Saturday, November 09, 2013

SitcomsOnline Digest: Bill Cosby Hoping to Return to Primetime; Busy January for Mill Creek

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We're settling in for our second week of our new feature around here, and this week, we've got news about sitcoms in development, several new re-releases from Mill Creek, and more. Let's get going!


HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
  • A lot of TV stars that we loved in the '70s and '80s have been making primetime comebacks recently, and now it seems that Bill Cosby wants to give it a shot too. Recently, he has re-teamed with The Cosby Show producer Tom Werner in hopes of developing a new family comedy that will focus on older children and their relationship with their parents. It isn't even close to being a done deal, but nonetheless, it is great to see that his career is far from finished. (TV Guide)
  • Just when it seemed that Fox was heading into the direction of maintaining a Sunday night lineup with only one Seth MacFarlane animated comedy (as American Dad moves to TBS and The Cleveland Show was canceled), things may be changing, as they announced that they picked up 13 episodes of a new animated series from the creator, Bordertown, which is about two families living in a southwest desert town on the border of the United States and Mexico. It will premiere next season (Entertainment Weekly).
  • Meanwhile, on the sitcom development front at ABC, The Neighbors creator Dan Fogelman and George Lopez co-creator Robert Borden think that America is ready to see The Golden Girls again... but this time, a male version. (Deadline)
  • TV Guide recently interviewed Ed Asner about his upcoming appearance on The Crazy Ones, and has a little bit to say about how the guys at WJM were snubbed in the recent reunion of The Mary Tyler Moore Show cast on Hot in Cleveland. (TV Guide)
  • E! used to air plenty of sitcoms years ago, but it has been a while since they've done it. But now they're airing a sitcom once again, with their addition of Saved by the Bell. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
  • We mentioned several weeks ago that Mill Creek would be re-releasing several DVDs that Sony released years ago, and it appears that a great flood of these releases will be coming on January 22. Among these are Bewitched - Season 1, Bewitched - Season 2, Bewitched - Season 1 and 2, Charlie's Angels - Season 1, Good Times - Season 1, Good Times - Season 2, Good Times - Season 1 and 2, Just Shoot Me - Season 1, Just Shoot Me - Season 2, Just Shoot Me - Season 1 and 2, Married... with Children - Season 1, Married... with Children - Season 2, and Married... with Children - Season 1 and 2! That's a huge list! The single season releases will come at a $9.98 MSRP, while the double season releases will come at $14.98. By the way, according to TVShowsOnDVD.com, the first two seasons of Married... with Children will include the original theme song, although it is likely that the remaining seasons will be as they were when originally released... but we'll let you know when those seasons come.
  • Those releases aren't all for Mill Creek on January 22! They've also got a release of a series from CBS and a new one from the Carsey-Werner library Wings - Season 3 and 4, The Cosby Show - Season 1, The Cosby Show - Season 2, and The Cosby Show - Season 1 and 2. The runtime of the The Cosby Show - Season 1 set suggests that these will, in fact, be the unedited episodes.
  • Shout! Factory announced the release of a classic sitcom that seemed to be abandoned this week with their announcement of Newhart - The Complete Second Season. Uncomfirmed rumors (from reliable sources) indicate that we'll be seeing a few more abandoned classic series from the Fox library from Shout! Factory over the next year.
  • Shout! also announced that L.A. Law - Season One will be released on February 25. This marks the first time that the series has been released in the United States (although a region-free version was made available in the United Kingdom a few years ago).

NOVEMBER 12 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00EC9UI0C/ref=nosim/happydaysonline4-20
  • Family Ties - The Complete Series ($220.98): CBS brings all of the episodes of this classic series together in one collection, along with extra bonus material not included on the previous season release.
  • My Mother the Car - The Series ($24.96): TGG brings together every episode (or so we think, we're still not entirely certain since the list in the official amazon.com description is missing an episode) of the classic series that is loved by many, despite having the reputation of being one of the worst series of all time.
  • MADtv - The Complete Fourth Season ($29.93): Shout! Factory continues with another season of the late-night sketch comedy series that aired on Fox that competed with Saturday Night Live for several years.
  • The Mod Squad - The Complete Series ($269.99) and The Mod Squad - The Complete Series (gift set) ($180): The classic series makes it to DVD as a complete series for the first time (and inexplicably, with a deluxe version that costs much less than the regular version).

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Donal Logue (Twitter), "Canadian born to Irish Parents & raised on the Mexican border (Nogales & El Centro). Currently rolling with #SOA #CopperTV & #Vikings peeps."
Claim to Fame: Donal Logue was best known for his movie roles in the '90s, but his claim to fame for sitcom fans came in 2001, with the Fox (and later The WB) series Grounded for Life. Since then, he has appeared in several episodes of ER and the short-lived ABC sitcom, The Knights of Prosperity. Currently, he appears in the BBC America series, Copper.
Pick of the Tweets: "Judging by CSI: Miami, Dade County is loaded. Must have spent millions on hologram computer monitors and Hummers alone." (March 17, 2013)


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, September 15

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to Pickleball" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The new neighbors who moved into Miss Kim’s old house are keeping the Butlers and Johnsons up all night. Meanwhile, Courtney tells Marty she is going on a date.

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to the Pickle" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The Johnsons and Butlers are curious about their new neighbors’ lifestyle and their interest raises some surprising questions. Also, Marty feels pressure to enroll Daphne in the best preschool.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 15)

Monday, September 15

  • Frank Grillo (Battery Park) - Watch Frank on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Keegan-Michael Key (Schmigadoon!/Friends from College/Playing House/Gary Unmarried) - Keegan-Michael appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Zach Cherry (Duncanville/I Feel Bad/Crashing) and Pete Holmes (How We Roll/Crashing) - Zach and Pete are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Jennifer Aniston (Friends/Muddling Through/Ferris Bueller/Molloy) - Jennifer and Reese Witherspoon talk about The Morning Show on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
  • Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - NBC's Today catches up with Michelle in the 10am hour.
  • Josh Gad (Wolf Like Me/Avenue 5/The Comedians/1600 Penn/Back to You) - Josh talks about his latest movie Adulthood on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Queen Latifah (Living Single) - Queen Latifah is getting real with Drew about women's health on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Sarah Hyland (Modern Family) - Sarah appears on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Lacey Chabert (Still the King/Baby Daddy/Family Guy) - Lacey is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:30am.
  • Persia White (Girlfriends) - Persia appears on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:15am.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)

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

09/15 - 77th Primetime Emmy Award Winners; Letterman TV Adds Late Night with David Letterman
09/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 15, 2025)
09/13 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Paramount Looking to Merge with Warner Bros. Discovery; Samsung TV+ Adds Late Night with David Letterman
09/12 - Emmy Awards to Create Special Moments; Ricky Gervais Netflix Animated Comedy Alley Cats Coming in 2026
09/11 - Remembering Polly Holliday of Alice and Flo; Prime Video's Overcompensating Renewed for Season 2
09/10 - Netflix Renews Leanne for Season 2; Hazbin Hotel Returns October 29
09/09 - HBO Comedy The Chair Company; Trailer for Disney's Vampirina: Teenage Vampire
09/08 - The Paper Renewed for Season 2, NYC Event on Tuesday; Final Season of Bel-Air
09/07 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 8, 2025)
09/06 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Shifting Gears Picked Up for Three Additional Episodes; The Paper Renewed for Season Two
09/05 - Crutch Premieres November 3 on Paramount+; Trailer for Season 2 of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place
09/04 - Freeform's 31 Nights of Halloween 2025 Schedule; Dancing with the Stars Season 34 Cast
09/03 - Live Staged Reading of Three's Company Episode; Freeform Acquires According to Jim for October
09/02 - Hulu's Chad Powers Trailer; BET's The Hospital Premieres September 10
09/01 - TV Marathons on Labor Day 2025 Include Archie Bunker's Place and George Lopez
08/31 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 1, 2025)
08/30 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Saturday Night Live Cast Changes Loom; NBC Renews Password for Third Season
08/29 - HBO's Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television; Adult Swim Slates Two Series for October
08/28 - NBC's Password Renewed for Season 3 for 2026; Pluto TV Streaming CBS Shows Ahead of Fall Season
08/27 - Hulu's Deli Boys Renewed for Season 2 with Fred Armisen; HBO's I Love LA Premieres November 2
08/26 - English Teacher Returns on FX for Season 2; Jesse Williams Prime Video Series Trailer
08/25 - Doc Season 2 Trailer for Fox; Remembering David Ketchum and Jerry Adler
08/24 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of August 25, 2025)
08/23 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Home Improvement Cast Members to Reunite on Shifting Gears; The Paper to Have Binge Drop
08/22 - Hulu's Futurama Season 13 Trailer; A Man on the Inside Returns November 20 on Netflix
08/21 - George Lopez Coming to COZI TV; The Morning Show Season 4 Trailer
08/20 - Welcome Back, Kotter 50th Anniversary Marathon on Rewind TV; Apple TV+ Palm Royale Season 2 Premieres November 12
08/19 - Antenna TV's Archie Bunker's Place Labor Day Marathon; Larry the Cable Guy Prime Video Special
08/18 - Nobody Wants This Season 2 Premieres October 23; HGTV and Retta Continue Partnership
08/17 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of August 18, 2025)
08/16 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Paramount Plans Retool of Cable Networks; King of the Hill Revival Scores Big Ratings
08/15 - Catchy Comedy Acquires Hot in Cleveland; Netflix's Animated Comedy Strip Law Premieres in 2026