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, December 11

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Bitin’, Spankin’ and a Load of Yankee Psychobabble" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie and Mandy get upset when Audrey disciplines CeeCee without their permission.

Ghosts - "The Life and Times of Esther Greene" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Now a successful podcaster, Todd Pearlman returns to profile Sam and Isaac’s book, but becomes obsessed with Jay. Meanwhile, Pete tries to get to the bottom of why Alberta changed her name, forcing her to admit a hidden truth.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 8)

Thursday, December 11

Jamie Lee Curtis (The Sticky/Anything But Love/Operation Petticoat) - Catch Jamie Lee on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Rachel Sennott (I Love LA/Call Your Mother) - Rachel appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Ike Barinholtz (The Studio/The Afterparty/Bless the Harts/The Mindy Project/Eastbound & Down) - Ike stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Elon Gold (Stacked/In-Laws) - Elon is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
Zooey Deschanel (Physical/New Girl) - Andy Cohen interviews Zooey on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 3:30am on Bravo. She also talks about Merv on Live with Kelly and Mark (check your local listings) and on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
Lucien Laviscount (Emily in Paris) - Lucien talks about Emily in Paris on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Kyra Sedgwick (Call Your Mother/Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and Kevin Bacon (I Love Dick) - Kyra and Kevin talk about The Best You Can with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Loretta Devine (Family Reunion/The Carmichael Show) and Lela Rochon (The Wayans Bros.) - Co-host Gayle King sits down with Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon, original cast of Waiting to Exhale, on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Lea Michele (The Mayor) - Lea talks about Broadway's Chess on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am. She also performs in the 10am hour.
Daryl McCormack (Bad Sisters - NBC's Today catches up with Daryl in the 9am hour.
Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Mila Kunis (Family Guy/That '70s Show) - Mila tells Drew about her role in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Ashley Park (Emily in Paris) - Emily tells Drew about what to expect in season five of Emily in Paris on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Joey McIntyre (Return of the Mac/The McCarthys) - Joey talks about Roku's Jingle Bell Wedding on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Danica McKellar (The Wonder Years) - Danica is a guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:15am.