Thursday, April 30, 2015

Hulu Acquires Seinfeld Starting in June; FX Orders Comedy Pilot with Jenny Slate, Ari Graynor

Seinfeld

Yesterday at the Hulu Upfront Presentation in New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, they announced that Hulu has acquired the exclusive subscription video on-demand (SVOD) rights to all episodes of iconic sitcom Seinfeld, as well as a new, multi-year agreement with AMC that grants Hulu the streaming rights to future programming from AMC Networks. In addition to presenting groundbreaking content deals and the upcoming slate of Hulu Originals, the company took the stage to publicly unveil new business growth benchmarks - including a 50% increase in subscribers - advertising innovations, and a deal with Cablevision Systems Corporation that will be rolled out over the next year. Back to Seinfeld, Hulu has acquired the exclusive SVOD rights to all episodes of the award-winning, hit series. After becoming one of the most successful sitcoms of all time, all nine seasons of the timeless comedy series will make their SVOD debut exclusively on Hulu. The series comes to Hulu in a new deal with Sony Pictures Television. Every episode of Seinfeld will be available for Hulu subscribers to stream this June.


Jenny Slate and Ari Graynor

FX Networks has ordered a pilot co-created by the award-winning team of Gillian Robespierre and Elisabeth Holm, starring Jenny Slate and Ari Graynor. Production of the pilot has begun in New York. Robespierre (Obvious Child) will direct the pilot and write it with Holm (Obvious Child, Welcome to Pine Hill), both of whom will serve as Executive Producers along with Ravi Nandan and John Hodges of A24 Films (The Bling Ring, Obvious Child) and Slate (Obvious Child, Married). The pilot is being produced by FX Productions.

The pilot is an honest comedy exploring the adult female friendship of two creative partners as they embark on a cross-country road trip. Jenny Slate and Ari Graynor (For a Good Time, Call... , Bad Teacher) star as "Lou" and "Viv," two gutsy born and raised New Yorkers who discover each other in their 30s, make a movie together, and jump into the great unknown of their next project. Lou and Viv find strength and vulnerability in each other, learning how to have a fight and somehow still get back in the car. It's like Thelma and Louise - but nobody dies. The pilot is the first major project for Robespierre, Holm, Slate and A24 Films since Obvious Child, a 2014 romantic comedy that marked Robespierre's feature film directorial debut and starred Slate. Among other awards for the feature, Robespierre was honored with the National Board of Review USA Award for Best Directorial Debut, Holm won the Red Crown Producer's Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, and Slate received the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Movie. Slate currently co-stars on the FX comedy series Married, which is returning for its second season on Thursdays at 10:30 PM e/p, beginning July 16. Graynor most recently starred on the CBS comedy Bad Teacher. Stay with us for continued updates, should this pilot move forward as a series.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Wednesday, March 22

The Conners - "Of Missing Minds and Missing Fries" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
It’s Thanksgiving at the Conners and Jackie must come to terms with her mother, Beverly, becoming ill. Meanwhile, Darlene is on the job hunt which proves to be more difficult than anticipated.

The Conners - "Crumbs and Couch Surfers" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Darlene, Ben, Becky and Beverly Rose move into the new house, where Darlene implements a new set of rules. Meanwhile, Harris welcomes a guest at Dan and Louise’s.

Abbott Elementary - "Fight" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
During a day of touchdowns and missed plays, the Abbott Elementary faculty find themselves learning lessons in teamwork. Two of Janine’s students aren’t getting along in class, leading her to seek advice from her colleagues on how to help repair their friendship. Meanwhile, Melissa and Ava plot to bring down Mr. Johnson in fantasy football.

Not Dead Yet - "Pilot" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Nell attempts to restart her life in a new place with a new job and a new roommate. She begins writing obituaries at the local paper and starts getting life advice from an unlikely source.

Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Like New Money" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Curtis suspects his food truck was blown up intentionally, and he starts investigating the incident; Calvin must get to the bottom of Calvin Jr.'s mischievous deeds.

Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "I Believe" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Philip learns about being accountable for one's actions and putting life's obstacles in perspective; Reginald must pick himself up out of his slump and find the strength to believe in love again.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of March 20)

Wednesday, March 22

  • Molly Shannon (I Love That for You/The Other Two/Divorce/Kath & Kim) - Watch Molly on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Giancarlo Esposito (Bakersfield P.D.) - Giancarlo is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Fred Armisen (Los Espookys/Forever/Final Space) - Fred appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Al Franken (LateLine) - Al guest hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Jennifer Aniston (Friends/Muddling Through/Ferris Bueller/Molloy) - Jennifer chats about the highly anticipated sequel Murder Mystery 2 on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
  • Mae Whitman (Up Here) - Mae catches up with the hosts to talk about her role in the upcoming Hulu series Up Here on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
  • Zach Braff (Scrubs/Alex, Inc.) - Zach chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Jameela Jamil (The Good Place) - Jameela chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Jerry O'Connell (We Are Men/Do Not Disturb/Carpoolers/My Secret Identity) - Jerry will be on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Coco Jones (Good Luck Charlie) and Skai Jackson (Bunk'd/Jessie) - Coco and Skai are guests on The Jennifer Hudson Show, so check your local listings.
  • Max Greenfield (The Neighborhood/New Girl/Modern Men) - Max talks about his children's book on a repeat of Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
  • Drew Barrymore (Santa Clarita Diet) - Drew discusses the mystery of menopause on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
  • Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men/Togetherness) - Melanie talks about Yellowjackets on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
  • Kelly Hu (In Case of Emergency) - Kelly discusses her roles on two television series BMF on Starz and East New York on CBS on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Kyra Sedgwick (Call Your Mother) - Kyra discusses the film Space Oddity on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Keegan-Michael Key (Schmigadoon!/Reboot/Friends from College/Playing House/Gary Unmarried) - Keegan-Michael talks about The Super Mario Bros. Movie on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am. Keegan-Michael and Cecily Strong talk about Schmigadoon! in the 9am hour.
  • Sophia Hammons (Up Here) - Sophia talks about Hulu's Up Here on WPIX in New York at 8:50am.


New on DVD/Blu-ray (November-March)

Frasier - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Ghosts - Season One Hogan's Heroes - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Ten Growing Pains - The Complete Series

11/08 - Frasier - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/08 - Young Rock - Season Two (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/15 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Seven / The Complete Season Eight
11/22 - That '70s Show - The Complete Series (Mill Creek)
11/29 - Ghosts - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/06 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - 70th Anniversary Ultimate Christmas Collection
12/13 - And Just Like That... - The Complete First Season
12/13 - Hogan's Heroes - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/03 - Andy Richter Controls the Universe - The Complete Series (2023 Release)
01/27 - Master of None - Season Three / The Complete Series
02/21 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Nine / The Complete Season Ten
02/28 - Growing Pains - The Complete Series
03/28 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

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03/20 - 2023 90s Con Recap in Hartford; Bel-Air Gets Season 3 on Peacock
03/19 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 20, 2023)
03/18 - SitcomsOnline Digest: New Sitcoms for Terry Crews and Wendi McLendon-Covey; Zachary Levi Holding Out Hope for Chuck Movie
03/17 - AXS TV Acquires The Monkees for Retro Night Block; HBO Max's The Other Two Returns in May
03/16 - Monk Returns with One Final Case on Peacock; John Mulaney Gets 3rd Netflix Comedy Special
03/15 - Apple TV+ Orders Comedy with Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey; CBS 2023 Season Finale Dates
03/14 - Disney+ Comedy American Born Chinese Premieres May 24; Tim Robinson Comedy to Return May 30 on Netflix
03/13 - New Girl Coming to Hulu and Peacock; Apple TV+ Renews Shrinking for Season 2
03/12 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 13, 2023)
03/11 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Beavis and Butt-Head Gets Second Season Renewal; Roles Cast in Bedrock Series
03/10 - Act Your Age Opens as Biggest Launch in Bounce History; Starz Comedy Blindspotting Returns April 14
03/09 - Mary Tyler Moore Film Premieres This May on HBO; Mike Judge's Beavis and Butt-Head Returns for Season 2
03/08 - HBO's Barry Returns April 16; Schmigadoon! Trailer for Season 2
03/07 - American Dad! Season 18 Premieres March 27; Hulu's Tiny Beautiful Things Launches April 7
03/06 - Antenna TV Spring 2023 Schedule; Rewind TV Spring 2023 Schedule
03/05 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 6, 2023)
03/04 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Rachael Ray to End After 17 Seasons; Fox Renews Krapopolis for Third Season
03/03 - The Thundermans Return; TMZ's New Game Show
03/02 - Fox Renews Krapopolis for Season 3; Disney Channel's New Comedy Saturdays
03/01 - HBO Max Chuck Lorre Comedy Sets Production; New Shonda Rhimes White House Series
02/28 - Apple TV+ Releases Trailer for Ted Lasso S3; More on Chris Rock's Netflix Special
02/27 - Modern Family Star Heads to Season 2 of The Santa Clauses; 29th Annual SAG Awards Winners
02/26 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of February 27, 2023)
02/25 - SitcomsOnline Digest: The Goldbergs to End After 10 Seasons; Decades to Rebrand as Catchy Comedy
02/24 - BUZZR's African American Greats Marathon; Hulu and Onyx Collective Comedy Completes Cast
02/23 - Kerry Washington Comedy on Hulu March 10; Mo'Nique's Comedy Special Premieres April 4 on Netflix
02/22 - CBS Renews 9 More Series for 2023-24; Not Dead Yet Scores Big in Delayed 7-Day MP Viewing
02/21 - ABC News Live's Martin Lawrence Special; Netflix Renews Outer Banks Before Season 3 Premiere