Saturday, October 24, 2015

SitcomsOnline Digest: Truth Be Told Sets Undesirable Ratings Records for Debut; Undateable to Go Live on Both Coasts; 'Til Death Continuing on DVD

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It has been a rather busy week, so we've only got some of the highlights here for you this week (so make sure to look through our blog for the entire week to see what we didn't cover here!), but we do have some ratings news for a new NBC sitcom that simply spell disaster, news of Undateable going live on both coasts, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
  • None of the new fall sitcoms have been canceled yet, but if you're looking for a good candidate for the first one to be canceled, NBC's Truth Be Told may be it, as the debut episode shattered two lowest-rated records (including NBC's lowest-rated in-season premiere ever). (Variety)
  • Meanwhile, the lead-in for Truth Be Told, Undateable, which started out the season with live episodes only on the east coast, will be airing live on both the east coast and west coast. (A.V. Club)
  • Tracy Morgan hosted Saturday Night Live last week, but there was even more for sitcom fans, as the episode featured a reunion of the 30 Rock cast. (Huffington Post)
  • There is a good chance that you never saw it anyway, but the TBS series Clipped has been canceled. (Hollywood Reporter)
  • Even though Desperate Housewives has been off the air for over three years and Nicollette Sheridan hasn't appeared on the series in over six years, her lawsuit involving the show still won't quite seem to go away. (Hollywood Reporter)
  • Remakes and reboots have become a hallmark of television in the past year or so, and now it looks like one may be in the works for Amazing Stories. (Deadline)
  • Marty Ingels, best known for his role on I'm Dickens, He's Fenster (and as husband to Shirley Jones) died this week at the age of 79. (New York Times)
  • Pat Woodell, who played Bobbie Jo in the early seasons of Petticoat Junction, also died this week. (SitcomsOnline

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
  • Sony has by and large abandoned TV-on-DVD releases for classic series (and considering that they aren't exactly a huge player in new series, we don't get much there either), but TVShowsOnDVD.com revealed this week that they are hearing of a very surprising release of the third season of the Fox series that never seemed to die, 'Til Death. The MOD release is said to be released sometime in November.

OCTOBER 27 HOME MEDIA RELEASES


FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Julie McCullough (Twitter), "Funny Bunny"
Claim to Fame: The magazine Playboy recently announced that they were going to stop including nudity in their magazine, and Julie McCullough may very well be the first (and only) Playboy Playmate of the Month that we've ever featured as our Follow Me, but that first appearance occurred in the magazine nearly 30 years ago. McCullough had become a bit more family friendly shortly after that appearance when she took on the role of Julie, the Seaver family nanny, in the sitcom Growing Pains. Throughout the fourth season, her character evolved into a love interest for Mike Seaver. Unfortunately for her, that role didn't last long, as Kirk Cameron essentially had her fired from the show since he wasn't comfortable having a love interest on the series who appeared in Playboy in real life, something that she still hasn't (and perhaps never will) forgiven him for doing. She didn't quite give up acting, though, as she did go on to appear in a few acting roles. Today, at age 50, she spends her time in stand-up comedy.
Pick of the Tweets: "Most of ya know me from #GrowingPains or from @Playboy but what ya don't know is: my family owns a #Carnival its @HuntingtonMall right now🌟" (June 4, 2015)


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Wednesday, January 22

Shifting Gears - "Job" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Riley, desperate for work, reluctantly takes a job at Matt’s shop. Meanwhile, Gabriel and Stitch secretly stray from Matt’s vision on a high-stakes restomod project.

Abbott Elementary - "Strike" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
City buses have stopped running due to a strike, resulting in many students being absent from school. The teachers at Abbott try to find creative solutions and adapt to hybrid learning. Meanwhile, Gregory and O’Shon strike up a friendship.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 20)

Wednesday, January 22

  • Lucy Liu (Joey/Pearl) - Watch Lucy on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. She also chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
  • Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghosts/White Famous), Betsy Sodaro (Ghosts/Duncanville/Disjointed/Animal Practice) and Punam Patel (Ghosts/Return of the Mac/Kevin from Work) - Utkarsh, Betsy and Punam are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Morris talks about Watson on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am, on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour, and on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Andrew Rannells (Girls/The New Normal) and Nick Kroll (Big Mouth/The League/Cavemen) - Andrew, Nick and Lin-Manuel Miranda are chatting with Drew about their Broadway show All In: Comedy About Love on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings. They're also talking to Drew about parenting advice, how they were raised and how comedy brings people together.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series

10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/05 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
11/12 - The King of Queens - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (2024 Release)
11/19 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fourteenth Season
11/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Choice - Volume 4 (Blu-ray)
12/03 - Angel (1960-1961) - The Complete Series, Volume 1
12/17 - Seinfeld - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (4K UHD)
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series

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

01/21 - Fox Renews Murder in a Small Town; O.J. Simpson Netflix Docuseries
01/20 - Rewind TV February 2025 Schedule; Shifting Gears and Abbott Elementary Score Big for Premieres
01/19 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 20, 2025)
01/18 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Frasier Reboot Canceled at Paramount+; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Coming to MeTV Toons
01/17 - Remembering Bob Uecker of Mr. Belvedere, Punky Brewster Creator David W. Duclon, and Others We Recently Lost
01/16 - Apple TV+ Prime Target Trailer; Apple Cider Vinegar Premieres in February on Netflix
01/15 - My Three Sons to Join FETV Lineup Starting February 3; St. Denis Medical Renewed for Season 2
01/14 - Game Show Network Acquires The Wall; NBC's The Hunting Party to Premiere After NFL Divisional Playoff Game
01/13 - Antenna TV February 2025 Schedule; SNL First Two 2025 Episodes Before 50th Anniversary Event
01/12 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 13, 2025)
01/11 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Saturday Night Live Hosts Announced; The West Wing Returns to Max After Brief Disappearance
01/10 - The Jeffersons 50th Anniversary Marathon on Antenna TV; FETV to Air Uncut Episodes of Most Series
01/09 - Trailer for Apple TV+ Comedy Mythic Quest; Upcoming Season of Harlem Is Final Season
01/08 - Roy Wood Jr. Comedy Special on Hulu; The Late Show Gets Post AFC Championship Game Airing
01/07 - HGTV's Celebrity IOU New Season; Joey King and Cooper Koch to Announce 31st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominations
01/06 - 82nd Golden Globe Winners; Shoresy Returns in February on Hulu
01/05 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of January 6, 2025)
01/04 - SitcomsOnline Digest: HBO Cancels The Franchise; Alice Actress Linda Lavin Dies
01/03 - Antenna TV Pays Tribute to Linda Lavin with Alice Marathon; Catchy Comedy Recreates Classic CBS Saturday Night Lineup from the 1970s
01/02 - Abbott Elementary and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Crossover Event; The Night Agent Returns January 23 on Netflix
01/01 - Happy New Year; Antenna TV's New Year's Day Fresh Start Marathon; ABC's Shifting Gears Official Trailer
12/31 - In Memoriam: Remembering the Sitcom Stars We Lost in 2024
12/30 - Remembering Linda Lavin of Alice; Hulu Releases Chad Powers Teaser
12/29 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 30, 2024)
12/28 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Cable Networks No Longer a Priority for Paramount; Paramount+ Removes Vintage Nickelodeon Series
12/27 - Max Renews Creature Commandos for Season 2; Fox's Denis Leary Comedy Gets First Look
12/26 - Cobra Kai Final Episodes in February on Netflix; HBO Slates 13th Bill Maher Comedy Special
12/25 - Merry Christmas from Sitcoms Online; The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Coming to DVD in February
12/24 - 2024 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day TV Marathons
12/23 - Christmas Con Celebrates 5 Year Anniversary; Deli Boys Premieres in March on Hulu
12/22 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 23, 2024)
12/21 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Creative Team Put in Place for Big Bang Theory Spinoff; Girls5eva Canceled at Netflix