TCA Summer 2014 Press Tour: NBC; Entourage Coming to VH1 Classic

Monday, July 14, 2014

TCA Summer 2014 Press Tour: NBC; Entourage Coming to VH1 Classic

The TCA Summer 2014 press tour continued this weekend and it was time for broadcast networks to take over. First up is NBC. Among the key announcements made were: renewals to a 10th season of America's Got Talent, a ninth season of Last Comic Standing and a fourth season of American Ninja Warrior, which airs in partnership with Esquire Network. These series all air in the summer. A new special is coming to NBC next May. Red Nose Day, the U.K.'s #1 television fundraising event, is finally coming to America in a spectacular star-studded special live on NBC. In collaboration with Comic Relief U.K. - the British charity behind Red Nose Day - NBC will televise a three-hour benefit in May 2015 as a celebration for the U.S. inaugural Red Nose Day event. Guest stars on the NBC broadcast, as well as the charities involved, will be announced at a later date. Then, Oscar-winning actor Christopher Walken, one of the most revered talents of his generation and a veteran of film, television and stage, will portray the iconic Captain Hook in NBC's Thursday, Dec. 4 telecast of Peter Pan Live!

As far as the panels yesterday, after the executive session there was a panel for the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards hosted by Seth Meyers. The telecast airs Monday, Aug. 25 on NBC. The first series panel was for the upcoming new drama State of Affairs starring Katherine Heigl and Alfre Woodard. After lunch, there was a panel for The Mysteries of Laura. On hand were stars Debra Messing, Laz Alonso, Janina Gavankar and Josh Lucas. The first sitcom panel went to the new comedy Marry Me starring Casey Wilson, Ken Marino, John Gemberling, Tymberlee Hill, Sarah Wright and Tim Meadows. Then the floor was to the new drama Constantine with stars Matt Ryan, Charles Halford and Harold Perrineau. Next up was the risque comedy Bad Judge starring Kate Walsh and Tone Bell and produced by Anne Heche. More comedy was next with a panel for A to Z with stars Lenora Crichlow, Ben Feldman, Christina Kirk, Cristin Milioti, and Henry Zebrowski, along with producers Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. And finally, the final panel of the day went to just showrunners of NBC's signature dramas: The Blacklist, Grimm, Parenthood, and Chicago Fire/Chicago P.D. The All-Star Party closed the day out. Up today will be NBC Cable networks, NBC Sports and NBC Television Distribution. We'll cover anything noteworthy from it.

Entourage

Entourage is now going to air on another Viacom cable network. It has aired on other Viacom-owned networks like Spike TV, Comedy Central, TV Land and MTV2 but it never has taken off in the ratings. Now VH1 Classic will try airing the series. It will launch on Sunday, July 20 with a primetime marathon from 8pm-12am (with an encore from 3-7pm on July 21). The series will then regularly air Mon-Thurs at 11:30pm beginning Monday, July 21. An encore of the the previous night's episode will air Tues-Fri at 4pm beginning July 22. The series chronicles the acting career of Vincent Chase, a young A-list movie star, and his childhood friends from Queens, New York City, as they navigate the unfamiliar terrain of Los Angeles, California. The series stars Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, Jeremy Piven, Debi Mazar, Perrey Reeves, Rex Lee, Rhys Coiro, Gary Cole, Emmanuelle Chriqui, and Scott Caan.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, July 9

Shifting Gears - "Gummies" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Riley is horrified when she finds weed gummies in Carter’s pocket, prompting surprising advice from Matt. Meanwhile, Eve inadvertently lands Gabriel and Stitch in hot water after asking them to donate to a charity auction.

Shifting Gears - "Kiss" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Jimmy returns with a new job and a proposition for Riley and the kids to move into his house, Riley is torn between her past and her future. Meanwhile, Matt's feud with Eve flares up once again after she damages his car.

Abbott Elementary - "Volunteers" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Ava announces the school district is sending a group of volunteers to help out at Abbott; however, when they arrive, things don’t go as planned.

Abbott Elementary - "100th Day of School" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
During Abbott’s 100th day of school celebrations, Barbara receives a surprise from her daughter. Melissa, Jacob and Mr. Johnson join forces to conduct a search party.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary" (FXX and FX, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Months after the Gang visited, Abbott's Principal Ava walks viewers through some of the unseen footage of the Gang's volunteerism and reveals their true intentions.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "Frank Is in a Coma" (FXX and FX, 9:33PM ET/PT)
The five stages of grief set in for Dee as Frank lies on his deathbed; the Guys plot their new path forward by pitching their business ventures to Philadelphia's elite.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 7)

Wednesday, July 9

Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Salma Hayek Pinault (The Sinbad Show) - Watch Salma on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Jean Smart (Hacks/Samantha Who?/Center of the Universe/In-Laws/Style & Substance/Designing Women) - Jean is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Cole Escola (Human Resources/Search Party/Mozart in the Jungle/Difficult People) - Cole appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Richie Moriarty (Ghosts), Betsy Sodaro (Ghosts/Duncanville/Disjointed/Animal Practice) and Punam Patel (Ghosts/Return of the Mac/Kevin from Work) - Richie, Betsy and Punam are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
Tika Sumpter (mixed-ish/Final Space/The Game) - Tika sits down with the Tam Fam to talk about her new children's book I Got It From My Mama a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Isabela Merced (100 Things to Do Before High School/Growing Up Fisher) - Isabela chats about her film Superman on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Anna Camp (Perfect Harmony/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/The Mindy Project) and Justin Bartha (The New Normal/Teachers) - Anna and Justin discuss their film Nuked on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) - Simon talks about Peacock's Poker Face on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.