Saturday, January 03, 2015
SitcomsOnline Digest: Midseason Premieres Ahead; College Football Playoffs Make Cable TV History
Welcome to the first SitcomsOnline Digest of 2015! This is the last of our "winter break" editions where news is trickling out, but we've got updates on when your favorite midseason series will return, news of some sitcom (and cartoon) star deaths, and more. Let's get going!
HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
- We've hit that time of the broadcasting year known as "midseason," and Deadline has a complete rundown of when you can expect your favorite midseason series to debut or return. (Deadline)
- We rarely talk about college football here, but it is worth noting that the college football playoffs made TV history, giving ESPN the honor of having not one, but two of the most watched cable telecasts ever. (CNNMoney)
- Donna Douglas, who played Elly May on The Beverly Hillbillies, died Friday morning at the age of 81. (CNN).
- Meanwhile, Christine Cavanaugh, who was best known for the voice of Chuckie on Rugrats (but also had appearances on sitcoms including Cheers, Empty Nest, Everybody Loves Raymond, and others) died this week. (New York Times)
- Looking for what is ahead in 2015 for TV on DVD? We've got our own preview. (SitcomsOnline)
JANUARY 6 HOME MEDIA RELEASES
- The Cosby Show - Seasons 5 and 6 (DVD, $14.98): The Huxtable family returns to DVD with this re-release from Mill Creek. Season 5 and Season 6 are also available as standalone releases.
- Married... with Children - Seasons 7 and 8 (DVD, $14.98): Mill Creek gives fans another re-release of the classic Fox sitcom on DVD, presumably with the original theme song reinserted into the episodes. Season 7 and Season 8 are also available as standalone releases.
Who to Follow: Markie Post (Twitter), "Not just the girl from Night Court...actress, mother, cake decorator, late adopter"
Claim to Fame: Markie Post got her start in acting in the in 1979, and made appearances on some of the big action series of the era (including CHiPs, Hart to Hart, and Simon & Simon), but she got her first regular role in The Fall Guy, where she played a regular supporting role for three seasons. She left that series in 1985 to go on to what is probably her best known TV role, that of Christine Sullivan on the sitcom Night Court, where she stayed until the end of the series. She didn't have to wait long for her next role after Night Court, though, she she went on to star with John Ritter in the sitcom Hearts Afire for three seasons. Her work in recent years has been in TV movies, though she has appeared in sitcoms such as Scrubs and 30 Rock. Most recently, she has been appearing in the series Chicago P.D.
Pick of the Tweets: "In Chicago looking for trouble on @NBCChicagoPD . Better hide your heart, Lindsay...@SophiaBush." (December 8, 2014)
Pick of the Tweets: "In Chicago looking for trouble on @NBCChicagoPD . Better hide your heart, Lindsay...@SophiaBush." (December 8, 2014)
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Tuesday, August 12
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 11)
Tuesday, August 12
- Nicole Byer (Grand Crew/Loosely Exactly Nicole) - Nicole guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Timothy Olyphant (Stick/Santa Clarita Diet) - Catcy Timothy on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Austin Butler (Ruby & the Rockits/Zoey 101/Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide) - Austin appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- David Oyelowo (Government Cheese) - David is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Alan Cumming (Schmigadoon!) - Alan makes a special appearance on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Zoë Kravitz (High Fidelity) - Zoë drops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Seth Rogen (The Studio/Platonic/Undeclared), Rose Byrne (Platonic/Physical) and Luke Macfarlane (Platonic) - Seth, Rose and Luke are guests on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo.
- Danielle Brooks (Close Enough) - Danielle talks about Peacemaker on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- John Slattery (Maggie/Ed) - NBC's Today catches up with John in the 9am hour.
- Kelsey Grammer (Frasier/Partners/Hank/Back to You/Cheers) - It’s a DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE with Emmy®-winning TV icon Kelsey Grammer on a repeat on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings. For the first time, Kelsey gets raw and honest about the effect his sister's murder had on him. He revisits it all in his powerful new book, Karen: A Brother Remembers.
- Jenny Slate (The Great North/Big Mouth/Married/Bob's Burgers) - Jenny talks about Dying for Sex on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
- Ana Gasteyer (American Auto/People of Earth/Lady Dynamite/Suburgatory) - Ana is sharing her hilarious take on the hottest news topics on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Wendell Pierce (The Odd Couple/The Michael J. Fox Show/The Weber/The Brian Benben Show/The Gregory Hines Show) - Wendell is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York 9:15am.
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)
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
Sitcoms Online Main Page
Contact Us