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
- 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
Tuesday, November 11
The Golden Girls: 40 Years of Laughter and Friendship -- A Special Edition of 20/20 - (ABC, 10:00PM ET/PT)
A behind-the-scenes look at the beloved sitcom's enduring impact on TV and culture, including interviews with superfans Sheryl Lee Ralph, Kelly Ripa, Laverne Cox and former guest star Mario Lopez.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 10)
Tuesday, November 11
- Eddie Murphy (The PJs) - Catch Eddie on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Morgan Fairchild (Cybill) - Morgan appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Rob Riggle (Rob Riggle's Ski Master Academy/Golan the Insatiable/Gary Unmarried) - Rob talks about Grit, Spit, and Never Quit: A Marine's Guide to Comedy and Life on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm, on CBS Morning News sometime between 7-9am and on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm. NBC's Today catches up with Rob in the 10am hour.
- Jamie Kaler (My Boys) - Jamie is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
- Ricki Lake (The King of Queens) - Andy Cohen interviews Ricki on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 3:30am on Bravo.
- Ke Huy Quan (Head of the Class/Together We Stand) - Ke talks about Zootopia 2 on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm He also chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT..
- Ginnifer Goodwin (Pivoting) - Ginnifer chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Leslie Bibb (Palm Royale/God's Favorite Idiot/American Housewife/The Odd Couple/About a Boy) - Leslie co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Chloe Fineman (Big Mouth/Search Party) - Chloe talks about Satuday Night Live on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Roy Wood Jr. (Sullivan & Son) - Roy talks about his new memoir The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Phil Rosenthal (Creator of Everybody Loves Raymond - Phil shares recipes from his new cookbook Phil's Favorites: Recipes from Friends and Family to Make at Home on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Tiffany Haddish (The Last O.G./The Carmichael Show) - tells Drew about her new series Tiffany Goes Off on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Oliver Hudson (Splitting Up Together/Rules of Engagement/My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star) - Oliver talks about Netflix's A Merry Little Ex-Mas on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Jane Lynch (Angel from Hell) and Kate Flannery (The Office) - Jane and Kate discuss their Christmas Cabaret tour on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
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)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season
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