Tuesday, June 10, 2014

ABC Family Working on 3 Pilots; Kickstarter Campaign to Bring Back Beat the Geeks

ABC Family

ABC Family has begun production in Los Angeles on three drama series pilots: Recovery Road, Stitchers and Unstrung. All three are just pilot orders and are for consideration. If they like it, they could pick the pilot to series. Based on the popular young adult novel by Blake Nelson, Recovery Road focuses on a teenage girl dealing with addiction. Recovery Road stars Samantha Logan as Maddie, Sebastian De Souza as Wes, Kyla Pratt as Trish, Sharon Leal as Charlotte, Alexis Carra as Cynthia, Justin Prentice as Dallas, Caroline Sunshine as Emily, and also guest stars Doug Savant as Alan. Stitchers is a procedural drama series written by Jeffrey A. Schechter (Overruled!) and follows a young woman recruited into a covert government agency to be 'stitched' into the minds of the recently deceased, using their memories to investigate murders and decipher mysteries that otherwise would have gone to the grave. It stars Emma Ishta as Kirsten, Kyle Harris as Cameron, Felix Gomez as Dr. Pecha, Minni Jo Mazzola as Camille, and also guest stars Diane Farr as Maggie. And finally, Unstrung explores the sexy, cutthroat, and emotional stakes of the professional world tour of tennis as brother and sister Luke and Ellie Holt compete to move up the ranks. Unstrung stars Alex Roe as Luke, Chanel Celaya as Ellie, Sofia Mattsson as Ninotchka, Travis Winfrey as Brett, and also guest stars Josh Stamberg as Phil. Stay with us for continued updates should these go further. And don't forget to tune in tonight for the season premiere of Pretty Little Liars followed by the series premiere of Chasing Life all starting at 8|7c on ABC Family!


Remember the game show Beat the Geeks? It was a comedy game show that aired on Comedy Central from 2001 to 2002. On the show, contestants face off in trivia matches against "geeks" who are well-versed in music, movies, and television, as well as a fourth guest geek with an alternate area of expertise which varies from episode to episode. The object is to outsmart the geek at their own subject; as a handicap, the geeks are given questions of considerably greater difficulty than the contestants. Some of the regular geeks included: Marc Edward Heuck as the Movie Geek, Paul Goebel as the TV Geek and Andy Zax as the Music Geek. Now you can help bring back this show via Kickstarter!

Help us bring back the definitive game show for geeks so we can show today's nerds how it's actually done. Let's face it. The world contains exactly two types of people - the dummies and the smarties. Watch a random movie trailer or click over to any given TV channel and you’ll find that there are an infinite number of projects dedicated solely to celebrating the idiocy of idiots. Whether it's shows featuring vapid commentary on video fail compilations or multi-series franchises about wealthy drunks having pseudo-scripted screaming matches with each other, you don’t have to search far and wide for content about stupid people that appeals to a stupid audience. So how about we change that and make a show for smart people to enjoy? But it's more than just a show for geniuses to passively watch...they can also participate in it, influence it, and help create something special. This project isn't going to exploit fans of nerd culture like some sort of dork-filled freak show. It’s going to elevate geekdom to a proper art form. By donating to this project, you’re joining a movement towards bringing intelligent, interesting, and fun content back to the airwaves. If this project is successfully funded, we can produce a quality pilot that will be released online and then used to pitch as a network-ready game show. From there, the sky’s the limit - fancier celebrity judges, a bigger contestant pool, and all kinds of cool audience interactivity that’s never been done in a show before. Back this project today!


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, October 30

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A Will and a Dead Man’s Wife" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie’s not ready for his mother to start dating again. Meanwhile, Jim and Audrey struggle to make their wills.

Ghosts - "Halloween 5: The Mummy" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Sam and Jay’s Halloween takes a spooky turn when they accidentally unleash a mummy ghost.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 27)

Thursday, October 30

  • Emma Stone (The Curse) - Catch Emma on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Justine Lupe (Nobody Wants This/Cristela) - Justine talks about Nobody Wants This on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Harland Williams (The Geena Davis Show/Simon) - Harland is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building) - Steve chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Patti LaBelle (Out All Night) - Patti is whipping up something tasty in the kitchen, plus a special announcement just for the Tam Fam on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • Ariana Greenblatt (Stuck in the Middle) - Ariana talks about Now You See Me: Now You Don't on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
  • Leanne Morgan (Leanne) - Leanne co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Niecy Nash-Betts (Reno 911!/Getting On/The Soul Man/Do Not Disturb) - Niecy talks about her upcoming Hulu series All's Fair on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Wendie Malick (Hot in Cleveland/Big Day/Jake in Progress/Just Shoot Me!), Jane Leeves (Hot in Cleveland/Frasier/Throb) and Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Hot in Cleveland co-stars Wendie Malick and Jane Leeves are surprising Valerie Bertinelli for a cast reunion and to dish on their time working on the hit show on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Joel Kim Booster (Loot/Shrill) - Joel talks about Apple TV's Loot on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

10/30 - ABC's The Golden Girls 40th Anniversary Special on November 11; NBC 2025 Holiday Specials
10/29 - ABC Midseason 2026 Schedule; Hulu Renews Only Murders in the Building for Season 6, Now in London
10/28 - Hulu Debuts Trailer for Original Holiday Film; Sidelined Returns for Sequel on Tubi
10/27 - Netflix Grabs Victorious Spinoff Hollywood Arts; Dancing with the Stars Up for 5th Straight Week
10/26 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 27, 2025)
10/25 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Frankie Muniz Shares Photo Outside Studio for Malcolm in the Middle Reboot; Warner Bros. Discovery Still Looking for New Owner
10/24 - USA Network Renews The Rainmaker; Reba Hosting Christmas in Rockefeller Center
10/23 - The CW Holiday Specials Schedule; Apple TV Fraggle Rock Special
10/22 - Apple TV's Shrinking Returns in January 2026; Season 2 of Idris Elba Series Also Returns in January 2026
10/21 - FETV Acquires Here Come the Brides; Netflix's Mo Amer Special Trailer
10/20 - SNL November Guests Lineup; It's a Wonderful Lifetime 2025 Schedule
10/19 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 20, 2025)
10/18 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at NBC Comedy Stumble; Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage Showrunner Talks When the Inevitable May Happen
10/17 - Apple TV's Palm Royale Returns November 12; Pop Culture Jeopardy! Moving to Netflix
10/16 - Kathleen Madigan Prime Video Special; His & Hers Premiere Date for Netflix
10/15 - ABC Wednesday Comedies Premiere Strong; Sebastian Maniscalco's Hulu Comedy Special Date
10/14 - Tubi's Breaking Bear Premieres March 2026; NBC's Stumble Trailer
10/13 - Jurassic World: Chaos Theory Final Season; Bat-Fam Premieres November 10 on Prime Video
10/12 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 13, 2025)
10/11 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at Upcoming Paramount+ Sitcom Crutch; Yellowjackets to End After Upcoming Season
10/10 - Prime Video Releases Trailer for The Mighty Nein; Season 2 Premiere Date for Cross
10/09 - Rachel Sennott's I Love LA Comedy Series Trailer; Kaley Cuoco Heads to MGM+
10/08 - Prime Video's Kevin Details; Trailer for Crutch with Tracy Morgan
10/07 - The CW's TV We Love Docuseries; Happy's Place Season 2 Trailer
10/06 - Dancing with the Stars Surging in Viewership, Especially Among Younger Viewers; Remembering Kimberly Hébert Gregory of Vice Principals
10/05 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 6, 2025)
10/04 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Fox Cancels The Great North; Everybody Loves Raymond Cast Set to Reunite for 30 Year Anniversary
10/03 - MeTV Acquires Everybody Loves Raymond; Hazbin Hotel Season 2 Trailer
10/02 - CBS Presents Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion; Apple TV+ Renews Peanuts Specials Through 2030
10/01 - The CW's Six Brand New Movies Starting November 16; Hulu's Family Guy Halloween Special Details
09/30 - Sarah Sherman HBO Comedy Special in December; Huluween Programming for 2025