Saturday, February 01, 2014
SitcomsOnline Digest: Sean Saves the World Production Shut Down; New Happy Days DVDs at Last
Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's the weekend of the "big game," but we've got some big stuff here this weekend as well, as we've got one of our busiest news weeks in a while. So let's get going!
HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
- The title of the series is Sean Saves the World, but it looks like time has run out for anybody to save the series, as production of the Sean Hayes sitcom was shut down early (Hollywood Reporter)
- Full House has been about the biggest thing in the world over this past week, as the guys of the series prepare to reunite in the name of Greek yogurt during the Super Bowl. We could bring you a lot of links about all of this week's Full House happenings, but perhaps the best came from the guys singing Jimmy Fallon to sleep on Late Night this week, as well as a Reddit Ask Me Anything. Whatever happened to predictability, anyway? (Entertainment Weekly)
- It seems that the saying "Friends are forever" has a real meaning for the actual cast members of Friends, because now David Schwimmer (who Ross on the Friends) is prepared to make his return to the sitcom world as the male lead in a potential ABC sitcom. (Deadline)
- We still have a long time until the Emmy Awards air on NBC, but don't expect to see Emmy Sunday in September this year. NBC has decided to instead bring us Emmy Monday, bizarrely scheduling the awards on Monday night in August to work around their Sunday night NFL programming. (Deadline)
- Desperate Housewives has been off the air for over a year now, but regardless, the entire Nicollette Sheridan lawsuit against the producers over the circumstances of her termination from the series is still going strong, and gained new steam this week. (The Hollywood Reporter)
- Antenna TV has an option if you'd prefer Sally field to a football field this Sunday, as they present a 16 hour marathon of The Flying Nun on Sunday. (SitcomsOnline)
HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
- It has been more than five years since we last saw a release of Happy Days on DVD, but it looks like that is about to change on May 20, as CBS prepares to release Happy Days - The Fifth Season. The set comes at a $39.98 MSRP.
- Happy Days isn't the only series that is headed to DVD in May. According to TVShowsOnDVD.com, one of the spinoffs, Laverne & Shirley, will be finishing up with the final season on DVD on May 6. It isn't available to pre-order just yet.
- It seems that several studios have used the TV Guide name to sell DVDs, but now Mill Creek will use it for one of the most ambitious DVD projects ever from any studio, as they prepare to put together their new TV Guide Spotlight Series. The series puts together collections of 20 episode sets (at least for sitcoms) of multiple series that they have (or will) released on DVD, such as The Jeffersons, Good Times, Bewitched, Maude, Newsradio, That '70s Show, and much more. Of particular interest to us are Groundbreaking Sitcoms of the '70s, Great Comedies of the '90s, and Leading Ladies of Classic Comedy. They will all be released on March 18 and come at a $9.98 MSRP.
- We don't cover a whole lot of cartoons here, but another release from Mill Creek caught our attention this week, since it is an '80s cartoon that had featured a character who'd also appeared in a classic '50s sitcom (and above all else, his own comic strip)... they'll be releasing the animated series Dennis the Menace on DVD! They will begin with Dennis the Menace - Volume 1, which will contain the first 33 episodes of the animated series. It comes March 18, and at a $12.98 MSRP.
- If tax day has you a bit angry this year, you can get some Anger Management courtesy of Lionsgate, as they release Anger Management - Volume 3 on DVD and Blu-ray on that day (April 15, by the way).
RECENT HOME MEDIA REVIEWS ON SITCOMSONLINE
- Joanie Loves Chachi - The Complete Series: The short-lived Happy Days spinoff starring Scott Baio and Erin Moran arrives on DVD, although as expected, there are a few musical edits.
- Laverne & Shirley - The Seventh Season: The most successful of the Happy Days spinoffs arrives on DVD for another season, also with a few musical edits.
FEBRUARY 4 HOME MEDIA RELEASES
- The Ellen Show - The Complete Series (DVD, $9.98): Mill Creek puts together a re-release of Ellen DeGeneres CBS sitcom, which lasted for one season.
- Family Matters - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD, $29.98): Urkel and the gang return for another season of this fan-favorite sitcom staple that aired on ABC's TGIF lineup.
- Joanie Loves Chachi - The Complete Series (DVD, $29.98): The complete series of the Happy Days spinoff finally arrives on DVD.
- Laverne & Shirley - The Seventh Season (DVD, $39.98): The classic Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams sitcom returns to DVD for another season.
Who to Follow: John Stamos (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram),
"ex teen idol, theater geek and wannabe rock and roll drummer."
Claim to Fame: It's been a big week for the Full House guys (who knew?), and it only seems appropriate to feature the catalyst behind all of this recent hype: the one and only John Stamos. His TV career began in 1984 with a role on General Hospital, followed by two sitcoms that were, by all measures, complete flops, but his third sitcom was big. He wasn't quite 24 when he was cast in the role of Jesse Cochran (changed to Katsopolis in season two) in the series Full House in 1987. Since then, he hasn't had much in terms of regular roles in series, but you still see him everywhere, and that is something that seems to be in the cards for years to come.
Pick of the Tweets: "Behind the scenes look at @bobsaget and I for our "Some like it HOT" peep mag shoot w/ the great Robert Tractenberg pic.twitter.com/CZ8QNQYldp" (December 29, 2013)
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Sunday, August 18
Last Man Standing - "One Flew Into the Empty Nest" (Fox, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Vanessa wants to board a foreign exchange student, Mike must work overtime to impress her father; Kristen and Ryan try to remain cool when Boyd invites a girl over.
Last Man Standing - "Bride of Prankenstein" (Fox, 7:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Mike and Chuck find the perfect target for a prank while working late to set up a security system at the store on Halloween; Mandy, Kyle, Kristen and Ryan hold a séance.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 12)
Friday, August 16
- Lenny Clarke (Are You There, Chelsea?/It's All Relative/The Job/The John Larroquette Show/Lenny) - Watch Lenny on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Billy Eichner (Difficult People) - Billy appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Mark Hamill (The Texas Wheelers) - Mark is a guest on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Bradley Whitford (Perfect Harmony/Happyish/Trophy Wife) - Bradley appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Niecy Nash (Getting On/The Soul Man/Reno 911!) - Niecy talks about When They See Us on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
- Tate Donovan (Partners) - Tate appears on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Christopher Abbott (Girls) - Christopher is a guest on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
- Sherri Shepherd (Mr. Iglesias/Sherri/Less Than Perfect) - Sherri appears on a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
- Henry Winkler (Barry/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Henry is a guest on a repeat of The Real, so check your local listings.
- Yvette Nicole Brown (The Mayor/The Odd Couple/Community) - Yvette guest co-hosts a repeat of The Real, so check your local listings.
- Loretta Devine (Family Reunion/The Carmichael Show) - Loretta talks about Family Reunion on Couch Surfing at 8am.
- Leah Remini (Kevin Can Wait/The Exes/Family Tools/The King of Queens) - Leah will be on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Marlon Wayans (Marlon/The Wayans Bros.) - Marlon talks about Sextuplets on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Candace Cameron Bure (Fuller House/Full House) - Candace prepares a warm, zesty zoodle salad on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
- Marilu Henner (Evening Shade/Taxi) - Marilu appears on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (June/July/August)
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)
07/08 - Man with a Plan - Season Two
07/09 - Broad City - Season 5
07/09 - Broad City - The Complete Series
07/09 - Life in Pieces - The Complete Fourth Season
07/09 - Speechless - The Complete Third Season
07/16 - Eight Is Enough - The Complete First Season
07/17 - The Practice (1976) - The Complete Series (WBShop.com)
07/23 - Brockmire - The Complete First Season
07/23 - What I Like About You - The Complete First Season
07/30 - The Good Place - The Complete Third Season
08/06 - Caroline in the City - The Third Season
08/06 - Caroline in the City - The Fourth Season
08/13 - I Love Lucy - Colorized Collection
08/13 - Leave it to Beaver - Seasons One and Two
08/20 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season Six
More TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest
Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts
Sitcoms Online Main Page
Follow Us on Twitter
Follow Us on Facebook
Follow Us on Instagram
Subscribe to the RSS Feed
Subscribe to the Email Digest
Contact Us