SitcomsOnline Digest: Tyler Ritter To Follow In Footsteps of His Father?; Batman to Arrive on DVD

Saturday, January 18, 2014

SitcomsOnline Digest: Tyler Ritter To Follow In Footsteps of His Father?; Batman to Arrive on DVD

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's a holiday weekend for many of us, but not here, where we've got all of your highlights from around the web and in the home media world (and Tuesday is a huge day for releases, or more specifically re-releases). Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

It was over 30 years ago that John Ritter came to sitcom fame in Three's Company, and now it is possible that his son may be heading in that same direction. The proposed CBS pilot The McCarthys has had a difficult time coming together as a series (and it still may not), but this week, Tyler Ritter (son of John Ritter) was cast in the lead role in the potential sitcom. We'll be keeping an eye on this series... we hope to see it actually make it to air. (Deadline)
The Fox sitcom New Girl is under attack by a lawsuit, over the claim that the idea for the pilot was stolen from another proposed 2006 sitcom called Square One. (Hollywood Reporter)
Two classic sitcom stars died in the past week, including Dave Madden (The Partridge Family) and Russell Johnson (Gilligan's Island). (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

We never quite imagined this would happen, but this week, one of the biggest announcements for a DVD release ever was made... and since it is something that we weren't expecting, it makes sense that it would come from an unsuspecting source. On Wednesday, Conan O'Brien went to Twitter to tell his fans that the classic Adam West Batman series would in fact be coming to DVD! Warner Home Video is behind this (it has been stated in the past that there was an issue between Warner, who has for quite some time owned the rights to just about everything else Batman, and Fox, who actually produced the show), but another question this leads us to ask is if this will just be DVD or if we could potentially see a Blu-ray release too... we don't know that answer yet, but DC Comics confirmed this with some interesting wording using "Home Media" and a "Blu-ray" tag in their post... but we'll have to wait and see!
Fans of Little House on the Prairie have long been disappointed with the DVD releases of that series (particularly due to the edited episodes), but now, Lionsgate is putting together new remastered of the series, and they'll be uncut this time. And, to add to that, they'll be on DVD and Blu-ray. Little House on the Prairie - Season One (DVD/Blu-ray) will be released on March 25.

RECENT HOME MEDIA REVIEWS ON SITCOMSONLINE

Hazel - The Complete Fifth and Final Season: Shout! Factory completes the run of this classic series with this release of the final season of the series. While it wasn't the greatest season of the series, and the video quality does leave a bit to be desired, it is still a must own for fans of classic TV series.

JANUARY 21 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-3848399-10811526?sid=&URL=http://www.wbshop.com/product/code/1000462637.do

Bewitched - Season 1, Bewitched - Season 2, and Bewitched - Seasons 1 and 2 (DVD, $9.98 for single season, $14.98 for combined seasons): The first (of many) value-priced re-releases of Sony series from Mill Creek. These are essentially the same product released by Sony, but with fewer discs, new packaging, and new menus.
The Cosby Show - Season 1, The Cosby Show - Season 2, and The Cosby Show - Seasons 1 and 2 (DVD, $9.98 for single season, $14.98 for combined seasons): A Mill Creek re-release of a non-Sony series, but for fans who were stuck with the previous release of edited episodes for the first season, the first season is unedited this time.
Good Times - Season 1, Good Times - Season 2, and Good Times - Seasons 1 and 2 (DVD, $9.98 for single season, $14.98 for combined seasons): Another (of many) value-priced re-releases of Sony series from Mill Creek. These are essentially the same product released by Sony, but with fewer discs, new packaging, and new menus.
Highway to Heaven - Season 3 (DVD, $9.98): Another re-release from Mill Creek (but this season is the last re-release, as future seasons will be new to DVD for the first time once Mill Creek releases them)
The Jimmy Stewart Show - The Complete Series (DVD, $29.95): A completely brand new to DVD release (the only non re-release of the week!) of a classic series from Warner Archive of Jimmy Stewart's rare sitcom experience.
Just Shoot Me - Season 1, Just Shoot Me - Season 2, and Just Shoot Me - Seasons 1 and 2 (DVD, $9.98 for single season, $14.98 for combined seasons): Yet another (of many) value-priced re-releases of Sony series from Mill Creek. These are essentially the same product released by Sony, but with fewer discs, new packaging, and new menus.
Married with Children - Season 1, Married with Children - Season 2, and Married with Children - Seasons 1 and 2 (DVD, $9.98 for single season, $14.98 for combined seasons): Not to sound like a broken record, but yet another (of many) value-priced re-releases of Sony series from Mill Creek. These are essentially the same product released by Sony, but with fewer discs, new packaging, and new menus.
Wings - Seasons 3 and 4 (DVD, $14.98): Another value-priced re-release from Mill Creek, but not something that was originally released by Sony.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Garret Dillahunt (Twitter, Instagram)

Claim to Fame: Starting out on stage (including on Broadway), Dillahunt landed his first TV role in One Life to Live in 1993. Following that, he made several appearances in TV series over the next several years, with his most significant roles on the (mostly forgotten) Showtime series Leap Years and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. To sitcom fans, though, he is best known in his role on the sitcom Raising Hope.

Pick of the Tweets: "My @MarthaPlimpton is nominated for a #CriticsChoiceAward. Who's surprised? Not me." (May 22, 2013)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, May 21

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Funky Chili and Friends Who Take Their Clothes Off" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mandy and Jim butt heads when they take over the store for a sick Georgie and Ruben. Meanwhile, Audrey panics when Connor rekindles an old flame.

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A New Beau and Someone Else's Mom’s House" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Georgie and Mandy take matters into their own hands when Mary starts warming up to Fagenbacher (Matthew Letscher). Also, Audrey struggles to cope with Connor’s absence.

Ghosts - "Up the Creek" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT)
When Woodstone’s future is put in jeopardy, Sam and Jay join forces with the ghosts to protect the mansion by securing its place in history.

Ghosts - "Across the Pond" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT)
A trip abroad could determine Woodstone’s fate. Meanwhile, a major career opportunity takes Sam out of town, leaving others to step in and help with the ghosts.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 18)

Thursday, May 21

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert - Watch the series finale of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Jake Johnson (Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed/Minx/New Girl) - Jake appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) - Andrew is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Maya Rudolph (Loot/Bless the Harts/Forever/Up All Night) - Maya appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) and Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Andy Cohen interviews Keke and Brooke on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo.
Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
LaKeith Stanfield (Atlanta) - LaKeith chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Laurie Metcalf (Big Mistakes/The Conners/Roseanne/The McCarthys/The Norm Show) - Laure discusses Death of a Salesman on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Niecy Nash (Reno 911!/Getting On/The Soul Man/Do Not Disturb) - Niecy is Sherri's special guest on the final Sherri show, so check your local listings.
Michelle Buteau (Survival of the Thickest/Bless the Harts/Enlisted) - Michelle stops by for a very special Sherri's Laugh Lounge on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - The Drew Barrymore Show has a little bit extra from Drew-crewers Ross Mathews, Sunny Anderson and Valerie sharing their tips in the kitchen with knife skills 101, so check your local listings.
Paul Rudd (The Shrink Next Door/Living with Yourself/Wild Oats) and Nick Jonas (Jonas) - Paul and Nick can be heard on the Morning Mash Up on SiriusXM.
Judith Light (Who's the Boss?/Phenom/Transparent) - Judith talks about AMC+'s The Terror: Devil in Silver on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghosts) - Utkarsh talks about Ghosts on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.