Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Pivot Acquires Buffy, Veronica Mars; TV Guide's Annual Cheers & Jeers Issue, Kerry Washington and Mark Burnett Top Lists

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Pivot (which launched Aug. 1), Participant Media's TV network targeting Millennials (18-34), announced it has acquired all episodes of scripted series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (20th Century Fox) and Veronica Mars (Warner Bros.). These critically acclaimed shows have resonated with audiences around the world and are widely lauded for their positive portrayal of women and universal themes. They will join the programming roster as a "Buffy and Veronica Power Hours" block, celebrating the iconic, smart and powerful women at the center of each show. The block will feature back-to-back episodes Mondays through Fridays at 10:00PM ET/9:00PM CT and 11:00PM ET/10:00PM CT beginning January 13, 2014 joining other series on the schedule like Friday Night Lights and Farscape. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated series, which ran for six seasons from 1997-2003 with 144 episodes, stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers. Chosen to battle vampires, demons and other forces of darkness, Buffy is aided by a Watcher who guides and teaches her as she surrounds herself with a circle of friends called the "Scooby Gang." The series was created by Joss Whedon, under Mutant Enemy Productions, and with later with co-executive producers Jane Espenson, David Fury, David Greenwalt, Doug Petrie, Marti Noxon and David Solomon.

Veronica Mars

The award-winning series Veronica Mars, which aired from 2004-2007 with 64 episodes, stars Kristen Bell as a student who progresses from high school to college while moonlighting as a private investigator under the tutelage of her detective father. In each episode, Veronica solves a different stand-alone case while working to solve a more complex mystery. The series will be made into a feature movie and will be out soon. The Kickstarter campaign for the Veronica Mars movie raised $5.5 million from more than 90,000 contributors. The series was created by award-winning screenwriter Rob Thomas; produced by Warner Bros. Television, Silver Pictures Television, Stu Segall Productions, Inc. and Rob Thomas Productions. Stay with us for continued updates on both series and Pivot in general.


TV Guide Cheers & Jeers Issue

TV Guide Magazine highlights the highs and lows of television in the annual year-end "Cheers & Jeers" issue, which hits newsstands tomorrow (December 19). The 2013 cover and calendar insert were designed by iconic artist Peter Max, who has shared a 4-decade long relationship with TV Guide Magazine. The cover reflects the vibrancy and style for which Max is famous, adorned by television's most recognizable faces. Max also designed TV Guide Magazine covers in 1988, 1992 and 2001. TV Guide Magazine introduces two new and exciting distinctions in the year-end edition: TV Star of the Year, awarded to Scandal star Kerry Washington and Producer of the Year, awarded to Mark Burnett, whose hit series The Voice drew top ratings in 2013. Washington received Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations for her role as Olivia Pope, making 2013 a break out year for the actress. Burnett's Survivor was just renewed for seasons 29 and 30. His epic 10-part miniseries The Bible drew 13.1 million viewers for History Channel and Friday night staple Shark Tank regularly wins the night in the ratings.

In a year of amazing TV moments from Breaking Bad's series finale to Miley Cyrus' antics at the VMAs to Michael Douglas as Liberace in Behind the Candelabra, TV Guide Magazine's Cheers & Jeers covered it all. As a salute to the best and worst of the year's television, Cheers & Jeers is one of the magazine's most popular annual editions. Always a fan favorite is Senior Critic Matt Roush's Top 10 shows of the year. This year Roush championed both old (Breaking Bad) and new (Orange is the New Black) in his list. 2013 also marked the 60th Anniversary of TV Guide Magazine. To celebrate, special "Top 60" lists have been published throughout the year. As a final nod to this milestone anniversary, TV Guide Magazine editors ranked the 60 Best TV Series of all time, with HBO's The Sopranos coming in at #1. Seinfeld sits in second place. I Love Lucy, All in the Family, The Twilight Zone, The Wire, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, M*A*S*H*, Breaking Bad and The Simpsons round out the top 10.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Sunday, January 11

Stumble - "Pilot" (NBC, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Courteney Potter is fired from her job after being involved in a cheer scandal; to salvage her reputation and career, she must put together a competitive team in a tiny school with an unpronounceable name and only one cheerleader.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 5)

Friday, January 9

  • Regina Hall (Black Monday/Grandfathered/Married/Second Generation Wayans) - Watch Regina on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Sabrina Carpenter (Girl Meets World) - Sabrina does day drinking on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Gael García Bernal (Mozart in the Jungle) - Gael chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Matt Rogers (No Good Deed/I Love That for You) - Matt co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Rebel Wilson (Super Fun Night) - NBC's Today catches up with Rebel in the 10am hour.
  • Chelsea Handler (Are You There, Chelsea?) - Chelsea can be heard on the Morning Mash Up on SiriusXM.
  • Hank Azaria (The Simpsons/Brockmire/Free Agents/Herman's Head) - Hank is a guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:10am.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Valerie appears on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD) St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (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)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)

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


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