Saturday, December 26, 2015

SitcomsOnline Digest: Mid-Season Debut Dates Set; New Family Matters and Growing Pains DVDs Ahead From Warner Archive

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! Christmas has come and gone, which means that next week it'll be a whole new year. But before this year is done, we've got a list of when all of your favorite series will return next year, news of some new Warner Archive releases of some classic sitcoms... and Sarah Palin playing Tina Fey in 30 Rock parody? Seriously? You betcha! Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
  • In recent years, mid-season has become almost as big of a deal (if not a bigger deal, since it tends to give series an opportunity to thrive with less competition) as the beginning of the fall season. Deadline has all of the dates you need to know for when your favorite series returns, along with debut dates for new series. (Deadline
  • Tina Fey has been playing the role of Sarah Palin off and on for the past seven years, but now, Sarah Palin has decided to play Tina Fey as Lynn Melon in 31 Rock (as well as John McCain playing a character similar to Alec Baldwin's Jack Donaghy), a spoof of 30 Rock. (Rolling Stone)
  • As it turns out, there will a well-known (and current) pop star voice behind the theme song for the upcoming series Fuller House: Carly Rae Jepsen. (Billboard)
  • We suggest avoiding clicking on the article if you want to avoid a spoiler, but The Big Bang Theory is still managing to set records when it comes to ratings. (CinemaBlend
  • ... but how much longer can The Big Bang Theory continue to set records? While the series is a hit and there are no signs of audiences going away, showrunner Steve Molaro says there is only so much more that they can do with the series, and suggested that it is possible next year's tenth season could be the last unless they can come up with new ideas to naturally move the story along (to be clear, we wouldn't start writing the obituary yet). (Vulture)
  • In a very pleasant Easter (sorry, Christmas) weekend surprise for Steve Harvey, it seems that flubbing the announcement of the winner of the Miss Universe Pageant has given the pageant attention that it has perhaps never seen, and also made the organizers want to keep him around for a few years.  (New York Daily News
  • As a reminder, Syfy will be going big with their annual Twilight Zone marathon that starts on Tuesday evening, airing the entire series (including episodes that haven't aired on TV in decades) in HD. (SitcomsOnline

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
  • TVShowsOnDVD.com had an exclusive this week, announcing that Family Matters will be moving forward on DVD after a bit of a break, but it will now be coming from Warner Archive. According to their information, Family Matters - The Complete Fifth Season will arrive on February 16.
  • It looks like Warner Archive will also be wrapping up Growing Pains on January 12, with the release of Growing Pains - The Complete Seventh Season (i.e. the Leonardo DiCaprio season).

TUESDAY (DECEMBER 29) HOME MEDIA RELEASES

  • Shameless - The Complete Fifth Season (DVD, $39.98; Blu-ray, $44.96): One of the most dysfunctional families in all of television history returns with this release on DVD and Blu-ray.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Eva Longoria (Twitter), "Actress, Producer, Director, Activist, Philanthropist, Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Friend, HUMAN!"
Claim to Fame: Eva Longoria got her start in beauty pageants, but it didn't take long for it to be seen that she had the potential to be an actress. Her first TV role was as a flight attendant in a final season episode of Beverly Hills, 90210, and she quickly became a soap star on The Young and the Restless. From there, she went on to star in the short-lived 2003-2004 Dragnet. Her biggest claim to fame came in 2004, though, when she was cast as Gabrielle Solis in Desperate Housewives. She then went on to serve as executive producer in Devious Maids. Now, with all of this "soap opera" experience behind her, she is ready to move on to a new role in a sitcom... a sitcom that is all about being a telenovela star who can't speak a word of Spanish, NBC's upcoming series (which already had a preview debut), Telenovela.
Pick of the Tweets: "Merry Christmas everyone! Santa is here!!!  (pic)" (December 25, 2015)


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, May 19

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 19)

Monday, May 19

  • Seth Rogen (The Studio/Platonic/Undeclared) - Watch Seth on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Milly Alcock (Sirens) - Milly appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Bradley Whitford (Perfect Harmony/Trophy Wife) - Bradley is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
  • Tim Robinson (Detroiters) - Tim appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Owen Thiele (Overcompensating) and Amita Rao (Deli Boys) - Owen and Amita are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Meghann Fahy (Sirens) - Meghann talks about Sirens on Live with Kelly and Mark (check your local listings), NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am, and on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
  • Sarah Jessica Parker (And Just Like That.../Divorce/Sex and the City/Square Pegs) - Sarah talks about And Just Like That... on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9a.
  • Hugh Jackman (Human Resources) - Hugh discusses his Radio City Music Hall residency on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
  • Jason Priestley (Call Me Fitz/Sister Kate), Vanessa Morgan (The Latest Buzz) and Giacomo Gianniotti (Backpackers/Selfie) - Jason, Vanessa and Giacomo talk about the dramedy Wild Cards on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • Blair Underwood (Fatherhood/The New Adventures of Old Christine) - NBC's Today catches up with Blair in the 9am hour.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time) - It's the time management show on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Luke Kirby (Étoile) - Luke talks about Prime's Étoile on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

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


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