Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Ted Danson Back at NBC, This Time with Kristen Bell; Showtime Picks Up Jim Carrey Produced Comedy

Ted DansonKristen Bell

Two-time Emmy Award winner Ted Danson and acclaimed actress Kristen Bell have been cast in NBC's new Michael Schur comedy series Good Place. Bell plays Eleanor, a woman from New Jersey who comes to realize that she hasn't been a very good person. She decides to turn over a new leaf by learning what it actually means to be "good" or "bad," and then trying to make up for her past behavior. Danson plays Michael, who, through an unlikely set of circumstances, comes to be Eleanor's guide through her self-designed self-improvement course. Danson is widely known for his iconic role as bartender Sam Malone on the 28-time Emmy-winning NBC comedy Cheers. Over the course of the show's historic 11-season run, Danson was nominated for 11 Emmys, winning twice. He was also nominated for eight Golden Globes and won twice. Besides Cheers, Danson has made his mark on several other acclaimed comedies, including HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm and Bored to Death. Most recently, he is coming off his role as a Minnesota state trooper in the critically applauded FX drama Fargo and also recently starred in CBS' CSI. Bell has extensive television experience, most notably the lead role in the popular drama Veronica Mars, which ran from 2004-07. She has many other TV credits, including Deadwood, Heroes, Party Down, Gossip Girl, Parks and Recreation and House of Lies. On the film side, Bell recently starred as the voice of Anna in Disney's box office hit Frozen, which grossed more than $400 million at the domestic box office. NBC ordered 13 episodes of Schur's Good Place last August during the network's TCA day.


I'm Dying Up here

SHOWTIME announced the pickup of a new one-hour comedy series I'm Dying Up Here. Set in L.A.'s celebrated, infamous stand-up comedy scene of the 1970s, during which the careers of many of the comedy superstars began, the series delves into the inspired and damaged psyches that are required to stand alone in front of an audience and make them laugh. From executive producer Jim Carrey, I'm Dying Up Here stars Academy Award(R) winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter, Louie), Ari Graynor (For A Good Time Call), Clark Duke (Hot Tub Time Machine, The Office), Michael Angarano (The Knick), Andrew Santino (Mixology), RJ Cyler (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl), Erik Griffin (Workaholics) and Stephen Guarino (Happy Endings) as part of a large ensemble cast. The comedy follows up and coming comedians in LA in the 1970s, who are mentored by "Goldie" (Leo), a brassy comedy club owner who rules over her business with an iron fist and nurtures her comedians with tough love. Graynor, Santino, Cyler, Griffin and Guarino star as the main stand-ups at the club. Angarano and Duke play ballsy young comedians from Boston who move to L.A. with the hopes of making it big. Emmy(R) Award nominee Alfred Molina (Chocolat), Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Martian), Oscar nominee Robert Forster (Jackie Brown), Jon Daly (Kroll Show), Al Madrigal (About A Boy, The Daily Show), Emmy nominee Dylan Baker (The Good Wife), Brianne Howey (Horrible Bosses 2), Ginger Gonzaga (Togetherness) and Oscar nominee Cathy Moriarty (Raging Bull) guest star.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, February 6

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A Tire Convention and the Moral High Ground" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie discovers that Jim’s annual tire convention trip isn’t what he says it is. Meanwhile, Mandy has doubts about the strength of her and Georgie’s marriage.

Ghosts - "Thorapy 2: Abandonment Issues" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Thor returns to therapy to work through his angst over being abandoned by his Viking shipmates. Also, Jay’s sister, Bela (Punam Patel), attempts to help him with the restaurant.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of February 3)

Thursday, February 6

  • Rob Lowe (Unstable/The Grinder/Parks and Recreation/A New Kind of Family) - Catch Rob on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Kieran Culkin (Go Fish) - Kieran appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Kenan Thompson (Kenan/Kenan & Kel) - Kenan is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men/Togetherness) - Melanie stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. She will also be on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
  • Pete Davidson (Bupkis) - Pete appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Ramona Young (Santa Clarita Diet/Man Seeking Woman/The Real O'Neals) - Ramona is a guest on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Ke Huy Quan (Head of the Class/Together We Stand) - Ke appears on Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm. He will also be on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Ariana DeBose (Schmigadoon!) - Ariana chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Patricia Field (Sex and the City costume designer) - Emmy® Award-winning and Academy Award®-nominated costume designer Patricia Field chats about her documentary Happy Clothes, which takes us behind the scenes on iconic shows such as Sex and the City, Emily in Paris and more on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/CafĂ© Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Drew and Valerie are joined by Carla Hall in the kitchen to whip up some delicious cozy food on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Amy Schumer (Life & Beth), Jillian Bell (Bless the Harts/Idiotsitter/Eastbound & Down/Workaholics) and Brianne Howey (Dollface) - The cast of the new movie Kinda Pregnant join Drew to dish on their new film on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Sebastian Maniscalco (Bookie) - Sebastian talks about Max's Bookie on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.


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


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