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

Monday, November 3

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to Family Value" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Malcolm’s home renovation takes an unexpected turn when Calvin’s cousin Crutch (Tracy Morgan) shows up uninvited to fix his floors. Meanwhile, Dave’s attempts to help around the house and support Grover’s booming T-shirt business lead to more stress than he bargained for.

DMV - "Don't Kill the Job" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Colette runs into an old friend at the DMV, she pretends to be a fellow customer rather than an employee in order to save face.

St. Denis Medical - "Aloha, Everyone" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Alex tries to hold on to her peaceful vacation vibes; Joyce faces a design crisis in the birthing center; Matt and Serena reassess their working relationship.

St. Denis Medical - "Mama Bear Activated" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
After Bruce is attacked at the hospital, Matt helps him deal with the aftermath; Alex motivates Joyce to amp up security, while Ron and Serena debate who is more qualified to defend themselves.

TV We Love - "The Honeymooners" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Jackie Gleason's creative genius; why "The Honeymooners" continues to resonate 70 years after its premiere.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 3)

Monday, November 3

Sean Hayes (Will & Grace/The Millers/Sean Saves the World) - Watch Sean on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Tom appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Rickey Smiley (The Rickey Smiley Show) - Rickey is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
Isla Fisher (Wolf Like Me/Arrested Development) - Andy Cohen interviews Isla on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo.
Patti LaBelle (Out All Night) - Patti and Nona Hendryx perform on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Rami Malek (The War at Home) - Rami talks about Nuremberg on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Lacey Chabert (Still the King/Baby Daddy/Family Guy) - Lacey dishes on She's Making a List on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
John Slattery (Maggie/Ed) - NBC's Today catches up with John in the 9am hour.
Tig Notaro (One Mississippi) and and Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Drew is hitting the headlines with her co-pilot Ross Mathews, Valerie Bertinelli and Tig Notaro on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. Tig talks to Drew about executive producing the documentary Come See Me in the Good Light.
Erika Alexander (Run the World/Living Single/The Cosby Show) - Erika tells Drews about her show Invasion and her podcast ReLiving Single on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.