Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Bounce Acquires Sitcoms for January 2015, Roc, Different World, Parent 'Hood, Hughleys; ABC Family Picks Up New Drama Recovery Road

Bounce TV

Finally! In its first foray into off-network series acquisition, Bounce TV has landed the television rights to four shows in individual, multi-year licensing agreements they announced. In the deals, the nation's first-ever and rapidly-expanding broadcast television network for African Americans acquires Roc (72 episodes) and The Parent 'Hood (90 episodes) from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution (WBDTD), A Different World (144 episodes) from Carsey-Werner Distribution and The Hughleys (89 episodes) from Twentieth Television. The four popular series will be scheduled together to create a new line-up leading into prime time, with the network airing two episodes of each show back-to-back Monday-Friday starting at 5:00pm beginning Monday, January 5, 2015. It kicks off with Roc from 5:00-6:00pm, followed by The Parent 'Hood from 6:00-7:00pm. A Different World will air from 7:00-8:00pm into The Hughleys from 8:00-9:00pm. This will be the first time all four series will air on a digital multicast network.

The critically-acclaimed Roc aired originally on Fox and stars Charles S. Dutton as Baltimore garbage collector Roc Emerson and Ella Joyce as his wife, with appearances by a then-unknown Jamie Foxx. The Parent 'Hood was part of the original Wednesday night lineup that helped launch The WB network, starring Robert Townsend and Suzzanne Douglas. The multiple Emmy-nominated A Different World debuted as the #1 new show of its premiere season, staying at #1 in its time period for five consecutive seasons, with Jasmine Guy and Kadeem Hardison leading the cast. Based on D. L. Hughley's real-life experiences, The Hughleys stars the comedian and Elise Neal as his wife who move their family from the inner to city to the Los Angeles suburbs with hilarious results. Bounce TV features programming mix of original series, theatrical motion pictures, documentaries, specials and now off-net series. Bounce TV is currently seen in 90 markets, including all of the top African American television markets, 90% of African American television homes and 73% of the total television homes in the United States.


ABC Family

ABC Family has picked up a new scripted drama to series Recovery Road. This announcement comes on the heels of the recently announced pick-up of the docu-series My Transparent Life, as the network continues to grow its impressive slate of original programming. Based on the popular young adult novel by Blake Nelson, Recovery Road focuses on a teenage girl dealing with addiction. Maddie has a reputation as a party girl who doesn't think she has a problem, until she's confronted one day by her school guidance counselor and is forced to choose between expulsion and rehab. Maddie makes the difficult decision to live with other recovering addicts at a rehab facility while facing the daily pressures of her teenage life.

ABC Family says casting will be announced at a later date, but their orginal announcement a few months back mentioned the series stars Samantha Logan (666 Park Avenue) as Maddie, Sebastian De Souza (Skins) as Wes, Kyla Pratt (One on One, Fat Albert) as Trish, Sharon Leal (Boston Public) as Charlotte, Alexis Carra (Mixology) as Cynthia, Justin Prentice (Malibu Country) as Dallas, Caroline Sunshine (Shake It Up) as Emily, and also guest stars Doug Savant (Desperate Housewives, Melrose Place) as Alan. We shall see if this cast remains intact or if we will see some changes to this. Stay tuned.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, November 11

Scrubs - "My Emergency" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When an overflowing ER sparks chaos within the hospital, J.D. is surprised to learn the reason why; Turk mentors Dashana in her personal life.

Abbott Elementary - "Competition" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Ava recruits Janine to prepare the step team for a competition; Melissa calls in a favor for Gregory.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 9)

Wednesday, November 11

  • Arnold Schwarzenegger (FUBAR) - Watch Arnold on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley/The Goodwin Games/Carpoolers) - T.J. is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Caroline Rhea (Sydney to the Max/Sabrina the Teenage Witch/Pride & Joy) - Caroline will be on 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 ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • Ali Wentworth (Nightcap) - Ali talks about Quarter on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • Cynthia Nixon (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City) - Cynthia talks about The Gilded Age on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Sam Nivola (Phony) - Sam talks about Phony on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Ron Howard (Arrested Development/Happy Days/The Andy Griffith Show) - NBC's Today catches up with Ron in the 9am hour.
  • Mariska Hargitay (Can't Hurry Love) - Mariska and Ice-T talk about the 600th Episode of Law & Order: SVU on NBC's Today 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


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

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11/08 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of November 9, 2026)
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11/04 - Mickey's Home Alone on Disney Jr. and Disney+; Pretty Little Liars Duo Reunite for Hulu Christmas Film
11/03 - Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas 2026 Schedule; HBO Renews Youth for Season 2
11/02 - Details on Only Murders Season 6; Haunted Hotel Renewed for Season 3
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10/28 - ABC 2026 Holiday Programming; Remembering Susan Saint James of Kate & Allie
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10/26 - COZI TV's Halloween Schedule with Roseanne, George Lopez, The Munsters and More; Chloe Radcliffe: Eyes Down Here Stand-up Special
10/25 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 26, 2026)
10/24 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Reboots in the Works for Coach and Glee; Saturday Night Live Sets November Hosts
10/23 - Prime Video Renews Carrie for Season 2; Remembering Richard Riehle of Grounded for Life
10/22 - Abbott Elementary Returns Big After 7 Day Viewing; BET Renews ComicView: Rooftop Series
10/21 - Charmed Joining Hulu This Huluween; Prime Video's Comedy Variety Series Hosted by Nick Kroll
10/20 - Hulu's Phony Premieres Today; Janelle James Netflix Comedy Special Drops November 10
10/19 - Lil Kev Season 2 Premieres December 9; It's a Wonderful Lifetime 2026 Schedule
10/18 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 19, 2026)
10/17 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Hulu Picks Up Reboot for The X-Files; Roseanne Self-Produces New Sitcom
10/16 - Christa B. Allen in Night of January 16th Play Through Sunday; Remembering Sitcom Writer and Producer Bernie Orenstein
10/15 - Guest Stars for Peacock's Comedy Dig; Apple TV Renews Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed for Season 2
10/14 - HBO Brings Back Girls for 5 Episodes; Hulu's The X-Files Picked Up to Series
10/13 - Full Cast for Three's Company Live Reading in New York City; High Potential to Air After Super Bowl on ABC
10/12 - Bob's Burgers Holiday Special on Hulu; The Rookie and The Rookie: North Wednesdays on ABC in January
10/11 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 12, 2026)
10/10 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Colin Jost and Danny Chun to Launch Free Streaming Comedy; Paramount/Warner Merger Completed