SitcomsOnline Digest: First Cancellation of the New Season; CSI Season Cut Short; New Mill Creek DVDs

Saturday, October 25, 2014

SitcomsOnline Digest: First Cancellation of the New Season; CSI Season Cut Short; New Mill Creek DVDs

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! We finally have news of the first cancellation of the season, new developments on the remake of Bewitched, news of more Mill Creek DVDs, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

This year, it took almost five weeks (unusually long by broadcast network standards) for the first new fall series to be canceled by one of the networks. The series receiving this distinction was ABC's Manhattan Love Story. (Entertainment Weekly)
CBS has decided to cut the current season of CSI down to 18 episodes, which already has some wondering if the long-running series may be reaching the end. (Deadline)
We mentioned last week that the classic TV series Bewitched was being eyed for a remake, and things have moved very fast... so fast, that it has finally been given a pilot production commitment at NBC following what is being described as an intense bidding war between NBC and ABC. (Deadline)
Fox is being sued by actor Frank Sivero over the use of The Simpsons mobster character Louie, because Sivero says that the character is a ripoff of his character from the movie Goodfellas. (People)
The debut of new episodes of American Dad was a huge success for TBS earlier this week. (TV By The Numbers)
Saturday Night Live is adding current writer Leslie Jones as a cast member, and given some of her cameo appearances on the series, it is certain to be a good thing for the series. (CBS News)
Another retro TV digital network is coming, and this time it is coming from CBS and Weigel Broadcasting. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Mill Creek is moving ahead once again with more Married... with Children on DVD as they prepare for January 6 releases of Married... with Children - Season Seven, Married... with Children - Season Eight, and Married... with Children - Seasons Seven and Eight.
Mill Creek also has more of The Cosby Show on the same date, with The Cosby Show - Season Five, The Cosby Show - Season Six, and The Cosby Show - Seasons Five and Six.

OCTOBER 28 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00KYCA4QY/ref=nosim/happydaysonline5-20

WKRP in Cincinnati - The Complete Series (DVD, $139.99): One of the most anticipated series ever comes to DVD, and despite a few music licensing hiccups, a significant amount of the original music is intact on this excellent release of the series (much more than what Fox included on their season 1 release). We'll have a full review of this set very soon.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Dick Van Dyke (Twitter), "the barefoot prince of Malibu"

Claim to Fame: The legendary actor is, in fact, on Twitter. Of course, he started out on television in the 1950s as host of The Morning Show on CBS and quickly rose to fame, particularly in a lot of films on the 1960s. But at the same time, he also had just as much fame from his CBS sitcom, The Dick Van Dyke Show. The series ran for six years, and is now considered one of the greatest classic TV series of all time. After that series ended, he mostly stayed with films for a few years, until 1971 when he got a second chance with The New Dick Van Dyke Show on CBS. The second series struggled initially before picking up, but ultimately, it left the air after Carl Reiner walked away from the series in protest of a scene in an episode that CBS found to be too "family unfriendly" (despite the fact that the network was airing several sitcoms at the time that were even less family friendly). Following that, he went back into movies again and even tried his hand at a variety series, Van Dyke and Company. A third sitcom in the 80s, The Van Dyke Show, was an instant flop. He did find success again by 1993, though, with the long-running series Diagnosis Murder.

Pick of the Tweets: "Arlene is dragging me into the 21st century - This is a joint blog for my wife and I. We are inseparable! ... http://tmblr.co/Z1FiFm1TD_kcx" (October 15, 2014)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, December 1

DMV - "Splash Fountain" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Colette’s effort to redirect holiday plans takes an unexpected turn when it lands her trapped in a car. Meanwhile, a surprising new friendship stirs up jealousy among the team.

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to Babies and Bathwater" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Dave’s ambitious home improvement plans take a turn, prompting Calvin to step in, while Malcolm seeks Gemma’s help to overcome writer’s block. Meanwhile, Tina’s suggestion for Daphne sparks a parenting dilemma for Courtney.

St. Denis Medical - "I Left a Woman on the Table" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Matt struggles to deal with a patient from his past; Bruce tries to rekindle romance with a former flame; Joyce treats patients to cover a nursing shortage.

The Paper - "TTT vs the Blogger" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
After learning that a snarky high schooler's blog has more readers than the paper, Ned and Esmeralda team up to embarrass the corner-cutting brat; Mare and Oscar cover a beloved music teacher's last production.

TV We Love - "Touched by an Angel" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT)
"Touched by an Angel" star Roma Downey and executive producer Martha Williamson reflect on the moving stories of faith, hope, and inspiration that captivated millions.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 1)

Monday, December 1

Sydney Sweeney (Everything Sucks!) - Watch Syndey on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Kristin Chenoweth (Stumble/Trial & Error/Kristin) - Kristin appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Maya Rudolph (Loot/Bless the Harts/Forever/Up All Night) - Maya is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Adam Pally (Mr. Throwback/Indebted/Making History/The Mindy Project/Happy Endings) - Adam appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Adam Sandler (The Cosby Show) - Adam talks about Jay Kelly on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
George Clooney (Roseanne/The Facts of Life/ E/R (1984-1985) - George talks Jay Kelly with Michael Strahan on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Minnie Driver (Emily in Paris/Speechless/About a Boy) - Minnie talks about Emily in Paris on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Kyle Richards (Down to Earth) - Kyle talks about The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on Live with Kelly and Mark and on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Vanessa Bell Calloway (Kenan/Survivor's Remorse/Under One Roof) - Tamron Hall has A DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE with rapper, writer and actor Vince Staples and award-winning actress Vanessa Bell Calloway, who play mother and son in the Netflix series The Vince Staples Show, so check your local listings.
Richie Moriarty (Ghosts) - Richie talks about Ghosts on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Cheyenne Jackson (Call Me Kat/30 Rock) - Cheyenne is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.
Reba McEntire (Happy's Place/Malibu Country/Reba) - Reba appears on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 9am hour.
Regina Hall (Black Monday/Grandfathered/Married/Second Generation Wayans) - Regina is a guest on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.