SitcomsOnline Digest: Shout! Factory Begins Streaming Service; Complete Series Sets for Cheers, What's Happening!!, and More

Saturday, February 14, 2015

SitcomsOnline Digest: Shout! Factory Begins Streaming Service; Complete Series Sets for Cheers, What's Happening!!, and More

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It has been a pretty busy news week this week, not to mention big things that are happening in TV (including the upcoming finales for Two and a Half Men next week and Parks and Recreation in two weeks), but we're here with some highlights, including a new streaming service from Shout! Factory, a sitcom pilot at ABC with Annie Potts in a supporting role, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Shout! Factory has (somewhat) quietly launched Shout! Factory TV, a new online streaming service featuring several classic movies and TV series, including Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Laverne & Shirley, and others. While many of these are already available on other streaming services, this service is ad-supported and free, and there is even a Roku app (although it has been reported that not all of the content can be found on the Roku app). (Shout! Factory TV)
Annie Potts is looking to get back into a sitcom once again, and a pilot at ABC starring comedian Fortune Feimster and executive produced by Matt Hubbard, Tina Fey, and Robert Carlock could have her playing a southern belle (again). (Hollywood Reporter)
Tomorrow night's SNL 40th Anniversary Special just got even bigger in the past few days, with NBC now giving it three and a half hours and will air 8-11:30 PM. (Deadline)
Reboots of classic series have been big lately, but here is an interesting one: Amazon Studios is planning to reboot Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, with the help of Sid and Marty Krofft. (io9)
Your hipster friends should (ironically) be thrilled to hear that Portlandia has been renewed for a sixth and seventh season. (SitcomsOnline)
Weigel Broadcasting is now taking MeTV to the radio, with MeTV FM in Chicago. The radio station will air a classic hits (the new name for "oldies" as it has evolved to include the 80s) format. Technically, the station will be on the low-power TV channel 6, although audio from channel 6 can be heard on the FM dial on 87.7. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00TGNLZSI/ref=nosim/happydaysonline4-20

Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and if so, you'll love what CBS has in store: Cheers - The Complete Series. Although each season has been released (as well as a complete series that shrinkwrapped all of those seasons together), this is the first time fans will be able to get every episode in one box set. It is set to be released on May 5 at a $117.99 MSRP.
CBS will also be re-releasing The Fugitive - The Complete Series on DVD on May 5, and it will come at a very low $79.99 MSRP.
Mill Creek has another re-release of a Sony series in the works, and this time it is a complete series, with What's Happening!! - The Complete Series. It will be released April 21 at a $29.98 MSRP.
Mill Creek will also be re-releasing Tour of Duty - The Complete Series on April 21, at a $44.98 MSRP.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Jake Johnson (Twitter)

Claim to Fame: Jake Johnson is best known for his current role of Nick Miller in the Fox series New Girl. His first credited role didn't come until he was almost 30 years old, with a guest appearance on Curb Your Enthusiasm. He also appeared in episodes of The Unit and FlashForward before making the leap to New Girl. Since New Girl, he has reached new levels of fame with starring roles in two feature films, Drinking Buddies and Let's Be Cops.
Pick of the Tweets: "If you need me I'll just be here listening to Hall & Oates, drinking strong coffee and feeling pretty damn good about the weekend." (November 8, 2014)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, October 29

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "The Devil’s Interval and a British Stripper" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie and Mandy are caught in the crossfire between their moms over CeeCee’s Halloween costume, and Missy (Raegan Revord) and Mary (Zoe Perry) clash over her Halloween plans.

Eternally Yours - "Halloween" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Up for a promotion at her teaching job, Liz invites her boss and his wife over for drinks on Halloween, when they arrive dressed in stereotypical vampire costumes, much to Charles’ annoyance. Also, the coven fears Max has placed them in danger of a werewolf attack when he inadvertently uses an ancient protective relic as a candy bowl for trick-or-treaters and it goes missing.

Ghosts - "Halloween 6: The Mirror – Part One" / "Halloween 6: The Mirror - Part Two" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT)
A couple of months after Pete’s disappearance, while Sam is in Australia on the set of her new film, Polar Opposites, Kyle (new series regular Ben Feldman) steps up to help baby-sit the ghosts. Also, Hetty is unexpectedly reunited with her estranged sister, Margaret (guest star Maria Thayer), and Bela throws an unconventional Halloween bash at Woodstone.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 26)

Thursday, October 29

Christopher Lloyd (Taxi/Stacked) - Catch Christopher on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Veronika Slowikowska (Tires/Davey & Jonesie's Locker/What We Do in the Shadows) - Veronika appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Rose Byrne (Platonic/Physical) - Rose is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons), Sean Hayes (Will & Grace/The Millers/Sean Saves the World) and Will Arnett (Murderville/Arrested Development/Flaked/The Millers/Up All Night/Running Wilde) - Jason, Sean and Will talk about the "Smartless" podcast on NBC's today sometime between 7-9am.
David Alan Grier (St. Denis Medical/Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!/The Cool Kids/The Carmichael Show/Bad Teacher/Life with Bonnie/DAG) - NBC's Today catches up with David in the 9am hour.
Meagan Good (Cousin Skeeter/Raising Dad) - Meagan talks about Reasonable Doubt on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Sophia Bush (Partners) - Sophia talks about And I Will Tell You Mine: Notes from a Life in Progress with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Zazie Beetz (Atlanta) - Zazie talks about Nocture on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Joe Manganiello (Mythic Quest/How I Met Your Mother) - Joe opens up about his seven-year health battle, his new memoir, Bloodlines, and the family secrets he uncovered while searching for answers on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - It's a special food news with Valerie Bertinelli on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. Plus, Val is joining Drew in the kitchen to make zucchini chips.