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
- 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
Monday, July 22
In The Cut - "The Honeymooners" (Bounce TV, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Jay, Smitty and Kenny try to win back their valuables after losing in a poker game; Kenny has to adjust to Angelique's newfound fame when she becomes an internet celebrity.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 22)
Monday, July 22
- David Spade (Rules of Engagement/8 Simple Rules/Just Shoot Me!) - Watch David on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC. He also talks about Lights Out with David Spade on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Jeff Foxworthy (The Jeff Foxworthy Show) - Jeff visits The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC. He also talks about Bring the Funny on NBC's Today in the 10am hour, on People Now at 4:30pm and on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET.
- Fred Savage (What Just Happened??! with Fred Savage/Friends from College/The Grinder/Working/The Wonder Years) - Fred stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Paul Scheer (Black Monday/Fresh Off the Boat/The League) - Paul appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Sanaa Lathan (Family Guy/The Cleveland Show/LateLine) - Sanaa is a guest on a repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
- Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show/My Boys/Welcome to New York) - Jim appears on a repeat of Conan at 11pm on TBS.
- Louie Anderson (Baskets/The Louie Show/Life with Louie) - Louie talks about Baskets on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family/The Class) - Jesse is a guest on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
- Yvette Nicole Brown (The Mayor/The Odd Couple/Community) - Yvette appears on a repeat of The Real, so check your local listings.
- Bella Thorne (Shake It Up) - Bella will be on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Jodie Sweetin (Fuller House/Full House) - Jodie talks about the Never Thought I'd Say This podcast on Access Live, so check your local listings.
- Boris Kodjoe (The Last Man on Earth/Second Time Around) - Boris shares his workout regime on Access Live, so check your local listings.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (May/June/July)
05/07 - Baskets - The Complete Season Three
05/13 - I'm Dying Up Here - Season 2
05/13 - My Three Sons - The Third Season - Volume One
05/13 - My Three Sons - The Third Season - Volume Two
05/14 - The Donna Reed Show - Seasons 1-5
05/14 - Petticoat Junction - Seasons 1-3
05/28 - Perfect Strangers - The Complete Seventh and Eighth Seasons
(WBShop.com)
05/28 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Second Season (Blu-ray)
06/04 - The Brady Bunch - 50th Anniversary The Brady-est Brady Bunch TV & Movie Collection
06/18 - Will & Grace (The Revival) - Season Two (Blu-ray)
07/09 - Broad City - Season 5
07/09 - Broad City - The Complete Series
07/17 - The Practice (1976) - The Complete Series
07/30 - The Good Place - The Complete Third Season
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