Saturday, December 12, 2015
SitcomsOnline Digest: ABC Looking to Do Musical Version of Dirty Dancing; More Releases from Shout! Factory
Welcome
to
SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we have news of more musicals on broadcast television (they have sort of become the new reboot of 70s and 80s series), news of a death of a sitcom star from the golden era of television, and more. Let's get going!
HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
- It looks as if these musical remakes of classic movies on broadcast networks have become the latest trend in television, as ABC is now jumping in with a planned musical version of Dirty Dancing. (Hollywood Reporter)
- Some sitcom fans may not like Survivor, but apparently Survivor fans (or at least contestants) love sitcoms, as a previous Survivor winner is now working with Greg Garcia (best known for My Name is Earl and Raising Hope) to develop a sitcom for CBS. (Deadline)
- NBC struck ratings gold again with the TV movie Coat of Many Colors this week, including scoring their best total-viewer ratings (excluding sports and musical events) in the timeslot since the finale of ER in 2009. (Rolling Stone)
- Actress Marjorie Lord, who was best known for playing matriarch Kathy on Make Room for Daddy, has died at age 95. (Entertainment Weekly)
- Willard Scott has been semi-retired from Today for almost two decades, but now he is ready to retire for good. (Today)
- Golden Globe nominations were announced this week, and as has become more common, the leaders in nominations were not the broadcast television networks. (SitcomsOnline)
HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
- It probably comes as no surprise that after releasing all of the other versions of The Bold Ones, Shout! Factory (under TMG) will be wrapping things up by releasing the most successful of the series, The Bold Ones: The New Doctors - The Complete Series on March 1.
- Shout! Factory is finishing up The Nanny on DVD (for those who skipped on the complete series) with The Nanny - The Final Season on March 15.
- Maude - The Complete Fourth Season will be arriving on DVD on March 22.
FOLLOW ME
Who to Follow: Don Most (Twitter)
Claim to Fame: "Don Most" is not the name we think of when we see the face, because we knew him better as Donny Most, who played Ralph Malph on Happy Days. Since that time, he has had guest roles on several series, including Murder, She Wrote, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and Glee, among other series. He has had some cartoon voice roles as well. Lately, he is returning to what he says is his first love: singing.
Pick of the Tweets: "Appearing on "Home & Family" on the Hallmark Channel on Nov. 19, with Anson Williams and Marion Ross. Bringing my band on and singing." (November 15, 2014)
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Friday, July 3
The Dick Van Dyke Show - Now in Living Color! - (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
CBS will honor the memory of legendary actor, producer, director, writer, comedian and Emmy Award winner Carl Reiner with THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW – NOW IN LIVING COLOR! A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO CARL REINER, featuring two colorized back-to-back classic episodes of the beloved 1960s series, Friday, July 3 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. As series creator and co-star, Carl Reiner personally supervised the original colorization of the episodes.
The special features “Coast to Coast Big Mouth,” which ranked #8 on TV Guide’s list of the “100 Greatest TV Episodes of All-Time,” and “October Eve,” which Mr. Reiner considered to be one of the series’ funniest episodes. Both were written by Bill Persky and Sam Denoff.
In “Coast to Coast Big Mouth,” Laura Petrie blurts out a top secret on a national television quiz show, revealing that comedian Alan Brady wears a toupee. The episode, which was the show’s fifth and final season premiere, was originally broadcast on Sept. 15, 1965. “Coast to Coast Big Mouth” won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 1966.
In “October Eve,” a painting of Laura returns to haunt her when, despite her having posed fully clothed, the artist (played by Carl Reiner) takes the liberty of “undraping” her. The episode was first presented on April 8, 1964, during season three.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 29)
Friday, July 3
- Kevin Hart (The Big House/Undeclared) - Watch Kevin on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12:35am on ABC.
- Tina Fey (30 Rock) - Tina appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Laura Dern (Enlightened) - Laura is a guest on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Mark Duplass (Togetherness/The Mindy Project/The League) - Mark appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly/Samantha Who?) - Melissa guest hosts a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Brett Gelman (Camping/Fleabag/Love/Married/Go On) - Brett appears on a repeat of A Little Late with Lilly Singh at 1:35am on NBC.
- Tika Sumpter (mixed-ish/The Game) - Tika talks about the season finale of mixed-ish and her latest project helping new moms on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Peter Gallagher (Grace and Frankie/The Secret Lives of Men) - Peter talks about Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist and Grace and Frankie on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (April/May/June/July)
04/07 - Cheers - The Complete Series (2020 Release)
04/14 - Police Squad! - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
04/14 - The Righteous Gemstones - The Complete First Season
04/21 - Step by Step - The Complete Seventh and Final Season (WBShop.com)
05/05 - Kidding - Season 2
05/19 - The Good Place - The Final (Fourth) Season
05/19 - The Good Place - The Complete Series - Collector's Edition (Blu-ray)
05/26 - Silicon Valley - The Complete Sixth and Final Season
05/26 - Silicon Valley - The Complete Series
06/02 - Work in Progress - Season 1
06/09 - Head of the Class - The Complete First Season (WBShop.com)
06/09 - How to Be a Gentleman - The Complete Series
06/09 - Letterkenny - Seasons 3 & 4
06/09 - Modern Family - The Eleventh and Final Season
06/09 - No Activity - Season 1
06/09 - Superior Donuts - Season Two
06/23 - Bob's Burgers - The Complete 10th Season
06/23 - Fresh Off the Boat - The Complete Sixth and Final Season
06/23 - Last Man Standing - The Complete Seventh Season
06/23 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Third Season (Blu-ray)
06/30 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season Seven
07/07 - Will & Grace - The Revival - Season Three - The Farewell Season
07/21 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Tenth Season
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