Saturday, August 23, 2014

SitcomsOnline Digest: Every Simpsons Ever Marathon Brings FXX Big Numbers; Another Wonder Years DVD Music Update; New CBS DVD Complete Series Sets

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we have yet another Wonder Years music update, news of some CBS DVD complete series releases, and more. Let's get started!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
  • The first day of the Every Simpsons Ever marathon has turned into FXX's biggest day ever for ratings. (Hollywood Reporter)
  • Lifetime has put out another clip for their upcoming Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story, this one featuring the first five minutes of the movie. (Deadline)
  • Saturday nights on NBC are going to be a little bit different now that Don Pardo, the voice of Saturday Night Live for all but one season (and also a voice heard on NBC since before the days that TV was even a thing to most American households) died this week at the age of 96. (New York Times)
  • Alan Landsburg, known for his production of made-for-TV movies such as Bill, The Ryan White Story, as well as the TV series In Search Of... and That's Incredible! and also the namesake for Alan Landsburg Productions (which produced Kate & Allie and Gimme a Break!, although Landsburg himself was not involved in those productions), died this week at the age of 82. (Washington Post)
  • While NBC did renew the summer import series Welcome to Sweden, the other import series, Working the Engels, was not so lucky. (Hollywood Reporter)
  • Fall is rapidly approaching, and as usual, MeTV and Antenna TV have some lineup changes in store. (SitcomsOnline schedule updates for MeTV, SitcomsOnline schedule updates for Antenna TV)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
  • Last week, we told you about The Wonder Years - The Complete Series, and the list of original music that will be included in the set. We also gave you an unofficial list of what music may be missing, but as it turns out, StarVista has also provided an official list of missing music, and what those songs have been replaced with. You can see that list here.
  • The Real McCoys has been a disaster when it has come to DVD releases, with one studio releasing the first four seasons (before going bankrupt), followed by another studio that promised even better results and even planned a complete series release, but only got so far as to re-release TWO of the first four seasons that had already been released. Now, SFM is taking matters into their own hands by releasing each season as a MOD release on amazon.com.
  • Warner Home Video has been talking about releasing the series Spenser: For Hire on DVD for years, but never took action. But now, it seems that Warner Archive is taking action, and will be releasing the first season at some point in the near future.
  • CBS has two complete series sets on the way for November 11 with Family Ties - The Complete Series and Taxi - The Complete Series. While Family Ties has already been released as a complete series set, this version will come at a much lower price (but without the extra bonus features included in the previous release).

AUGUST 26 HOME MEDIA RELEASES
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00JHH1VDC/ref=nosim/happydaysonline5-20
  • Welcome Back, Kotter - The Complete Series (DVD, $129.98): The Sweathogs, along with Mr. Kotter, Mrs. Kotter, and Mr. Woodface... err Woodman... all come together with every episode of the series on DVD from Shout! Factory, along with the special features that were presented on Warner Home Video's release of the first season.
FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Every.Simpsons.Ever (Twitter), "Marathon HAPPENING NOW on FXX. Coming to FXNow This Fall."
Claim to Fame: Our Follow Me is not a person once again, and this time, you'll only have a few days to follow this one. Every.Simpsons.Ever is a special Twitter feed that has been set up by FXX to provide somewhat of a running commentary for The Simpsons while they continue airing their Every Simpsons Ever marathon, which began on Thursday morning and will continue through the end of the day on Labor Day. While it isn't something as deep as commentaries (which you can find on the DVDs), it is a fun way to follow highlights as the marathon moves along on FXX. Every now and then, you'll find some fun trivia retweets from the people behind the scenes on the show. And they're also encouraging fans to participate in the Twitter fun, using the hashtags #simpsonsmarathon and #EverySimpsonsEver
Pick of the Tweets: "NOSTALGIA MAKE MY HEAD ESPLODE Wonder Years AND Simpsons?! #EverySimpsonsEver #simpsonsmarathon" (August 23, 2014)


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, December 25

Ghosts - "A Very Arondekar Christmas Part 1" / "A Very Arondekar Christmas Part 2" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
A leaky water heater mishap threatens to ruin holiday plans as Sam and Jay prepare to host Jay’s hard-to-please dad, Mahesh (Bernard White), difficult-to-impress mom, Champa (Sakina Jaffrey), and sister Bela (Punam Patel).

Ghosts - "It's a Wonderful Christmas Carol: Part One" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Sam’s big Christmas Eve TV interview with Walter Storm (Larry Wilmore) takes an unexpected turn. Meanwhile, Trevor and Patience bond over their mutual disinterest in celebrating Christmas.

Ghosts - "It's a Wonderful Christmas Carol: Part Two" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Sam gets a glimpse of what her life would be like if she could never see the ghosts.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 22)

Thursday, December 25

  • Kate Hudson (Running Point) - Watch Kate on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • John Stamos (Palm Royale/UnPrisoned/Fuller House/Grandfathered/Jake in Progress/Full House/You, Again?) - John appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Chris Kattan (The Middle) - Chris is a guest on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons) - Jason talks Zootopia 2 with Chris Connelly on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • George Clooney (Roseanne/The Facts of Life/ E/R (1984-1985) - George talks Jay Kelly with Michael Strahan on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
  • Michael J. Fox (Family Ties/Spin City/The Michael J. Fox Show) - Michael opens up about his career with George Stephanopoulos on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
  • Ariana Grande (Sam & Cat/Victorious) - Ariana talks about Wicked on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD) St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series (DVD)
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two (DVD)
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season (DVD)
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 (DVD)
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 (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)

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

12/25 - Merry Christmas from Sitcoms Online; Interviews from 2025 Christmas Con in Edison, NJ
12/24 - 2025 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day TV Marathons
12/23 - Antenna TV January 2026 Schedule; Rewind TV January 2026 Schedule
12/22 - The Ms. Pat Show Returns January 7; According to Jim Christmas Day Marathon on Laff
12/21 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 22, 2025)
12/20 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Historical 19th Century Comedy in the Works at CBS; Bowen Yang Leaving Saturday Night Live After Tonight
12/19 - The Muppet Show 50th Anniversary Event in February on ABC & Disney+; Adult Swim Renews Haha, You Clowns for 2 More Seasons
12/18 - The Oscars Moving to YouTube in 2029; Celebs for Hollywood Squares Season 2
12/17 - MeTV Remembers Rob Reiner with Tribute Marathon; MGM+ to Make New The Magnificent Seven Series
12/16 - The Rob Reiner Story: A Hollywood Tragedy – ABC News Special; Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion Part 2 on CBS
12/15 - Remembering the Legendary Rob Reiner of All in the Family; Trailer for Netflix's His & Hers
12/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 15, 2025)
12/13 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Warner/Netflix Merger Gets Complicated; Steve Carell Comedy Rooster Coming to HBO Max in March
12/12 - Survival of the Thickest Final Season Guest Stars; Ted Season 2 Returns in March
12/11 - The Upshaws Final Season Premieres January 15; Mike Epps Gets 5th Netflix Special
12/10 - HBO's Rooster Premieres in March; Fox's Updated Winter 2026 Schedule
12/09 - 83rd Golden Globe Nominations; Paradise Returns on Hulu in February
12/08 - First Look at Bert Kreischer Netflix Comedy Free Bert; School Spirits Season 3
12/07 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 8, 2025)
12/06 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair; Netflix to Acquire Warner Bros. Discovery
12/05 - FETV Acquires The Carol Burnett Show Uncut; Hey A.J.! Coming to Disney Jr.
12/04 - COZI TV Acquires The Jeff Foxworthy Show; Hulu Renews Chad Powers for Season 2
12/03 - MeTV January 2026 Schedule; Netflix's My Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman Season 6 Guests
12/02 - MeTV Acquires Charlie's Angels, Fantasy Island, Hart to Hart & Hawaii Five-O; Apple TV's The First Snow of Fraggle Rock Trailer
12/01 - MeTV to Announce Four New Shows; Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Draws 25 Million Viewers on NBC
11/30 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 1, 2025)
11/29 - SitcomsOnline Digest: First Look at Scrubs Reboot; Mad Men Coming to HBO Max
11/28 - Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion Encores Tonight (11/28); Hulu's Smash Hit Renewed for Quick 4th Season
11/27 - 2025 Thanksgiving TV Marathons
11/26 - ABC's Scrubs First Teaser During Dancing with the Stars Finale; Eva Green Joins Wednesday Season 3
11/25 - COZI TV Acquires Malcolm & Eddie and The Steve Harvey Show; 53rd International Emmy® Awards Winners