SitcomsOnline Digest: Harry Shearer to Remain on The Simpsons; South Park Renewed for Three More Seasons

Saturday, July 11, 2015

SitcomsOnline Digest: Harry Shearer to Remain on The Simpsons; South Park Renewed for Three More Seasons

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! Last week it was The Dukes of Hazzard and this week it is everything Cosby (round 2) when it comes to networks pulling series. Additionally, we have updates on some animated series, including how Mr. Burns will not have a different sounding voice on The Simpsons and news of South Park that will mean new episodes through the end of the decade. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

As it turns out, Harry Shearer will be staying on The Simpsons after all. (Hollywood Reporter)
South Park has been renewed for three more seasons, bringing it to a 23rd season... yet it will still only make it up to 300 episodes before the end of the upcoming renewal period. (IGN)
Irwin Keyes, known to sitcom fans for his role in the later seasons of The Jeffersons as George's bodyguard Hugo, died this week. (Entertainment Weekly)
Almost exactly fifteen years after Kathie Lee left Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, the duo will be reunited again as Regis becomes a contributor on the fourth hour of Today on NBC. (CNNMoney)
Keith Olbermann is leaving another job (this time at ESPN2), but unlike the previous times he has left a job, he is handling things pretty well this time. (Vanity Fair)
For the past 31 years, you could depend on always being able to catch The Cosby Show in new episodes or in reruns on TV somewhere. That has abruptly ended this week as the last cable network to air it pulled it, although it does continue to air on a few local TV stations for right now. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

Mill Creek continues to move ahead with their releases of Sony series on DVD, with The Partridge Family - The Complete Series and Good Times - The Complete Series both arriving on September 1.

JULY 14 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00VX2200C/ref=nosim/happydaysonline5-20

Growing Pains - The Complete Fifth Season (DVD, $35.99): The turn around from season 4 to season 5 of the classic sitcom featuring the Seavers was very short, as the fifth season arrives just a few months after the fourth from Warner Archive.
WKRP in Cincinnati - The Complete Third Season (DVD, $24.97): The third season of the classic sitcom (along with most of the original music) arrives on DVD with this release.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Constance Wu (Twitter), "silence makes me comfortable"

Claim to Fame: The 33 year old actress got her start in theater, but like many actresses, she quickly transitioned to the screen. Her first TV role was on an episode of Law & Order: SVU, and after that, she had a recurring role on the soap opera One Life to Live. More recently, though, she has been known for her role of Jessica Huang on the ABC series Fresh Off the Boat.

Pick of the Tweets: "Didn't ya'll love seeing @margaretcho @originalspin & lotsa other Asians faces on @FreshOffABC tonite?! Happy & proud of #FreshOffTheBoat" (April 14, 2015)