Tuesday, August 05, 2014
TV Land Orders 4th Season of The Soul Man; NBC to Bring Back Welcome to Sweden
It's a day of happy news for two sitcoms. TV Land has renewed its sitcom The Soul Man, starring Cedric "The Entertainer" and Niecy Nash, for a fourth season. The series, which also co-stars Wesley Jonathan, has been picked up for 12 episodes. Last season, The Soul Man premiered with a live episode and saw great guest stars like Brandy, Martin Lawrence, B.o.B., David Alan Grier, Deion Sanders, Yvette Nicole Brown, Cedric Yarbrough and TV Land's own Betty White. Season four will premiere in 2015. The Soul Man follows R&B superstar-turned-minister Reverend Boyce "The Voice" Ballentine (Cedric) after he relocated from Las Vegas to St. Louis with his wife Lolli (Nash). While learning to adjust to their new humble life, they have plenty of obstacles in their way, including Boyce's brother Stamps (Jonathan), who only just moved out at the end of last season. Over the last three seasons, The Soul Man averaged a remarkable 3.19 rating among African-American Women 25-54 and a 2.65 rating with African-American Adults 25-54, posting triple digit gains over channel prime average (Nielsen, L+7, 6/20/12-5/14/14, 30 Telecasts). The series has also averaged 1.2 million viewers series to date, up +59% compared to channel prime average. It wasn't good news though for TV Land's freshman sitcom Kirstie, starring Kirstie Alley, as the network did not order a second season. The jury is still out on current freshman comedy Jennifer Falls starring Jaime Pressly.
Critically acclaimed Thursday night comedy Welcome to Sweden from Entertainment One Television has been renewed for a 10-episode second season. No premiere date has been determined, but it will likely be next summer on NBC. The series was created by Greg Poehler, with events based on his real life. The series stars Greg Poehler, Josephine Bornebusch, Lena Olin, Claes Mansson, Christopher Wagelin, and Per Svensson. This Swedish series airs on NBC in the U.S. and was picked up actually for a second season back in April on Sweden's TV4. So now America is on board, too! In the series, Bruce Evans (Greg Poehler) and Emma Wiik (Josephine Bornebusch) seem to be the perfect couple, so when she makes the life-changing decision to move back to her native Stockholm to accept a prestigious banking position after a year together, she is surprised and thrilled that he agrees to move with her. Moving halfway around the world with a new love is a huge step and Bruce, with no job, friends or real clue about what he is getting himself into, is quick to face the many unique challenges and culture clashes that living in a foreign land presents - most notably, how to win over Emma's strange and very Swedish family.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Friday, July 18
Happy's Place - "Heart of the Matter" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Emmett is late to work, Bobbie becomes paranoid at the thought of why and begins to overreact; Gabby and Takoda help Steve pick out a new barstool to prove changing his obsessive-compulsive disorder habits won't negatively impact the world.
Happy's Place - "Baby Doll" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After Gabby expresses her concerns about parenting, Bobbie reassures her she'd be a great mother, which prompts Gabby to bring in an AI baby doll and turn the tavern into her own personal day care.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 14)
Friday, July 18
- Chris Distefano (Benders) - Chris guest hosts a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) - Watch Hannah on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Shane Gillis (Tires) - Shane appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Abby Elliott (The Bear/Indebted/Odd Mom Out) - Abby is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Brandy Norwood (Zoe Ever After/The Game/Moesha/Thea) - Brandy and Monica are guests on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Matty Matheson (The Bear) - Matty appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Jason Ritter (Another Period/The Class) and Aparna Nancherla (The Great North/Lopez vs Lopez/Corporate) - Jason and Aparna are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Eugenio Derbez (Acapulco/Rob) - Eugenio chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Ariana DeBose (Schmigadoon!) - Ariana is chatting with Drew about her new movie Love Hurts on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Freddie Prinze Jr. (Freddie) - Freddie can be heard on the Morning Mash Up on SiriusXM.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
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)
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