SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Hulu has given a ten episode straight-to-series order to Casual, a single-camera, half-hour comedy series from Lionsgate Television to be executive-produced by Oscar(R) nominated director Jason Reitman (Up in the Air, Juno), series writer Zander Lehmann and Reitman's production partner Helen Estabrook (Whiplash, Young Adult), the company announced. Casual will debut on Hulu in 2015, with Reitman set to direct the premiere episode. Casual follows the story of a dysfunctional family with a bachelor brother and his newly divorced sister. Together, they coach each other through the crazy world of dating (on-line and off), while living under one roof again and raising a teenager. The comedy will be produced by Jason Reitman's Right of Way Films and will begin production this year. The Hulu Original series joins the recently announced order for 11/22/63, an event series based upon the best-selling Stephen King novel from J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions. Casting for Casual has not been announced yet, so stay tuned...


It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars, so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of Nov. 3-7, 2014, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVRs (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!


Sunday, November 2, 2014

• Kathy Kinney (The Drew Carey Show) - Kathy will be featured on Oprah: Where Are They Now? at 9pm ET/PT on OWN.

• Martin Short (Mulaney/The Martin Short Show) - Watch Martin on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS. He will also discuss his book (I Must Say: My Life As A Humble Comedy Legend) on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
• Joel McHale (Community) - Joel appears on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Roseanne Barr (Roseanne) - Roseanne is a guest on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Jamie Foxx (The Jamie Foxx Show) - Jamie drops by The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men) - Jon visits The Queen Latifah Show on your local station or at 2am on BET.
• Casey Wilson (Marry Me/Happy Endings) - Casey chats on The Queen Latifah Show on your local station or at 2am on BET.
• Sinbad (A Different World/The Sinbad Show) - Sinbad stops by Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback/Web Therapy/Friends) - Lisa will be on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
• Holly Robinson Peete (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper/For Your Love) - Holly is part of the Plugged In panel on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.

• Martin Short (Mulaney/The Martin Short Show) - Catch Martin on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley/The Goodwin Games/Carpoolers) - T.J. performs stand up on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Maya Rudolph (Up All Night) - Maya is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Jim Gaffigan (My Boys/Welcome to New York) - Jim is a guest on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
• Michael Ian Black (Burning Love/Ed) - Michael will be on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
• Kelly Ripa (Hope & Faith) - Kelly stops by and you won't want to miss what happens when Kelly tries to win cash for a "Wendy Watcher" in a game of "Ripa or Stripa" on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Kate Walsh (Bad Judge) - Kate appears on The Queen Latifah Show on your local station or at 2am on BET.
• Lamorne Morris (New Girl) - Lamorne visits The Queen Latifah Show on your local station or at 2am on BET.
• Joey McIntryre (The McCarthys) - Joey is a guest on Big Morning Buzz Live at 9am on VH1.
• David Walton (About a Boy/Bent/Perfect Couples) - David is a guest on NBC's Today in the 10am hour. He will also be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
• Sarah Hyland (Modern Family) - Sarah stops by The Better Show, so check your local listings.
• Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time, Jane Leeves (Hot in Cleveland/Frasier and Wendie Malick (Hot in Cleveland/Just Shoot Me!) - The ladies of Hot in Cleveland are guests on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
• Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/The Golden Girls/The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Betty appears on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• Kirk Cameron (Growing Pains/Kirk) - Kirk will be on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.

• Bette Midler (Bette) - Watch Bette chat and perform on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Jim Gaffigan (My Boys/Welcome to New York) - Jim is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Bob Newhart (The Bob Newhart Show/Newhart/Bob) - Bob appears on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Melissa Rauch (The Big Bang Theory) - Melissa drops by The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time, Jane Leeves (Hot in Cleveland/Frasier and Wendie Malick (Hot in Cleveland/Just Shoot Me!) - The ladies of Hot in Cleveland are guests on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo. They also join the Chew Crew on ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
• Kristen Johnston (The Exes/3rd Rock from the Sun) - Kristen talks about The Exes on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Niecy Nash (The Soul Man/Getting On/Reno 911!) - Niecy talks about the new season of HBO's Getting On on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations. She will also be on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 8:50am.
• Donald Faison (The Exes/Scrubs) - Donald talks about his upcoming baby and his recent reunion with his Clueless co-stars on The Meredith Vieira Show, so check your local listings.
• Haley Joel Osment (Thunder Alley/The Jeff Foxworthy Show) - Haley Joel will be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
• Sofia Vergara (Modern Family/The Knights of Prosperity/Hot Properties) - Sofia stops by Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
• Max Charles (The Neighbors) - Max discusses his starring role in the upcoming Hallmark Channel original movie Northpole on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City) - Cynthia talks about The Real Thing on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
• Ellen DeGeneres (Ellen) - Ellen is a guest on Steve Harvey, so check your local listings.

• Whoopi Goldberg (Whoopi/Bagdad Cafe) - Catch Whoopi on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Beth Behrs (2 Broke Girls) - Watch Beth on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC. She will also be on CBS This Morning sometime between 7-9am.
• Geena Davis (The Geena Davis Show/Buffalo Bill) - Geena stops by Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Andrea Martin (Working the Engels) - Andrea appears on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Martin Short (Mulaney/The Martin Short Show) - Martin continues to make the rounds on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
• Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback/Web Therapy/Friends) - Lisa is a guest on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
• Joel McHale (Community) - Joel visits The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Kristen Johnston (The Exes/3rd Rock from the Sun) - Kristen talks about the new season of TV Land's The Exes on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations. She will also be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
• David Walton (About a Boy/Bent/Perfect Couples) - David is a guest on Big Morning Buzz Live at 9am on VH1.
• Willie Garson (Sex and the City/Mr. Belvedere) - Willie talks about White Collar on NBC's Today in the 10am hour. He will also be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
• Tracy Pollan (Family Ties) - Tracy and her sister, Dana, discuss their new cookbook on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Anne-Marie Johnson (What's Happening Now!!) - Anne-Marie shares great holiday floral arrangements that can be reusable and even edible on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Bette Midler (Bette) - Bette performs on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
• Kate Walsh (Bad Judge) - Kate is a guest on Steve Harvey, so check your local listings.
• Cedric the Entertainer (The Soul Man/The Steve Harvey Show) - Cedric chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. He will also be on Fox & Friends on Fox News Channel at 7:29am. Finally, he is a guest on HuffPost Live at 4:30am.
• NeNe Leakes (The New Normal) - NeNe discusses her new role in Broadway's Cinderella on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
• Jennie Garth (Mystery Girls/What I Like About You) - Jennie will be on People Now.

• Yvette Nicole Brown (Community) - Watch Yvette on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) - Amy is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Bette Midler (Bette) - Bette chats and performs on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Beth Behrs (2 Broke Girls) - Beth appears on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Damon Wayans Jr. (New Girl/Happy Endings) - Damon visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Demi Lovato (Sonny with a Chance) - Demi stops by The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time, Jane Leeves (Hot in Cleveland/Frasier and Wendie Malick (Hot in Cleveland/Just Shoot Me!) - The ladies of Hot in Cleveland dish about the hilarious new season of TV Land's Hot in Cleveland on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• Martin Short (Mulaney/The Martin Short) - Martin reveals secrets from his memoir including the truth behind his most famous characters and which A-list stars are part of his colonoscopy party on The Meredith Vieira Show, so check your local listings.
• Niecy Nash (The Soul Man/Getting On/Reno 911!) - Niecy joins the Chew Crew on ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
• Haley Joel Osment (Thunder Alley/The Jeff Foxworthy Show) - Haley Joel appears on Big Morning Buzz Live at 9am on VH1.
• Nick Jonas (Jonas L.A.) - Nick performs on Big Morning Buzz Live at 9am on VH1.
• Marlon Wayans (The Wayans Bros.) - Marlon is tentatively scheduled to appear on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
• Tracy Pollan (Family Ties) - Tracy and her family stop by to serve up their signature pasta and salad on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
• Gregory Harrison (The Family Man) - Gregory discusses his starring role in the upcoming Hallmark Channel original movie The Nine Lives of Christmas on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Tim Allen (Last Man Standing/Home Improvement) - Tim is a guest on Steve Harvey, so check your local listings.
• Lisa Kudrow (The Comeback/Web Therapy/Friends) - Lisa chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Mario Lopez (Saved by the Bell/Saved by the Bell: The College Years) - Mario appears on The Real on your local station or at 6pm on BET.

This Thanksgiving, Antenna TV will air a 27-hour Dennis the Menace marathon beginning at Midnight ET. Antenna TV, which airs in 92 markets across the U.S. reaching 72% of TV households, will air 54 back-to-back episodes of Dennis the Menace. BUT wait, before that on Thanksgiving eve, Wednesday, Nov. 26 from 5p ET to Midnight, Antenna TV will run a cornucopia of Thanksgiving themed episodes of your favorite shows, including Bachelor Father, Father Knows Best, Mister Ed, Hazel, Bewitched, Too Close for Comfort, All in the Family, Good Times, Diff'rent Strokes, Barney Miller, Married...with Children, The Nanny and WKRP in Cincinnati's renowned "Turkey's Away" episode, followed by the aforementioned 27-hour Dennis the Menace marathon on Thanksgiving Day. So for 34 straight hours on Antenna TV beginning at 5pm on Nov. 26, we get two great stunts! Tune in!

The MeTV Network will pay tribute to the late Marcia Strassman tonight. As a tribute to the late actress Marcia Strassman, Thursday's episodes of Welcome Back, Kotter on MeTV Network have been changed to ones centered around her character, Julie Kotter. At 10:00pm ET/PT the episode "I'm Having Their Baby" will air then at 10:30pm ET/PT the episode "Horshack and the Madame X" will air. On the first episode, while Gabe is out of town at a teacher's convention, the Sweathogs try to cheer Julie up from her prenatal depression. And on the second episode, Horshack falls in love with Julie when she consoles him after he's rejected.

TBS has ordered a new scripted comedy pilot from The Daily Show's Jason Jones & Samantha Bee. Jason Jones is set to star in the pilot, which is inspired by his and Samantha Bee's own experiences with family getaways. The pilot is being produced by TBS, with a script by Jones and Bee. The comedy series will follow a family as they take a road trip to Key West. Jason Jones is set to play hopeful dad Nate, who hops in the car with his wife and two young kids for a 24-hour adventure to the Keys. This comedy will prove that no matter how much close proximity can lead a family to get on each other's nerves, precarious situations and interactions with strangers can bring them together again. Should this project get a series greenlight, plans call for each season of the show to chronicle a different trip.

Trick or TV Treat? It isn't Halloween until Roseanne says so! Prepare for screaming and scheming this Halloween as one of TV's favorite families, The Conners, share their top Halloween tricks and treats! TV Land will honor these notorious tricksters with a full-day marathon event that highlights Roseanne's Halloween episodes, leaving viewers cackling on on Thursday, October 30 from 2:00 AM- 5:00 AM ET/PT and Friday, October 31 8:00 PM- 11:00 PM ET/PT! The marathon event will kick off with the iconic prank-filled Halloween episode, "BOO!", and continues through each Conner family Halloween tradition ever created, including the classic lumberjack costume; the "Trick Me Up, Trick Me Down" episode featuring guest star George Clooney; Roseanne's visit from the ghosts of Halloween past, present and future; a spoof of "Rosemary's Baby" and finally, Roseanne's last Halloween that brings Jerry Garcia Conner into the world. And don't forget to tune in on Thursday, October 30 from 2:00 AM- 5:00 AM ET/PT and Friday, October 31 8:00 PM- 11:00 PM ET/PT! Don't miss this spooktacular event, only on TV Land!

CBS has given full season orders to all four of its new dramas, including NCIS: New Orleans and Scorpion, along with the Tea Lenoi drama Madam Secretary, and the time period-winning suspense thriller Stalker. These pick-ups include three of the top four new shows launched on television this season in total viewers, and three series that rank among the top 15 of all prime time programs in total viewers. The four freshman dramas, along with the Network's returning hit series and NFL Thursday Night Football, have helped CBS win the first four weeks of the season for the sixth consecutive year among total viewers, with growth of +5% over the comparable period a year ago. NCIS: New Orleans airs Tuesdays at 9, while Scorpion anchors Mondays at 9pm. Madam Secretary airs in the Sunday 8pm timeslot and Stalker rounds out Wednesdays at 10pm.

After four airings, ABC has canceled new comedy Manhattan Love Story due to low live+same day ratings and bad DVR returns. The Tuesday series starring Analeigh Tipton and Jake McDorman had been airing at 8:30pm following fellow new comedy Selfie. ABC had already planned to preempt both Selfie and Love Story this coming Tuesday for the Halloween special The Great Halloween Fright Fight. The following Tuesday (Nov. 4), ABC will air two brand new episodes of Selfie at 8 & 8:30pm. ABC has not announced yet what will fill Love Story's timeslot come Nov. 11, but it could be a mix of new and repeats of Selfie until further notice. It is unclear how many Love Story episodes have been produced to-date, but 13 episodes were ordered and will not be completed, obviously. At least 7 have been produced as far as we know, so at least three episodes are available to burn-off should ABC ever air it again. Stay with us for continued updates.

Actress Marcia Strassman, who was best known for her role as Julie Kotter in Welcome Back, Kotter, has died. She died on October 24 of breast cancer at her home in Sherman Oaks, California. Ms. Strassman was 66.

Strassman's early television guest appearances included The Patty Duke Show and Ironside. She had a recurring role as Nurse Margie Cutler in six episodes of the first season of M*A*S*H in 1972-1973. Other guest appearances in the early 1970s included Love Story, Police Story, Marcus Welby, M.D. and City of Angels.

She landed the breakout role of Julie Kotter, Gabe Kotter's (Gabe Kaplan) wife, in Welcome Back, Kotter in 1975. The popular ABC sitcom ran for four seasons and 95 episodes from 1975-1979. It also starred John Travolta, Robert Hegyes, Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs, Ron Palillo and John Sylvester White. Julie and Gabe had twin girls Rachel and Robin in the third season. She worked as a secretary and later as a substitute teacher at Buchanan High after Gabe was promoted to vice-principal. Strassman was interviewed in the Truth Behind the Sitcom Scandals 5 and the E! True Hollywood Story on Welcome Back, Kotter in 2000.

Her other starring roles included the short-lived NBC sitcom Good Time Harry in 1980. She played a reporter named Carol Younger in the series which starred Ted Bessell and Eugene Roche. She co-starred as Alicia Rudd, Dennis Booker's (Richard Grieco) boss, in the 21 Jump Street spin-off series Booker on Fox in 1989-1990. She appeared as the mom Martine Beznick in the 2000-2001 Nickelodeon sitcom Noah Knows Best. In 2003, she starred as Nancy Sterngood in the Sci-Fi Channel series Tremors.

Some of her other sitcom guest appearances included The Love Boat, At Ease, E/R, I Married Dora, Phenom, Odd Man Out and Twenty Good Years. Her television drama appearances included Fantasy Island, Time Express, The Rockford Files, Magnum, P.I., Shadow Chasers, Stingray, Amazing Stories, Civil Wars, Sweet Justice, Touched by an Angel, Murder, She Wrote, Highlander, L.A. Heat and Baywatch. She had a recurring role as Meredith in Providence in 2001-2002. In 2004, she had a recurring role as Sergeant Laura Wynn in four episodes of Third Watch.

She was also well known for her role as Diane Szalinski in the the 1989 feature film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids; its 1992 sequel Honey, I Blew Up the Kid; and the 1994 3-D film spin-off Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!, which was shown at several Disney theme parks through mid-2010.

We also remember actress and comedian Jan Hooks. She was best known for her work on Saturday Night Live for five seasons and her starring role on the final two seasons of Designing Women. She died on October 9 of cancer at her home in Woodstock, New York. Ms. Hooks was 57.

Hooks joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1986. One of her best known characters was Candy Sweeney of "The Sweeney Sisters." Her sister Liz was played by Nora Dunn. Hooks' notable impressions included Bette Davis, Ann-Margret, Betty Ford, Nancy Reagan, Sinéad O'Connor, Jodie Foster, Tammy Faye Bakker, Kathie Lee Gifford, Kitty Dukakis, Diane Sawyer and Hillary Rodham Clinton. She continued to make cameo appearances on the show until 1994.

She left Saturday Night Live after five seasons in 1991 to join the cast of Designing Women. Creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason had asked her to join the series after Jean Smart left. Hooks starred as Carlene Dobbler in the final two seasons of the show from 1991-1993. Carlene was Charlene's (Jean Smart) dim-witted, newly divorced younger sister.

She had a recurring role as Victoria Marie "Vicki" Dubcek, the daughter of Ms. Dubcek (Elmarie Wendel) and Harry's (French Stewart) on-and-off girlfriend, in 3rd Rock from the Sun from 1996-2000. Hooks received an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series" for the role in 1998. She provided the voice of Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon in The Simpsons in six episodes from 1997-2002. Her final television appearances were two episodes of 30 Rock in 2010 as Verna Maroney, the mother of Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski).

Some of her other television roles and appearances included Not Necessarily the News, Dear John, The Martin Short Show, The Dana Carvey Show, Hiller and Diller, Providence, Futurama (voice), Primetime Glick and Game Over (voice). Her film credits included Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Wildcats, Batman Returns, Coneheads, Simon Birch and Jiminy Glick in Lalawood.

We thank these talented and funny women for the laughs they brought us over the years. They will be deeply missed.