Saturday, January 25, 2014
SitcomsOnline Digest: Disney Shows Confidence in Boy Meets World Spinoff; Bill Cosby to Return to NBC?
Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We're back on another cold and snowy (depending upon where you are) winter weekend with news about a possible Bill Cosby sitcom on NBC, updates on Girl Meets World, and even an update on a Kickstarter project to bring The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet to DVD. Let's get going!
HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
- Cable series often tend to operate at a different pace than broadcast series, but Disney is showing plenty of confidence with their upcoming series Girl Meets World, a spinoff of the much beloved sitcom Boy Meets World. This week, it was announced that the series would be given a full season order of 21 episodes. (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
- It looks like Bill Cosby's hopes of returning to TV in a sitcom are rising a bit, and it could happen at a place that he previously called home: NBC. Could such a series revive sitcoms for NBC,? (Deadline)
- Speaking of NBC, it looks as if they'll likely be renewing the ratings challenged (but much loved by fans and critics) sitcom Parks and Recreation for a seventh season. Will another season Community be next? (Deadline)
- With Seth Meyers set to leave Saturday Night Live to take over at Late Night, the Weekend Update segment is getting a new co-anchor to join Cecily Strong. This week, it was announced that head writer Colin Jost will take this role. (Entertainment Weekly)
- Adult Swim aired another (supposedly the final) installment of The Greatest Event in Television History this week, where they did a shot-for-shot re-creation of the opening credits of yet another classic TV series. The choice this time was the sitcom Bosom Buddies, and it is worth checking out. (Time)
HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
- It has been a long time since we've heard from Sam Nelson (grandson of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, by the way) about his project to restore The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet in order to release it on DVD, so long that we were concerned that he may have abandoned his Kickstarter project. Yesterday, he posted an update (it is only available to those who have supported the project on Kickstarter, but you can read it all here) where he indicates that he is indeed working with the UCLA Film and Television Archive to restore the series to its original glory. He says that it may not be possible to bring all episodes back to their original form due to some issues over the years, but the goal is still to bring the series to DVD in the best way possible... we're very hopeful!
- For the few fans of the series who don't already own the complete series on either DVD or Blu-ray, RLJ Entertainment is bringing a smaller set of The Dick Van Dyke Show to DVD, with some of Mary Tyler Moore's best episodes, in The Dick Van Dyke Show - Classic Mary Tyler Moore Episodes. The set will contain 20 episodes at a $24.98 MSRP, to be released on April 1.
RECENT HOME MEDIA REVIEWS ON SITCOMSONLINE
- Married with Children - Seasons One and Two (Mill Creek): The Bundys return to DVD in this three disc re-release from Mill Creek.
- Newhart - The Complete Second Season: Shout! Factory finally brings fans more of this great series to DVD, although there are a few video quality issues and some syndication edits in the set.
Who to Follow: Simon Helberg (Twitter),
"i act. i play music. i was born two years before my siamese twin...so annoying. and i have an autographed first edition of the Bible."
Claim to Fame: Simon Helberg's earliest TV appearances were almost exclusively in guest starring roles (sometimes appearing a few times), in series such as Popular, Undeclared, MADtv, Arrested Development, Joey, and others. But none of those roles are ones that he is really known for. That role would be the current role that he plays, of Howard Wolowitz on the CBS series The Big Bang Theory.
Pick of the Tweets: "How do we know the Flinstone Kids are 10 million strong and growing? Who did that poll? Wasn't that the Nazi Party's theme song? I'm scared." (July 24, 2012)
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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