SitcomsOnline Digest: TV Land Removes The Dukes of Hazzard; Melrose Place to Become Unauthorized Story; New Growing Pains and King of the Hill DVD Releases

Saturday, July 04, 2015

SitcomsOnline Digest: TV Land Removes The Dukes of Hazzard; Melrose Place to Become Unauthorized Story; New Growing Pains and King of the Hill DVD Releases

Happy Independence Day and welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! In true spirit of Independence Day, it seems that current topical controversy and "freedom of speech" issues, no matter which way you look at them, have managed to creep into the TV news during this surprisingly busy news week. Plus, we have less controversial news about new Growing Pains and King of the Hill DVDs. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

There has been some controversy regarding The Dukes of Hazzard in the past few weeks, and TV Land also removed the series this week (there is speculation that it is due to the use of the Confederate flag in the series, though it is important to note that TV Land is known for abrupt schedule changes for virtually any reason), but in the midst of all of this, the series has been topping the DVD sales on amazon.com, to the point where the first season will set you back about $100 and is only available from third party sellers. (New York Post)
The Unauthorized Stories franchise at Lifetime will never end. This week, yet another one was announced: Melrose Place. (Jezebel)
The Miss USA Pageant has been in limbo since NBC and Univision decided to not air it following lots and lots of controversial news regarding Donald Trump that we won't even get into here, but Reelz has jumped in to rescue it. (Variety)
Sesame Street has had an unusual amount of stability when it comes to the the actors who appear in the show, but this week, it was announced that Sonia Manzano, who has played Maria for the past 45 years has retiring and will not be back for next season.. (NPR)
The famous 30 Rock building in New York, which (of course) had an entire sitcom named after it, is now The Comcast Building. (Vanity Fair)
What would the Fourth of July be without marathons everywhere? We've got your entire list. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

We mentioned last week that Growing Pains would be moving forward on DVD soon, and this week, Warner Archive gave us a date. Growing Pains - The Complete Fifth Season will arrive on July 14.
Olive Films is remaining dedicated to getting King of the Hill finished up on DVD, and on August 25, fans will see King of the Hill - The Complete 11th Season arrive on DVD, leaving two more to go.

JULY 7 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

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

Archie Bunker's Place - Season One (DVD, $9.98): It has been out-of-print from Sony for quite a while now, but now, the first season of the follow-up series to All in the Family is on DVD from Mill Creek.
Barney Miller - The Final Season (DVD, $24.97): The complete series has been out for quite some time, but now, for those who were collecting individual seasons, Shout! Factory has you taken care of.
Married... with Children - Season 11 (DVD, $9.98): The Bundys are wrapped up on DVD with this Mill Creek re-release. Also available, the complete series.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Pamela Adlon (Twitter), "that lady guy"

Claim to Fame: Pamela Adlon may not be a name that resonates with everybody immediately, but her name before her marriage (and subsequent divorce), Pamela Segall, might be more familiar. One of her first roles ever was on The Facts of Life playing Kelly, a mostly forgotten character who was actually a regular character (and received a billing in the opening credits) during the fifth season. After that, she did a lot of guest work on series, until she found one of her true callings in voice work in 1996 (usually voicing the characters of young boys), starting in Bobby's World. Her biggest role as a voice actor was as Bobby Hill on King of the Hill. These days, though, she isn't limiting her work to voice acting, as she is an executive producer and recurring character on the series Louie.

Pick of the Tweets: "Every day. Every day. Every day. #InternationalWomensDay (photo)" (March 9, 2015)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Wednesday, December 8

The Conners - "Sober Sex, Plastic Silverware, and Losing My Religion" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Part of Becky’s recovery program mandates she make amends with people she has lied to over the years, leading her to meet up again with former high school friend Mikey to apologize for lying to him about her living a successful life. Meanwhile, Darlene visits with Pastor Phil (Jason Alexander), and Louise continues planning her wedding.

Home Economics - "Bottle Service, $800 Plus Tip (25% Suggested)" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The family is in for a wild night out when they accompany Connor to a club to help him jumpstart his dating life. When Tom steps up as Connor’s wingman, things don’t exactly go as planned.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "The Gang Buys a Roller Rink" (FXX, 10:00PM ET/PT)
In the past, an innocent Dennis learns the horrifying details of Frank's business; a truly sweet Dee is excited to head off for Hollywood while Charlie and Mac's jobs at the roller rink are in jeopardy.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - " The Gang Replaces Dee With a Monkey" (FXX, 10:30PM ET/PT)
When the Gang suspects Dee is menopausal, they scramble to find a new employee for Paddy's Pub; Dee decides to put her acting career on hold in order to mentor young actors.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 6)

Wednesday, December 8

Rob McElhenney (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia/Mythic Quest) - Watch Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Ariana DeBose (Schmigadoon!) - Ariana appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Kristin Chenoweth (Schmigadoon!/Trial & Error/Kristin) - Kristin is a guest on Watch What Happens: Live at 3:30am on Bravo. She chats about her new album Happiness is…Christmas! on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Kimberly Williams-Paisley (According to Jim) and Ashley Williams (The Jim Gaffigan Show/Good Morning, Miami) - Kimberly and Ashley talk about Hallmark's Sister Swap on NBC's Today in the 9am hour and on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Cynthia Nixon (And Just Like That.../Sex and the City) - Cynthia talks about And Just Like That... on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
Heather Graham (Californication/Emily's Reasons Why Not/Scrubs) - Heather talks about her role in the film The Last Son on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
Yvonne Orji (Insecure) - Yvonne is a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Eric André (Man Seeking Woman/2 Broke Girls/Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - Eric will be on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Vanessa Lachey (Truth Be Told/Dads) - Vanessa talks about living the island life with her kids and husband, Nick Lachey, her new role in NCIS: Hawai‘i and her new book on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
Michael J. Fox (Family Ties/Spin City/The Michael J. Fox Show) - Michael talks about No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality on CBS This Morning sometime between 7-9am.
Patricia Heaton (Carol's Second Act/The Middle/Back to You/Everybody Loves Raymond) - Patricia shares the moment that made her re-think her relationship with drinking on The Dr. Oz Show, so check your local listings.
Zachary Levi (Less Than Perfect/Telenovela) - Zachary talks about American Underdog on ABC's Good Morning America somtime between 7-9am.
Kal Penn (Sunnyside/Deadbeat/We Are Men) - Kal talks about Hot Mess Holiday on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.