SitcomsOnline Digest: SNL Looking to 40th Anniversary; New Mill Creek DVD Releases

Saturday, April 19, 2014

SitcomsOnline Digest: SNL Looking to 40th Anniversary; New Mill Creek DVD Releases

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! Today, we have news about SNL's 40th anniversary, the potential 2014-2015 pilots, and many new releases from Mill Creek. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Saturday Night Live is about to turn 40 (well, technically that is still another year and a half from now), but NBC is already planning a three hour 40th anniversary special for February 15, 2015. With planning and a date set this early, it should be a huge deal. (Variety)
Pilot season is about to turn into pickup season in just a few short weeks, and Deadline has a run down of what each network is looking at as they try to decide which series could lead the network into the next decade... or through mid-October 2014. (Deadline)
TV Land has given a cast-contingent pilot order to a comedy about a con man pretending to be a gay pastor, which seems to be one of the most unusual pilot ideas in a while. (Deadline)
Fox's Animation Domination High-Def lineup is officially dead, although the programs airing in it aren't necessarily dead... yet. The lineup will cease to exist at the end of June, but the programming will continue to air on other platforms. (Entertainment Weekly)
Sitcom writer Doris Kanter died this week at the age of 95. Wife of the late Hal Kanter, Doris' writing credits include Chico and the Man and Night Court, and she also designed the opening credits for her husband's sitcom, Julia. (Deadline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Mill Creek is showing absolutely no sign of slowing down on their Sony releases, which have seen at least a few released every month since January, and June is no exception. On June 24, the studio will release Bewitched - Seasons 3 and 4, The Larry Sanders Show - Seasons 1 and 2, and The Partridge Family - Seasons 1 and 2.
eOne Entertainment will release The Abbott & Costello Show - The Complete Second Season on May 20, but for those interested in the series it may make more sense to pick up their release of The Abbott & Costello Show - The Complete Series, which is currently a dollar cheaper.

RECENT REVIEWS ON SITCOMSONLINE.COM

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/starskyandhutchseason1millcreekdvdreview.html

Starsky & Hutch - Season 1 (Mill Creek): One of TV's favorite detective duos returns to DVD for this re-release on DVD that comes at a lower price (but without the special features of the original release).

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Malcolm-Jamal Warner (Twitter), "Actor, Musician, Poet, Writer, Director. At War with my Nice Guy complex right now so until further notice, beware..."

Claim to Fame: Once again, we're going on with our Cosby Show theme again this week with Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who played Theo. Like many other cast members of the series, he found great success after the series ended and didn't just fade away. Early appearances on TV included guest roles on Matt Houston and Fame, but it wasn't long until he was cast on The Cosby Show. After that, though, he didn't stop. In fact, he was immediately cast in the lead role of the series Here and Now (which didn't last long). In 1996, he did find some success with Malcolm and Eddie, which ran for four seasons. Most recently, he has had a recurring role on the NBC series Community.

Pick of the Tweets: "Tidbit: @BillCosby has never made us eat nor have I ever seen him eat Jell-o or a pudding pop. Ever. Now hoagies are a different story!" (January 19, 2013)

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.