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

Monday, September 16

The Neighborhood - "Welcome to the Conversation" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Dave is thrilled when Calvin invites him golfing, confident that it represents progress in their relationship, but Calvin may have another motive. Also, Gemma and Tina team up to pull off an unforgettable surprise for Malcolm, Marty and Grover.

The Big Bang Theory - "The Stockholm Syndrome" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Bernadette and Wolowitz leave their kids for the first time; Penny and Leonard try to keep a secret; Sheldon and Amy stick together; and Koothrappali makes a new friend, as the gang travels together into an uncharted future.

In The Cut - "America's Got Skillz, Part 1" (Bounce TV, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Kenny, Smitty and Percy audition for a talent show competition with Jay as Percy's manager; Mabel begins to lose customers when a famous food blogger writes a bad review.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 16)

Monday, September 16

Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Watch Anthony on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Whitney Cummings (Whitney), Natasha Leggero (Another Period/Dice/Free Agents) and Henry Winkler (Barry/Out of Practice/Happy Days) - Whitney, Natasha and Henry make special appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Dax Shepard (Bless This Mess) - Dax stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about Bless This Mess on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Constance Wu (Fresh Off the Boat) - Constance is a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Doogie Howser, M.D./Stark Raving Mad) - Neil drops by The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project/The Office) - Mindy appears on A Little Late with Lilly Singh at 1:35am on NBC.
Rainn Wilson (The Office) - Rainn visits A Little Late with Lilly Singh at 1:35am on NBC.
Bill Burr (F is for the Family) and Jim Jefferies (Legit) - Bill and Jim are panelists on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central.
Jane Lynch (Angel from Hell) and Sherri Shepherd (Mr. Iglesias/Sherri/Less Than Perfect) - Jane and Sherri guest co-host The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
Brian Austin Green (Anger Management/Wedding Band/Freddie) - Brian appears on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
The Cast of The Brady Bunch - The cast of the most famous TV family, The Brady Bunch, is hanging with Rach today and they’re dishing on what it was like to renovate the Brady house on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
Tony Danza (Taxi/Who's the Boss?/Hudson Street) - Tony will be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET.
Michelle Buteau (First Wives Club) - Michelle talks about BET+'s First Wives Club on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET.