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
Friday, December 19
Happy's Place - "Izzy and the Professor" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When a woman inherits her late father's tavern, she's shocked to discover that it's co-owned by a half-sister she never knew existed... who has some interesting new ideas about how to run the family business.
Stumble - "The Tell-Tale Slurp" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
After being fired from her champion cheerleading team, coach Courteney Potter is starting over in a small Southern town where she's putting together a brand-new squad of lovable misfits in the hopes of making a comeback and winning it all.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 15)
Friday, December 19
- Regina Hall (Black Monday/Grandfathered/Married/Second Generation Wayans) - Watch Regina on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Tom is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Matt Rogers (No Good Deed/I Love That for You) - Matt appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Rickey Smiley (The Rickey Smiley Show) - Rickey is a guest on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
- Bradley Cooper (Kitchen Confidential) and Will Arnett (Murderville/Arrested Development/Flaked/The Millers/Up All Night/Running Wilde) - Bradley and Will discuss Is Thing On? on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm. Will tells Drew about playing a dramatic role in new film Is This Thing On? working with Bradley Cooper, and his podcast with pals Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Kumail Nanjiani (Bless the Harts/Silicon Valley) - Kumail chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- James Van Der Beek (Friends with Better Lives/Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - James opens up on his cancer battle on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
- Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Star Raving Mad/Doogie Howser, M.D.) - NBC's Today catches up with Neil in the 9am hour.
- Paul Rudd (The Shrink Next Door/Living with Yourself/Wild Oats) - Paul and Jack Black talk about Anaconda on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Robby Hoffman (Hacks) - Robby covers the news with Drew on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Zooey Deschanel (New Girl) - Zooey and Charlie Cox talk about their new film Merv with the doggie star of the film on The Drew Barrymore Show, 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 (DVD)
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two (DVD)
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season (DVD)
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 (DVD)
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 (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
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