SitcomsOnline Digest: Pilot Casting Updates for Potential Sitcoms Based Upon Uncle Buck and Problem Child; New Facts of Life and Hart to Hart DVD Releases from Shout!

Saturday, March 07, 2015

SitcomsOnline Digest: Pilot Casting Updates for Potential Sitcoms Based Upon Uncle Buck and Problem Child; New Facts of Life and Hart to Hart DVD Releases from Shout!

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we've got casting updates for sitcom pilots based upon movies from a quarter century ago, news of some new Shout! Factory releases, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Mike Epps has been cast for the title role in the possible sitcom based upon the movie Uncle Buck. (Entertainment Weekly)
Meanwhile, Matthew Lillard has been cast in the male lead role in the comedy in development based upon the movie Problem Child. (Deadline)
TV Land has undergone many changes over the years, but it appears that most of the changes have not been good for the network. This week, Viacom announced several layoffs, and it appears that TV Land suffered the most. (LA Times)
Judge Judy recently signed a new contract extending her show all the way through the year 2020. (CNN)
Netflix has been becoming a major player in the original series realm lately, and now they've announced some additional premiere dates for some of those original series for 2015. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Shout! Factory isn't leaving those who didn't buy The Facts of Life - The Complete Series out in the cold, as The Facts of Life - Season Six will arrive on DVD on June 9.
Shout! Factory will also be wrapping up a series on June 9, with their release of Hart to Hart - The Final Season.

MARCH 10 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. - The Complete Series (DVD, $59.98): The classic spinoff of The Andy Griffith Show starring Jim Nabors comes to DVD once again as a complete series.
Petticoat Junction - Family Favorite Episodes (DVD, $12.98): A best-of release of the classic series arrives on DVD from CBS.
Quincy, M.E. - The Final Season (DVD, $39.97): Nearly a decade after the very first release of the Jack Klugman series on DVD, Shout! Factory finally wraps it up with the eighth and final season.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Retta (Twitter), "I cuss a lot, got an itchy block finger & not afraid to use it. #Unemployed P.S. I live tweet my fave shows: #UveBeenWarned (Did I mention I'm unemployed?)"

Claim to Fame: As her own description of herself indicates, Retta is unemployed... but that is only a new development in the past few weeks. Born Marietta Sirleaf, the standup comedian is best known for playing the role of Donna on the NBC series Parks and Recreation. She has also appeared in guest roles on series such as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Moesha, and even The Jenny Jones Show (though not for one of the more outrageous shows, but rather showing off her standup comedian skills). Also worth noting is that she even has an aunt who is a prominent political figure... in fact, her aunt is the president of Liberia.

Pick of the Tweets: ""When Beyoncé wants to get inspired, she looks up Donna quotes on Tumblr." http://www.vulture.com/2015/02/parks-and-rec-recap-season-7-episode-7-microwave.html?mid=twitter_vulture … #GoodLookinOut @Vulture" (February 4, 2015)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Tuesday, April 29

St. Denis Medical - "This Place Is Our Everything" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
A storm causes chaos in the Emergency Department; Alex is torn between an obligation to her husband and her co-workers' needs; Joyce goes on a spending spree with found money.

Night Court - "Blood Moonstruck" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
On the night of the blood moon, Abby and Gurgs help Julianne with a surprising romantic prospect; Wyatt finds himself in hot water when he fills in as Dan's replacement.

Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Adjust Your Crown, Sis" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Ella sponsors the membership of the new wife of a longtime dea-con into her social club, Incomparable Crowns, she begins to suspect something may be going on behind closed doors in the new marriage.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Ay-Bay-Bay" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Leah wants to try for another baby, but when Jeremy plays hard to get, Leah hatches a plan to seduce him; Mr. Brown has to babysit Kimberly's grandson who appears to be the perfect angel, until he reveals himself to be a mischievous handful.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 28)

Tuesday, April 29

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Watching Ellie/Seinfeld/Day by Day) - Catch Julia on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Mo Amer (Mo/Ramy) - Mo is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Mary Lynn Rajskub (Rob Riggle's Ski Master Academy/How to Be a Gentleman/Veronica's Closet/The Larry Sanders Show) - Mary appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Tina Fey (The Four Seasons/Only Murders in the Building/30 Rock) - Tina stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also talks about The Four Seasons on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
Tim Bagley (The Great North/Teachers/Grace and Frankie/Web Therapy/Stril Mall) and Andy Richter (Andy Barker, P.I./Quintuplets/Andy Richter Controls the Universe) - Tim and Andy are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Paul Feig (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch/The Louie Show/The Jackie Thomas Show/Dirty Dancing) - Paul talks about Another Simple Favor on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda talks about the Wanda Sykes: Please & Thank You Tour on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Ed Helms (Rutherford Falls/The Office) - Ed talks about SNAFU: The Definitive Guide to History’s Greatest Screwups on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. He will also be on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Essence Atkins (Poppa's House/Marlon/Mr. Box Office/Are We There Yet?/Half & Half/Smart Guy/Under One Roof) - Essence joins Tamron Hall for a candid conversation on everything from her recent abstinence journey to her career longevity as a working mom, so check your local listings.
Bill Bellamy (Mr. Box Office/Men, Women & Dogs/Cousin Skeeter) - Bill will be on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour.
Stanley Tucci (Central Park) - Stanley drops by Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Jaleel White (Family Matters/Grown Ups) - Jaleel talks about his CBS game show, Flip Side, and shares stories from his memoir, Growing Up Urkel, on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Erika Alexander (Run the World/Living Single/The Cosby Show) and Kim Coles (Living Single/The Geena Davis Show) - Erika and Kim join Sherri to discuss their latest projects, so check your local listings.
Joe Manganiello (How I Met Your Mother) - NBC's Today catches up with Joe in the 9am hour.
Will Forte (The Four Seasons/HouseBroken/MacGruber/The Last Man on Earth/The Cleveland Show) and Erika Henningsen (The Four Seasons) - Will and Erika talk about The Four Seasons on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Keegan-Michael Key (Schmigadoon!/Friends from College/Playing House/Gary Unmarried) - Keegan-Michael is a guest on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Harry Hamlin (Movie Stars) - Harry appears on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.