SitcomsOnline Digest: New Greg Garcia Sitcoms in the Works at NBC and Fox; Last Man Standing Season Four Arrives on DVD

Saturday, October 10, 2015

SitcomsOnline Digest: New Greg Garcia Sitcoms in the Works at NBC and Fox; Last Man Standing Season Four Arrives on DVD

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we've got news of two new projects in development from the creator of My Name is Earl and Raising Hope, new Last Man Standing DVDs, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

Greg Garcia, creator of some of some of broadcast TV's quirkier cult favorite sitcoms, is back at it again with new projects at both NBC and Fox, Letters to Beyonce and The Pack. (Deadline)
Bill Lawrence has been part of the sitcom scene for over two decades now, and he even set his expectations low when NBC debuted his current series Undateable as a summer burn-off. Last night, the series began a third season of all live episodes, and he discusses some of the new challenges of creating a sitcom. (Vanity Fair)
Jay Leno may not be part of The Tonight Show (and he probably won't be back for a third time), but it also sounds like he won't be leaving TV either, as his new CNBC series, Jay Leno's Garage, gave the network their biggest audience ever. (Deadline)
Nancy Drew could be the next thing to be rebooted at CBS. (Hollywood Reporter)
Bob's Burgers appeared to be an unceremonious burn-off series destined for quick cancellation when it debuted in 2011, but it has evolved into a piece of the Fox Sunday night lineup that is as reliable as The Simpsons and Family Guy as it has now been renewed for a seventh and eighth season. (SitcomsOnline)
ABC Family is the fifth name that one particular cable network has had in the past 30 years (and it is also the longest running name for the network), but now it is set to be rebranded as Freeform next year. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

It was somewhat expected, but on Thursday, Last Man Standing - The Complete Fourth Season arrived on DVD as a MOD title.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Twitter), "In State of reasonably confused refreshment."

Claim to Fame: Believe it or not, we're actually continuing our theme of "stars of the new season" this week, even if you think we're talking about Zack Morris. Of course, that Saved by the Bell character is something that Mark-Paul Gosselaar will always be known for, and he doesn't seem to mind. That does not distract from the fact that he has successfully transitioned into an adult actor, though. In recent years, he has had starring roles in NYPD Blue, Raising the Bar, and Franklin & Bash. He also had a very memorable single appearance in Weeds, an appearance which we don't feel comfortable describing in an all-ages blog. But now, he is returning to comedy next week on NBC, as he stars in their latest sitcom, Truth Be Told.

Pick of the Tweets: "You all rock! Thanks for the love and support. Hope you also enjoy #TruthBeTold and if you don't...keep it to your damn self!!! Cheers. @nbc" (September 29, 2015)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Sunday, December 22

Bob's Burgers - "The Nightmare 2 Days Before Christmas" (Fox, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When the power goes out two days before Christmas, The Belchers must spend the holiday at Mr. Fischoeder's family's old hunting lodge.

Krapopolis - "Krapocalypse" (Fox, 7:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Tyrannis is stuck in a time loop trying to save the city.

The Simpsons - "The Man Who Flew Too Much" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
The new and improved Pin Pals travel to Capital City for their first ever state bowling championship.

Universal Basic Guys - "The Devil You Know" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Mark insists on teaching his son Darren how to throw a handmade boomerang that was gifted to Darren by his father; the two soon find themselves on a trek deep into the Jersey woods; David is the recipient of a sex doll that he swears he didn't order.

The Great North - "The Lies Aquatic Adventure" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
While Beef is away, the Tobin fishing boat goes missing; the Tobin siblings wildly speculate on what could have happened.

Krapopolis - "National Lampoon's The Odyssey!" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The family takes a vacation to Storgos for Shlub's mother's birthday.

Bob Hearts Abishola - "Full-Frontal Dottie" (The CW, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Excited by her physical therapy progress, Dottie insists she is ready to return to MaxDot, much to Bob, Douglas and Christina's dismay.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 16)

Friday, December 20

Jason Bateman (Arrested Development/George and Leo/Chicago Sons/Simon/The Hogan Family/It's Your Move/Silver Spoons) - Watch Jason on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters/HouseBroken/Catastrophe) - Sharon is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Dwayne Johnson (Young Rock) - Dwayne appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Colton Dunn (Superstore) and Diona Reasonover (Clipped) - Colton and Diona are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Zachary Quinto (Big Mouth/So Notorious) - NBC's Today catches up with Zachary in the 9am hour.
Billy Eichner (Friends from College/Difficult People/Parks and Recreation) - Billy talks about Mufasa: The Lion King on NBC's Today in the 10am hour. He can also be heard on The Morning Mash Up on SiriusXM.
Kerry Washington (UnPrisoned) - Kerry talks about The Six Triple Eight on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am and on Sherri, so check your local listings.
James Marsden (30 Rock) and Ben Schwartz (The Afterparty/Space Force/Parks and Recreation) - James and Ben talk about Sonic the Hedgehog 3 on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Jamie Lee Curtis (The Sticky/Anything But Love/Operation Petticoat) - Jamie Lee chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney talks about Max's Fast Friends on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Access Daily with Mario & Kit has the best of Henry and Kit Hoover, so check your local listings.
Howie Mandel (Good Grief) - The Talk celebrates 15 seasons with a special finale episode; friend of the show Howie Mandel makes his 21st appearance on the show when he stops by one last time with a surprise for the hosts on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.