SitcomsOnline Digest: Tracy Morgan to Host Upcoming SNL Episode; Documentary Now! Renewed for Two New Seasons

Saturday, August 22, 2015

SitcomsOnline Digest: Tracy Morgan to Host Upcoming SNL Episode; Documentary Now! Renewed for Two New Seasons

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! After a few busy news weeks, things have slowed down this week, and there isn't even a single new rumor of a reboot of any series (though it is possible that there is something that we have missed!). But we do have news of Tracy Morgan hosting an upcoming Saturday Night Live episode, and a lot of news coming from Shout! Factory on new DVD releases. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Tracy Morgan has been recovering after being out of the spotlight for a year, and soon, he will be hosting an episode of Saturday Night Live when the new season returns. (Deadline)
The comedy series Documentary Now! debuted on IFC literally just this week, but before the first episode could even air, the network already renewed it for two more seasons. (Deadline)
Lifetime's Unauthorized Full House Story movie debuts tonight, and not surprisingly, expectations (and actual reviews) are unfavorable. (People)
Even though the video itself is about five years old, a "Seinfeld as a drama" video has been getting a lot of attention in the past day or two. (Vox)
Both Yvonne Craig and Bud Yorkin died this week. (SitcomsOnline)
The Facts of Life has been a hit on Logo (even if they have only been airing the same few episodes over and over again), so now, TV Land will be airing it too. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

November 10 will bring both Automan - The Complete Series and Manimal - The Complete Series from Shout! Factory, and although we're not certain, both sets appear to be Region 1 repackages of the excellent quality Fabulous Films releases from the United Kingdom.
Shout! released McHale's Navy as individual season sets a long time ago, in the years just before they were truly becoming a vintage TV-on-DVD powerhouse, and now they are finally getting around to putting together a complete series release with McHale's Navy - The Complete Series, set for a November 17 release.
If you skipped on the complete series releases for WKRP in Cincinnati and Maude, Shout! is moving ahead with individual releases, with WKRP in Cincinnati - The Complete Final Season and Maude - The Complete Third Season on November 10.

AUGUST 25 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

King of the Hill - Season 11 (DVD, $34.95): Olive Films puts the animated comedy series one step closer to completion with this release.
The Mindy Project - Season Three (DVD, $29.98): This set from Universal wraps up the final season of the series from Fox, though the fourth season with new episodes will debut on Hulu next month.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Neil Patrick Harris (Twitter, Facebook), "I act some. Dig variety acts, Pixar, puppets, prestidigitation, theme parks, my family and great meals. Not necessarily in that order."

Claim to Fame: Neil Patrick Harris started his career as Doogie Howser in the series Doogie Howser, MD. And honestly, that seemed to be the biggest thing that he would do at the time. But that was very, very wrong. He later went on to a role on the (mostly forgotten) NBC series Stark Raving Mad, but his biggest role has been that of Barney Stinson on the sitcom How I Met Your Mother. And in between all of that, he has become a celebrity with talent that isn't just limited to one area of entertainment, though he keeps his television celebrity at the center of it all. This fall, he will have a variety series on NBC, Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris. And this week, he has beefed up his "social media" credentials by doing something that allows him to go beyond 140 characters... he has joined Facebook.

Pick of the Tweets: "I already miss David Letterman... #legendary" (May 21, 2015)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Tuesday, November 12

The Conners - "Tempest in a Stew Pot" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Jackie and Becky pitch their business plan to Darlene in hopes of getting the Lunch Box back, but Darlene’s decision leads to hostility among the three. Meanwhile, Dan bans Odessa from the house, causing a rift with Harris; and Mark makes extensive Thanksgiving plans that may inevitably fall apart.

Bless This Mess - "The Visit" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Donna springs a last-minute trip to Nebraska on Mike and Rio, which she claims is to relax, but Mike and Rio soon find out she has other plans in mind when she steps into competitive mode to get them to participate in the harvest. Meanwhile, Constance’s son Brandon is driving her crazy working at the store, so she pawns him off on Rudy.

mixed-ish - "Puttin' on the Ritz" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
The kids are excited to learn more about their grandad after Harrison invites the crew to family day at his country club. Although Paul thinks it’s a bad idea, he is eventually overruled. Meanwhile, Alicia attempts to fit in at the country club but ends up fighting with Denise about keeping it real.

black-ish - "Daughters for Dummies" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
When Dre realizes that his relationship with Diane has been distant, he plans some daddy-daughter bonding sessions, but the plans backfire when he realizes the interest is one-sided. Meanwhile, Bow covers for Junior at his ChoreBoar gig.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 11)

Tuesday, November 12

Patrick Stewart (Blunt Talk) - Catch Patrick on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Da'Vine Joy Randolph (People of Earth) - Da'Vine appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Kristen Bell (The Good Place) - Kristen visits The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. She also talks about Frozen 2 on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Laurie Metcalf (The Conners/Roseanne/The McCarthys/Getting On/The Norm Show) - Laurie stops by The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Jenny Slate (Married/Parks and Recreation/Bob's Burgers) - Jenny is a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Rob Schneider (Real Rob/Rob) and Esther Povitsky (Dollface/Alone Together) - Rob and Esther are panelists on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central.
Lizzy Caplan (Party Down/The Class) - Lizzy drops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Ilana Glazer (Broad City) - Ilana appears on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
Laura Dern (F Is for Family/Enlightened) - Laura is a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Robin Givens (Head of the Class) - Robin visits The Real, so check your local listings.
Donald Faison (The Exes/Scrubs/Clueless) - Donald appears on The Real, so check your local listings.
Nicole Byer (Loosely Exactly Nicole) - Nicole is a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Tim Robbins (The Brink) - Tim talks about Dark Waters on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET.
Kristin Davis (Sex and the City/Bad Teacher) - Kristin talks about Holiday in the Wild on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.