Saturday, January 04, 2014
SitcomsOnline Digest: ABC Limiting Next Day Online Streaming; More Newhart on DVD
Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This is the last weekend before everything gets back to normal on Monday, so we've still got a little bit of a light news week for you this week... but not too light! Let's get going!
HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
- If you enjoy watching your favorite ABC series the next day online, it could be coming to an end for you, depending upon your circumstances. The network announced that they will restrict next-day streaming of series to subscribers of a list of specific cable companies (which includes Comcast, but leaves large holes by not include DISH Network, DirecTV, or Time Warner Cable) and subscribers of Hulu+. This follows a similar move made by Fox in 2011, but for now, CBS and NBC continue to offer this programming for free to everybody. (TVLine)
- Chevy Chase left the series Community at the end of the fourth season, and it appeared that there was no way that he could possibly return... but he did (at least temporarily). Dan Harmon discusses the hurdles that he had to go through to make this happen with TV Guide. (TV Guide)
- If you're wondering when your favorite mid-season series will return (or debut), Deadline has a rather thorough rundown of debut dates for several series through March. (Deadline)
- Netflix has plenty of categories for every type of television that anybody may possible want to see... 76,897, to be exact. As it turns out, the most popular actor in these categories is Raymond Burr, best known for his role as Perry Mason and Ironside. (Deadline)
- We lost quite a few sitcom stars in 2013. Earlier this week, we compiled a 2013 tribute to some of these people. (SitcomsOnline)
HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
- We don't quite have Newhart - The Complete Second Season yet (at least not until February 11), but according to TVShowsOnDVD.com, it seems that Shout! Factory already has plans in place for Newhart - The Complete Third Season. It is scheduled for release on April 22.
- Walmart has had an exclusive on these releases since October, but now it appears that a general release date for other retailers has been set for The Beverly Hillbillies - The Official Fourth Season and Petticoat Junction - The Official Third Season. Both should be available from general retailers on April 15.
JANUARY 7 HOME MEDIA RELEASES
- Barney Miller - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD, $24.97): The season has already been released as part of Shout! Factory's complete series release, but now for those who didn't get that release, the season is available by itself.
Who to Follow: Reginald VelJohnson (Twitter),
"Actor"
Claim to Fame: We featured Jaleel White last week, and it seemed appropriate to feature another Family Matters star this week... and with that, we feature Reginald VelJohnson, who played Carl Winslow on Family Matters. He got his start in the movies, including a small role in the film Ghostbusters, and following a guest appearance on 227 and Perfect Strangers, he quickly settled in to his Family Matters role. Currently, he can be seen in recurring roles on Hart of Dixie and Mike and Molly.
Pick of the Tweets: "Fake winslow family twitters keep sending me msgs. Not gonna be your dad again so quit asking. #winslows #leavecarlalone @judithwinslow" (December 12, 2013)
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, May 13
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 11)
Wednesday, May 13
- Jim Parsons (Young Sheldon/The Big Bang Theory) - Watch Jim on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Tom appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Billy Eichner (Friends from College/Difficult People/Parks and Recreation) - Billy is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Jill Kargman (Odd Mom Out) - Jill appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Alfonso Ribeiro (In the House/The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air/Silver Spoons) - Alfonso swings by the studio for a chat about ABC's America's Funniest Home Videos on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Geena Davis (The Geena Davis Show/Sara/Buffalo Bill) - Geena talks about The Boroughs on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Lena Waithe (Master of None) - Lena chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. She will also be on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Martha Plimpton (Sprung/The Real O'Neals/Raising Hope) - Martha tells Drew about her show Task on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Drew, Ross and Valerie cover the latest headlines on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Lamorne Morris (Woke/New Girl) - Lamorne talks about Spider-Noir on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Marco Calvani (The Four Seasons) and Erika Henningsen (The Four Seasons/Girl5eva) - Marco and Erika talk about Netflix's The Four Seasons on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
11/04/25 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11/25 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11/25 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11/25 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02/25 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16/25 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16/25 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20/26 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27/26 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11/26 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
04/11/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
04/21/26 - Famous Studios Champion Collection (Blu-ray) (DVD)
05/19/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (DVD)
07/14/26 - The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (Blu-ray)
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