Wednesday, October 22, 2014

CBS to Launch Decades, A New Digital Subchannel; The CW Orders Full Seasons of The Flash, Jane the Virgin

Decades

The CBS Television Stations group and Weigel Broadcasting announced plans to launch Decades, a new national entertainment programming service for distribution across local television stations' digital subchannels – broadcast channels that utilize a local station's available spectrum to provide a companion to that station's primary channel. For example, in the New York market, WCBS-TV will continue to be available digitally as Channel 2.1 and Decades will be available as Channel 2.2. In addition to being available as an over-the-air broadcast channel, Decades will appear on numerous local cable systems and other multichannel video programming distribution services along with the stations’ primary channels.

I Love Lucy Star Trek Happy Days

Utilizing a library of more than 100 classic television series, including select titles from the CBS library such as I Love Lucy from the 1950s, Star Trek from the 1960s, Happy Days from the 1970s and Cheers from the 1980s, as well as a wide selection of theatrical and made-for-television movies and footage of historical news events from the archives of CBS News and Entertainment Tonight, Decades will provide viewers with a new way to experience our shared historical and cultural past. As the ultimate TV time machine, Decades will differentiate itself from other subchannel programming services by varying the classic series and movies that appear on the network every day.

Decades will take viewers into a daily time capsule presentation of entertainment, popular culture and news. The service will feature Decades Retrospecticals, a daily one-hour program that will be produced around the news events and cultural touchstones of a specific day, week or other time frame or theme. The TV series and movies presented each day will reflect that day's theme or commemorative event. For example, Decades will look back at classic series such as Happy Days and its "jump the shark" episode, explain its historical significance and then broadcast that episode. Viewers will also be taken back in time to rediscover events that shaped our world, such as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Neil Armstrong walking on the moon, the Beatles' U.S. debut on The Ed Sullivan Show and the birth of software and technology companies like Microsoft and Apple. Decades will connect these events to what people were watching on television, seeing at the movies and experiencing as a nation.

Decades is expected to debut during the second quarter of 2015, with the 16 CBS-owned stations that are part of the CBS Television Network serving as the new service's launch group. This includes the CBS stations serving New York City (WCBS), Los Angeles (KCBS), Chicago (WBBM), Philadelphia (KYW), Dallas (KTVT), San Francisco (KPIX), Boston (WBZ), Detroit (WWJ), Minneapolis-St. Paul (WCCO and its satellite stations KCCO and KCCW), Miami (WFOR), Denver (KCNC), Sacramento (KOVR), Pittsburgh (KDKA) and Baltimore (WJZ).


The Flash

The CW has given full season orders to its two hit freshman series, The Flash and Jane the Virgin. The Flash debuted as the most-watched series premiere ever on The CW, scoring 6.1 million viewers in Live + 3 Day Nielsen ratings, and was the network's highest-rated series premiere among adults 18-49 in more than five years, since The Vampire Diaries debuted in 2009. The most critically acclaimed new series of the season, Jane the Virgin, bowed with The CW's most-watched and highest-rated show in its time period in two years. TV Guide called Jane the Virgin the "#1 Must-See" new show of the season, and named star Gina Rodriguez the "most inspiring young actress on TV today." Tim Goodman of the Hollywood Reporter said Jane the Virgin was "by far the best network pilot –drama or comedy" this season.

Jane the Virgin


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Friday, November 13

Happy's Place - "Love Birds" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When Bobbie is asked on a date by a customer, she's unsure of how to handle this new situation; Steve brings in a baby duck who imprinted on him, and he tries to hide it from Bobbie.

Newlyweds - "Back in Time" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
A therapy session with Claudia reveals some surprising secrets about Jeanie and James' whirlwind romance.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 9)

Friday, November 13

  • Bill Hader (Barry) - Watch Bill on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Justine Lupe (Nobody Wants This/Cristela) - Justine appears on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Jamie Lee Curtis (Newlyweds/The Sticky/Anything But Love/Operation Petticoat) - Jamie Lee is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Daniel Radcliffe (The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins/Miracle Workers) - Daniel appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Paula Pell (The 'Burbs/Girls5eva/Mapleworth Murders/A.P. Bio) - Paula is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Natasha Leggero (Broke/Dice/Another Period/Free Agents) and Tommy Davidson (The Varnell Hill Show/The Proud Family/Malcolm & Eddie/Between Brothers) - Natasha and Tommy will be on a repeat of Funny You Should Ask at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Kathryn Hahn (The Studio/Tiny Beautiful Things/Central Park/Happyish/Transparent/Free Agents) - Kathryn talks about Madden on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Candace Cameron Bure (Fuller House/Full House) - Candace chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Elle Fanning (Margo's Got Money Troubles) - Elle talks about The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
  • Anthony Mackie (Twisted Metal) - Anthony talks about !2, 12, 12 on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 9am hour.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season Two (Blu-ray) Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fifth Season (DVD) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete Second Season (DVD) Superstore - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

08/25/26 - Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/08/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
09/22/26 - Bridget Loves Bernie - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/29/26 - Happy's Place - Season Two (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/20/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fifth Season (DVD)
10/20/26 - The Brady Bunch - The Complete Original Series (2026 Release) (DVD)
10/20/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/20/26 - Shrinking - The Complete First and Second Seasons (DVD)
10/20/26 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Seventh and Twenty-Eighth Seasons (DVD)
11/03/26 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete Second Season (DVD)
11/03/26 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Ninth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/03/26 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Sixteenth Season (DVD)
11/03/26 - Superstore - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/24/26 - The Yogi Bear Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

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


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