheduling. (NPR).
If you were a fan of the classic final episode of Newhart, then you'll love the "alternate ending" from the special features of Breaking Bad - The Final Season that has leaked onto the internet. We'll give you a hint: somebody wakes up in a bed next to his wife... but it isn't who you'd expect. (Mediaite)
If you think NCIS airs a lot in the United States, think again. In Japan, Fox Japan is prepared to go all out with NCIS (and in the meantime, shatter a world record) by airing an 11 day marathon featuring every episode from the first ten seasons of the series back-to-back. (TV Guide)
The networks of ENCORE have been airing a few classic TV series for years, particularly westerns, but now as they prepare to rebrand two of their networks, they'll be adding sitcom favorites, including Diff'rent Strokes, Murphy Brown, Night Court, Amen, and more. (SitcomsOnline)
We can't count how many times we've heard the Simpson family say "The Simpsons are going to..." on the series The Simpsons, which usually ends in something like Africa or New York, but now we can finally (after two long decades) say "The Simpsons are going to cable," as FXX becomes the first cable home for the long-running animated series. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

We hinted several weeks ago that more "surprises" from the Fox library were in the works at Shout! Factory, but we weren't prepared to let the cat out of the bag just yet. Now, it appears that Hill Street Blues - The Complete Series (one of the series we heard rumors regarding) IS on the way! We're still awaiting confirmation on the continuation at least one other Fox series (a classic '70s sitcom... hopefully this is a huge hint) that is believed to also be in the works from Shout!, and we'll let you know more when we have something more solid.
MPI has a tendency to release complete series of a lot of series once they finish the individual season releases, and now Here's Lucy - The Complete Series is in the works for a March 25 release. If previous complete series releases from MPI are any indication, it will likely just be all of the individual seasons (which had plenty of special features) in one package.
The ABC series The Middle seemed to be stuck in DVD purgatory in 2012 when the fourth season debuted, with no sign of season 3 DVDs in sight, but those eventually came... and now, it seems that The Middle - The Complete Fourth Season will be coming soon as well. It is set for a February 25 release from Warner Home Video.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Linda Lavin (Twitter), "Actress, SingerWife, Step Mother, Grandmother Cook"

Claim to Fame: Lavin began her career on stage, but that all changed in 1975 when she was cast in a recurring role on Barney Miller. It didn't take long for her to grow out of that role, though, as she moved on to the sitcom role of her live a year later with the sitcom Alice, which ran for nearly a decade on CBS. Following that series, she returned to stage acting (winning a few awards this time) and had a few more attempts at sitcoms that weren't as successful. She recently Twitter a few months ago, and her current role is playing the mother of the title character in NBC's Sean Saves the World.

Pick of the Tweets: "My gracious neighbors baked an apple pie for our @SeanSavesWorld premiere viewing party tonight. How lucky am I? #SSTW" (October 3, 2013)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, April 9

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A Stuffed Monkey and an Ex-Girlfriend" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When CeeCee loses her favorite toy, Mandy and Meemaw (Annie Potts) take it as an opportunity to make some money. Meanwhile, Connor contemplates revisiting an old relationship.

Ghosts - "Michael Jackson Goes to HR" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Trevor lands himself in trouble when an inappropriate gift to a co‑worker forces him into an HR meeting only Jay can handle. Meanwhile, Pete unintentionally sparks drama with Alberta after casually mentioning a surprise visit to his ex.

Animal Control - "Scaredy Cats and Card Sharks" (Fox, 9:02PM ET/PT)
When Frank and Daisy lose $5,000 in union funds, they try to win the money back by gambling; Shred and Patel cover the late-night shift at the precinct.

Going Dutch - "The Heart Locker" (Fox, 9:32PM ET/PT)
After throwing out his back, the Colonel is ordered to bed rest; the base is sent to sweep for landmines at a local farm, where Major Shah suddenly finds himself in serious danger when he steps on one.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 6)

Thursday, April 9

Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - Catch Kerry on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Riz Ahmed (Bait) - Riz is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Nathan Lane (Mid-Century Modern/Only Murders in the Building/Modern Family/Charlie Lawrence/Encore! Encore!/One of the Boys) - Nathan appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Arsenio Hall (Arsenio) - Arsenio is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Jim Parsons (Young Sheldon/The Big Bang Theory) - Jim appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Judy Reyes (Scrubs) - Judy talks about Scrubs and High Potential on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Dany Levy (Big Mistakes/Schitt's Creek) - Dan talks about Big Mistakes on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Felicity Huffman (Sports Night) - Felicity dishes on Doc on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle/The Louie Show), Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle) and Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle/Help Me Help You) - Bryan, Frankie and Jane talk about Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
John C. Reilly (Moonbase 8) - NBC's Today has "Head or Tails" with John in the 9am hour.
Billy Magnussen (The Franchise/Made for Love) - NBC's Today catches up with Billy in the 9am hour.
Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Tamron Hall has a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE with Terry and Rebecca King-Crews revealing for the first time Rebecca's health battle, so check your local listings.
Kenya Barris (blackAF) - Kenya talks about Prime's Jerry West: The Logo on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Juliette Lewis (Camping/I Married Dora) - Juliette tells Drew about her current run in Broadway show The Rocky Horror Show on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.