SitcomsOnline Digest: Dallas, Jennifer Falls Get the Axe; Rush Hour and Big Pilots; Season 5 DVDs of The Middle to Warner Archive

Saturday, October 04, 2014

SitcomsOnline Digest: Dallas, Jennifer Falls Get the Axe; Rush Hour and Big Pilots; Season 5 DVDs of The Middle to Warner Archive

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we've got some news about some cable original series being canceled, new pilots at the major network based upon movies from decades ago, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

After three seasons (which could be considered successful by the standards of a revival series), TNT's Dallas has been canceled. (Hollywood Reporter)
Meanwhile, over at TV Land, it looks like Jennifer Falls has met the same fate as Dallas. (Entertainment Weekly)
Deadline has a nice interview with Norman Lear in advance of his upcoming memoir, Even This I Get to Experience. (Deadline)
CBS has given a pilot production commitment to an action drama series based upon the 1998 movie Rush Hour, with Bill Lawrence (Scrubs, Spin City, and Cougar Town) and Blake McCormick (Cougar Town and King of The Hill) filling the executive producer roles of the potential series. (CBS)
If a Rush Hour series seems a bit odd in 2014, this idea seems even stranger: Fox is looking at a comedy based upon the Tom Hanks movie Big. (NY Daily News)
Halloween is still a month away, but Antenna TV is already planning their 28 hour marathon of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

ABC's The Middle has been popular on TV, but not so much on DVD, which is likely why Warner has moved the DVD releases to Warner Archive beginning with Tuesday's The Middle - The Complete Fifth Season. It's not all bad news, though, because initial quantities of the release will be on pressed DVDs (i.e. not DVD-R), which means that they will be of the same quality as DVDs purchased at general retailers.
MPI is moving ahead with The Donna Reed Show in their December 2 release of The Donna Reed Show - Season 2. This season was previously released by another studio, but contained some edited episodes; MPI promises better results this time. There is still no word on when or if we'll see the final three seasons on DVD.
It looks as if Mork & Mindy will be completed on DVD on December 9, as CBS plans to release Mork & Mindy - The Complete Series and Mork & Mindy - The Fourth Season on that date.

OCTOBER 7 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

https://www.jdoqocy.com/click-3821628-10768631?url=http://www.wbshop.com/product/code/1000532061.do

The Dick Van Dyke Show - Classic Christmas Episodes (DVD, $9.98): RLJ Entertainment puts together a single disc release containing two classic episodes of the series.
Flying Nun - The Complete First and Second Seasons (DVD, $14.98): Mill Creek is back with another re-release of this classic Sony series.
The Middle - The Complete Fifth Season (DVD, $29.95): The hit ABC series returns to DVD, but this time at Warner Archive; however, initial quantities will be on traditional DVD media as opposed to DVD-R.
The Office - The Complete Series (DVD, $199.98): Fans of the NBC series can now return to work at Dunder Mifflin with this release of the long-running sitcom.
The Wonder Years - Season One (DVD, $19.95): All six episodes of the debut season of the classic sitcom arrive on DVD, in perhaps was once the most-wanted series on DVD of all time; The Wonder Years - The Complete Series is also shipping now from StarVista, and we'll have a review of this excellent set within the next few days.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Tyler Ritter (Twitter), "Actor, husband, McCarthy, and finally catching on to the world of twitter--one bio draft at a time."

Claim to Fame: Lately, we've been spotlighting the Twitter feeds of the stars of some of the newest TV series for this fall. This week, we talk about one of the stars of a series that will debut a bit later this fall, Tyler Ritter of The McCarthys (which debuts on October 30 on CBS). Ritter has had appearances on series such as Grey's Anatomy and Modern Family, but this series marks his debut as a regular on any series. Oh, and if the name Ritter doesn't familiar, it should: he's the son of the late John Ritter and even looks like his father.

Pick of the Tweets: "So yes--this is Tyler Ritter's handle, not Mr. T's. We get mistaken for each other all the time which I'm cool with. He's probably not.." (July 20, 2014)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, October 23

Abbott Elementary - "Class Pet" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Janine gets a budget for class pets, but Melissa is resistant to taking on the added work and responsibility for her room’s guinea pig. An IT rep from the school district arrives to set up new computers.

Everybody Still Hates Chris - "Everybody Still Hates Bullies" (Comedy Central, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Chris gets a gig DJ-ing at a drag ball and develops drag queen eyes.

Everybody Still Hates Chris - "Everybody Still Hates Career Tests" (Comedy Central, 10:30PM ET/PT)
Chris and Greg tape over a porno rented from Caruso and must replace it.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 21)

Wednesday, October 23

Billy Crystal (The Comedians/Soap) - Watch Billy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Anna Kendrick (Love Life) - Anna appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Matty Matheson (The Bear) - Matty stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Bernadette Peters (High Desert/Mozart in the Jungle/All's Fair) - Bernadette is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - NBC's Today catches up with Olivia some time between 7-9am.
Bridget Everett (Somebody Somewhere) - Bridget talks about Somebody Somewhere on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
David Henrie (Wizards Beyond Waverly Place/Wizards of Waverly Place/How I Met Your Mother/The Pitts) - David discusses Wizards Beyond Waverly Place on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings. One or two Wizards Beyond Waverly Place cast members will be on New York Living at 10:05am.
Judith Light (Who's the Boss?/Phenom/Transparent) - Judith talks about Before on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Billy Crystal (The Comedians/Soap) - Billy chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Mariska Hargitay (Can't Hurry Love) - Mariska talks about the greatest thing sheâ€™s learned since turning 60 on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Dexter Darden (Saved by the Bell) - Dexter talks about Peacock's Fight Night; The Million Dollar Heist on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Essence Atkins (Poppa's House/Marlon/Mr. Box Office/Are We There Yet?/Half & Half/Smart Guy/Under One Roof) - Essence talks about Poppa's House on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.