Monday, December 22, 2014
UP TV Acquires Growing Pains for January 2015; USA Network Orders Hacker Drama Starring Christian Slater
UP TV (Uplifting Entertainment) is going to show you that smile again to start off 2015! The cable network formerly known as GMC, has acquired the rights to the '80s sitcom Growing Pains starring Alan Thicke, Joanna Kerns and Kirk Cameron. Growing Pains kicks-off on UP TV with a New Year's Day marathon on Thursday, January 1 from 8am-2pm. There will also be a second marathon on Friday, January 2 from 5pm-9pm. The sitcom will then join the line-up starting Saturday, Jan. 3 airing Saturdays from 1-3pm, weekdays from 5-7pm and Tuesdays in primetime from 9-11pm. The good news doesn't stop there! Beloved sitcom Family Ties will get an timeslot and will now also air weekdays from 4-5pm leading into the weekday run of Growing Pains. The Michael J. Fox sitcom will also still air weeknights from 2-3am. Dramas will air weekdays from 9am-3pm with Heartland, back-to-back Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, Touched by An Angel and three hours of Judging Amy. The sitcoms will air from 4-7pm, with Supernanny moving to 7pm and 8pm. Primetime will have different programs from 9-11pm, including Growing Pains on Tuesdays. In late night, urban programming will still be airing with an hour each of The Parkers and Moesha beginning at 11pm. Talk show Steve Harvey airs at 1am leading into Family Ties at 2.
Saturdays will still kick-off with Sister, Sister from 8am-10am, followed by Supernanny from 10am-12pm. Encores of the upcoming UP TV original series Bringing Up Bates will air noon leading into Growing Pains from 1-3pm. The Parkers will air starting at 3pm, lasting usually 'til 7 or even 9pm. Sundays will be filled with movies and originals. Back to Growing Pains, this beloved sitcom revolves around the Seaver family of Long Island, New York. Dr. Jason Seaver (Alan Thicke) is a stay-at-home Dad and psychiatrist who is married to reporter Maggie (Joanna Kerns). They are both kept very busy by their three children; troublemaker Mike (Kirk Cameron), brainy Carol (Tracey Gold), and rambunctious Ben (Jeremy Miller).
USA Network announced its first series pick-up from its existing pilot slate for the 2015-2016 season with a 10-episode order for Mr. Robot (wt). The intense hacker drama from Universal Cable Productions is from writer and executive producer Sam Esmail and executive producers Anonymous Content's Steve Golin (True Detective) and Chad Hamilton (Breakup at a Wedding). The series stars Rami Malek (24), Christian Slater (Breaking In), Portia Doubleday (Her), Carly Chaikin (Suburgatory) and Martin Wallstrom (Simple Simon). The pilot was directed by Niels Arden Oplev (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). The series will shoot in New York. The series is a contemporary and culturally resonant drama about a young programmer, Elliot (Malek), who suffers from a debilitating anti-social disorder and decides that he can only connect to people by hacking them. He wields his skills as a weapon to protect the people that he cares about. Elliot will find himself in the intersection between a cyber-security firm he works for and the underworld organizations that are recruiting him to bring down corporate America. Slater stars in the title role of Mr. Robot, a mysterious anarchist who recruits Elliot into an underground hacker group.
Mr. Robot (wt) was the first of five pilots announced by USA Network, followed by Carlton Cuse's Colony, starring Josh Holloway (Lost) and Sarah Wayne Callies (The Walking Dead); Universal Cable Production's Stanistan, starring Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter); Queen of the South, based on the international best seller La Reina del Sur starring Alice Braga, and the most recent pilot pick-up Evil Men, starring Dallas Roberts (Dallas Buyers Club) and Clifton Collins Jr. (Pacific Rim). We'll let you know if these other pilots get picked-up to series like Mr. Robot (wt). And of course when this series premieres in 15-16.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Thursday, May 29
Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A Tire Convention and the Moral High Ground" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Georgie discovers that Jim’s annual tire convention trip isn’t what he says it is. Meanwhile, Mandy has doubts about the strength of her and Georgie’s marriage.
Ghosts - "The Not-So-Silent Partner" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Sam and Jay are forced to cover when Mark demands to meet the silent investor in Jay’s restaurant who has been holding up construction.
Bob's Burgers - "Like a Candle in the Gym" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Linda forces everyone to go on a family walk; the kids stumble onto a bizarre conspiracy theory.
Grimsburg - "Blue Light District" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Roles get reversed in Flute and Summers' partnership after male sex workers start turning up dead.
Family Guy - "Cool Hand Lois" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Peter suspects Lois of betraying his trust with Quagmire at a swanky vacation resort.
The Great North - "Sunset Beeflevard Adventure" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Judy joins the cast of a dinner theater production; Wolf and Honeybee help Moon sell jerky door-to-door.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 26)
Thursday, May 29
- Ricky Gervais (After Life/The Office) - Catch Ricky on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Kaitlyn Dever (Last Man Standing) - Kaitlyn appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Bill Burr (F Is for Family/Townies) - Bill is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Glenn Howerton (Sirens/It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia/A.P. Bio/The Mindy Project/That '80s Show) - Glenn appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Thomas Lennon (The Odd Couple/Sean Saves the World/Reno 911!), Paul F. Tompkins (The Great North/BoJack Horseman/DAG) and Joe Manganiello (How I Met Your Mother) - Thomas, Paul and Joe are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- The Cast of And Just Like That... - E! News has an interview with the cast at 11pm on E!.
- Tia Mowry (Family Reunion/The Game/Sister, Sister) - Tia has a big announcement to help you plan your summer vacation on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings. Plus, she catches us up on family and her hit TV show Tia Mowry: My Next Act.
- Megan Hilty (Sean Saves the World) - Megan joins the hosts for a chat about Death Becomes Her on Broadway on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Sarah Silverman (The Sarah Silverman Program) - Sarah chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Chloe Fineman (Big Mouth/Search Party) - Featured host Vlad Duthiers attends an acting class and partners with Chloe Fineman, actor and comedian, in an attempt to land a film role on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am and on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour.
- Justina Machado (One Day at a Time) - Justina talks about the Broadway musical Real Women Have Curve on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Paul Scheer (Black Monday/Fresh Off the Boat/The League) - Paul is telling Drew all about his new memoir and answering questions from his wife June Diane Raphael on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Jack Innanen and Malik Elassal (Adults) - Jack and Malik talk about Adults on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
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)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (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