Saturday, September 12, 2015

SitcomsOnline Digest: NBC Looking at "Musical Funeral Home Soap" Series; Grace Under Fire DVD Date Announced

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's been a slow news week with the holiday earlier in the week and preparations for the upcoming season also under way, but we are here with some news nonetheless, including a potential "musical funeral home soap" from NBC (whatever that is). Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
  • While it may be an unusually new idea in a world of reboots, NBC has decided that they want to do a series described as a "musical funeral home soap," which we're guessing would be a lot like Glee with a lot of dead people. (A.V. Club
  • The Odd Couple will be adding Teri Hatcher to the cast as a recurring character once it returns later in the upcoming season. (Hollywood Reporter
  • The CW has been on the air for almost a decade now, but the future of the network is going to going to depend upon a lot of factors which will be addressed soon. (Deadline)
  • The new late night war has put Stephen Colbert up against Jimmy Fallon, but the new competition isn't really hurting Fallon much so far. (Deadline
  • Martin Milner, star of Route 66 and Adam-12, died this week at the age of 83. (ABC News)
  • Merv Adelson, co-founder of Lorimar Television (the studio that brought series such as Eight is Enough, The Waltons, and Dallas to television, and later sitcoms like Full House and ALF), died this week at the age of 85. (New York Times

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

SEPTEMBER 15 HOME MEDIA RELEASES
  • The Big Bang Theory - The Complete Eighth Season (DVD, $44.98; Blu-ray, $49.99): The hit CBS sitcom that shows no sign of stopping anytime soon keeps moving ahead on DVD (and Blu-ray) with this release.
  • black-ish - The Complete First Season (DVD, $29.99): The ABC sitcom arrives on DVD as an amazon.com exclusive on September 18.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Jane Lynch (Twitter), "Official #JaneLynch // #Actress #BonVivantess #GameShowHostess #CabaretSongstress"
Claim to Fame: For the most part, when people hear of the name Jane Lynch, they think of Glee... which, even though it was sort of a comedy, it is a series that we've sort of neglected around here since it wasn't actually a sitcom. That's no longer relevant, though, because Jane Lynch's next project actually is a legitimate sitcom (and, we should add, we will be featuring stars of the fall's new sitcoms as our Follow Me for the next few weeks, as we typically do), the upcoming CBS series Angel From Hell. Actually, the series will not debut until November 5, but in it, Lynch will play a guardian angel, quite a different character from her Sue Sylvester on Glee. Besides Glee, though, Lynch currently hosts Hollywood Game Night over on NBC, and has had numerous (too many to list) appearances in other past TV series, most notable a recurring role on Two and a Half Men.
Pick of the Tweets: "Belting away with @KateFlannery @projangelfood gala. 25 years of feeding people. All praise to @marwilliamson (pic)" (August 23, 2015)


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Tuesday, January 27

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 26)

Tuesday, January 27

  • Niecy Nash-Betts (Reno 911!/Getting On/The Soul Man/Do Not Disturb) - Catch Niecy on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Kevin James (The Crew/Kevin Can Wait/The King of Queens) - Kevin is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Dove Cameron (Schmigadoon!/Liv and Maddie) - Dove appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Sam Rockwell (F Is for Family) - Sam stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Dustin Ybarra (Ghosts/Us & Them) - Dustin is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Michael Rapaport (Only Murders in the Building/Atypical/The War at Home) - Andy Cohen interviews on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 3am on Bravo.
  • Jackée Harry (The Paynes/The First Family/Sister, Sister/The Royal Family/227) - Sitcom legend Jackée is back with the TamFam for a revealing conversation about her headline-making cosmetic transformation and her acclaimed career on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • Will Forte (The Four Seasons/HouseBroken/MacGruber/The Last Man on Earth/The Cleveland Show) - NBC's Today catches up with Will in the 10am hour.
  • Jessica Williams (Shrinking/Love Life/Just for Kicks) - Jessica tells Drew all about the new season of the hit show Shrinking on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD) St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

01/27 - Trailer for The Muppet Show Special Event; New Evolution of The Handmaid's Tale Series
01/26 - FETV Acquires '70s S.W.A.T. Series; Paramount+ Releases Date for Can You Keep a Secret? Comedy Series
01/25 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 26, 2026)
01/24 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Kenan and Kel Back Together for Upcoming Movie; Amazon Barbershop Series Adds to Cast
01/23 - CBS Renews 10 More Series for 2026-27; Shifting Gears and Abbott Elementary Return Big in January
01/22 - Dancing with the Stars Live Tour Starts TODAY; Beef Returns April 16
01/21 - Prime Video's Bait Premieres March 25; Production Underway for Season 2 of Arctic-set Comedy North of North
01/20 - Baywatch Casting Call for Reboot on Fox; Mike Epps Netflix Special Trailer
01/19 - MGM+ Comedy Series American Classic; Taylor Tomlinson Returns to Netflix
01/18 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 19, 2026)
01/17 - SitcomsOnline Digest: The Rockford Files Reboot at NBC; Daniel Stern Fired From ABC Comedy Pilot
01/16 - Ted Season 2 Trailer Released; Remembering T.K. Carter of Punky Brewster, TV Director Tom Cherones, and Others We Recently Lost
01/15 - The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins Gets Special Preview; ABC Midseason Changes for Monday and Tuesday Night Lineups
01/14 - NBC Orders Pilots, Including The Rockford Files; The CW to Premiere Celebrity Series
01/13 - 83rd Golden Globe Winners; Tubi's Upcoming YA Film Slate
01/12 - Peacock's The 'Burbs Trailer; The Jeff Foxworthy Show Launch Back on COZI TV
01/11 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 12, 2026)
01/10 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Henry Winkler to Star in NBC Legal Comedy Pilot; First Look at Peacock's The 'Burbs
01/09 - HBO's Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! Documentary with Interviews Including Rob Reiner; 83rd Annual Golden Globes Presenters
01/08 - Netflix Orders Nick Kroll Comedy Series; Saturday Night Live January 2026 Hosts and Music Guests
01/07 - Saturday Night Live Bobbleheads from the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum; Fox Entertainment Signs Tracee Ellis Ross to Deal
01/06 - Emily in Paris Renewed for Season 6; Audible's New Comedy Series Starring Jenifer Lewis, Cedric the Entertainer, and Niecy Nash-Betts
01/05 - Trailer for The Muppet Show Special Event; Season 3 of Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal on Adult Swim
01/04 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 5, 2026)
01/03 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Premiere Date Set for Malcolm in the Middle Reboot; NBC Pulls The Paper
01/02 - Bridgerton Season 4 Details and Live Premiere Event; NBC Pulls The Paper from Mondays
01/01 - Happy New Year; Shrinking Season 3 Trailer
12/31 - In Memoriam: Remembering the Sitcom Stars We Lost in 2025
12/30 - Antenna TV and Rewind TV's New Year's Eve and Day Marathons; Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair Premieres April 10
12/29 - COZI TV Postpones The Jeff Foxworthy Show Launch; Netflix Releases Free Bert Trailer
12/28 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 29, 2025)
12/27 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Chevy Chase "Hurt" By Not Being Invited to SNL 50th Anniversary; New Lineups for Antenna TV and Rewind TV