SitcomsOnline Digest: Henry Winkler and William Shatner Cast in NBC Alternative Comedy Series; Raven-Symoné to Enjoy The View

Saturday, June 13, 2015

SitcomsOnline Digest: Henry Winkler and William Shatner Cast in NBC Alternative Comedy Series; Raven-Symoné to Enjoy The View

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! As usual for a summer week after everything for the fall season has been announced and doesn't start for about three more months, we have a slow news week. But we have developments regarding an alternative comedy in development at NBC with Henry Winkler, news of yet another Sony re-release from Mill Creek, a reminder that Rue McClanahan died five years ago (not this week), and surprisingly, for the first time in several weeks, no new developments about Fuller House or any old Full House news... although technically, John Stamos did manage to keep the streak of his name in the news going with some negative news of his own last night, but it isn't newsworthy for us). Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Henry Winkler, William Shatner, Terry Bradshaw, and George Foreman have all been tapped as cast members for Better Late Than Never, an "alternative comedy" in development at NBC. (Deadline)
Raven-Symone is best known for her roles on The Cosby Show and That's So Raven, but now it is official: she is going to take a lot of time to enjoy The View, as she is the newest co-host. (ABC News)
Golden Girls star Rue McClanahan died over five years ago, yet news of her death began trending on social media this week (and the same thing happened approximately a year ago as well). So why? (CBS News)
Comedy writer Paul Raley, who worked on series including Grace Under Fire, Night Court, and Saturday Night Live, died this week at the age of 71. (Variety)
Bounce TV is freshening up their sitcom offerings, by adding The Bernie Mac Show and Cosby to the lineup. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

When Mill Creek announced that they would be re-releasing certain Sony series on DVD, they really meant just about everything. On August 18, they will be releasing The Jeff Foxworthy Show - The Complete Series.

JUNE 16 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00US8DH5Y/ref=nosim/happydaysonline5-20

The Cosby Show - Seasons 7 & 8 (DVD, $14.98): Mill Creek finally wraps up their re-releases of the classic sitcom with this release. Season 7 and Season 8 also available individually.
Laverne & Shirley - The Complete Series (DVD, $79.99): CBS gives fans of the classic Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams series a chance to own the entire series in one set with this release.
The Odd Couple - The Complete Series (DVD, $59.98): With the new series entering a second season later next season, the original with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall is compiled in one set for this release.
Two and a Half Men - The Twelfth and Final Season (DVD, $29.98): Who knew that the series that seemed to be unstoppable for years would finally come to an end? Of course, it did end in March, and now Warner Home Video is finishing it up on DVD. Another option for fans is the complete series, which carries a $275.68 MSRP.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Kurtwood Smith (Twitter), "Still don't know what I am doing here!"

Claim to Fame: The name may not be familiar to some, but the face (and who he is) certainly is familiar: Kurtwood Smith came to fame from playing Red Forman (dad) on the Fox sitcom That '70s Show. His TV and movie career actually started in 1980 with a small role in an episode of Soap. From that point, he made other small appearances in TV series, but mostly stuck with movie roles, including RoboCop. Of course, to TV fans, he was in That '70s Show, and more recently, he appeared on the (now canceled) ABC series Resurrection.

Pick of the Tweets: "How nice to have Ma back! Only on #Resurrection does your mother come back younger than you!" (September 28, 2014)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, November 3

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to Family Value" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Malcolm’s home renovation takes an unexpected turn when Calvin’s cousin Crutch (Tracy Morgan) shows up uninvited to fix his floors. Meanwhile, Dave’s attempts to help around the house and support Grover’s booming T-shirt business lead to more stress than he bargained for.

DMV - "Don't Kill the Job" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Colette runs into an old friend at the DMV, she pretends to be a fellow customer rather than an employee in order to save face.

St. Denis Medical - "Aloha, Everyone" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Alex tries to hold on to her peaceful vacation vibes; Joyce faces a design crisis in the birthing center; Matt and Serena reassess their working relationship.

St. Denis Medical - "Mama Bear Activated" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
After Bruce is attacked at the hospital, Matt helps him deal with the aftermath; Alex motivates Joyce to amp up security, while Ron and Serena debate who is more qualified to defend themselves.

TV We Love - "The Honeymooners" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Jackie Gleason's creative genius; why "The Honeymooners" continues to resonate 70 years after its premiere.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 3)

Monday, November 3

Sean Hayes (Will & Grace/The Millers/Sean Saves the World) - Watch Sean on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Tom Hanks (Bosom Buddies) - Tom appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Rickey Smiley (The Rickey Smiley Show) - Rickey is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
Isla Fisher (Wolf Like Me/Arrested Development) - Andy Cohen interviews Isla on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo.
Patti LaBelle (Out All Night) - Patti and Nona Hendryx perform on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Rami Malek (The War at Home) - Rami talks about Nuremberg on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Lacey Chabert (Still the King/Baby Daddy/Family Guy) - Lacey dishes on She's Making a List on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
John Slattery (Maggie/Ed) - NBC's Today catches up with John in the 9am hour.
Tig Notaro (One Mississippi) and and Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - Drew is hitting the headlines with her co-pilot Ross Mathews, Valerie Bertinelli and Tig Notaro on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. Tig talks to Drew about executive producing the documentary Come See Me in the Good Light.
Erika Alexander (Run the World/Living Single/The Cosby Show) - Erika tells Drews about her show Invasion and her podcast ReLiving Single on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.