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


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 / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, January 15

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "Fan Mail and Old-Timey Organ Music" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Georgie’s upset when Mandy’s new role as weekend weather girl gets her more attention from the men in town, and Connor turns to Jim for help when he’s asked to play the organ at the high school baseball game.

Ghosts - "St. Hetty's Day" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Hetty’s ghost power is revealed when Jay’s cousin Sunil visits Woodstone Mansion on St. Patrick’s Day.

Animal Control - "Bagged Birds and Alley Dogs" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Frank spends the day with influencer and park benefactor Roman Park ahead of the grand opening of their annex kennel; friction arises within the newly combined precincts when Emily assigns Templeton, Shred and Patel to work together.

Going Dutch - "The Laser's Edge" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
An intense battle of laser tag combat; Captain Maggie avoids third-wheeling Major Shah and Celeste.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 12)

Thursday, January 15

  • Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) - Catch Chris on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Kenan Thompson (Kenan/Kenan & Kel) - Kenan appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also chats about Unfunny Bunny and Saturday Night Live with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Kirk Fox (Jury Duty/How to Rock) - Kirk is a guest on Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Sean Hayes (Will & Grace/The Millers/Sean Saves the World) - Sean talks about The Unknown on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • Kyle MacLachlan (Carol's Second Act/Sex and the City) - NBC's Today catches up with Kyle in the 9am hour.
  • Walton Goggins (The Righteous Gemstones/The Unicorn/Vice Principals) - Walton talks about Fallout on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
  • Gina Yashere (Bob Hearts Abishola) and Tig Notaro (One Mississippi) - Gina and Tig talk about their new show Star Trek: Starfleet Academy on Sherri, 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

01/14 - 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
12/26 - GET Acquires Psych for January 2026; Details on Netflix's A Different World Sequel
12/25 - Merry Christmas from Sitcoms Online; Interviews from 2025 Christmas Con in Edison, NJ
12/24 - 2025 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day TV Marathons
12/23 - Antenna TV January 2026 Schedule; Rewind TV January 2026 Schedule
12/22 - The Ms. Pat Show Returns January 7; According to Jim Christmas Day Marathon on Laff
12/21 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 22, 2025)
12/20 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Historical 19th Century Comedy in the Works at CBS; Bowen Yang Leaving Saturday Night Live After Tonight
12/19 - The Muppet Show 50th Anniversary Event in February on ABC & Disney+; Adult Swim Renews Haha, You Clowns for 2 More Seasons
12/18 - The Oscars Moving to YouTube in 2029; Celebs for Hollywood Squares Season 2
12/17 - MeTV Remembers Rob Reiner with Tribute Marathon; MGM+ to Make New The Magnificent Seven Series
12/16 - The Rob Reiner Story: A Hollywood Tragedy – ABC News Special; Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion Part 2 on CBS
12/15 - Remembering the Legendary Rob Reiner of All in the Family; Trailer for Netflix's His & Hers
12/14 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of December 15, 2025)