Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Bounce Acquires Sitcoms for January 2015, Roc, Different World, Parent 'Hood, Hughleys; ABC Family Picks Up New Drama Recovery Road
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 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
Thursday, May 14
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Splurges and Secrets" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
A financial windfall leads Georgie to make a questionable purchase. Meanwhile, Audrey and Jim butt heads over old secrets.
Ghosts - "Polar Opposites" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When a Hollywood producer comes to scout Woodstone as a filming location, Sam is prompted to take a creative leap that draws unexpected support from the ghosts. Meanwhile, changing roles among the ghosts spark a heartfelt effort to honor someone special.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 11)
Thursday, May 14
- John Mulaney (Mulaney) - Catch John on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Geena Davis (The Geena Davis Show/Sara/Buffalo Bill) and Nathan Fillion (Two Guys and a Girl) - Andy Cohen interviews Geena and Nathan on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo. Geena also talks about The Boroughs on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Lisa Ann Walter (Abbott Elementary/Emeril) - Lisa chats about ABC's Abbott Elementary on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- John Lithgow (Trial & Error/Twenty Good Years/3rd Rock from the Sun) - John chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Lena Waithe (Master of None) - The Chi Creator Lena Waithe alongside stars Jason Weaver, Jacob Latimore, Birgundi Baker, Hannah Hall and Luke James join the Tam Fam on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings. The cast sits down to reflect on the show's cultural impact, their journey together, and what viewers can expect as the final season begins.
- Mariska Hargitay (Can't Hurry Love) - NBC's Today catches up with Mariska sometime between 7-9am.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
11/04/25 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11/25 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11/25 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11/25 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02/25 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16/25 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16/25 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20/26 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27/26 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11/26 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
04/11/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
04/21/26 - Famous Studios Champion Collection (Blu-ray) (DVD)
05/19/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (DVD)
07/14/26 - The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (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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