SitcomsOnline Digest: The Simpsons Comes to FXX in Style; New Fox MOD Releases; Welcome Back, Kotter on DVD?

Saturday, April 12, 2014

SitcomsOnline Digest: The Simpsons Comes to FXX in Style; New Fox MOD Releases; Welcome Back, Kotter on DVD?

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! Today, we've got news about a marathon that will break all marathon records, an opportunity for you to become a sitcom legend at NBC (maybe), Fox MOD releases, and news of a possible Welcome Back, Kotter DVD release. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

If you're a true fan of The Simpsons, then hopefully you have twelve days to spare at the end of August, because that is when FXX will air their twelve day record-breaking marathon featuring every episode of The Simpsons ever aired. (Entertainment Weekly)
Earlier this week, Deadline takes a look at the major broadcast networks and the series that are on the bubble for renewal, complete with a full analysis. (Deadline)
Bill Lawrence's series Undateable is set to debut on NBC at the end of May, which is a traditional dumping ground for series that networks have given up on before they even debut, but Lawrence remains upbeat anyway. (Deadline)
If you would like to have your own summer (or even fall) series on NBC like Bill Lawrence, then NBC would really like to know, as they're reaching out to fans to help them create their next big sitcom. (Huffington Post)
David Letterman's replacement has been named, and it turn out that it'll be Stephen Colbert. It will be quite a change for Colbert, though, as he will no longer be in character for his new gig. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Fox announced several DVD releases this week that would be exclusives to Amazon.com. The most notable of these releases is the Tim Allen sitcom Last Man Standing and NBC's one-season series The New Normal, both of which have not seen any DVD releases. On May 13, fans will see both seasons 1 and 2. The same day will also see releases for American Dad - Volume 9 and Bob's Burgers - The Complete 3rd Season. It is expected that all of these will be MOD releases.
Warner has slowly been warming up to the idea of licensing series out, but did they license Welcome Back, Kotter to Shout! Factory for them to release? There was a complete series listing that briefly appeared on Amazon.com last weekend that suggests that.
Shout! Factory will, for certain, be releasing Newhart - The Complete Fourth Season on August 19. The release will put the series just past halfway to completion.
Shout! will also be releasing the TV Land series The Soul Man on DVD for the very first time on July 8, with their release of The Soul Man - The Complete First Season.

RECENT REVIEWS ON SITCOMSONLINE.COM

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/hereslucythecompleteseriesdvdreview.html

Here's Lucy - The Complete Series: MPI collects every episode of this series in this collection, along with one of the nicest collections of special features ever featured in a DVD release.

APRIL 15 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

Anger Management - Volume 3 (DVD, $34.98; Blu-ray, $34.97): Charlie Sheen is "winning" again with another release of his FX series on DVD.
The Beverly Hillbillies - The Official Fourth Season (DVD, $29.98): The Clampetts return to DVD on this set (which was available as a Walmart exclusive for months), the very first DVD release featuring color episodes of the series.
Petticoat Junction - The Official Third Season (DVD, $29.98): Another release of a DVD that was previously a Walmart exclusive, and also the very first DVD release featuring color episodes of the series.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Keshia Knight Pulliam (Twitter), "The OFFICIAL twitter of KESHIA KNIGHT PULLIAM"

Claim to Fame: We're continuing with our Cosby Show theme this week with another star of the classic series. Of course, Keshia Knight Pulliam played the youngest member of the Huxtable family, the five-year old (at least at the beginning) Rudy Huxtable. As it turns out, though, the series is 30 years old this year, which means that she is now 35 years old, very much an adult. She didn't leave the entertainment industry following that series, though. In recent years, she has appeared on the Tyler Perry series House of Payne in a regular role, and has also appeared in several movies.

Pick of the Tweets: "Thank u for everyone who came out to support us at Pie Face!!! It was such a success & we raised soooo much money for charity!!!" (March 25, 2014)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, April 9

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A Stuffed Monkey and an Ex-Girlfriend" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When CeeCee loses her favorite toy, Mandy and Meemaw (Annie Potts) take it as an opportunity to make some money. Meanwhile, Connor contemplates revisiting an old relationship.

Ghosts - "Michael Jackson Goes to HR" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Trevor lands himself in trouble when an inappropriate gift to a co‑worker forces him into an HR meeting only Jay can handle. Meanwhile, Pete unintentionally sparks drama with Alberta after casually mentioning a surprise visit to his ex.

Animal Control - "Scaredy Cats and Card Sharks" (Fox, 9:02PM ET/PT)
When Frank and Daisy lose $5,000 in union funds, they try to win the money back by gambling; Shred and Patel cover the late-night shift at the precinct.

Going Dutch - "The Heart Locker" (Fox, 9:32PM ET/PT)
After throwing out his back, the Colonel is ordered to bed rest; the base is sent to sweep for landmines at a local farm, where Major Shah suddenly finds himself in serious danger when he steps on one.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 6)

Thursday, April 9

Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - Catch Kerry on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Riz Ahmed (Bait) - Riz is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Nathan Lane (Mid-Century Modern/Only Murders in the Building/Modern Family/Charlie Lawrence/Encore! Encore!/One of the Boys) - Nathan appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Arsenio Hall (Arsenio) - Arsenio is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Jim Parsons (Young Sheldon/The Big Bang Theory) - Jim appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Judy Reyes (Scrubs) - Judy talks about Scrubs and High Potential on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Dany Levy (Big Mistakes/Schitt's Creek) - Dan talks about Big Mistakes on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Felicity Huffman (Sports Night) - Felicity dishes on Doc on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle/The Louie Show), Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle) and Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair/Malcolm in the Middle/Help Me Help You) - Bryan, Frankie and Jane talk about Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
John C. Reilly (Moonbase 8) - NBC's Today has "Head or Tails" with John in the 9am hour.
Billy Magnussen (The Franchise/Made for Love) - NBC's Today catches up with Billy in the 9am hour.
Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Tamron Hall has a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE with Terry and Rebecca King-Crews revealing for the first time Rebecca's health battle, so check your local listings.
Kenya Barris (blackAF) - Kenya talks about Prime's Jerry West: The Logo on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Juliette Lewis (Camping/I Married Dora) - Juliette tells Drew about her current run in Broadway show The Rocky Horror Show on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.